Again took advantage

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Then Praveen and Shanaya came to apply haldi to them. Seeing Shanaya, Vikram and hardik stood up from their seats. Noticing this gesture, everyone started smiling. Then Praveen also applied haldi to Vikram. While applying haldi to Hardik, Praveen said, "Bro, you haven't given any gift to my future children yet?"

"Oh, I'm giving them their aunt," Hardik replied.

Shivika and Shanaya started laughing, while Praveen's face fell. At that moment, Hardik handed a file to Praveen and said, "Don't pout so much." When Praveen opened it, he saw that it contained papers for a house. Hardik explained, "This is from me and their aunt. There's no name written on it. You can write the name whenever you decide."

"So it's really a property gift!" Vikram said, causing Praveen, Shanaya, and Hardik to smile.

After everyone had applied the haldi, they all took lots of pictures together. Both Shanaya's baby shower and haldi ceremony were completed with Praveen, Shanaya, Preeti, Shivika, Vikram, and Hardik. Afterward, Shobha instructed Praveen, "Praveen, take Shanaya to room. She must be tired."

"Okay, badi maa," Praveen replied and took Shanaya with him. Shalini then told Vikram, Hardik, Shivika, and Preeti, "And you four go take a bath as well." Following her instructions, Shivika and Preeti left with anokhi and riya, but Vikram and Hardik's faces fell.

They had tried several times to secretly apply haldi to their future wives, but they never got the chance as everyone was preventing them from doing so. Both, disappointed, began heading inside.

Vikram said, "Man, this isn't right! haldi ceremony is for us, and the brides are ours, yet we didn't get to apply haldi."

Then Vikram's eyes fell on Rishabh who was smiling looking at him. Seeing his smile Vikram also smiled. He understood that he is going to do something or he has already done it.

He quickly came to him but before he could say anything Rishabh took out his phone and called Anokhi and said, " Cupcake Dai Maa is calling you, come now and bring Riya along with you. "

Rishabh finished talking and after hearing him Vikram mischievously smiled, and Hardik joined in. Both quickly followed behind Shivika and Preeti. Hardik entered Preeti's room, and as soon as he did, he shut the door. Shivika, who had just removed her dupatta, was startled upon seeing him.

Meanwhile, Vikram entered Preeti's room and also quickly shut the door. But when he turned around, Preeti wasn't there.

"Where did she go?" he wondered. "Is this another prank on me?" he muttered, frowning.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of water from the bathroom. "Is she in the washroom?" he thought and began walking towards the door, but stopped himself just before reaching it. He slapped his forehead and said, "Vikram, have you lost it? Were you about to check the washroom? Forget about marriage, you would have been thoroughly scolded and embarrassed."

Disappointed, he muttered to himself, "But she is my future wife. If someone comes in, this last chance will slip away. What should I do?"

As he pondered, he knocked on the door. From inside, Preeti's voice asked, "Who is it?"

Vikram replied, "Preeti, it's me." Hearing Vikram's voice, Preeti was startled but quickly came to the door. She opened it and saw Vikram standing with one hand over his eyes.

Preeti was confused by this sight.

Hearing the door open, Vikram peeked through his fingers. Preeti was still wearing her lehenga.

Seeing this, he breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Thank goodness you're still dressed."

Preeti shouted in surprise, "What?"

Vikram quickly placed his hand over her mouth and gently led her into the washroom, saying, "Are you trying to drive me crazy? If you scream this loudly, someone will come in, and all the effort I made to sneak into your room will be wasted." But then something occurred to him. Removing his hand from her mouth, he said, "Wait, why am I even worried? I forgot that all the rooms in the Shergill Mansion are soundproof. No one will hear you scream."

As he spoke, he noticed how close he was standing to Preeti, their noses practically touching. Vikram fell silent as the proximity between them grew. Preeti's breath became heavy, while Vikram's eyes filled with desire. As his face moved closer to hers, Preeti asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I've come to apply haldi to my wife."

"But Vikram, it's considered bad luck to see each other like this on the haldi ceremony day," Preeti said.

