Dushyant steps into the office. He heads straight to Priyanka's desk. It's been a while. He feels like hasn't seen his best friend for ages.

He called her earlier but she didn't answer. Is she mad at him for ignoring her? But she shares his profession and understands his interests, and commitments, so she should be okay.

He's got her favourite chocolates just in case.

"Ab wo kaha gayi?"

The smile on his face drops as he eyes her empty chair. The guy in the next cubicle, Sameer, smiles up at him.

"Dushyant? Are you looking for your dear Priyanka?"

Dushyant suppresses a smile. All of his friends and colleagues are always teasing him about his relationship with the girl. He must keep it low now...

"Er.. no.."

Sameer rolls his eyes. "Arey bhai, no need to lie to me! Waise you should know, Pree ab busy hai. Wo Aditya sir ke saath Shimla gayi hai, wapas aane me time lagega..."

Dushyant frowns. He can't help but think out loud. "Shimla gayi? Mujhe bola bhi nahi..."

"Aditya sir ne bolne ka mauka nahi dia hoga..." Sameer comments.

Dushyant nods, but deep down he's disappointed. He's the one who recommended her for those top-notch jobs, but he feels bad now.

"Khair, wapas to ayegi hi..." he mumbles.

"Haan, ayegi..." Sameer answers.

Dushyant holds his tongue. Why did he even say it aloud? Now Sameer will tease him more.

"Dekh bhai, you know our editor saab is single. Yeah, he's detached but he's still popular with our ladies... and Priyanka is alone with him on a trip to Shimla..."

Dushyant frowns. "What do you mean?"

"Arey, I mean they are there for work, but how long do things remain professional?"

Dushyant can't help but get a little angry hearing Sameer's words. "Stop this nonsense! You know Priyanka aisi nahi hai. She thinks of you as a friend, aur tum-"

"Arey bhai, main usko bura nahi thehra raha..." Sameer shakes his head and sighs. "I'm just stating the truth, man... What I want to tell you is, if you love her then you must hurry. Aditya nahi to koi aur shayad uska dil jeet le?"

Dushyant is stunned. Priyanka is a close friend. He loves her way too much, and can't imagine her getting too close to some other guy. So is this love? That kind of love??

"Kya soch raha? Propose kaise karna, han?" Sameer teases Dushyant, causing the guy to laugh.

"Arey, chup!" Dushyant hits Sameer on the arm. Smiling, he returns to his desk.

He pauses for a while when an idea hits him. "I know mujhe kya karna hai..."

For now, he'll text Priyanka wishing her good luck. He should take a few minutes to wrap his work up and figure out the next steps

***

Aditya and Priyanka arrive at Shimla airport. Aditya is already in work mode. He says there's no need to check into a hotel. As soon as their work is done, they will fly back home again.

Priyanka is unsure what to think of the man or his words, as she shares the back seat of a cab with him.

Aditya doesn't utter a word. He's already whispered their destination to the driver. And now they are driving towards the unknown.

"Calm down, Pree. This is for work... Even if you're going somewhere unknown and with your akdoo boss..." she murmurs under her breath. "You're already hungry and tired from all this stupidity. You can't start an argument with Aditya sir again. Plus you've already shouted at him in his cabin..."

Aditya remains calm while Priyanka's thoughts continue to race. After a few minutes of driving, they arrive at their destination. A guest house on the outskirts of the quiet town.

"Guest house?"

Priyanka looks at Aditya for answers. He glances at her and nods once, pulling out two badges that spell out PRESS. He hands her one.

"We're breaking in..." he says.

Priyanka remains boggled but dashes in after him after pinning the badge to her shirt. It's so cold in Shimla, her thick fabric cotton shirt doesn't offer any comfort. And running only makes the chill penetrate her body.

The security at the gate is dozing off. Aditya whips past him in a jiffy, unlocking the old-style lock with a lock pin noiselessly.

Priyanka's eyes bulge, but she doesn't utter a word, and the two of them finally make it inside.

The main door is locked. Priyanka now looks at Aditya, and he looks at her, the unspoken question hanging between them.

"What now?"

Aditya looks around and smiles pointing to an open window. The window whose glass panel is pushed to a side is large enough for an adult to fit through, even if they are as tall as Aditya.

Aditya doesn't hesitate and steps into the living room through the open window. From inside, he holds a hand for Priyanka to take.

The gentlemanly gesture surprises Priyanka. She never thought Aditya was capable of this, obviously.

With a nervous chuckle, she places her hand in his and steps inside the living room of the lavish guest house.

