5. Bet

Ishaani's Pov :

I was just putting the final touches on a dress when Aadya walked into my boutique, her face flushed with annoyance. She didn't even say hello, just muttered something about "some people" being useless and having no sense of privacy. I had to hide my smile and told my assistant to lock up the boutique and followed her to the car. Aadya was usually the cool, collected one among us, so seeing her like this was a rare treat.

"Aadya, what happened?" I asked, sliding into the passenger seat.

She huffed, pulling out of the parking lot. "You wouldn't believe it, Ishaani. Some people just don't understand the concept of minding their own business!"

I stifled a laugh. "Who exactly are we talking about?"

She waved her hand dismissively, as if it didn't matter, but I knew better. "Just some entitled jerk who thinks the world revolves around him."

This rant continued as we drove to the hotel where we were meeting the girls. By the time we arrived, Aadya was still fuming, her eyes flashing with anger. But the moment we saw our friends, she plastered on a smile, and we walked over to greet them.

"Finally, the lawyer have arrived from London," Anika teased as we approached the group.

We all exchanged hugs, and the conversation quickly turned lively. But then, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Aadya's expression darken. I followed her gaze and spotted Shivansh sitting at a table across the room, deep in conversation with someone. Aadya's glare was intense, as if she could kill him just by looking at him.

Roohi noticed it too and smirked. "Aadya, are you in love with my devar or what?"

That caught everyone's attention. The girls all turned to look at Shivansh, then back at Aadya, who seemed to snap out of her murderous stare just in time to vehemently deny it.

"In love with him? Are you out of your mind? He's the last person I'd ever consider!" Aadya shot back, but that only fueled the teasing.

Navya grinned mischievously. "It's not every day we get to see Aadya all flustered. Come on, spill. What's the deal with you and Shivansh?"

Before Aadya could retort, one of our friends, Meera, who had been in the same college as Aadya, chimed in. "Wait, why did you guys started fighting so much ? Weren't you two best friends back in the day? What happened?"

We all turned to Aadya in surprise. This was new information. I'd heard Aadya rant about her "sworn enemy" plenty of times, but I never imagined it could be Shivansh.

Navya's eyes sparkled with mischief. "Ohhh, so you he was your best friend, and now he's your sworn enemy? The plot thickens! And here I thought you were just enemies from the start."

Aadya shot her a withering look. "Navya, shut up."

But Navya was having too much fun. "You know, Shivansh isn't bad-looking at all. In fact-"

Before she could finish, one of our classmates, Anika, cut in. "I think he's cute. Should I approach him?"

That did it. Aadya's eyes widened, and she nearly jumped out of her seat. "No! Why would you do that?"

Anika smirked, clearly enjoying the reaction. "Aadya, are you obsessed with him or something? You're glaring at him like you want to murder him, and he's not even looking in your direction!"

I could see Aadya's frustration building. "Me, obsessed with him? You're joking, right?"

Anika turned to Meera, who had been in college with Aadya. "Is he dating anyone?"

Before Meera could respond, Aadya answered her question. "He's not interested in dating anyone, okay? Just drop it."

But by now, our table had attracted the attention of the entire restaurant. Even Shivansh seemed to notice the commotion and looked in our direction. One of our friends who knew him from college waved at him, and to our surprise, he excused himself from his table and started walking toward us.

Aadya muttered under her breath, that only Navya and I could hear as she was sitting between us, "Why is he coming over here now?"

Shivansh reached our table and greeted the girl who had waved, then turned to Roohi. "Bhabhi, what a pleasant surprise," he said warmly, acknowledging all of us with a polite nod. He even managed to dodge Anika's flirtations with effortless charm. But when his gaze landed on Aadya, his expression shifted into a smug grin. " You must be thrilled to see me again, Princess."

"Overjoyed smug face " she replied sarcastically

The way he said "Princess" made Aadya's eyes narrow. I half-expected her to throw her drink at him.

Before things could escalate, Roohi invited him to join us, but he declined, explaining he was here for a meeting. As he walked away, Aadya muttered under her breath, "What a jerk. If he was here for work, he didn't need to come over."

That's when Anika piped up again. "He's so sweet! Aadya, give me his number."

Aadya's eyes flashed with irritation. "Don't you get it? He doesn't like you in fact he has crush on me didn't you saw the way he called me Princess."

Anika wasn't deterred. "He will eventually. Let's make a bet: whoever can make him fall in love in a months wins."

Navya and I immediately shook our heads. "This is a bad idea," Navya warned.

Roohi agreed. "Aadya, don't agree to this stupidity."

But before Aadya could refuse, Anika leaned in, her voice dripping with challenge. "What's wrong, scared you'll lose and your lie about him having crush on you will be exposed?"

