Saturday night:

Viraj finished reading the last clause of the contract and signed it. He gave it to his assistant sitting in front of him.

"Confirm the deal with the Singhanias." Viraj asserted.

"Yes, Viraj." Gaurav answered in his evergreen voice and stood to leave. It was already late at night.

"Gaurav." Viraj called for his attention.

"Yeah?"

"I need your suggestion. Sit." He said hesitantly while scratching his neck slowly.

"Sure." Gaurav said with a chuckle and took his seat again.

"What do...girls of Ananya's age prefer to...have for lunch?" Viraj asked, nervously.

"What?" Gaurav asked, a little confused over the question.

"I am taking someone out for lunch, tomorrow. And, I have no idea what I must ask the chef to prepare for us." Viraj spilt the truth.

Gaurav couldn't help but chuckle. He knew how Viraj was highly inexperienced in the arena of women. He had never dated anyone or even talked anything remotely romantic with anyone.

"Nupur is in India?" Gaurav asked as he thought his boss/friend was taking his soon-to-be wife for lunch.

Viraj only glared at Gaurav for mentioning Nupur's name.

"You know we do not spend time together." He answered.

"If not Nupur, then who? A date?" Gaurav asked.

Viraj chuckled.

"More like a lunch...session!" He answered while thinking of an apt word.

Gaurav wondered who the girl is. But, he could feel that Viraj was not going to mention the identity of the mysterious girl. So, he let it slide.

"Well, it depends on the girl entirely. Everyone has different tastes, you know!"

"Is there something that all women like to have?" Viraj asked. He would have gone with Ananya's preferences but he highly doubted that the two girls shared any similarities.

"Uhh... I can recommend to you what my girlfriend prefers to have all the time." Gaurav started and Viraj listened to him carefully.

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Meanwhile, Sneha sat in front of her family for supper.

"Papa, I wanted to tell you something." Sneha started while tapping her feet in a rhythmic manner. Her palms began their sweating process automatically.

"What?" Her father asked.

"My friends from school want to have a get-together tomorrow. So, we have planned to go to a nearby cafe for lunch. May I...go?" She asked while hoping he would agree.

"Of course, Sneha. Have fun. This is your age to do all those things, after all!" Her father chuckled while her mother nodded.

She sighed in relief. Even though she felt bad for lying, she had no other alternative. She had to lie because the true reason will never make her father agree to it. And, she didn't want to provoke a man like Viraj...again.

'It's just one time. One lunch and it will all be over.' She consoled herself.

"So...I might have to skip the karate classes tomorrow." She added.

Her father hesitated but still nodded.

"Just try to be back by 7 pm. It shouldn't take that long." Her father threw the time limit.

"Thank you, papa." She smiled.

However, back in their room, Sneha grabbed Priya's arm and pulled her closer.

"What are you doing, di (sister)?" Priya chuckled.

"I lied." Sneha whispered in fear of her parents hearing the truth.

"About?" Priya asked as she pulled Sneha on the bed.

"About meeting my friends tomorrow." Sneha answered as they both sat comfortably.

"Then whom are you meeting tomorrow? Boyfriend?" Priya asked, getting excited about the fact that perhaps her elder sister has a secret crush or a boyfriend!

"No. It's..." Sneha rubbed her forehead as telling the truth was just too difficult.

"First, promise me, you won't shout." Sneha took Priya's hand gently.

"Yup, I won't. You are saying as if you are going to rob a bank!" Priya chuckled.

"I am going to have lunch with Viraj, tomorrow." Sneha said in a single breath.

The pretty smile on Priya's face fell as she heard the fact.

"No, you are not. You are kidding right?"

"It's true." Sneha mumbled.

"Viraj as in...Viraj Khatri? The cycle breaker?" Priya whined.

"Don't shout, Priya!" Sneha scolded her sister.

"Why are you seeing him?" Priya came back to whispering.

Sneha sighed before reciting the story.

"Remember when we all lost our jobs?" Sneha asked.

"Yeah?"

"It was all his doing."

