{Hi, everyone!

Please note that I update every by night. I am extremely sorry for not being able to reply to your texts. I have been and still am very much occupied with work. I hope you understand...Thank you!}

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Viraj could sense from his father's tone that he wasn't very happy to see him. He looked at his watch and sighed. He will have to skip the meeting after all.

"Papa. Sit." He said as gently as he could.

Dev quickly sat on the chair and threw the question to his son. He was obviously disappointed in him.

"What nonsense are you brewing in your mind? Why did you ask me to break the engagement between you and Nupur?" Dev asked in a pissed off tone.

Viraj sighed before replying.

"It was you who initiated this relationship. So, it must be you who should break it off." Viraj merely replied.

"But why do you even want to do this? Nupur is the perfect one for you, Viraj!" Dev tried to convince him as he did many years ago.

"I don't want to marry her. I want to marry..."

"I don't care what you want. I want thousand of things, but I can't get everything! I am telling you what is best for you, son. Marry her." Dev said sternly.

Viraj, however, remained adamant. He knew what he wanted. He had denied it enough, not anymore.

"I will marry Sneha." He clarified without beating around the bushes.

Dev became speechless after hearing it. The confusion was clear in his eyes.

"Who?" He asked.

"Sneha. Ananya's friend."

"The one who attended the stupid birthday party?" He asked to confirm.

"Yes."

"Have you lost your mind?" Dev asked angrily as soon as Viraj nodded.

"Don't shout, father. And, I am very well aware of my mind. I will marry Sneha, and I want you to come with me to her house to ask her parents for her hand in marriage." Viraj informed firmly.

Dev glared at his son.

"The hell I will! That girl will bring not even a single penny to you! She has no background, no reputation and absolutely no class. How will she be the perfect daughter-in-law of my family?" Dev asked as if stating the fact.

Viraj was prepared for this question.

"I'll teach her." He said, even though knowing that it will be difficult. His fireball had the habit of doing the exact opposite of what he told her.

"Do you want a wife or a student?" Dev asked.

"I just want her." Viraj insisted.

And it was true! He wanted her to be near him always. He missed her even now. He wanted to at least listen to her voice or just see her from afar. He wanted to touch her again so badly, kiss her, and do all those dirty things with her that he had only seen as an adolescent. But, she wasn't even responding to his calls. He had tried calling her multiple times since morning, but her phone continuously came as 'busy'. She had not even replied to the text message that he had sent last night. And then this news that her father brought! He had decided to meet her in the college in the evening.

He was irritated and his own father was testing his patience.

"This is insane, Viraj! You are not thinking about your future or your family!" Dev tried to explain politely when Viraj abruptly interrupted in frustration.

"Did you think about all this when you married my mother?" He asked referring to his biological mother.

Dev's mouth fell on hearing about his wife.

"What did you say?" He dared him to repeat.

"Did you think about your family's reputation when you married my mother? She was from a poor family too! But still, you fooled her, lied to her and married her, didn't you?"

"My case is different! I love her!" Dev said.

"But you still wanted her. You wanted her so much that you lied to her. So, why can't I get the only woman I have ever wanted! Why are you denying me this?"

"Viraj... son, you are not thinking about the future..."

"I am thinking about my future. I see my future with Sneha. And my decision will not change. I will marry Sneha only. Now it's up to you whether you want to accompany me to her home on Sunday or not."

Dev scoffed.

"I won't even let her live till then." He said and stood up to leave.

"If you even come close to her, then remember that I'll break all the rules too." Viraj warned while still sitting in his chair.

Dev glared at his son.

"What will you do? Hide her?" He asked sarcastically.

"You know what I can do." Viraj wanted indirectly while referring to himself.

Dev raised a brow in challenge.

"You will kill your own father for that cheap good-for-nothing girl?"

"Sneha. Her name is Sneha." Viraj corrected.

Dev continued glaring at his son.

He had almost planned to wipe off Sneha's existence. But, he couldn't take his son's warning lightly. And because he was his own son, he couldn't hurt him!

