This scenario was cooking up in my brain but it's highly unlikely they will show any such thing in the show. So, I wrote it down.

"NAHI! NAHI! NAHI!" Anupama denied firmly, shaking her head at the ludicrous request.

"HAAN! HAAN! HAAN!" Three voices countered, not accepting her rejection.

"Tum log pagal ho gyi ho. Yeh sab mujhse nahi hoga." She stated, refusing to even give a second thought to such an absurd demand put forth by her three daughters.

"Please...pretty please..." They prodded again, refusing to back down.

"Maine yeh sab kabhi try nahi kiya. Samjho na tum log...!" She was trying her best to get out of the compromising situation her girls were pushing her in.

"Tabhi toh mummy, kabhi try nahi kiya toh abb karo. Aapko life mei sab kuch try karna chahiye."

Kinjal stepped forward, taking Anu's hands in hers, coaxing her with her mature advice.

"Kinjal tuu bhi...! Samajh na, yeh sab ajeeb lagta hai." She tried to reason, hoping she would understand her dilemma.

Before Kinjal could speak further, another voice interrupted. "Kyun ajeeb lagta hai? Nahi matlab kyun ajeeb lagta hai?" The voice belonged to her toddler, Mukku.

She rushed towards them and put her arms around both Anu and Kinjal.

"Tell me, kya ajeeb lagta hai, kyun ajeeb lagta hai, why so ajeeb, what so ajeeb?" She asked in a single breath, in her characteristic loud tone.

Hee Kanhaji...she was her brother's shadow through and through.

Her mind recalled how the adorable brother-sister duo said exactly the same thing few weeks back, when she was about to leave their home. They had stopped her from leaving that day, and now she couldn't stay without them. They had become a crucial part of her life, dare she say....her family.

"Haan, she's right, kyun ajeeb lagta hai Anu aunty?" Nandini joined in the discussion as well, breaking her reverie. Kinjal nodded in agreement.

Her three girls weren't ready to back down. Now it was them vs her. But it wasn't like she will lose. She knows how to deal with them. After all they are her kids. So she was confident.

"Anu...dekho naa..mai, Nandu aur Kinju baby bhi try kar rahe hai. Please join us." Mukku whined.

Anu again shook her hand firmly. "Bss, nahi matlab nahi. Yeh sab tum teeno ladkiyan karo." She was adamant.

Mukku huffed, disappointed, then turned to address Nandini and Kinjal. "Abb kya kare?"

Thinking she finally won the battle, Anu pulled her braid in pride, internally celebrating her win and thanking the lord for saving her.

Nandini's face matched the disappointment on Mukku's face but Kinjal still looked confident. "I knew mummy won't agree on this, so I already had a backup plan." Kinjal told them.

On hearing this, the two girls' faces lit up with excitement, while Anupama's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. They both eagerly asked, "What is it?"

Kinjal smirked. "A person who can convince mummy to agree on it."

Before they could enquire more about the mystery person, Mukku's bedroom door flew open and the said person was revealed.

"Hello ladies..!" That person greeted. Instantly, the girls' faces broke into a smile and they collectively squealed. It was Devika....

With that, Devika rushed into the room and hugged all three girls while Anupama stood flabbergasted.

'Oh god, she's so screwed. They really had a great backup.'

'Why did she agree on this night out thing again..?' She thought, defeated, as she recalled the past events while the rest four ladies started chatting over makeup, accessories and clothes.

The dark clouds had finally settled, Vanraj was out of their lives for good. Anupama and Anuj had underestimated Malvika to be a gullible, vulnerable girl. But she wasn't.

Although she signed the partnership because she saw the potential he had, but over the time, she started getting to know the real Vanraj Shah. About how irresponsible he was for his family, how he ill-treated his wife, how unfair he was with his kids, she saw everything. On the top of it, how he had terrorized Anupama for 25 years and even after that.

That made her blood boil. She being a domestic abuse victim herself, hated how she blindly went to live with an abuser instead of her own brother. The brother who was the complete opposite of her business partner.

