Sneha rechecked her phone. The glare of the cheap phone hurt her eyes but she needed to be sure that she wasn't in a dream!

"Viraj? Why?" She whispered on the phone in order to not wake Priya.

"See for yourself. Come out." Viraj replied.

"I can't! We lock the door from inside at night." She answered truthfully.

"Then unlock it!" He answered in a duh tone.

"Papa has the key. And, it is very late to wake him up."

"In that case, come to the balcony." He insisted.

Sneha sighed and slowly dragged herself out of bed.

"Just a moment." She mumbled and carefully stepped towards the balcony. Opening the door slowly, she stepped onto the balcony with a yawn. However, her yawn stuck at mid when she saw the scene in front of her.

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Viraj's heart skipped a beat when he saw the little heart emoji popping on the screen of his phone. He completely ignored the text as he, as a teen, looked at the emoji while imagining the extreme. In a way, he was happy that his fiancee was trying to warm up to him. And, since she was attempting to take one step toward him, he was ready to walk a thousand steps towards her.

"What should I reply?" He mumbled while looking at the text. He first thought of sending a heart emoji as a reply too. But then he thought against it.

"She will think I copied her." He reasoned.

After giving the simple issue a complete ten minutes of pondering, he finally decided to give a completely unique reply to her loving text message.

After all, he would do absolutely anything to make her fiancee feel special!

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Sneha stared at Viraj who was standing in front of his car. He held his phone in one hand while the other held a heart-shaped balloon!

"Viraj? What is this?" She asked on the phone as they remained on the phone line.

"The reply to your text." He answered with a small smile. He was so confident that she'd like it.

However, for Sneha, this looked more psychopathic than romantic.

"I just said good night!" She mumbled in a low tone.

"I know. This is the reply for the heart that you had texted." He elaborated.

Sneha sighed deeply and scratched her forehead.

"You don't like it?" Viraj asked as his smile fell and jaw hardened.

He had always tried to please his biological mother in the short period of time that they were together. And, to his dismay, she would never be pleased by his efforts. He didn't want Sneha to act like his mother. He wanted Sneha to be happy with his efforts and smile...for him.

Sneha was quick in reading his expression and tone. So, she forced a smile as she very well remembered his father's warnings. She couldn't upset Viraj!

"No. I like it. It's a beautiful balloon. Uhh...Thank you, Viraj. I just...can't come down and take it." She quickly answered.

He believed her words and his smile returned. He knew she would not treat him as his mother did. And, the mere thought made him content.

"Don't worry about it." He said and looked at her small garden with curious eyes.

For a moment, she thought he was going to climb up somehow to give that red-coloured balloon.

But, thankfully, he didn't.

"I'll tie this on this branch. Take it tomorrow." He said and while holding the phone using his shoulder, he tied the balloon carefully by using a knot that can be easily opened.

"Where did you get this balloon at this time of night?" She couldn't help but ask when he completed his task.

He looked up and smiled again.

"I asked my PA to arrange it. She is very good at her work." He said as he returned to his car and leaned on it as they conversed.

"You asked her to work at this time? That too, just for a balloon?" She almost exclaimed. She wondered how that poor girl must have arranged the balloon.

Viraj's brows narrowed in confusion.

"So? That is what she is paid for!" He answered.

Sneha was about to reply when she realized her mistake.

'Why do I care what he does with his employees!' She concluded and decided to drop off the topic.

So, she just nodded as a reply.

"You think I did something wrong, right?" He asked while reading her strained face.

"Who am I to judge?" She said lazily.

"Why do you think it is wrong?" He asked as he didn't want her to think wrong of him.

"Her shift was over. And, you disturbed her for a...small task such as getting a balloon! What if she was sleeping or spending time with her family?" She finally explained.

"It is clear in her contract that she must work 24*7 for me. And, the compensation she gets is the best in the market. So, what's wrong with me demanding the service that I pay her for." He placed his side of the argument.

"Okay." She answered quickly, not wanting to continue the argument.

Viraj sighed on seeing her back off so easily. It was as if she had not expected him to agree to him. And, he wanted to prove her wrong.

