The entire room fell silent.

"What?" Sneha almost whispered.

"Yes. Go and convince him to play with us. If you succeed, you win. Otherwise, you lose." Gaurav said playfully. However, Sneha wasn't excited about it. She knew, Viraj wouldn't agree, even if she begged on her knees, which she won't do anyway.

"He won't do it." Sneha asserted.

"That's where your diplomatic skills will come into use." Gaurav tried to encourage her.

"Let it go, Gaurav. Viraj bhai will only scare her." One of Ananya's cousins interrupted.

"He is right, Gaurav. Give her another dare...one that is actually possible to do." Ananya added with a chuckle.

Sneha internally thanked both of them.

"Nope. That's my dare...do it or lose it." Gaurav stated.

"If his sister and fiancee couldn't convince him, what makes you think I'd be able to do that?" Sneha asked.

'That's exactly what I want to see, Sneha.' Gaurav thought.

"Well, a dare is supposed to be challenging, isn't it?" He said in his defence.

"Don't do it. Just accept defeat." Jyoti whispered near her ear. Sneha nodded to her.

"Fine, I accept defeat. I don't want to do it." Sneha murmured sadly. She really wanted to win the prize, whatever it was.

Gaurav panicked. His suspicions about Viraj's feelings for Sneha had resurfaced when yesterday, Viraj insisted on visiting Sneha to give those signed business cards. Thus, he wanted to confirm it. If the need arises, he'd interfere in his feelings, just to save multiple lives...because that was his task.

"Are you seriously accepting defeat so easily? I thought you were a strong and confident girl! How could you accept defeat without even giving it a try?" He tried to motivate her by hitting some chord of 'feminism'.

"Don't make her do it, Gaurav. He'll only scold her or make her cry." Finally, Nupur interrupted, in her soft melodious tone. She very well knew of Viraj's anger. She had cried multiple times because of that. Even though Viraj won't scold her with words, his actions and his eyes were enough.

If Gaurav's words didn't motivate her, Nupur's words definitely did.

No one except her parents had the right to scold her. Sneha had that much self-respect to not let any random man scold her or make her cry. Not even Viraj.

"I'll try." She said before she could rethink her decision.

Gaurav grinned while Jyoti narrowed her eyes at her.

"Are you crazy?" Jyoti scolded her.

"There's nothing wrong in trying. I'll just ask him politely." She said.

"Where is he?" She asked Gaurav as Jyoti moved uncomfortably.

Gaurav pointed towards the glass windows. Sneha turned around and saw him standing near the pool, talking to someone on phone.

So, she gathered strength and walked in his direction, out of the hall.

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"Thanks, Eric. I really appreciate your patience. I'll let you know when I'd be able to get the clearance." Viraj spoke to one of his partners when he heard the faint sound of someone approaching him. He turned to his left slightly to see who it was, when, as always, his heartbeat accelerated and he couldn't remove his eyes from her.

He stopped listening to what Eric was saying as his attention fixed on Sneha, who was coming slowly in his direction, with hesitant steps.

"Hello? Viraj?" Eric repeated in his British accent. It brought Viraj's attention back.

"I'll call you back, Eric. Something urgent came up." He replied and cancelled the call without even waiting to hear his reply.

He now completely faced her and gave her a once over. He had his eyes on her since the moment she entered the hall. He was waiting for Ananya with Nupur on his arm. His own fiancee's touch seemed foreign to him. But, he had to give a good show to the public. Especially after the fact that he had announced his wedding date in front of everyone, which was to be six months from now. Everyone had clapped and congratulated them. But, he felt no emotion at all. For him, Nupur was a child with whom he could only muster brotherly feelings!

So, when the doors opened, and Sneha entered with those confused yet excited eyes, he couldn't look anywhere else. His eyes fell on her open hair which was only held slightly by a hair-clutcher. She was wearing a dark blue coloured knee-length dress and a pair of black block heels. It made her appear a little taller than she naturally is.

Sneha walked in his direction slowly while rehearsing her dialogue. She had made her little plan to convince him. One that wouldn't anger him, but also convince him.

However, she felt uncomfortable, like always, as his eyes roamed all over her body.

"Uhh...Hi!" She initiated the conversation when she stood in front of him and his eyes landed on hers.

"Is there something wrong?" He asked in his heavy voice, as he knew she wouldn't come to him to chit-chat.

"No. I...wanted to ask you something." She said.

He only raised his brows in response.