She still kept the friendly charade on to know more about his true intentions. She kept on monitoring his growing advances towards her, despite being a married man. She kept on indulging in his bullshit 'sad life stories', and showered him with fake sympathy to know about his plans.

On Makar Sakranti, she finally confronted him about his true intentions to take over the Kapadia empire, the empire her bhai had built with his blood, sweat and tears.

Instead of accepting that,Vanraj intruded in her personal space and confessed that he has fallen for her, a cheap tactic to nab their empire. But before she could push him away, Anuj and Anu had already entered the scene, and Anuj had forcibly pushed him back and punched him for trying to lay his hands on his baby sister.

Surprisingly, entire Shah family had witnessed everything. Anuj then calmed down, for the sake of Vanraj's parents, kids and wife. And also because Anupama and Mukku were by his side, calming him with soothing words.

Out of rage for being humiliated and becoming 'zero from hero', he had lashed out at Anuj, blaming him and as he called him adopted and worthless, Mukku was ready to jump and beat him, but Anuj held her back. On the other hand, Anupama had already gone ahead and slapped him.

After that, Mukku ended the partnership, Vanraj faced the disappointment from his parents and kids, and wrath of his wife. Baa never said it, but it showed on her face how much humiliated she felt. How she accused Anupama-Anuj of being characterless and Anupama a gold digger, when her own son was so much worse.

Needless to say, everything settled. Anu and Kapadias' were happy together. Mukku and Anuj relationship healed. Vanraj faced his karma, his family avoided him like plague and Kavya made his life hell with her consistent harsh truth bombs.

On the top of it, Anuj took Mukku under his wing and she joined Anuj-Anupama's venture. Plus, to their horror, Devika and Mukku got introduced and bonded over their mutual interest of teasing them. They got along well, too well, and never left a chance to pull legs of their favorite duo.

Moreover, Vanraj's bruised ego & jealousy made it all worse for him. He constantly lashed out & insulted everything and everyone at home. His children, after enduring consistent criticism & disappointment, drifted away for him.

They eventually started finding solace in Anuj's company. The Kapadias' household was a breath of fresh air for them, complete opposite of their toxic household, and Anuj had rapidly started forging a special place in their hearts.

The kids found themselves visiting the Kapadias more often than they thought. Samar, Kinjal and Nandini were already massive cheerleaders of Anuj, but now even Toshu and Pakhi were coming around. They were now understanding why Samar & their mom actively favored Anuj and strongly stood for him against their unreasonable family.

Moreover, after witnessing the dynamic between him & their mom, they too, desperately hoped the duo becomes more than friends. They realised Anuj deserves Anupama, and Anupama deserves him and his sweet little family. Another reason for this was, they started growing immensely fond of him, and couldn't let him go. He had became their support system when their own father abandoned them multiple times for his selfish needs.

And Anupama couldn't be happier with such development.

To see her kids bonding with the love of her life, and watching their wholesome moments from distance, she felt ecstatic. To witness the mutual affection her new family & her kids held for each other, she felt blissful.

And speaking of Anuj...well, to sum up her current situation, she could say that nowadays whenever she saw him, she felt such an intense rush of love that she could just grab and kiss him deeply into oblivion. But she had to control her wild urges around him, because there were kids and her father-figure GK present.

To make matters worse, Devika and the kids, ganged up every now & then, and never left any opportunity to tease them of being 'bffs in love'. Considering she hadn't confessed yet, so she really had to keep her emotions in check around them.

Today, their gang has planned a "youngsters' night out", to get away from their hectic routine and enjoy life. And the kids & Devika decided to drag Anuj-Anupama along because they were the most open-minded & understanding parents, thus, too young for their age. Pakhi wasn't allowed because she wasn't an adult yet, and Toshu was busy with his new job. So it's only Mukku, Nandini, Kinjal, Samar, Anuj, Anupama and Devika that were going.

And right now, the boys and girls were in Kapadia house, getting ready separately for their first night out together. And the girls had decided that they all would wear a dress, including Anupama...

And obviously Anupama had strictly denied.

Another bout of squeals interrupted her thoughts. She looked up to find Devika over Mukku's bed, strutting over it like it's her own personal ramp, modeling in a black sequin dress, whilst the three girls squealed and applauded.