Vikram, now so close to her lips, replied, "I don't care about bad luck. All I know is that I have the right to apply haldi to my wife, and I never give up my rights, especially when it comes to you, Preeti."

Preeti could feel his warm breath on her lips, which made her close her eyes.

Vikram then gently rubbed his haldi-covered cheeks against her cheeks, causing Preeti to shut her eyes even tighter. He applied the haldi on both of her cheeks. He turns Preeti around Preeti's hands landed on the wall behind her. Then, he moved her hair to one side and pressed his cheek against her back, sending shivers through her body.

In a soft voice, Vikram whispered in her ear, "Happy haldi, my wife." He kissed her ear, and Preeti turned and hugged him tightly, unable to handle the closeness. Her goosebumps were visible, which made Vikram smile as he held her in his arms.

Meanwhile, Hardik approached Shivika and said, "Scream all you want; this room is soundproof, so no one will hear you."

"Hardik, are you out of your mind? Why did you come in here like this? Didn't we agree earlier that we can't see each other like this today?"

"We can't see each other?" Hardik mocked. "We looked at each other plenty while taking pictures earlier, and nothing happened then. So why would it be bad luck now?"

Shivika fell silent, unsure of what to say. Trying to change the subject, she said, "I don't know about all that. Just go out of the room now."

"I'm not leaving without applying haldi to you. I've finally got the chance," Hardik said, grabbing her hand and pulling her close.

Shivika's hands landed on his chest just as someone knocked on the door. From outside, Ruhi's voice called, "Shivika, are you inside?"

Before Shivika could respond, Hardik silenced her with a kiss. Ruhi knocked two or three more times, but hearing no response, she muttered to herself, "I guess she's not inside," and walked away. Meanwhile, Hardik continued kissing Shivika, who had tightly gripped his kurta. After a while, Hardik pulled away and rested his forehead against hers.

Shivika, breathing heavily with her eyes closed, felt Hardik gently brush his cheek against hers and softly said, "This is the only color I ever want to see on you - the color of my love." He kissed her other cheek before quietly leaving.

Everyone was sitting together, chatting, except for Shweta, who was silent, holding the flower Shanaya had thrown, which had landed in her hands. Swati sat beside her and asked, "What's wrong, Shweta? What are you thinking about?"

Shweta showed her the flower and asked, "Swati, do you really believe in these things? Are they true?"

Swati smiled and said, "Even if they aren't, I'll pray that they become true."

Shweta looked at her as Swati placed her hand on Shweta's shoulder and said, "Just think about it, Shweta. When you found out you were pregnant, you were happy, but there was more pain than joy. But now, if you become a mother again, that moment will be so beautiful. And most importantly, Abhinav, the love of your life, will be with you. He'll be there for every moment. The moments you were alone before, you won't be alone this time. You'll experience every moment together. And for Abhinav, it will be so special. He didn't see Shwet being born or growing up, but you both will get to see your child being born, growing up, and taking its first steps. Just think how beautiful your lives will be. And, Shweta, becoming a mother is such a fortunate thing. It's not in everyone's destiny. So, happiness has come to you on its own, and you're still thinking about it."

Swati tightly held Shweta's hand, which was still holding the flower. Shweta thought about what Swati had said and realized she was right. She looked over at Abhinav, who was talking to his parents, and said, "Maybe you're right, Swati. Maybe this is an opportunity for both of us." Then, looking at Swati, she noticed a sadness in her eyes. "But, Swati, what's bothering you? You've seemed upset since the morning. Your words say one thing, but your eyes tell a different story."

Shweta started thinking about his words. She felt that his words were correct. She looked towards Abhinav, who was talking to his dad and his mom. She said, "Maybe you are right, Swati. Maybe this is a chance for both of us." Then, after some thought, she looked at Swati, who had a sadness in her eyes. She asked her, "But Swati, what's wrong with you? I've been noticing since this morning that you're very upset. Your words say something, but your eyes are saying something else."

