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Excuse me? Did he just say that my anger turns him on? Hell!! Giving him a hard push, I get down the car. Aarav gets down from his side and soon reaches me. My fingers curl into a fist as he places his palm at my lower back in a gesture to lead me inside the mansion.

“Don’t be mad. I am not touching you anywhere apart from here tonight,” he whispers, pushing his palm further to my skin.

Is that why he chose a Lehnga where my waist was exposed directly to his touch? I don’t trust him, but for a change, I believe he will stick to his promise. We make our way inside. The living room is filled with guests and as soon as we enter, they all come to greet us one by one. Aarav introduces me to most of them and whilst I keep faking smiles, and pretend to pay attention to whatever he is telling me, my eyes wander to look for Daadi. She is at the corner with a group of women and by the look on her face, I know she is barely keeping it cool. Attending the wedding reception of her forbidden grandson, that too in her mansion, is definitely not easy. I wish she had never differentiated between Mohit and Aarav. Things would have been simplified. Does this mean I am taking Aarav’s side this time? No! But I just know that Daadi made a few wrong decisions in her life for which she is facing all these consequences now.

Something buzzes inside my wallet and I quickly realize what that is. I have carried Mohit’s given phone with me and probably it’s his message. I don’t see him anywhere around. I make an excuse to freshen up and leave Aarav’s side. Thankfully, he is not suspicious and is busy speaking to the rest of the guests.

I check Mohit’s message once I am away from Aarav. Mohit wants me to meet him in his room. That’s a risky move, but I can’t ignore, so I quickly rush to the stairs.

When I push the bedroom door which Mohit left open for me, I see him drinking. He doesn’t look sober and that pinches my heart.

“Jhanvi, come on in..” he waves at me, patting the seat next to him on the couch. “Join me for a drink.”

I reach there but snatch the bottle before he can pour some more in his glass.

“Mohit, what is all this? Don’t you think you have been drinking too often lately?”

He laughs. “What else should I do? Nothing is anymore under my control. Whatever I had, I lost.”

It’s so hard to see him in pain. Though I am not actively responsible for his agony, I can’t ignore how I feel for him. He is my best friend and the one I was going to marry and spend my life with.

“You should stand as Daadi’s support in these tough times. She is alone down there.”

He cuts my words. “She can be a part of this madness, I can’t.”

A minute of silence and then Mohit glares at the sindoor and my mangalsutra.

“Take this off.”

He is about to snatch it when I stop him.

“I can’t. Did you forget it is you who wants me to fake being with Aarav now?”

Mohit swallows angrily, shrugging my arm.

“Yeah. How is he treating you?”

That’s a good question. I don’t know what to say though. Aarav flirts with me.A lot.But that’s it. He has never crossed any more lines, which I’m thankful for.

“He has given me permission to work in his home office.”

My reply makes him grin.

“Good. Now we will know all his secrets. He makes all deals sitting there so we can get that sensitive information we need to pull down his business.”

I am afraid if I’m really willing to be a part of this nasty mission. It’s worse than robbing.

“Mohit but..”

“I know,” he grabs my hand bringing it to his heart. “I won’t put you at risk. Just do it for me, one last time.”

He opens the side drawer and hands me a voice recording device, hardly the size of a button.

“Stick it on his desk somewhere. I should be able to hear whatever he speaks in there then.”

My hands shiver as I take it from him.

“Mohit, are you really sure we will stoop so low to..”

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