Mukku whistled and Nandini clapped. "Wow, you have to wear this tonight, you look amazing." Kinjal stated, while the other two nodded in agreement. Devika curtsied at their compliments and jumped down from the bed.

"Me next, me next!!" With that, Mukku climbed over the bed and started catwalking in her own unique way. Anupama watched with mild amusement as her favorite girls showed off their dresses over their makeshift runway.

To be honest, watching them wearing dresses and strutting away freely was influencing her as well to try it. The last time she wore a dress was when she was 13, after that her mom had firmly ordered her to wear suits. And now, she only wore sarees.

She sighed wishfully. As tempting as the offer was, still she can't. Her own inhibitions and insecurities were as usual acting as a hindrance, stopping from fulfilling her desires.

"Oye Tension Kumari..", Devika called, breaking her reverie. She looked up to find her carrying multiple dresses in her hand, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

"Nahi," Anupama shook her head. As she denied, the focus shifted on her again.

They again started hounding her, asking her multiple why's, to which she had no answer. Finally, she shushed them, "Bss, tum log samjho na, aaise accha nahi lagta, mai-"

Devika cut her off. "-teen bachchon ki maa, do bahuon ki saas, log kya sochenge etc etc, yes we get it. But tu akeli nahi hai, baaki ladies teri age ki bhi dresses pehenti hai. So stop being regressive, Anu." Devika explained, gripping her shoulders.

Anupama again shook her head vigorously, her confidence faltering. "Lekin...Toshu, Baa-Bapuji, Kaka, Samar, aur Anuj kya sochenge?"

"Bhai ki tension mat lo," Mukku cut in abruptly, "I can bet he will be 'extremely' ok." She emphasized teasingly, to which Anupama rolled her eyes, her cheeks reddening.

Devika chuckled as she observed. Still, she didn't let it distract her. "Tujhe kya farq padta hai koi kya soche? Do what you like, and if anybody questions, ask them to get lost and shut the fu-"

"Devika..!" Anupama interrupted, before she could complete the expletive.

"Alright, I just wanna say...it's your life Anu. You already wasted too much time, now don't let these moments slip away by thinking 'log kya sochenge'." Devika completed, observing how Anupama was slowly understanding.

"Besides...just us girls and Anuj-Samar are going. Both your boys that truly love you and supported you at every step. They're open-minded and sorted men, they will never judge you." Anupama's heart skipped a beat at the way she termed them together as 'her boys', and she realized how noticeably similar 'her precious boys' were. A heartfelt smile involuntarily appeared on her lips as her mind started daydreaming up the possible relation 'her boys' could share in future.

'Just a little bit more persuading, and she will agree.' Devika thought victoriously.

"But..." Anupama faltered, then in a small voice, she added, "I will look terrible in dresses." She completed, her vulnerabilities seeping in.

Devika's gaze softened, but her voice was firm. "Anu, you are beautiful. Never think otherwise. The society can find flaws even in the most perfect people. Stop looking for flaws in yourself through the eyes of society, and start finding perfection in yourself through yourself."

Devika let her words sink in, and she observed the way Anu's eyes slowly started glimmering with a newfound confidence. They all held their breath, and as Anupama smiled in approval, they collectively cheered.