"You have lost your mind. Find out a solution to this naive infatuation that you have for her. Sleep with her, if you are that desperate. But, forget about her. Because you will marry Nupur. And, this is final." With this, Dev left the office and closed the door loudly to show his anger.

Viraj rolled his eyes at his father's tantrum.

He will have to execute plan B since his father didn't accept the proposal easily. Taking out his phone, he dialled another number.

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Viraj dialled Sneha's number again but still, there was no response. He wondered why her phone was still coming as 'busy'. He still couldn't predict that she might have blocked him!

He had sent her countless texts hoping she'd respond to at least one. But, she didn't. He understood that she might still be angry at the episode of Goa. But, he was going to correct everything soon. He swore.

He would have visited her personally at her home in the evening, but he had to immediately take a flight to Dehradun to accomplish what he had decided.

According to his most trusted men, Sneha was betrothed to an IAS officer who was posted currently in Dehradun. Within an hour, he received his residential address, contact details, background information and photographs. Within a second, he recognized him as the one having lunch with Sneha in Taj hotel. This further made him angry because he realized that his girl had lied to him! He had thought that she was going to marry someone else because he had clearly warned her to say 'no' to that man. But, she had to lie!

Nonetheless, he took the help of his partner in the North and laid the perfect plan.

Entering the warehouse, Viraj checked his phone once again to see if Sneha replied anything. But, she didn't.

Sighing, he stepped towards a chair that held a man hostage. The man, whose name he remembered from the report as Shashank, was sitting in the chair, blindfolded and restrained using cheap ropes.

Viraj nodded to the men who successfully kidnapped Shashank from his residence. The men immediately went out of the warehouse to give them privacy as Viraj wanted.

When they were left alone, Viraj took the glass of water placed near Shashank and splashed it on his face. Shashank immediately came out of unconsciousness and moved his head frantically in order to get rid of the blindfold.

"Calm down, Mr Rawat. I just want to talk to you." Viraj began as he removed his blazer and placed it on the table nearby.

"Mr Murthy, no matter what you do, I will disclose the audit report to the CBI." Shashank said aloud boldly as he misinterpreted the situation.

Viraj chuckled before replying.

"This situation is not related to your profession, Mr Rawat. This is about Sneha. I want you to call her and call off whatever your family has decided for you two." Viraj elaborated.

Shashank froze for a moment. His brows narrowed.

"Sneha? My fiancee?" Shashank asked to confirm.

Viraj's jaw tightened in anger.

"Sneha Bohra. Break off this engagement." He said, not acknowledging her as Shashank's fiancee.

"Are you crazy? I love her! She is my fiancee." Shashank stressed.

Viraj took out his gun. He didn't want to prolong this meeting. He had to go to Delhi as soon as possible to meet his parents.

He stretched his arm and placed the tip of the gun on Shashank's temple.

"How about now? Do you still love her?" Viraj asked with a chuckle while sensing Shashank's fear.

"Wh.who are you?" Shashank asked, clearly terrified of the situation. He confirmed that this guy who was pointing a gun at his temple was indeed mental.

"If I wanted to reveal my identity, I wouldn't have blindfolded you. Now, what is your decision? Are you going to call her like a gentleman and call off the engagement or should I just kill you here and discard your body under some hill?" Viraj threatened.

Now, Shashank wasn't a stupid love-blinded person. He might like Sneha a lot, but he loved his life too! He cared for his parents and his siblings too! He had dreams. He had a future. And, he couldn't let all these go only for a girl he met barely some days ago.

"Why...do you care?" He asked.

Viraj chuckled. He tapped the gun on Shashank's head while replying.

"Because, she is my woman. She will be my wife." He stated.

Shashank's face twisted in confusion.

"But...But she never told me about any man in her life!" He asked almost to himself. He knew Sneha wouldn't have hidden anything from her. They had developed a very strong bond in such a short while.

"Call her and give her the news and don't let her know that someone is forcing you to do this." Viraj stressed while picking Shashank's phone from the table.

