"I'll be back in a minute, Jyoti." Sneha quickly told her friend and walked towards the end of the now almost vacant classroom.

Jyoti ignored Sneha and continued copying the notes.

Sneha accepted the phone call and released her frustration directly on her tormentor.

"Did you do it?" It was the first thing she asked Viraj, without mentioning any greeting whatsoever.

Viraj, who was leisurely having a sip of coffee in his office while scanning the documents laid in front of him, raised his brows on hearing his fireball returning to her normal self...something he never thought he was missing so badly!

He placed the coffee cup on the table and relaxed on the comfy chair. A smile automatically made an appearance on his lips.

"What did I do?" He playfully asked while swirling gently. He knew exactly what she was referring to.

Sneha took a deep breath to calm herself.

"I got an email from the library stating that they have removed me along with other part-timers for cost-cutting. You asked them to do it, right?" She asked while trying to control her temper.

Viraj thought over the question and the possible consequence of his response.

"What if I did?" He asked curiously.

Sneha went speechless at his blunt acceptance.

"How could you do this, Viraj? I told you that this job is my only source of income!" She almost whined, completely aware of her helpless situation.

"Rs 8500 per month, Sneha? Seriously?" Viraj asked after making sure that he was alone in his room.

A sharp pain shot through her heart as she heard him openly mocking her monthly salary. Her mouth opened and closed since she had no words to retort.

If she had any expectations from this man, it was gone now.

'Why the hell am I crying now?' She scolded herself internally as her eyes moistened quickly in self-shame. Sure her salary wasn't much. But, it was the reward for her hard work. How can her so-called fiance make fun of it?

Her silence was louder than any word for Viraj.

"Sneha?" He called for her attention. He checked the screen to verify if the call was still connected or not.

"How did you get to know my salary?" She asked the naive question.

Viraj couldn't help but chuckle.

"I have all the possible information about you, fiancee." He again answered playfully, still not realizing his mistake.

And here, she wasn't even aware of his mother's name!

"So, you are ashamed of my salary! Is this the reason why you made me lose this job?" She asked.

Viraj sighed.

"'Ashamed' is a very heavy word, Sneha. I just don't want you to work for a living. It is a huge blot on my reputation." He elaborated.

Suddenly, she wanted to pull her hair out...or better, his hair out!

"How is my working outside a blot on your reputation?" She still managed to ask gently.

"Didn't I tell you yesterday that the women in my family do not earn? It is my job to do so." He reiterated as he held his pen from the table to sign the documents laid in front of him.

And, this seriously irritated her to no limit.

"This is why I don't want to be a part of your family!" She blurted out the truth in frustration, forgetting the implication at the moment.

However, the realization soon hit her and she smacked her forehead. She was supposed to convince him politely and in a more mature manner. Not like this!

The silence was what she got from his end. Viraj's hand froze and the ink made a small blot on the paper. His anger was quick in resurfacing.

"I...I mean...I don't...We are not..." She was about to elaborate when he interrupted her rather rudely.

"My driver is waiting for you in the parking lot. He will drop you at your home. Get ready and I'll pick you up at 6." Viraj instructed while ignoring her broken statement.

"Viraj..."

"We will continue this conversation later, Sneha." He stated and cancelled the call.

She stared at her phone and then heaved a deep sigh. Slapping herself internally, she scolded herself for not being able to control her temper and mouth. She really hoped he would not complain to his father!

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.

Sneha glanced at the wall clock to see that 20 minutes were still left for Viraj to arrive as he had stated earlier. She sat on the bed again while making sure to not ruin the beautiful gown.

Her eyes fell on the three baskets that Ananya had brought yesterday. They were lying in the corner of the room, beside the closet. Fearing that Viraj might ask about the content again, she decided to open them. With this thought, she stood again and walked towards the gifts.