Hearing this, Swati seemed a bit troubled. She quickly changed the topic and said, "I'm not upset; you are the one who's upset, and that's why you're seeing me as upset, but there's nothing like that. Why would I be upset? Well, if you're saying this by looking at my face, then maybe you're right. My brother was sick, so it shows a little bit, doesn't it?" Swati started laughing at her own words.

But by looking at Shweta, it seemed like she didn't believe her. Swati then became a little serious and said, "Shweta, I am really fine. Yes, I'm away from Shwet and you, so that's why I've been feeling a little low these days. But soon everything will be normal."

"You must be feeling bad, right, Swati, that I came and within a moment separated Shwet from you. You miss him a lot, don't you?" Shweta said. This time, Swati didn't deny it and replied, "I don't feel bad, but yes, I do miss him, and that's natural. I've gotten used to him. I've been alone with him for so many years. I've gotten used to it, so being away from him suddenly makes me miss him a little. But don't worry, this won't last long. Just as I got used to living with him, I'll get used to living without him too. So, don't worry. And you know what? Even though I'm sad being away from him, I'm more happy knowing that he's with you. Just thinking about that makes me happy-knowing Shweta is with her son. You know, I used to look at your pictures and talk about Shwet to you. But not anymore, and that alone makes me so happy. So, don't ever worry about me, okay?"

Meanwhile, Shobha, Alok, Shalini, Sanjay, Surekha, Ajay, Bharti, and Raghav were sitting and talking. Alok smiled at Raghav and said, "By the way, I must say, Raghav, it's a big thing that you all wholeheartedly accepted Shweta. If people around the world start doing this, then girls will never have to worry that someone won't accept them. Their lives will be saved and improved."

Hearing this, Bharti and Raghav both smiled. Bharti said, "When Shweta wasn't at fault, what would have been the point of punishing her for something she didn't do?" But Raghav remained quiet. Seeing him quiet, Alok asked, "What's wrong, Raghav? Are you upset about something?"

Looking at the sky, Raghav said, "You were right, Alok. The world isn't like this. Sometimes I just worry that the world, or society, might remind Shweta of the past, otherwise..."

"Otherwise what?" Bharti asked, slightly worried. Raghav smiled at her and said, "Nothing, I just don't want to talk about something that might not happen in the future. So, I won't trouble you with it now. And if it ever happens in the future, I'll handle it. Don't worry."

No one understood what Raghav meant, except for Alok. Seeing him, he also fell into deep thought.

In the evening, there was a sangeet function, so everyone got busy with preparations. Anokhi, who was passing through the corridor, saw through the window that Shivaay was sitting alone in the garden. Seeing him, she walked up to him.

"What's wrong, Shivaay bhaiya? Why are you sitting alone? Don't you have any work? If not, tell me, I'll give you something to do. After all, it's your sister's wedding, and brothers don't sit idle at their sister's wedding." Anokhi said as she sat down beside him, to which Shivaay just gave a slight smile.

There was a bit of sadness on Shivaay's face, which Anokhi noticed, and she asked him, "What happened, Shivaay bhaiya? Are you feeling sad because Shivika didi is getting married?"

"How do you always know when someone is sad?" Shivaay said, pulling her cheek. Anokhi rubbed her cheek and said, "What's there to know? Sadness is written all over your face. When I'm sad, you all can tell that I'm sad, right? So, I could tell too. But why are you feeling so sad? Shivika didi isn't going far away. She'll stay nearby. And besides, you've already found a girl for yourself, right? So, after her wedding, quickly have your own wedding." Anokhi said, smiling mischievously. Shivaay pouted and said, "What wedding? Your brother is completely alone now. I have one sister, and she's leaving. And as for your bhabhi, she doesn't even want to get married. Forget about marriage; she doesn't even come close to me. When I go near her, she runs away or makes me run. My luck is just bad. Everyone's getting married, and your only brother will be left single. I feel like becoming a monk. I'm so sad about being left alone. I feel like taking sanyas."

"What? You'll become a monk? Then what about Swati didi? What if after you become a monk, Swati didi decides to get married to someone else? Then you won't even have the option to return to the world, and you won't be Swati didi's husband anymore-you'll become her kids' uncle."