That did it. Aadya's ego flared, and before we knew it, she agreed to the bet. The three of us exchanged worried glances. This wasn't going to end well.

Next Day

I was getting ready for lunch with Aadya, I could hear the soft click of her phone's keyboard as she typed away furiously. She had arrived a few minutes earlier, urging me to hurry up. I could feel her impatience simmering, so I hastened my pace, pulling my hair back into a loose ponytail.

Suddenly, both our phones buzzed at the same time. Before I could check mine, Aadya answered the group call on hers. The familiar voices of Roohi and Navya filled the room, the sound of an argument already in progress.

"Navya, you have to come! Why do you always do this?" Roohi's voice was insistent, with that edge of frustration she only saved for Navya.

"What will we do there? We'll just be kebab mein haddi," Navya retorted, her tone playfully defiant.

Roohi's voice turned suspicious, "Aadya, why isn't Ishaani answering? Is she with you? "

It was originally a plan for the four of us, but Navya and Roohi both got busy at the last minute. I jumped in before Aadya could respond, "I'm here!"

Aadya, ever the detective, immediately asked, "Kuch toh gadbad hai ?"

Navya, not one to miss a beat, chimed in, "Of course there's gadbad! Where Roohi's involved, there's always gadbad!"

"Shut up, Navya," Roohi huffed. I could almost see her rolling her eyes.

I finally got a word in, "What happened?"

But before Roohi could respond, Navya, ever dramatic, declared, "Roohi madam wants to go to her in-laws' house with her entire family for fixing her wedding date. Like, obviously, we will be kebab mein haddi!"

Roohi let out an exasperated sigh, "Enough with your kebab jokes, Navya! And you both, get to my place! We'll all go together. Navya, if you're so busy, maybe you should work instead of arguing with me and reach at my palce on time not late like my engagement."

"Alright, guys, am I clear?" Roohi ordered, sounding every bit like a CEO commanding her team.

Aadya, clearly not thrilled about being bossed around, added, "Does my opinion even matter here?"

In unison, the three of us replied, "No!"

Navya, laughing, finally relented, "Fine, I'll come at 4 to your place, Roohi."

Aadya and I exchanged a glance, silently agreeing. "Let's just go early after lunch and skip the shopping."

With a smile, I grabbed my bag, ready for whatever madness awaited us today. After all, with friends like these, life was never boring.

Roohi's Pov:

Okay, so the girls agreed. But honestly, I have no idea what to expect. Everything's happening so fast-first the engagement, and now fixing the wedding date. It's overwhelming.

He didn't even call me or try to talk to me after our engagement. Twice, I thought maybe he'd at least send a message, but nothing , why did i even expected anything from him when he doesn't even want any of this in first place. His family seemed really sweet, though. I even went out to lunch with his sisters, and they were all so warm and welcoming.

And of course, our share prices are rising. Why wouldn't they? Me getting engaged to a Birla is a big deal. The Birla and Agrawal connection is making waves-not just here but across all of Asia. Birla is a huge name, and now that we're linked, everyone is watching our every move.

But amidst all this excitement and growth, there's this lingering uncertainty. We're about to set a wedding date, but how can I do that with someone who hasn't even reached out since our engagement? It's like we're business partners, not two people about to get married.

As soon as Ishaani and Aadya walked into the house, Mom swooped in on them, chatting away like she had all the time in the world. I mean, I get it-she adores them-but we had things to do!

"Mom, if you're done, could you please send them up to help me?" I called out from the top of the stairs.

Mom just chuckled, waving them off like she was giving her blessing. Ishaani and Aadya finally made their way to my room, where I was pacing around, trying to figure out the saree situation.

"I'm wearing a saree," I announced, mostly to warn them. Aadya's eyes widened, and she immediately threw her hands up.

"I don't know how to help you with this!" she exclaimed, looking at the six yards of fabric like it was some alien creature.

Ishaani, being the lifesaver she is, stepped in, "Don't worry, Roohi. I've got this."

As she started draping the saree, I turned to Aadya with a mischievous grin. "You must be really happy, Aadya. After all, you'll get to see my devar today."

Aadya rolled her eyes, her voice dripping with sarcasm as she replied, "Overjoyed. Really."

We all burst out laughing. Aadya might play it cool, but I knew her well enough to see through her act.

Once the laughter died down, Ishaani looked around and asked, "Is Navya late again?"

"No, actually," I said, straightening out the pleats of the saree, "She got a last-minute patient, so she said she'll come directly to their house."

Aadya snorted, "Of course, Doctor Navya to the rescue. Always swooping in at the last minute."