Sneha tore the gift wrapper of the first basket and opened the lid carefully. Her eyebrows raised as she took the content out. There were about twenty different skin-care products and all were obviously imported products. She had only heard of the brand. Thankfully, the price tag was removed or else she would have had a heart attack. She was amazed by the fact that every product was resonating with her complexion. Had it been a different scenario, she would have praised Ananya's ability to notice such fine details about her. Right now, she just didn't care.

The next basket that she opened took her breath away again. It had a dark blue coloured handbag. The mere appearance of the bag with the perfect stitches and the quality of the fabric made her conclude that it was out of her budget as well.

"Is she crazy?" She mumbled about Ananya. For her, this was a complete waste of money! With this thought, she kept the bag aside.

The last basket that she unveiled had exotic dry fruits and chocolates. At the bottom of the basket was a small card. She picked it up and read the printed text.

'Welcome to our family, Sneha! I am so happy to have you as my sister-in-law.

-Ananya Khatri'

"As if! This is never going to happen, Ananya." Sneha spoke to herself before closing the box again.

Exactly at that moment, her phone rang and she picked it up, only to realize that it was Viraj. Taking a deep breath, she answered the call.

"Hello..."

"I am here." She heard him say and by the sound of it, he did sound pissed off.

"Okay." She nodded and cancelled the call. She could have seen him through the balcony but decided to not waste any more time.

She held her sling bag and came downstairs.

"Mummy, I am going." She informed lowly when she saw her mother in the hall. Her parents were aware of her situation.

"Should I go and tell him to behave properly with you?" Her mother asked to which Sneha shook her head negatively. She didn't want any of her family members near him. He was a murderer after all!

"I'll take care of everything, mummy. I'll talk to him about this. Don't worry. Bye." She said quickly so that she won't come out as well.

Her mother didn't respond but the worry was clear in her eyes too. So, Sneha shut the door gently behind her back.

Turning around, she faced the arrogant man.

Sneha walked toward him as he was sitting inside the car. This time, he didn't come out like he generally did. He was wearing shades, so she couldn't read his expression too. But, from the stiffness of his jaw, she could sense that he was angry.

But, shouldn't she be the one to be angry at him, instead of the reverse? She wondered. After all, she was the one to lose the job!

Sneha stood in front of the passenger seat and contemplated whether she should sit in the front seat or in the back seat. Sensing his off mood, she decided to go with the back seat. So, she held the handle of the back door and pulled at it to open the door. However, it was locked.

So, she looked at him in doubt. Viraj sighed at realizing her intention. He looked sideways and motioned towards the front seat through his head.

So, she opened the front door and carefully entered.

"Wear the seatbelt." He ordered without sharing any greetings.

She concluded that he really was angry... that too most probably due to their phone conversation.

So, she pulled the seat belt and buckled herself properly.

Without another word, Viraj stepped on the accelerator and started driving. Sneha felt uneasy as he remained silent and just focused on the road. His behaviour reminded her of his older self to which she was very well accustomed. But, for her, this was still better than the strange behaviour that she witnessed in the cinema hall.

However, the prolonged silence did intrigue her. So, unintentionally, she took a deep breath and then suddenly got the sense of the odour of a sweet fragrance. Curiously she looked sideways when she saw a bouquet of white roses in the back seat, resting peacefully. Due to the tinted windows, she wasn't able to see them from outside. But, now that she did, she wondered for whom these roses were for. Had it been for her, he would have given it to her already. Since he hadn't, doubts arose in her mind.

'Is it for Nupur? Did she successfully convince him?' She wondered hopefully when she heard him speak.

"Yes, those are for you." Viraj said as he saw her look at the flowers.

Her hope crashed immediately.

"Viraj...I wanted to talk to you...about..." She started but got scared when he suddenly parked the car under a nearby tree on the not-so-busy road.

"Wh.why did we stop?" She asked in fear while expecting the worst. She actually thought he was about to shoot her. The sight of his gun on the dashboard wasn't helping either.

"What do you want to talk about?" He asked as he removed his shades. His gaze was as cold as his voice.

Half of her confidence vanished under his heated gaze.

"I...The job is important t..."

"And I said you will not work. What part of it do you not understand?" He asked strictly.