"Fine. I'll give her an off tomorrow for working so late for me." He said, taking her off guard.

"I didn't...." She was about to complain when he interrupted her.

"I don't want my fiancee to think low of me." He said to which she wanted to roll her eyes.

He was already at the lowest position in her eyes.

'Why in hell is he being so sweet to me?' She wondered.

"By the way...Why are you not using the smartphone that you bought for yourself? Why switch back to the old one?" He asked curiously as his eyes rested on her phone again.

Her eyes automatically widened as she recalled the series of lies she had brewed in the library regarding the phone.

"I...It broke." She lied again.

"Oh...Don't worry, I'll get you one tomorrow." He said and then quickly scratched his arm as a mosquito bit him.

And, probably for the first time, she genuinely felt concerned for him.

"I already gave it for repair. So..." She lied again.

"You should go home, now, Viraj." She added after seeing him continue scratching.

"Why?" He asked, not wanting to end the call.

"Mosquitos... And, also, it is quite late. You must have work tomorrow..." She proposed and then he remembered his busy schedule.

Sighing, he nodded.

"Alright. Go." He mumbled half-heartedly.

"Okay...bye." She said.

"Oh wait..."

Sneha raised her brows.

"We will go ring-shopping on Saturday, okay? I have booked the appointment." He informed.

"Okay..." She replied with a straight face, not knowing how to react.

"Good night." He greeted to which she replied lowly too.

Sneha looked at the red balloon once before she cancelled the call and entered the room. She heard the sound of the car's engine driving away after she lay on the bed.

She didn't know what to make of the recent event. Viraj appeared too different from how he usually was. Was he acting or was this his real self, she wondered.

"Just go away from my life, Viraj. It is good for both of us!" Sneha mumbled before she slept again.

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Sneha was the first one in the morning to come out of the home. She quickly removed the balloon and pricked it to burst it before her parents or anyone sees it.

After getting ready for college, as she came out, she was stunned to see a black Mercedes awaiting her in front of her house.

"Hello, ma'am. My name is Keshav. Viraj sir has appointed me as your driver." A young man, wearing formals greeted Sneha.

She looked here and there before meeting his gaze. Not believing him, she confirmed his identity by calling Viraj. When Viraj acknowledged, she hesitantly entered the luxurious car.

"Where to, ma'am?" The driver asked.

Sneha, who was sitting in the back seat, at one corner, faced him again.

"My college." She said.

The driver then began driving while maintaining the highest degree of professionalism.

"I haven't seen you before...in Viraj's house or with Ananya." She asked curiously.

Keshav looked at the rear-view mirror once before replying.

"Since you are going to be the boss's wife, I guess I can reveal my identity. I am one of the top-ranking bodyguards of Viraj sir. He has now given me the responsibility to protect you." He explained.

"By making you drive me to college? And, he had told me that he had assigned 5 bodyguards already." She asked.

"That's true. They are following closely even though you won't see them. And, I have been given the additional duty of being your driver since, in that way, I will be at the closest distance possible if the need arises." He answered honestly, making her confident to ask further.

"Where was this level of security when those men chased Ananya?" She mumbled her query.

"The security was kept low for some months since no potential harm was detected. Unfortunately, Ananya ma'am was harmed exactly at that moment by men who were nothing but small street burglars. Since you are new to the family, the security will be high till everything cools down."

"Was it the same for Nupur too?" She asked curiously again.

"Yes, ma'am. However, it wasn't us who was responsible for her safety. Her father's men protected her. I am not sure about it right now, though."

"Why?"

"Her father's no more. He died in a car crash a few days ago."

"What!" Sneha exclaimed at the news. No one told her so...not even Ananya!

"Yes, ma'am. It was shocking news for all of us since Nupur ma'am's father was very close to Viraj sir's father."

"That's so...sad!" She whispered since she couldn't even think about losing her father that suddenly!

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The last lecture got over and Sneha walked outside towards the parking along with her friend, Jyoti and her soon-to-be sister-in-law, Ananya.