"Sir ... Hum kaha aye..." Priyanka only whispers but Aditya still signals her to keep quiet.

They tiptoe and after pacing for a while stumbling upon a group of men playing cards and drinking whiskey in the parlour. Some of them are smoking too.

Priyanka scrunches her face in disgust as the smoke hits her nostrils. She doesn't cough and clamps a hand against her mouth. Aditya gives her shoulder a warm pat.

Aditya's hands are too warm, Priyanka thinks as she looks at him. The insides of the guest house are warm but not as warm as his hand... What's she thinking? She chides herself, mutely watching as he pulls out his smartphone from his pocket.

He's filming everyone that's gathered here. Priyanka pulls out her smartphone and copies his actions. He could have told her what they must do, that would have made things easier.

She sighs. It's better to have two recordings than one. Aditya doesn't oppose and so she continues to collect video footage.

Aditya steps closer to get a better view of the men. He seems to be concentrating on the sturdy man in his mid-40s seated on the sofa. So Priyanka does the same.

All of a sudden one of the men looks up. Finding Aditya, he utters a loud cry, "Intruders!"

Priyanka suppresses a shriek. Aditya curses and swears loudly and takes her hand. Together they run and step out of the same window they used to step in.

They run hand in hand, even with the men and the staff working around the guest house pursuing them and manage to reach the gates.

Aditya smirks at the still sleeping guard posted there. Priyanka can't help but giggle at the sight. They sidestep the guard and are on the road.

They keep running because they are still not safe.

A while later while they are hiding in an alleyway safe from their pursuers, Aditya's phone rings.

"Where the hell are you?!! You pesky journalist?"

Priyanka recognizes the shrill voice emitting out of the speakers on Aditya's phone as something belonging to one of the men inside that guest house.

"Come back here! Don't hide! Give me back that footage and we'll be good..."

Aditya snorts. "Come back? The city of Mumbai thinks unke commissioner is on sick leave. But you're here partying and gambling with your friends? Janta ko jaanne ka haq hai, sir! Aur please, aap ko koi nuksaan nahi hoga isse. Ya to aap demote hojaoge ya aapki transfer hojaoge. Ab ummed kariye sir ki ek sharif, nek dilwala police officer aapki jagah bharti ho. Ab mujhe to pura vishwas hai duniya wale chahe kuch bhi kehle, police force me imaandar officers ki kami nahi hai!"

Aditya mutters the words and hangs up. Priyanka looks at him wide-eyed and her jaw dropping to the ground. That man was the city police commissioner! What Aditya did was courageous but dangerous... Now how will they get away?

As she's thinking this, Aditya pats her again on the shoulder. "You did great. This was like a surprise test, but you could keep up with me. Dushyant may be right after all. You have some merit in you."

Priyanka frowns. She doesn't know if she should feel flattered or offended, but before she can say anything, she shivers. The cold is too much.

Aditya looks away from her and peeks out of the alleyway. After a couple of moments, he stops a passing rickshaw.

"Ab hum airport rikshaw me jayenge. I mean commissioner saab ko lagega ki hum jaldbazi mein honge aur cab service order karenge. Hain na..." he says.

Priyanka can't respond. She knows she has to say something but she's losing her mind.

Aditya's hunch proves right. No one stops them and the canopy of the rickshaw hides them from the view of the cars passing by. Looking around, lots of travellers are using rickshaws for the slow exploration of the town.

They somehow safely make it to the airport. Even the airport is cold and empty. There aren't many people around. And thankfully their pursuers haven't come to the airport yet.

"Wait here..." Aditya says and goes to the ticket counter to confirm something about their return flight.

When he's back, for some reason, he also has a shawl in his hand.

"You must be cold all along," he says, "I'm sorry..."

His words are blunt and brief. Before Priyanka can understand what they mean or take what he's offering, someone wraps their arm around her shoulders and pulls her close.

Looking to her side, she's surprised to find Dushyant. As they pull away slightly, he drapes a warm jacket over her shoulders.

Aditya remains boggled by this new development. He stares in surprise for a good moment at his subordinates until Dushyant speaks first.

"Sir, I heard what happened!" He says, sounding angry.

Aditya cuts him off. "And you came here running?"

Dushyant dodges answering the question. "Please don't rush my friend into your dangerous adventures. You may be the boss, sir. But you can't drag her around as you please."

Aditya folds his arms, The shawl he brought for Priyanka now getting crushed between them. "Don't tell me what I must do, Dushyant. Don't forget your place."

"I can sir... If it means to look out for my best friend...." Dushyant's tone may be polite now, but he's glaring at Aditya.