Hearing this, Shivaay glared at her. He lightly grabbed her ear and said, "You've come here to sprinkle salt on my wounds. Instead of helping me, you're making me her kid's uncle!"

"Sorry, sorry shivaay bhaiya! I was just joking. Please, please let go of my ear!" Anokhi said, making a sad face. So, Shivaay let go of her ear.

After leaving Shivaay's ear, Anokhi rubbed her own ear gently and gestured for Shivaay to bend down. When Shivaay came close, she whispered something in his ear and then smiled mischievously at him. Shivaay first stared at her after hearing what she said, but then a smile crept onto his lips as well.

Evening Time

Today's sangeet theme was a purple and gold color combination. Everyone was dressed accordingly.

Rishabh was already ready. He was wearing a purple three-piece suit. Looking towards the dressing room, he said, " cupcake are you ready or not? Hurry up, or we'll be late."

From inside came Anokhi's voice, "Yes, just 2 minutes." Her voice had a hint of frustration, which Rishabh caught on to, narrowing his eyes.

He moved towards the dressing room. Without locking the door, he opened it and saw Anokhi trying to tie the strings of her lehenga blouse. The blouse had two strings, one at the top and one at the bottom, and neither was tied. She was attempting to tie the lower string, which left her back completely exposed, and Rishabh's eyes froze at the sight.

Anokhi was alternating between trying to tie the top string and the bottom one, but neither was cooperating. Frustrated, she dropped her hands and said, "What a nuisance!"

Suddenly, she felt a cold hand on her back. She looked nervously towards the mirror and saw Rishabh standing behind her, his hands moving across her back. Clutching her lehenga tightly, she said, "Rishabh ji, what are you doing?"

"Helping," Rishabh whispered softly near her ear, then pulled her string, causing Anokhi's back to press against his chest. Anokhi's breath caught in her throat. Meanwhile, Rishabh's fingers tied the string on her back while they both stared at each other through the mirror.

Rishabh tied the lower string and then looked at the upper one. Slowly, he placed his hand on Anokhi's stomach and pressed his lips to her exposed back, making her arch slightly and close her eyes. "Rishabh ji, we're getting late," Anokhi said in a hushed, breathy tone.

Rishabh moved his lips from her back to her neck and whispered in her ear, "I know, that's why I'm tying the strings; otherwise, by now, your blouse would be on the floor," he said, kissing her ear. Hearing this, Anokhi's face flushed red, and she covered her face with her hands.

Rishabh tied the upper string, then turned her towards him. Removing her hands from her face, he saw that her cheeks were still pink. Anokhi wasn't even fully ready yet, without any jewelry or makeup on.

Rishabh held Anokhi by the waist and sat her down at the dressing table. Holding her face in his hands, he said, "Good thing you didn't put on lipstick."

"Why?" Anokhi asked, and Rishabh, coming closer to her lips, said, "Because since I helped you, I deserve a reward, don't I?" And with that, he pressed his lips to hers, kissing her passionately.

After a while, when Rishabh pulled away, Anokhi remained silent, just staring at him. Caressing her cheek with his thumb, Rishabh said, "I'm waiting for the day."

"Which day?" Anokhi asked.

"The day you'll kiss me back with the same passion," Rishabh replied, stroking her lips with his thumb.

"Is this all you ever think about? Let me go, I need to get ready," Anokhi said, pushing him away slightly.

Rishabh smiled. He picked up earrings from the dressing table and, as he put them on Anokhi, said, "Sit still, I'll do it." He helped her put on earrings, bracelets, a necklace, tied a waistband, fixed her hair, and then simply stared at her.

"What?" Anokhi asked.

"I can't figure out how to do your hair."

Anokhi laughed and said, "Why? You're the Rishabh Shergill, right? And Rishabh Shergill can do everything. You don't know how to style hair?"

Rishabh, glaring at her for her teasing, said, "Looks like the feeling of my lips on yours has faded. Should I remind you again?"