She lickd her lips once before continuing...an action that didn't go unnoticed by him.

"I was hoping if you could play a game with us?" She said, which came like a question.

His brows slightly narrowed in confusion.

"What?" He asked.

Sneha knew she looked like a fool now.

"The games...Uhh...we..." She began.

'Shit! I forgot! What was I going to say?' She thought. Seeing his confident persona, she actually forgot the dialogue that she had prepared! So much so for being a confident girl!

"What is it, Sneha?" He asked...as gently as he could, when he saw her struggling for words.

She looked at him again. Being herself was easier than rehearsing some sweet phrases.

"Everyone in there wants you to play. So, please come and...play...at least one game." She asked while referring to his cousins.

"And they sent you to ask me?" He asked, confused. If anyone, his cousins would have asked Nupur to ask him.

"Uhh...yes." Sneha said.

"What's the catch, here? What is really going on?" He asked. He could feel something was off. Sneha would not come to him, just like that.

And, as for the rules of the game, she couldn't tell him that it was a dare!

"There is no catch! You are Ananya's brother. And, she wanted to play and spend more time with you. But, you have been on your phone all the time. So, she...kind of...is feeling sad that her own brother is not enjoying the evening. Yeah..." She babbled.

"If that is the case, then she would have asked me herself. Why you?" He asked.

'Is he Sherlock Holmes? Why is he asking so many questions?' She thought irritated.

"I am her friend?" She answered, which again came like a question. Viraj was not stupid to not understand it.

After giving it a thought, he finally understood.

"It's a dare, right? Someone asked you to do it as a challenge." He concluded. He had heard them play this stupid game when he exited the hall to call Eric.

Sneha's mouth remained open slightly as he came to the true conclusion. And, he chuckled at that expression. She was a very expressive girl, he knew.

"Well, I have important things to do. Go back and say that you tried your best." He said and turned to unlock his phone and call Eric again.

Now, Sneha had only her final weapon.

A blow to his ego.

"Are you afraid that you might lose to someone?" She asked slowly, yet confidently.

Viraj slowly looked away from his phone and towards her.

"I am not afraid...of anyone." He stated firmly.

"It doesn't seem like that. Why else wouldn't you play even a single game, if you aren't afraid of losing?" She tried to play reverse psychology.

"Don't provoke me, Sneha. You might regret it." He said strictly.

'So, this really angers him.' She concluded.

Being a rational being with a sound brain, she decided to drop the topic. Who knows if he'd shoot her out of anger.

"Okay! I'll go back. I understand your point of view. It is better to not play than lose. Bye." She said quickly and started walking back slowly, in the direction of the hall.

As she opened the door, everyone cheered for her. She thought they were trying to raise her defeated spirit. So, she gave them a warm smile.

"Can't believe, she actually did it!" One of Ananya's cousins said among the cheers.

She narrowed her brows and looked at Jyoti who was looking behind her.

Slowly, she turned around and froze. Viraj was standing just behind her!

'How didn't I hear him walk behind me?' She wondered in complete surprise.

"Wh..." She was about to ask him, but he bent to her level and whispered near her ear.

"I'll prove to you that I am not scared of anyone." He muttered, gave her a mocking smile and then walked past her towards the crowd.

Sneha walked behind him with raised brows. No matter what others would say, but she did achieve something today.

She convinced him! Even though by crook...but she did!

Gaurav merely smiled at the turn of events. He knew he'd listen to her...after all, he had something for her.

"Viraj...listening to a girl!" He whispered to him in a mocking tone, when Viraj stood near him.

"She challenged me. That is why..." Viraj answered while looking at Sneha who was receiving a small prize.

"You knew it was a dare. Still, you listened to her?" Gaurav asked when he understood that he was not fazed by the fact that she won the dare and got a prize.

Viraj, however, remained quiet and continued his staring.

"Alright!" Announced Tina who came at the forefront again. "So, Sneha won the dare and we will now play our next game, which is... Stare to Dare." Tina continued.

Everyone cheered again. Sneha held the prize in her hand and wondered what was inside. She couldn't help but display a smile on her face on the little achievement. And, it brought satisfaction to Viraj too, as he looked at her smile.

Nupur followed his fiance's gaze and felt a pang in her heart. Viraj was looking at Sneha in the way she wanted him to look at her. A wave of jealousy took over her emotions. However, her attention was soon taken away by Ananya, who took her to the new seating arrangement.