"Bhai toh pagal ho jayega." As Malvika hollered in between, Anupama blushed, anticipating what his reaction would be.

~~~

"Ok, this is the one." Malvika stated, as she held out a flimsy lacy black dress in front of everyone. It looked more suitable as a lingerie item or a nightie.

Anupama's jaw dropped and she outrighly refused. "No absolutely not. I agreed on a dress, but this is where I draw the line."

"But whyyy....! You will look hot!" She whined, alongwith Kinjal and Nandini.

Devika sighed in exasperation. She knew her best friend. "Drop it girls, she won't wear it. It's too bold & extreme for Anu's preference and personality."

"Then what, we only brought one dress for her." Nandini told, dejected.

"Don't worry, I know her. And I bought a dress which will definitely suit her choices."

As Anupama heaved a sigh of relief, Devika winked. "Besides she can wear that once she starts feeling more confident in wearing dresses, or if she's shy, she can always wear it in private for Anuj..." That earned her a smack on her arm from a very flushed Anupama.

Wincing, she grabbed a brown shopping bag and pulled out a dress.

It was a white knee-length dress outfit with frilly white off-shoulder sleeves sleeves. Moreover, it was a bodycon dress whose hem ended with a frilly lace. If one looked closely, they can see the small babypink crystals scattered along the length of dress. They were minimal in number, giving the dress a subtle highlight instead of gaudy appearance.

(Picture credit- Forever New)

"But it's too revealing..." Anupama trailed off, feeling a bit conscious.

"No, no and no more excuses!" With that, Devika pushed her in the washroom alongwith the dress.

When she came outside, everyone held various looks of approval, while Devika actually teared up a bit, feeling proud at her best friend.

After everyone was done showering her with compliments, they fished out curling rod, makeup kits and high heels from their bags. "Now lets give you a makeover."

They pushed Anupama on a chair in front of Mukku's dressing table and huddled around her with their tools. After what felt like an eternity, they were done.

Anupama gasped as she looked at herself in the mirror, she looked so different and......younger. The girls were also pleasantly surprised at the wonderful outcome of their hardwork. They all kept staring quietly at her reflection in the mirror.

Finally Mukku broke the silence and solemnly stated, "Bhai toh gya.."

Devika nodded sympathetically, looking heavenward, "Bechara..accha aadmi thha." She completed.

That comment earned her another smack on the arm by Anupama.

~~~

Anuj smiled approvingly as he fixed the collar of Samar's shirt. "You look handsome buddy." He praised, then patted his shoulder affectionately.

Samar eyes lit up at his compliment and gesture, and he immediately hugged Anuj to hide the tears that started brimming in his eyes.

He had never been on the receiving end of his father's compliments. All his life, after the immense destructive criticism him and his mother endured, he eventually stopped seeking that man as a father.

And Anuj was the person he started idolizing. He had been his saviour, his friend, his guide, his mentor, his hero...and if only his mother confesses, he could be bonded in a lifelong relationship to him, a relationship he always craved to have.

He never knew how much he craved for fatherly love until Anuj arrived in their lives, in all his superhero glory. He saved him, then his love, then his lifeline-his mom, multiple times. Anuj had always been an unofficial father to him, and now he couldn't wait to make it official.

If only, Devika's plan succeeds...

If only, under the pretense of their nightout plan, his official mom and unofficial dad spends some quality time with each other....

"What happened buddy?" Anuj asked, his voice tender and concerned. And Samar just basked in the hug, feeling blissful to be pampered by him.

"Nothing..." he pulled away from the hug. "It's just that, thankyou for twinning with me." He smiled in gratitude.

They both had together decided to wear the same clothes for fun. So now, both of them were decked up in a black button-up shirt with sleeves rolled up, and dark blue denim pants.

Anuj shook his head in denial. "Are you crazy? I'm absolutely loving twinning with you buddy." He confessed genuinely.

Samar's smile widened, but before he could say anything, bouts of laughter drifted towards them from across the hallway. He huffed, then spoke dejectedly, "They are still chatting instead of getting ready, looks like we have to wait for another hour. Women..I tell you."

Anuj nodded in defeat. "Yeah, you're so right."

As they waited, Samar moved closer, then whispered near his ear in a teasing tone, "Waise aap bhi handsome lag rahe ho, dekhna mummy pakka flat hojaengi."

He moved back and controlled his laughter when Anuj's gaze snapped towards him and he playfully glared. Samar was ready to get lectured again on how 'he shouldn't say such things about his mother' when Devika burst into the room.

She was wearing a navy blue sequin dress, then twirled in front of them. "How do I look, boys?" She asked excitedly.

"Nice..." they both said in unison. While Samar's compliment sounded sincere, Anuj just sounded uninterested.

She fixed him with a glare. "Kyun be Anuj, tujhse tareef nahi hoti? It's alright, I won't tell you what your Anu is wearing." She blackmailed.