"I almost begged bhai to take me to the ring-shopping too, but he straight-away denied. Sneha, convince him, na, please? I want to come with you two too!" Ananya whined.

Sneha only smiled uneasily.

"Okay..." And, just then her eyes fell on her new driver who was talking to Viraj. He was yet to see her.

And, her naive brain came up with the old idea. She remembered Natasha telling her that he hated flowers. And, on seeing his blank expression in the car when she gave him a rose, she had wrongly concluded that he indeed hated flowers.

"Just a second..." She excused herself from the other two girls and walked towards the nearby flowering bush to pluck a yellow-coloured wildflower.

"What are you doing, Sneha?" Jyoti asked curiously as Ananya looked at her too.

"Giving it to Viraj." She mumbled.

"But, bhai doesn't like flowers and... such things." Ananya added quickly.

'That is why I am giving it to him, Ananya!' She thought but as a reply, only smiled.

Jyoti only sighed. Sneha had told her all about the recent happenings and her plan. Even though she disagreed, she couldn't do much in changing Sneha's mind plan. So, she soon parted her way towards her scooty while Sneha and Ananya continued to walk toward the men.

The driver was the first to spot the two women. And soon, Viraj followed his gaze and saw the girls. He first looked at his sister and then toward his soon-to-be wife. He wanted to smile at her but knew very well that he had to also maintain his reputation and strict personality in public.

So, he only looked at her with a blank expression. This confused her a little since she had seen him all smiling and cheesy at night. She wondered what changed.

'Is he bored of me already? Then why is he here? Is he going to tell me about his change of mind? Great!' She concluded.

Walking up to him, she heard Ananya speak first.

"Bhai! Why are you here today? You said you won't come." Ananya asked.

"Get in the car, Ananya." He easily dismissed her question to which she only huffed in response. In a way, she was used to her brother's mood.

When Ananya entered the car, Viraj leisurely held Sneha's wrist and pulled her under the nearby tree.

"What happened?" She asked in confusion.

After halting under the shade, he completely faced her.

"No greetings?" He playfully complained.

"We just talked in the morning." She reminded him.

"Still?"

"Hi!" She still said in order to skip over the unnecessary argument.

As a reply, he only cornered a strand of her hair behind her ear. He loved the feel of her soft hair. Many times, he had imagined them falling softly on his face as they engage in dirty love.

"I came to inform you that I am going on a business trip to Australia for three days. I'll be back on Friday. And, I won't be able to contact you since I'll be in a remote place where there are absolutely no communication lines." He said while looking at her intently.

Internally, as expected, Sneha was on cloud nine.

"Oh!" She faked a sad face.

"But I'll compensate for the lost time at the weekends. I promise." He said in a reassuring manner. She slowly nodded while looking at his chest.

"Anything else?" He asked in an interviewer manner.

Sneha looked up and then shook her head negatively. Raising her hand a little, she showed him the flower. This time, he couldn't stop himself from chuckling.

"You got me a flower again?" He asked with a smile.

"You don't like it?" She asked.

"What do you think?" He asked in return.

Sneha only shrugged and pushed it more towards him so that he would be compelled to take it. When he still didn't accept, she slowly inserted it in his shirt's pocket, just like yesterday.

Viraj looked at the flower in the pocket before speaking again.

"Take care of yourself, okay. And if anything happens, let Keshav know about it. He is a very capable man." He assured her again.

Sneha nodded robotically.

However, he took her by surprise when he suddenly placed his hand on her waist and pulled her towards himself in a hearty hug. His wide chest almost shielded her completely. Her hands, however, remained downcast. She couldn't even imagine touching him like that!

"Bye. I'll miss you." He said as he pulled her more on himself. She could feel herself being pressed on him and their upper bodies touching intimately under the shield of clothes. He soon came out of the hug to kiss her.

But, Sneha was quick in stopping him by placing her hand on his chest.

"Your sister is watching us." She mumbled. Even though her back was to Ananya, she kind of knew her curious nature by now.

Viraj looked in the direction of the car in which Ananya was sitting and indeed she was watching the couple with a content face.

