Viraj, who had been patiently waiting for Sneha to come out of her house, stood straight at the sight of her exiting the little building. She looked as beautiful as ever, even in the simple clothes she chose to wear.

He had planned to spend the entire night with her, doing things that couples do. And, in the task of planning, Gaurav helped him out. So, his business-oriented mind was set on making everything go as planned...by following the to-do list. It was only 5 pm, right now. So, he had enough time to spend with her, or so he thought.

A smile automatically grazed his lips as their eyes met. However, as she approached him, he could see that something was off with her face...especially her eyes. He was well acquainted with every visible part of her body, after all.

"Sneha." He mumbled her name as a greeting.

"Uhh...Hi!" She answered back gently and he could not be any happier. She replied to him as a normal human and not as if she was ready to kill him.

And then, he remembered something. He had bought the most beautiful and exotic roses for her, as it was Valentine's day. All thanks to Gaurav for giving him the idea or he wouldn't have ever known what was expected of him on this day.

He opened the back door of the car and retrieved the pretty bouquet.

"Here..." He said with a smile and pushed it towards her. The mere act brought tingles to his heart as he had never done this before. He had never given flowers to any girl before. He had seen his friends doing it, but he never felt the need to do it. But, at this moment, he realized its importance. He loved the surprise in his woman's eyes as she looked at the soft flowers. He would give it to her every day, just to see this expression again...and again.

What was she doing to him, he wondered.

"It's the day of the lovers, right?" Viraj explained his action and she held the flowers gently.

"Thank you." He heard her say...almost sadly.

It confused him even more. There was something definitely wrong with her. He concluded. Bending to her level, he tried to scan her eyes. Seeing him come closer, she closed her eyes quickly.

Viraj gently touched the bottom of her eyes.

"Were you crying?" He asked in a soft tone as if she would run if he'd raise his voice.

Sensing his polite tone, Sneha opened her eyes and looked at him. His question baffled her more. She never thought he had the ability to be gentle to anyone who was not his sister.

"Hmm?" He asked again when she just stared at him.

Now it brought a flood of fear to her mind. She couldn't let him know the truth.

"N.No. I...just...Uhh...slept...overslept. Yes." She blatantly lied and he wasn't stupid to not realize it.

Heaving a sigh, he nodded. He'd get ample time to discuss this later.

So, he brushed a small strand of hair behind her ear softly and spoke.

"You don't have to be afraid of me, Sneha. I won't hurt you...unless you betray me." He said. His statement was meant to make her feel safe. But, it did the reverse. Both father and son were threatening her in their own sick way! She realized.

In reply, she just looked down and pursed her lips. She just wanted her father to come back home safely. And, for that, she would practically do anything.

"Come." He opened the door of the co-driver seat and ushered her to get in.

With quick unsure steps, Sneha entered the lavish car. She was about to hold the seatbelt to buckle it when his warm hands covered hers gently. She looked up at him in confusion again.

'Buckle the seatbelt for her. Girls find it too romantic. God knows why, but they do.' He remembered Gaurav's advice.

"Let me do it for you." He said and gently grabbed the buckle and pulled it. Sneha lowered her eyes in embarrassment as he lowered himself and buckled the seatbelt carefully. The simple act brought them immensely close in the confined space.

The soft click sound made her release a relaxed sigh. Viraj smiled lightly at her expression which he misunderstood as being shy. Coming back to his seat, he started driving.

"Did you open the gifts that we brought for you in the morning?" He initiated the conversation.

Sneha gave him a brief glance.

"No, not yet." She answered truthfully.

"Why not? Ananya handpicked them for you." He added while giving her a disappointed look.

"Uhh...We were...We got busy in the discussion. So, I couldn't get the time to open them. And, then you asked me to come out. I...I'll open them as soon as I reach home." She answered quickly so that he won't get angry...or upset.

Viraj only chuckled at her response, unaware of her real situation.

"You are abnormally quiet and cooperative, Sneha. What happened suddenly? You were so adamant about not marrying in the morning!" He asked curiously.

'Should I tell him the truth? Will he understand?' Sneha wondered but then thought against it. He was just like his father, after all. Why would he help her? She concluded.

"I...My father explained the situation to me. He told me how this alliance will be beneficial for me." She lied and then looked at her shivering fingers.

Viraj nodded in agreement.

"He is right, though. You won't get a better proposal than this." He said to which she wanted to roll her eyes.

"By the way, what happened to the person you were promised to?" He asked, in order to test her loyalty.

Sneha's heart quickened at the mention of Shashank. She missed the memories they shared. Her fingers grazed the phone he had given to her. She will have to return it to him, she realized.

"Sneha?" Viraj called when she didn't reply immediately.

"We...broke up." She replied.

"When?"

"Uhh...Just a few hours ago. My father called his father and...told him about your father's proposal." She cooked up another story, as she remembered the morning conversation between her father and Viraj's father.

Viraj's brows raised as he picked up the lie. He didn't comment though.

"How was your father able to convince you about our marriage?" He asked wondering how her decision was overturned.

Sneha sighed. She will have to cook another lie.

"Papa told me about you and your family. He said that your family is very influential in Mumbai and that I'd be...happy and comfortable with...you." She said while pausing for an apt word.

"He is correct. I am rich, powerful and of course, handsome. You are getting everything in a single package." He added arrogantly.

Sneha rolled her eyes as her anger flared.

"Then why are you marrying me?" She asked in a beat.