"I..." Shashank stuttered. He didn't want to say anything of this sort to Sneha. But, he also loved himself!

"What? Changed your mind again?" Viraj taunted and placed the gun on his temple again.

"No. I...I'll call her." He stuttered again.

"Good. Password?" Viraj asked.

"xdgha3498" Shashank answered reluctantly.

Viraj unlocked the phone and straightaway went to the contacts tab. Out of curiosity, he went to the recent call logs and was stunned to find Sneha's name in the third number from the top. That meant that she had talked to Shashank. Is that why her phone came busy at that time? He wondered. Jealousy coursed through his heart.

Nonetheless, he dialled her number on his phone and switched on speaker mode. Within three rings, her soft and alluring voice resonated from the phone. He could hear it all his life! It was that captivating to him.

"Yes, I will be your valentine!" Sneha said as soon as she answered the call.

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Sneha was working on the college assignment when she heard her phone ring. A smile automatically grazed her lips when she saw Shashank's name flashing on the screen.

She remembered his last message.

'I am coming to Mumbai for two days. Will you be my valentine?' He had asked.

But she didn't reply yet. She wanted to respond on the call itself.

So she answered the call after three rings and gave her answer to his question.

"Yes, I will be your valentine!" She said excitedly.

Viraj's face stiffened and brows narrowed at her words.

'What is wrong with her?' He wondered.

Shashank went speechless when she said so sweetly and happily.

"Shashank?" Sneha asked when she didn't hear any reply.

"Uhh...Sneha..." He began.

"Yup?" She encouraged while laying down on her bed casually.

"I want to say something." He said.

"I am listening." She said with a smile.

"Uhh...Actually..."

"What is it Shashank? You are scaring me!" Sneha mumbled when Shashank still didn't speak properly.

"I don't think it's working." He lowly spoke while Viraj stood with an irritated expression. He absolutely hated Sneha being too friendly with a man who wasn't him! She never talked to him like this. She only tried to find a way out.

Not anymore. He promised.

"Wh.what are you s.saying, Shanshank?" Sneha instantly sat on her bed.

"I want to break this engagement." He blurted out the truth.

Sneha went quiet as she heard him. Confusion, doubt and fear coursed through her mind.

"Break? Wh.why?" She asked, clearly sounding desperate.

She had already planned so many things with him. She had visualized her future with him, for heaven's sake! And above all, her parents had developed immense hope and aspirations for the relationship. How can he simply break it off!

Shashank sighed in hopelessness.

"I don't think things are working out. I...don't want to marry you." He said, breaking her heart further.

"Is it because I asked you to learn cooking?" She asked.

"Yes." He lied.

"I...If you don't want then..." She was about to say 'it's okay', when she realized the situation.

'Why am I so desperate? I shouldn't marry a man who can't even try to learn the basic survival skill!' She concluded.

"O.okay, Shashank. I guess...we...Uhh...okay. I'll tell my parents. Bye." She mumbled slowly and cancelled the call.

Viraj felt elated at her statement. It was exactly what he had wanted. Now, he had only one more task to accomplish and then he would approach her family with confidence.

"Let me go now." Shashank asked in a low voice.

"You will be escorted to your residence. Don't worry." Viraj stated and walked towards the exit.

He wasn't afraid of Shashank filing a complaint about the kidnapping to the authorities. He was, after all, prepared for it. He will never know where or when he was kidnapped.

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The moment Viraj reached his father's residence, he directly walked upstairs towards Dev's room.

Knocking on the door twice, he entered inside. Dev was sitting at his study table and was looking at his phone.

"Did you see the news?" Viraj asked directly without sharing any pleasantries.

"Is it your doing?" Dev asked as he raised his head and looked at his son.

"What do you think?" Viraj asked arrogantly and stood near the table.

Dev slowly stood up and threw his phone on the table. Walking in the direction of his son, he looked into his eyes sharply. Viraj matched his glare.