He sighed but still approached Sneha's face and kissed the top of her head gently.

"Go." He said after kissing her hair.

Sneha didn't wait anymore and quickly walked toward Keshav's car. A highly unethical idea popped into her mind for a fraction of a second.

She hoped his flight to crash!

'Are you crazy, Sneha! He is someone's son and brother!' She scolded herself for her bad hope. And her conscience made her stop and turn around.

Viraj who was following her to enter his car halted too. He raised his brows in curiosity, wondering why she stopped.

"Have a safe journey, Viraj." She said genuinely because she won't be able to forgive herself if someone really died because of her!

He smiled...genuinely this time. At this moment, he didn't care what people would think about him.

"Don't worry. I will. For you." He said with a smile as he felt happy that she wished for his safety like a good wife should.

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"Oh God, I am so tired!" Jyoti whined as they exited the auditorium that held the Farewell party for one of the most senior professors of the Geography department. Since it was a formal get-together, everyone wore formal dress and so did Sneha and Jyoti. Jyoti wore a white shirt and black skirt while Sneha wore a green dress.

"Same! But I need to go and visit Shashank also after my Library-shift." Sneha replied while walking towards the parking lot.

"Oh, yes! You are meeting him today, right? To return the phone that he had given you?" Jyoti remarked.

"Hmm. He is finally coming to Mumbai to meet his family. So, he texted me that if I want to meet him, I can do so today. It's strange that he asked me to come with my father." Sneha said.

"Father? Why?"

"I don't know."

"Are you taking your father then?"

"Why would I? My father wouldn't be home by that time anyway and it will only cause him unnecessary trouble. Keshav will drive me there, so safety will not be a problem."

"Oh yes, your personal driver!" Jyoti sarcastically said with a chuckle.

"Only for a few more days, Jyoti... Once Viraj gets bored of me, he will leave me alone. And, everything will be back to normal."

"I am genuinely telling you, Sneha. This...whatever idea you have in mind will not work. If anything, you are giving Viraj false hope!" Jyoti explained.

Sneha shook her head negatively.

"Viraj doesn't love me, Jyoti. He is just attracted to the fact that I am different from Nupur. Natasha and Ananya told me how and why Viraj doesn't like Nupur. And because I have protected his sister once, he has a small soft corner for me. Also, since I have always ignored his very presence, he has taken it to his ego and thinks of me as a challenge. So, once I give him a feeling that I am not a challenge anymore, he will obviously come out of this illusion and will terminate this marriage idea himself. It is just like how if we eat our favourite food 100 times at one go, we get bored of it...he will also get bored of me." Sneha explained her point of view.

"But that food still remains our favourite! We might get bored of it for the time being, but once the appetite returns, we still search for our favourite again." Jyoti contradicted.

Sneha had no answer to that.

"Well, I think, I took the wrong example." She mumbled as they finally entered the parking spot.

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"Keshav, can you please take me to Avalanche cafe?" Sneha asked as she returned from her library shift. They were already on their way to her home.

The driver hesitated and it was pretty obvious on his face for Sneha to see.

"If not, it's fine. I'll go by myself." She said with a smile. She had huge respect for Keshav despite him being in this line of work. In the three days, they had developed a good bond. She got to know his past and his reasons for choosing this dangerous field as his career option while he understood that she was not really into this marriage proposal with his boss.

"It's not like that, ma'am. Viraj sir is probably returning tonight. And, he wouldn't appreciate it if I'd not drop you at your home safely in time." He said.

"It's just for a short while. I have to return something to someone. It will hardly take 5 minutes." She said.

Keshav thought over it for a while.

"Uhh...Okay, ma'am." He gave a small smile and took the required turn.

When they reached the cafe, Sneha came out of the car.

"Would you like to come inside?" She asked, not liking the fact that he would be out alone.

"No, ma'am. I can see the interior of the cafe. So, I'll look over you from here. It is much more secure that way." He said as the cafe had a glass partition.

"Uhh...okay!" She said and exited the car to enter the cafe.

As soon as she entered the cafe, she spotted Shashank sitting in the middle row at a two-seater table.