Both guys are not backing down. Priyanka tries to intervene.

"Guys don't you think we shouldn't fight?" she looks at Aditya now. "Sir, we should get away right? Dushyant ko nahi pata but we have pursuers! We're in a hurry, right!"

Both Aditya and Dushyant turn their glare at her, but they look away and sigh in unison.

"Let's go!"

Aditya is the one who has Priyanka's boarding pass. Dushyant too has his return ticket and pass ready. The three of them hurry to catch the next flight that's luckily available right then, to fly them back to their home.

***

Angel looks at Mahesh who has a funny grin on his face.

"Idea? Did you say you got an idea? Konsi idea? Can you explain kya ho raha hai?"

Mahesh's expression turns sour but he looks like he wants to explain. However, in the next instant, he shakes his head.

"No time to explain. I'm sorry but please... Play along for now..."

Angel is more confused now but before she can say something a beautiful woman stalks towards her, coming to stand between her and Mahesh.

With those flashy clothes and expensive perfume, she looks like a star, Angel thinks, cursing herself slightly for not keeping track of general knowledge related to the film industry.

"Mahima!!! What a surprise?" Though his expression is contrite, Mahesh tries his best to smile at the newcomer. "Tum yaha? Why? The filming of our drama is over and we haven't made any plans to meet..."

Mahima bats her eyelashes and huffs. "Huh? Who needs planning? Am I not special to you? I thought we were at least friends. Ab friends announcement karke to nahi aate na?"

Mahesh cringes at those words. "Haha! We're not close friends, Mahima. We barely know each other. Sure we were friendly with each other during the shoot, but..."

Mahima cuts Mahesh off at that and clings to his arm.

Angel rolls her eyes, though she watches the scene with slight confusion. Enough of this stupid drama, she thinks. She wants to walk out of the place and forget about the dumb job opportunity, but before she can do that Mahesh grabs her by the hand.

"See? My lady love here is miffed by your presence. Please, sweetheart..." he says, smiling sweetly. "Don't think we have a thing going on between us. Mahima is just a costar!"

Angel's eyes widen at the sudden development. Part of her wants to scream but Mahesh's desperate pleading stare and his previous words give her a pause. This is where he wants her to play along?

She sighs.

"What?" Mahima's piercing stare finds a new target. She glares at Angel before looking at Mahesh. "Are you saying this woman is your girlfriend?"

Mahesh, who now has an arm draped over Angel's shoulders (much to her agitation), smiles at Mahima.

"Yeah. Isn't it obvious?" He grins and lets out a sigh. "Look Mahima, if you wanna be casual friends, that we can be. But clearly, you want something more. That I can't give you... I'm sorry..."

Mahima shakes her head vigorously. She's clearly in a panicked state. She stutters as she tries to speak.

"You... are saying this woman- well, at least she looks graceful and has style but! You are lying, aren't you?" She now yells at Mahesh. "This is a lie to get rid of me!"

Angel tries to move away quietly. She doesn't want to be a part of this triangle drama, and she doesn't want to be this close to Mahesh. A completely strange guy, superstar he may be, is holding her close and she's nervous. She must yell and push Mahesh away and call it all a lie but he'd requested her to keep calm right?

Unable to decide what to do, all she can do is stay in the moment, praying it will be over soon.

"Of course not!" Mahesh declares now wrapping his other arm around Angel and pulling her into a full hug. "This is not a drama or a lie! We love each other!"

Angel can't look at Mahesh or Mahima. Her head stays pressed against Mahesh's chest and she's having mixed feelings about it. While her heart races for obvious reasons, her sense of self-respect says she must get out of this moment.

Just as she pushes Mahesh a little, he too releases her just as much. They are still standing close enough.

"Ugh! Enough!" Mahima waves her hands dismissively though her face turns red owing to her anger. "Even if it's a lie, I will find out eventually!"

She huffs and blows a breath, and walks away, warning Mahesh on her way out. "Don't think this is over!"

Mahesh sighs, and groans as Mahima goes out of sight through the mansion's gates. His plan has just backfired. He thought something like this would keep Mahima away, but apparently not. And now he went on and dragged another girl into this mess, Angel. When he looks at the girl she's already glaring at him.

"What was that? I didn't come here to be a part of your drama or whatever that was..." Angel bluntly vents out her frustrations and Mahesh sighs.

"I know. I'm sorry. That was a bad decision. That didn't turn out the way I wanted. I'm truly sorry, Miss Angel."