"What?" Viraj asked, unable to understand her question.

"I mean...I am not rich, and nor am I influential. I am also not as beautiful as Nupur. Nupur is the best partner for you. Why do you want to marry me, then?" She asked, making sure to keep her tone in check.

Viraj thought over her question.

"Because you are not leaving my mind, even for a single moment." He accepted while looking at her.

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As soon as Viraj parked the car near a store, Sneha stepped outside with unsure steps. It was a huge apparel store. It was three-storied with a glass exterior. She didn't even know which brand it was as she had never heard of its name.

Sneha got startled when a warm hand engulfed hers. She quickly looked to her right to see Viraj looking at her with curious eyes.

"Why are we here?" She asked while hoping for him to leave her hand.

"I am taking you somewhere tomorrow. And for that, you need to wear something nice." He said.

"Come." He added and started pulling her along with him, hand-in-hand.

A strong gush of cold air hit her face as they entered the air-conditioned store. Viraj immediately pulled her towards a man whom she immediately recognized.

"Viraj bhai! What a pleasant surprise!" The man exclaimed with a huge smile. Although his smile faltered when he noticed Viraj holding the hand of a certain woman who wasn't Nupur.

"Miher. How is everything going?" Viraj asked in a casual tone.

"Everything is good, bhai." He answered and then looked at Sneha again, hoping for an introduction.

"Sneha, he is my cousin, Miher. And, Miher, she is Sneha...my fiancee." Viraj introduced taking both Miher and Sneha off guard.

"F.fiancee?" Miher asked with a confused smile.

"Will tell you the details later. Right now, show her a nice dress for tomorrow's get-together." He said and looked around to spot a good dress.

"You are bringing her to the get-together?" Miher asked in a surprised tone.

"Yes, Miher. Now, let's get back to work? I have some plans." Viraj said in a strict tone.

"Oh, of course. Please, come with me." Miher said while giving Sneha a glance.

Viraj pulled Sneha along with him to the third floor where all the VVIP collections were displayed. As soon as they stepped onto the third floor from the escalator, all eyes were on them. It was a rarely visited floor, after all. Two girls got onto their task and immediately stood in front of them.

"Show Ms Sneha, a good dress." Miher asked the girls formally.

Sneha thought Viraj would leave her to search for a dress. But, he didn't. Instead, he followed her along with the attendants.

With a sigh, she looked at the first dress on display.

"Sir, this is the latest arrival from Canberra. It was modelled by the supermodel..." The attendant explained when Viraj interrupted her.

"Show something modest." He ordered in his usual cold tone with which Sneha was well acquainted.

She looked at the dress with confused eyes. It was a modest dress. It was knee-length with elbow-length sleeves. The neck design matched the peach colour of the dress. So, what was wrong with the dress, she wondered curiously.

"Yes, sir." The attendant noted and moved to the next design on display.

"The neck is too wide." Viraj commented and rejected the dress.

But, Sneha remembered Nupur's dress that she wore at the birthday party of Ananya. The neck of that dress was wide too!

The attendant then moved to the next dress.

"No sleeveless dress." He said while looking at the next dress in distaste. Sneha wanted to roll her eyes at his conservative thoughts.

"How about this, sir?" The girls moved to the next dress which was by far the most modest on the entire floor.

Viraj looked at the dress carefully for a moment. With a nod, he looked at Sneha.

"Do you like it?" He asked.

Sneha looked at him before looking at the dress again. It was an elegant sea-green coloured gown. It would reach till her feet and would also cover her hands to the elbow. Its neck was small and would rest on her collarbone. In short, it would cover her body properly and modestly.

"Yes." She answered with a tight smile. She cared nothing about the dress or where he was going to take her tomorrow.

"Great. Try it and see if any alteration is required." He stated and reluctantly left her hand.

"Right now?" She asked in confusion.

"Yes." He nodded and then looked at the attendant to help her.

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Sneha was tired by the time she removed the dress and the matching heels in the trial room. The entire day had been hectic and exhausting to her, both physically and mentally. She tried calling her father in the trial room to ask for his safety. But, the call didn't connect. So, she called her mother to ask about the same. However, she just told her that he wasn't home yet. It enhanced her worry.

"Did it fit properly?" Viraj asked when she came outside.

"Yes." She nodded and stood beside him.

"Good." He nodded in approval and asked the attendants to pack it and deliver it to the car.

After paying for the purchases, Viraj met Miher on the ground floor again.

"Done, bhai?" He asked with a gentle smile.

"Yes. See you tomorrow." Viraj said and grabbed Sneha's hand again.

"See you tomorrow, Sneha..." Miher acknowledged her presence to which she awkwardly smiled back.

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Sneha was stunned when she saw the wide variety of dishes laid in front of her. Viraj took her to a restaurant that he said belonged to his client. They were assigned a private room to dine.

"I had no idea about your food preferences. So, I asked them to present everything they have to offer." He said while placing the napkin on his lap.

In response, she only nodded, but she didn't have the appetite to eat anything. So, she took a spoonful of the first thing that was kept near her and placed it on her plate.

"So you are a pasta lover?" He asked while looking at her plate.

She looked up at him with an unsure gaze and nodded.

They ate in silence for a while before he decided to break it again. He was frustrated.

"Sneha, you need to talk to me." He almost ordered and placed his fork on the plate.

And the mere gesture scared her. Was he angry? Annoyed? Upset? She wondered.