"What? Why would he do this? Especially when you helped his sister! Is he a mental case or what?" Priya moved her hands dramatically.

"He had asked me that morning for lunch in order to thank me for helping his sister. But, I denied it. He took it to his ego and then he used his sources to make us all jobless. This is why I agreed to have lunch with him so that he stops messing with our lives."

"I can't believe this! How can he be so...bad?" Priya sighed.

"I am telling you the truth because we all know what kind of person he is. So, if... if something...happens to me tomorrow, just know that you should ask him about my whereabouts." Sneha explained.

"Don't meet him, di. He is not a good man. What if he... does something bad to you?" Priya asked in concern.

"This is why I told you the truth. But, I will have to meet him. I don't have any other option. He warned me that he would take away our house too if I disagree! This is why."

"Tell everything to papa. He will talk to Viraj bhaiya and maybe scold him for messing with you." Priya suggested.

"I had thought about it. But, I don't want him to hurt papa. It will only boost his ego more. So, let's just finish this off tomorrow. Okay?" Sneha tried to convince her.

"Fine!" Priya sighed finally after giving it a thought.

"Where are you going to meet him?" Priya asked.

"Manilla restaurant."

"That's a posh area! It's like a celebrity hub. What are you going to wear there?" Priya asked in concern.

"Uhh...Casuals." Sneha answered as she walked towards their closet to choose a dress for tomorrow.

"But, you would become an odd one out there, if you go in your jeans and top!"

"I don't want to give him the satisfaction that I had dressed up for the lunch because I was looking forward to it. He should know that I was forced." Sneha said as she took out her grey top and black jeans.

"You will look like his maid if you wear this." Priya chuckled.

"Perfect then. I am gonna wear this." Sneha smirked as she carefully placed the clothes on the table.

"Oh, how much money should I take with me?" Sneha asked for Priya's suggestion.

"How will you go? Bus or auto?"

"I will go via auto and come back via bus. I don't want to be late."

"Then, I guess, 500 rupees would do. 300 for auto, 25 for bus and remaining for emergency purpose." Priya suggested.

"What about the price of the food?" Sneha asked.

"That he will pay, right? Why would you pay if he is giving you a treat?"

"Uhh... What if he doesn't? He is a little weird, you know." Sneha said.

"In that case, take 5000 rupees. That should be enough for restaurants like that."

"It won't be less, right?" Sneha asked because she didn't want to embarrass herself, especially in the monetary sense.

"Nope. Take your card for safety then."

"Right. Lend me 1000 cash for tomorrow, okay?" Sneha asked as she switched off the lights.

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The day that she had been not waiting for finally arrived. She stepped out of the auto-rickshaw and looked at the beautiful premises of Manilla restaurant. It was a sea-facing restaurant only affordable by high profiles. She could just gape at it with a wide-open mouth. Had it not been for Viraj, she would never have been able to enter this beautiful place.

A honk sounded from behind her and she turned around in surprise. She immediately realized that she was obstructing the path for the incoming limo and instantly came to the corner of the gate. She stood outside for a while thinking whether she should enter or not. Would Viraj take her inside or should she ask for the receptionist for the table where she should wait for him? She wondered and got confused over everything.

'Why didn't he tell me where he will meet me?' She cursed him internally.

Looking at her watch, she realized that she was 15 minutes early. So, she decided to wait for 10 minutes in the hope that maybe he would arrive and then he would guide her inside. She waited for complete 10 minutes near the gate and stared at the incoming cars. She had never seen such expensive cars together ever. The watchmen gave her weird looks but she ignored them.

When the time was over, she approached the watchmen and asked one of them.

"Hi! I...wanted to meet someone here." She said because they hadn't opened the gate for her unlike they did for the other people.

The men shared looks before turning to her.

"Who?" One of them asked.

"Viraj Khatri." She answered quickly.

All the four watchmen raised their brows and gave her a once-over.

"The owner of this restaurant?" The other man asked curiously.

"Uhh...I don't know if he is the owner or not." She said slowly with confused and narrowed brows.