Tina guided everyone towards the new arrangement done by the waiters. Two chairs were facing each other. Sneha and Jyoti already knew about the game.

"We have this bowl over here where everyone's name is in one chit each. Two chits will be picked up at a time and the names coming in them will have to stare at each other until one of them blinks or looks somewhere else. The one who blinks or looks away somewhere else first, will lose, and the other will, obviously win. The winner will get a prize and a chance to give any task to the loser. It could even be a dare. This is why it is called stare to dare." Tina explained the rules and everyone cheered again.

"Since everyone wants to win, the chit will be taken out by a neutral person. So, I have asked one of the guards to do that." Tina gave the bowl to the guard and everyone stood around the two chairs.

"Let's take a five-minute break?" Someone chimed in and everyone agreed to it. Some went to the restroom while others had some more drinks.

Sneha and Jyoti had another glass of their favourite soft drinks and sat on the nearby chairs.

"I still can't believe he agreed to come and play!" Jyoti said as she had a sip.

Sneha chuckled as she played with the prize she got. She hadn't opened it yet. But, the coloured wrapper gave her some sort of satisfaction.

"I guess, his male ego is mightier than Everest!" She said and curiously looked in his direction. He was busy on his phone...again, while he stood near Gaurav.

"What did he say to you when you guys entered? He whispered something to you, right?" Jyoti asked.

"He said that he wasn't afraid of losing the games. Because, I kind of...told him...that he was scared of losing and that is why he wasn't playing." Sneha blurted out the truth.

"Oh my god! You tricked him!"

"I had to! He won't just do something...just because I asked him." Sneha said.

"Uhh...True. But, you tricked a mafia don! That makes me think...Why are we even here?" Jyoti fell into the question again. It wasn't normal for two normal people to attend a party thrown by a mafia don!

"We went through this, Jyoti! We are here for Ananya! And, the mafia don assured us of our safety. Look, everything is fine, up till now!" Sneha assured her.

"That's right." Jyoti answered.

"By the way, you are so gonna win this game too." Jyoti added as they both knew that Sneha was quite good at the staring contest.

"I hope so. I don't know if I'd win if I get paired with Nupur, though. She is so beautiful." Sneha appreciated her features and looked in Nupur's direction. Sneha frowned when she realized that Nupur was looking at Viraj who in turn was focused on his phone.

'What is with him and his phone? He has such a beautiful fiancee and he doesn't even look at her!' Sneha thought. It was pretty obvious to anyone that Viraj wasn't behaving like a man who is engaged, should do.

Finally, the time was up, and everyone waited for the guard, or the host of the new game, to pick out two chits.

"Aarav and Sarah." The guard said and everyone hooted. They were siblings.

Both Sarah and Aarav sat on the chairs facing each other.

"I am gonna take you on this, Aalu!" Sarah teased her brother who only rolled his eyes. Tina shouted 'start' and both started staring at each other. It went for pretty long, however, Sarah burst out in laughs, along with everyone when Aarav made a face at her while maintaining eye contact with her.

Thus, Aarav won and got a little token of appreciation...also known as the prize.

The guard picked another chit.

"Jyoti." The guard said and Sneha cheered for her friend.

The guard took out another chit and announced the next name.

"Miher." The guard announced and both Sneha and Jyoti looked around to see who it was.

Miher turned out to be a very handsome-looking cousin of Ananya.

"Damn! I can't stare at a hotty like him!" Jyoti mumbled near Sneha who only laughed at her condition.

And, just like that, Jyoti lost the game in less than 3 seconds.

"You could have done better, Jyoti!" Sneha playfully scolded her friend who came back with a sigh.

"His eyes are so amazing! I couldn't look at him without having a heart attack!" Jyoti muttered and slumped back at her seat.

"Well, you lost!" Sneha chuckled and waited for the guard to announce the next name.

"I wonder what dare he'd give me." Jyoti muttered, mostly to herself.

Ananya and Shruti came next wherein Ananya won, by cracking a joke in the midst of the game.

The guard took out the next slip.

"Sneha." The guard announced. Sneha immediately stood up and Jyoti cheered for her.

She walked towards the destined chairs while being excited about the game and who her partner will be.

'It's going to be fun!' She muttered internally.

The guard took out the other slip. He read it internally and then his jaw tightened as he spoke.

"Viraj." The guard announced and Sneha's steps came to a halt.

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(Hi!!!

So, who do you think is gonna win this game? Let's see who gets the maximum votes...Sneha or Viraj!)