Sneha looked at the gear uneasily as her heartbeat accelerated. She didn't have the courage to say anymore. If anything, she just wanted to run away from him.

"Anything else I need to clarify?" He asked when she didn't reply.

"No." She answered almost inaudible in fear.

"Good. Now listen carefully. We are going to my cousin's house for a small get-together. All my cousins and friends are going to be there. You are not going there as Sneha Bohra. You are going there as my fiancee. So, behave like that. Okay?" He stated.

Sneha met his eyes briefly in confusion. She didn't like the way he was talking to her. Why was he talking to her in this way, anyway!

'Like what?' She wanted to ask but sensing his anger, she decided to keep quiet.

"Okay." She said nonetheless.

He nodded and reignited the engine. The silence prevailed in the car again.

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.

.

Viraj's cousin's house turned out to be a huge mansion with two floors. It was similar to Viraj's residence but almost half the size. For the occasion, it was beautifully decorated with lights and music.

Viraj held Sneha's hand as soon as the valet took the car for parking.

Seeing the armed guard patrolling the area, she felt so out of place.

"Don't be afraid. No one will harm you." He read her expression and tried to assure her.

She just nodded in response.

As soon as they entered the hall, everyone greeted Viraj one by one while throwing curious eyes toward Sneha and their entwined hands. There were about fifty people gathered in the hall with about 15 women.

"Hey, Viraj!" Viraj's cousin and the host of the party greeted Viraj as they shook hands.

"Ronit." Viraj greeted back.

"Who is this beautiful lady?" He asked with a smile while giving Sneha a once over.

Viraj smiled and then looked at her as he introduced her.

"She is Sneha...my fiancee." He announced while leaving her hand, only to place it on her waist.

Sneha just remained frozen at her place, not knowing what to do.

"Fiancee? When did you both get engaged? We thought you were going to marry Nu..."

"Things happened. We are formally getting engaged this Sunday. The invitations will be circulated soon." He informed to which Sneha looked at him with wide eyes.

She had no idea that he was serious about the engagement to be held on this Sunday! She practically had no time to change his mind.

"That's amazing, bro!" Ronit smiled and just like that, the news spread like fire across the entire hall.

"Bhai! You came!" Ananya came running towards them when she spotted her brother and Sneha at the centre of the hall.

"You look so pretty, Sneha! Bhai's choice is really nice." Ananya praised the dress while flashing a huge smile.

"Thank you." Sneha answered meekly when she realized that both the siblings were looking at her expectantly.

"Bhai, can I take her with me to introduce her to our cousins?" She asked excitedly while looking at her brother hopefully.

Viraj hesitated before leaving Sneha's hand.

"Come to me if you need anything." He told Sneha gently. She nodded and then followed Ananya to wherever she was taking her. However, the change in his mood didn't go unnoticed by her.

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Ananya first took Sneha to the starters area where they had some snacks and drinks. Then, she introduced her to her cousins. As expected, everyone was shocked and surprised by the revelation that Viraj was marrying someone else. The excitement was more about the fact that Viraj had chosen a girl for himself, instead of his father doing so.

"How did you both meet?"

"What does your father do? Is he a businessman?"

"Did he confess his love for you?"

"Is he romantic?"

And many more questions were shot at Sneha to which she didn't know what to reply. Ananya was her saviour here who just playfully scolded her cousins.

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.

Suffocated. It was exactly how Sneha felt right now as she sat on the sofa along with the girls. She had no idea what they were talking about now as she had already dozed off into her thoughts. Her brain only thought of ways to come out of the mess that her life had suddenly become.

The day had been the worst for her. First, she lost her job. Second, she had to forcefully attend this party. Third, she got scolded by a man who ideally should be a stranger to her. And now, she had to sit with girls and listen to their gossip when she had so many important things to do! And to add to it, the mood swings of Viraj. She had no idea how to deal with him. The more she thought about it, the more depressed she got.

Suddenly, the loud laughter of the girls around her brought her out of her intense thinking. She looked at Ananya who was laughing aloud as well. Sighing, she stood up. She desperately needed fresh air now.