However, within a moment, Dev's glare softened and his lips curved into a smile. He hugged Viraj strongly.

"That's like my son!" Dev said while patting Viraj on the back. Viraj only stood like a rod.

"Now that you have given me what I wanted, I guess I must let you have your gift too." Dev said as he detached himself from Viraj.

Viraj gave a smile too.

"Tell ma to pack the bags. We will leave for Mumbai at midnight. Gaurav has planned everything. We will visit Sneha's parents tomorrow morning." Viraj explained the plan.

Dev chuckled.

"Getting desperate, huh? Do you like her to this extent!" He asked to which Viraj only shrugged. He didn't need to tell his feelings to his father. He needed to tell this to Sneha, who had blatantly blocked him from her call list. He got to know this when he tried calling her again after Shashank's episode but the call still didn't connect.

"I'll get fresh and then we'll leave. Okay?"

Dev nodded with a smile while internally planning for tomorrow's meeting with Sneha's parents. As long as his son benefited in business, he was content.

Viraj stepped out of the room and closed the door. As soon as he took a step ahead, his mother stood in front of him.

"Ma." He greeted but unlike usual, she didn't have a smile on her face on seeing him.

"Did...did you do it?" Meena asked in concern.

Viraj sighed before replying.

"Yes." He answered.

"How could you, Viraj? How can you murder Nupur's father?" She asked in complete shock as if she wasn't aware of his profession.

"You know he didn't deserve to live either. He abused his daughter and wife. He ran brothels with minors as the star attraction. He dealt with heroin and whatnot, across borders. He..."

"In that case, your father doesn't deserve to live either." Meena retaliated. Viraj couldn't answer this.

"Please pack your bags. We are going to Mumbai and meet Sneha's parents to ask her hand in marriage." Viraj stated.

"What? What about Nupur? What will happen to her? You have taken over the entire businesses and assets that her father owned. She is practically homeless now!" His mother complained.

"I will take care of that. My company will arrange an affordable house and finance for them as long as they will live." He answered.

"But...what about the engagement with Nupur?" Meena asked further.

"Father will take care of it. As I said, I will marry Sneha." He reiterated.

"But..."

"I am tired, ma. Let's meet in two hours." He interrupted and walked away.

Meena was about to stop him but the door opened and her husband stepped out.

"Pack our bags, Meena." Dev ordered and started walking towards his room too.

Meena sighed again. She couldn't go against her husband, in any case.

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Sneha woke up early in the morning, not because of her routine, but because of the anxiety that she was suffering from. She hadn't informed her parents about Shashank's change of mind. She just didn't know how to begin. Her parents were so happy about all this!

'Gather up strength, Sneha. Let's tell them on lunch.' She told herself as she started preparing the breakfast. It was Sunday and thus, they were going to prepare South-Indian cuisine today.

As soon as they were about to finish breakfast, the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it." Sneha said and stood up from the dining table, to open the main door.

Walking towards the door, she flipped the latch and opened the door wide. However, her eyes narrowed and her lips stiffened when she saw her new nightmare standing in front of her.

"What are you doing here?" Sneha almost shouted.

In front of her stood Viraj, in all his glory, and a charming small smile on his face. He was genuinely happy to see her. And since he was meeting her after so long, Ananya had asked him to wear classy formals and gelled his hair properly.

"We are..." Viraj initiated the conversation but Sneha interrupted.

"Get out." She straightaway said as she recalled how he forced himself on her in Goa.

However, from behind him, came Dev along with his wife and Ananya. Sneha's confusion had no limits now.

"Now, this is not the way to talk to your soon-to-be husband, Sneha." Dev said with a smile that froze Sneha at her place.

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(Hi!

I hope you had a good day! I had a very hectic day! The new academic session has started today and so many things are to be done for the students and the classroom. I can't even tell you!

The spoiler on Instagram will be delayed as well. I am so sorry! I didn't get the time to draw. So, most probably, I'll draw on Sunday.

Thank you so much for understanding!

-Purnima)