"Better late than never," I said with a shrug, thinking how typical it was for Navya to juggle everything and still somehow show up when it mattered.

With the saree finally in place and everything set, I couldn't help but feel a mix of nerves and excitement. Today was just another step closer to whatever this crazy journey had in store for me.

As we reached the Birla house, all three of us stood there, frozen in our tracks. We knew they were rich, but this? This was on another level. The house screamed money and luxury in a way that made even our own lavish homes seem modest.

Aadya muttered under her breath, her eyes wide with disbelief. "No wonder Mr. Smug Face acts the way he does."

I couldn't help but smirk at that. She was obviously talking about Shivansh, her least favorite person on the planet.

Then I heard Ishaani, sounding genuinely puzzled, "Isn't this house unnecessarily big? Like, how many people live here again?"

Before I could respond, my mom's voice cut through our astonishment from behind, "Have the three of you decided to stay outside?"

We jumped a little, turning to see her standing there with an amused look on her face.

"N-no, Mom," I stammered, still taking in the sheer scale of the place.

"Then stop gawking and come inside," she said, ushering us forward.

As we finally walked through the grand entrance, I couldn't help but think about what lay ahead. The Birla house might be enormous, but so were the expectations, the traditions, and the responsibilities that came with it. And now, I was about to become a part of all this.

we stepped inside, with my family by my side, I couldn't help but feel a wave of anticipation wash over me. The entire Birla family was gathered, and though I had met them all on the day of our engagement, there was an intensity to this visit that made it feel different. Advay was noticeably absent, which only added to my nerves.

"Roohi beta, welcome!" his grandmother greeted me with a warm hug and i just smiled and touched her feet.

My mother was already deep in conversation with Advay's mother, who, of course, was her best friend. It was comforting to see them laughing together, but it didn't fully ease the knot in my stomach.

I noticed his grandfather, father, and bua standing off to the side. Their expressions were kind, but their presence was powerful, almost intimidating.

"Roohi beta, it's good to see you again," his grandfather said as i bent to touch his feet he stopped me saying in his deep voice. " Betiyan pair nahi chuti. "

He was not that scary as I thought

As i greeted his father he said. "We're glad to have you as our daughter."

"Thank you, Uncle," I responded with a polite smile, though I couldn't shake the feeling that they were sizing me up, assessing me with every word I spoke.

His bua, with a keen but gentle look, added, "I'm sure it must be overwhelming, Dear. But you'll settle in soon enough."

I nodded, managing to keep my smile.

Meanwhile, I noticed his chachi and grandmother had spotted Aadya and Ishaani, who had accompanied me. They were meeting them for the first time, having only seen them briefly at the engagement.

"Oh, you must be Roohi's friends i saw you at engagement!" his chachi exclaimed, her eyes lighting up with recognition.

Aadya smiled, her usual confidence faltering just a bit under the scrutiny. "Yes, that's us. It's a pleasure to meet you too."

"You both look lovely," his grandmother added warmly, her gaze softening as she took in their outfits.

Ishaani blushed slightly, her shyness showing through as she replied softly, "Thank you, Dadi."

My mother, meanwhile, was engrossed in conversation with Advay's mother, and my father had joined a group of men discussing business in low tones. It was a strange mix of formality and warmth, but I could sense the underlying seriousness in every interaction

The polite smiles and friendly conversations were genuine, but there was a sense of something more-a weight of expectations, perhaps, or the reality of what this engagement truly meant. As I stood there, surrounded by curious eyes and welcoming words, I couldn't help but feel that this was just the beginning of a new chapter, one that would be as challenging as it was exciting.

Just as I was trying to settle my nerves, he walked in, looking every bit the dashing businessman in a sleek black tuxedo. He cut an impressive figure, but my heart sank a little when he greeted my family and completely ignored my presence.

"Advay," his mother said, her tone both gentle and firm, "show Roohi around the house since this is her first time here. She'd like to get familiar with everything."

I noticed Advay's hesitation, a slight frown forming on his face as if he was about to protest, deny now jerk i also don't want to go with you. But then his grandmother shot him a pointed look-one that was subtle but unmistakable. He sighed and straightened his posture, clearly resigned to his task.

"Of course, Mom," he said with a forced smile, his eyes flickering towards me before he turned and started walking away. I had no choice but to follow him, feeling a mix of irritation and reluctant amusement.

As we moved towards the corridor, I glanced back at Aadya and Ishaani, who gave me reassuring smiles before heading towards the lawn with the younger cousins.

"Let's go," Advay said curtly, barely looking back as he led the way. His back was straight, his movements precise, and I couldn't help but feel a bit frustrated by his aloofness.