She had brought her mother's phone but didn't have his contact number. So, calling him was out of option.

"Let us ask in the reception. Sir is here but we can't just let anyone meet him." He informed her and she nodded, clearly understanding their point of view.

After few minutes, the watchman came back from the adjacent cabin.

"What is your name?" He asked.

"Sneha Bohra." She answered.

"Do you have any identity card to prove it?" He further asked.

Sneha was beyond irritated now. Why was meeting this guy so difficult, especially when he was the one who had asked for it? She sighed and took out her college Id card. Thankfully, she brought her college bag and didn't remove the content before coming here. She was just too lazy to do that and today, it seemed to help her.

The watchman analyzed it and opened the gate for her. She finally sighed in relief.

"Where would he be?" She asked because the restaurant was so huge and she didn't know where to go!

"You may please ask the receptionist inside and she will guide you." He answered.

"Okay."

"Please put your bag in the scanner and step over this platform." The watchman guided her.

She reluctantly did as he asked. She was upset because it was obvious that they doubted her. They didn't stop anyone else for security check who entered before her! Why was she being checked then? She was unaware that anyone who met the VVIP was checked thoroughly.

She stepped down from the platform and came on the other side of the scanner to take her bag. However, something entirely different happened when she saw the man behind the scanner whisper something to his colleague and he motioned someone using his three fingers. She was confused and didn't get the time to react when a black cloth was put over her head making her blind instantly. Before she could hit someone on reflex, her hands were restrained by another guy and she was dragged to god knows where.

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Meanwhile, Viraj looked at his watch and frowned. It was already 1 pm and he had been waiting for her since 12:30 pm. He didn't think she would be late...or dare to do so. Looking out of the window, he stared at the beautiful garden to pass his time. He wasn't a man to wait for someone. But, he was patient today. He decided to wait for her more as he relaxed on his chair. He had exclusively told the receptionists to bring the girl named Sneha Bohra directly to the private room he had booked for the lunch. He knew she would be here anytime soon. So, he waited...patiently.

To say that he was excited about the lunch would be an understatement. He was way more excited than he had ever been to meet someone. He had worn his best suit today and wore a bit more cologne than necessary. He took the pain of driving himself to the venue rather than asking his driver. He really looked forward to talking to her today...for unknown reasons.

When the clock struck 1:30 pm, he had had enough. He stormed out of his chair and called Gaurav. He WAS furious. She had managed to hit his ego again. He had never in his life waited for anyone...especially not for a girl. If he had demanded someone's presence, they made sure to arrive before him.

He regretted not listening to the last night's recordings to see if she had any plans of skipping the lunch. The spying chip was deactivated last night itself since he didn't want to invade her privacy anymore. He regretted it now.

'I am going to make you regret wasting my precious time, Sneha.' He promised himself.

"Yes, boss." Gaurav answered from the other line.

"Demolish Sneha's house and I want this done within 5 hours. Got it?" Viraj almost shouted on the phone as he came out of the room to advance towards the parking lot. However, he came face-to-face with a scared woman and two excited men as soon as he stepped outside the private room.

"Sneha? That girl who brought Ananya home?" Gaurav confirmed.

"Yes." Viraj answered irritated.

"I...Why, boss?" Gaurav asked hesitantly.

"Should I ******* repeat myself?" He shouted at him and scared the three uninvited people who stared at him in fear now.

"No, boss. I will send the men, straightaway." Gaurav politely answered in order to not anger him further.

"Sir..." The woman whom Viraj identified as the head of the managerial department started speaking but then looked for help from the men beside her. It further irritated him. He cancelled the call and met their gaze.

"What's going on?" He asked, not trying to hide his frustration.

This time, one of the men elaborated.

"Sir, the girl that you were about to meet is actually a spy." He informed.

"What?" Viraj narrowed his brows in confusion.

"Yes sir. We found a spying chip in her bag." The other man completed.

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(Hi!

The next update will be tomorrow (27 Nov 2021)

Thank you!)