"No!" Anokhi quickly refused. Rishabh chuckled. He twisted the strands of hair framing her face, pinned them back, parted her hair down the middle, and applied sindoor carefully. He then attached purple and white flowers to her hair at the back.

Finally, he picked up a pink lipstick, applied it to her lips, and said, "Now you're ready."

"What? How can I be ready? All I've got on is lipstick!"

"You never wear much makeup anyway," Rishabh said.

"Yes, I don't, but Sam Bhaiya gave me all this. Am I supposed to waste it? He gave me so many makeup products."

"Then why don't you call Sam Bhaiya here to apply it for you?" Rishabh said.

Anokhi made a face and replied, "You say that like you don't know. You know how important the event Sam Bhaiya went to is. If it wasn't that important, Sam Bhaiya would never have left the wedding for Mexico. And don't talk about Sam Bhaiya hurry up and finish, or I'll do it myself."

"I don't know how to do makeup," Rishabh said.

Raising her eyebrows, Anokhi replied, "So, does that mean Rishabh Shergill admits there are some things he can't do?"

Ignoring her teasing, Rishabh picked up some kajal and lightly applied it to her eyes. Then he bent down to examine the rest of the makeup products.

There were so many that Rishabh's head spun. It felt like he wasn't doing makeup but rather a painting. So many colors, some with glitter, others matte.

Even the eyeliner came in so many varieties-pencil, gel, and who knows what else. Quietly, he picked up some mascara and applied it to Anokhi's lashes. Then he mistook the blusher for eyeshadow.

As he was about to apply the blusher to her eyes, Anokhi stopped him and asked, "What are you doing? This isn't for the eyes."

"Then where is it for?" Rishabh asked.

"This is blusher, for the cheeks," Anokhi pointed to her cheeks.

Rishabh sighed deeply, and then a wide smile spread across his face. He quickly kissed both of her cheeks and said, "Why use this? My kisses will make your cheeks blush."

And true to his word, Anokhi's cheeks turned a light pink from his kisses.

"You're taking advantage of me again," Anokhi said with a pout.

Just then, Rishabh's phone rang. When he answered, Vikram on the other side said, "Dude, are you glued to your wife? Are you planning to come after the sangeet is over?"

Rishabh hung up without saying a word.

Vikram, still holding the phone, muttered, "This guy will never change. He always hangs up on me."

"Then why do you call him?" Hardik, who was fixing his appearance in the mirror, said from behind.

Both Hardik and Vikram were wearing cream and light finish of golden three-piece suits. The theme of the party was such that everyone, except the bride and groom, had to wear purple.

Vikram, adjusting his collar in the mirror, said, "Old habit from childhood, won't quit. And I won't stop either. Even if he has kids, I'll tease him in front of them." He laughed, and Hardik joined in.

At that moment, Sanjay entered the room, saying, "Hey, what are you two laughing about? Aren't you coming downstairs? Are you ready or not? I swear, in a house where the men take so long to get ready, Preeti and Shivika have been ready for ages."

"Oh, they're ready? Let's go see," Hardik and Vikram said in unison and headed for the door.

But Ajay and Alok, entering the room, stopped them and brought them back inside, saying, "You can look later, stay here for now."

"What, Uncle? Let us at least take a look. Come on uncle, atleast you should understand our pain. After all, you're the most romantic one here, the love guru who has helped everyone with their love lives," Vikram said, folding his hands in front of Alok, who just shook his head with a sigh.

Anokhi and Rishabh were now downstairs. Anokhi looked around and felt very happy. Just then, Shivaay came and stood next to her. Seeing Shivaay standing so close to Anokhi, Rishabh glared at him and asked, "What's going on between you two? What scheme are you cooking now?"

"We're not chefs to be cooking up schemes," Shivaay replied. Anokhi laughed, and Rishabh continued to glare at both of them.

Anokhi, slightly irritated, said, "Oh, you're always like this. I was just talking to Shivaay bhaiya about something. Look, all your business clients and partners are sitting over there. Go say hi and talk about business." Saying this, Anokhi sent him off.

Shivaay then asked, "Anokhi, do you think your plan will work?"