"What happened?" Ananya asked when she saw Sneha stand up suddenly.

"I have to call my mother. I'll be back in a minute." She lied and started walking towards the other door that lead to a garden-type area.

Ananya wanted to stop her but then she looked at her brother who already had his eyes on Sneha's movement. Seeing that her brother knows about her, Ananya let Sneha go outside.

"Ma'am, drinks?" A waiter asked Sneha to which she denied politely.

Stepping into the lawn, she took a deep breath.

"You can do it, Sneha. You need to convince Viraj to come out of whatever illusion he is cooking in his mind." She told herself and then sat on the first bench she saw on the lawn.

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Viraj was talking to one of his youngest cousins when he noticed Sneha walk toward the lawn. His brows scrunched in worry as he wondered why she was going alone and why his sister was not following her.

The expression on her face didn't ease his worry either. He had noticed her sadness since the moment he picked her up from her house. Sure he was angry after the telephonic conversation where she angrily blurted out that she didn't want to be a part of his family. And when she still insisted to continue the job, he just couldn't control himself from lashing out. He literally disliked her disobeying nature. But more than that, he absolutely hated her sad face.

He decided to go and talk to her. He was even ready to apologize for being so rude in the car, just to see her smile again like she used to. With that thought, he made his way towards the lawn.

However, his eyes fell on Gaurav who was holding an ice cream cone. Curiously, he followed Gaurav's path and saw him give it to Natasha. In return, Natasha flashed a huge smile and even kissed him on the cheek.

For Viraj, this was a miracle! He thought that it was the ice cream that made Natasha happy. So, he decided to treat his fiancee to ice cream too. Perhaps she'd smile too and who knows, if she'd award him with a kiss too!

Thus, he modified his route and first went to the dessert section to get ice cream for Sneha. Since he wasn't aware of her favourite flavour, he asked for a three-layered cone.

Satisfied with the work, he held the cone carefully and walked towards the lawn.

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Sneha was deep in thought when she felt someone sit beside her. She looked to her right and her breath hitched.

"Why are you sitting here alone?" Viraj asked as softly as he could while offering her the ice cream.

She first stared at the ice cream and then at him.

'Is this guy crazy?' It was her first thought. First, he scolded her in the car and now he was trying to be polite? The least he could do was to apologize and return her job back!

"I had to call my mother." She lied again and took the ice cream from him.

There was a momentary silence before Viraj broke it again.

"Why aren't you happy, Sneha?" He directly asked the question.

She looked at him again from the grass. If possible, her face fell even more.

"How can I be?" She asked while looking at the ice cream in her hand.

"What is bothering you?" He asked while coming closer to her and wrapping his arm on her shoulder in an attempt to soothe her. He remembered his biological mother doing it to him often when he was a kid and would sit alone in the huge garden after witnessing his parents' arguments.

Sneha became hyperaware of his touch again and just wanted to run away from here. But then his gentle mood raised hope in her mind. Perhaps this was the best time to convince him, she thought.

"Everything." She answered.

"Tell me. I will sort it out." He assured her.

"Everything is happening so fast... You want the engagement to be held this Sunday and the marriage to be in three weeks..."

"So? What is wrong with that?"

Sneha took a deep breath before replying.

"Everything, Viraj!" She said and looked at him.

"I...I wanted to complete my degree first. But since you want the marriage in a month, how will I study properly?... Then, I wanted to get to know my life partner first before entering into marriage. How will I know anything about you in a month! I don't even know your birthday right now!... Then, I want to be financially independent. I had promised myself that I will save 5 lakhs before marriage and then use them for my weddings so that I won't burden my father too much. But, you don't want me to work at all! Wherever I will apply, you will just use your connections and make me jobless again. Tell me, how can I be happy after knowing all this?" She asked with a frown.

And, just like that, he fell for that expression again.

When he remained silent and kept on looking at her, she finally lowered her gaze and looked at the ice cream that had started to melt now.