Mahesh sighs again and his pained expression gives Angel a pause. She folds her arms and looks away. She doesn't know, she can walk away now, but she desperately needs a job. And this is a job that can pay her enough. Mahesh doesn't seem like he's a bad guy even after what just happened. A superstar not hesitating to apologize, her gut says this guy isn't bad.

"I will make it up to you, Miss Angel. Whatever the salary you name it. You can start working with me. I promise. Humare beech things will be strictly professional but shayad Mahima ke saamne hume ye naatak jari rakhna padega. Usko agar pata chal gaya na, ye natak hai... Kal agar meri sach mein girlfriend ya biwi hai, toh bhi wo nahi manegi."

Angel sighs. She didn't think Mahesh would plead with her. And he'd pay her a good salary and he's being professional and polite, now she doesn't know how to respond. It's a bit early but her image of Mahesh doesn't match with the man who's looking at her with pleading eyes.

She thought his films were pathetic and so was his acting but maybe she was quick to judge him. What was that film... She saw one film and decided he was bad. Well, what can she do? She was tired of hearing his praise everywhere, especially from her sisters, so she had to say something nasty against the guy.

She sighs, shaking her head and looks at Mahesh.

"Honestly... Tum itne ache kyun ban rahe ho, Mahesh?" she asks dropping the honerefics. "Agar wo ladki tumhe tang kar rahi hai toh usko seedha mana kardo na. Keh dena. Agar nahi maani to use some force. You can be a little annoyed with her, you know? Anyone would be annoyed if this happens to them!! Ab pyar se samjhaoge to kaun samjhega?"

Angel being the frank lady she is, states all her feelings and opinions on the matter with Mahesh, and he chuckles.

"Itna asaan nahi hai. Well, gussa karna aasan hai. Par industry me kadam rakhte hi maine ye kasam khayi thi, ki main kisi se dushmani nahi karunga. Kisi ko apne career par dhabba nahin lagane dunga. You may not know but I have my values. I'm committed to them, Miss Angel Rathod. Bahut pakka kism ka ladka hu main. Usoolon ka pakka."

Angel sighs. She didn't think Mahesh would be like this. This is a second blow in a row. If he's this docile people would step over him but well, he doesn't look that dumb that he'd let people take advantage of him. Usoolon ke pakka... Those words sound like they are coming from an army man. If Mahesh is this stiff, he needs some loosening up.

Lost in her thoughts, she doesn't hear Mahesh calling for her attention until he coughs loudly and says her name.

"Well..." He looks at her expectantly. "Your answer? I won't rush you. Take a few minutes, my assistant here will explain you your manager duties and if you're okay with those terms and mine, you can sign the contract."

Angel remains unsure but as she has come this far, she decides to listen to what the assistant guy has to say. The terms are fair and the salary is fair enough. Mahesh adds an extra line that if she's insecure due to anything, she can leave the job on any day no questions asked.

She's pleased. For someone who's been a boss herself, working under someone is a challenge. But somehow she feels with Mahesh as her boss, her life would be a little easier.

Taking a deep breath and clearing her mind of the doubts, she signs the contract. Mahesh seems relieved. Again a polite yet amicable smile graces his lips as the two of them shake hands.

"I don't have anything urgent at the moment. You may join from tomorrow."

Angel smiles hearing those words from Mahesh. She honestly doesn't know if she made the right decision, but a bit of time to reflect on what she did and hanging out with her sisters seems like a fun thing to do. She can begin working for Mahesh from tomorrow.

Once again she shakes hands with Mahesh. Smiling a little at him, she exits his mansion. A copy of the contract she signed and the appointment letter as the superstar's manager in hand.

Stepping out onto the streets she texts all her sisters that she bagged the job. She receives an immediate reply from Anamika who has apparently returned home. Ruhana and Priyanka remain unavailable.

Ruhana's latest text says she's visiting the dance school at the moment. And Priyanka's text is from a couple of hours ago, and it says her boss is dragging her to Shimla.

"Huh? Kaisa boss hai? Aise kaise achanak? Hmm... I trust Pree to handle him, warna usko nahi pata Angel uski khabar legi. Infact Rathod sisters sab uski khabar lengi. Hff... Jo humse takrayega wo choor-choor hojayega. Hum kisi se haar nahi maante. Ab in halaton se bhi jeet lenge hum," She thinks to herself as she pockets her phone and decides to call it a day and head home.

She can hang out with Ana at home, and wait for Ruhana and Priyanka to join them.

***

Ruhana is shocked to find the same biker guy inside the dance studio, in the midst of a bunch of dancing kids.

This guy is the Master here, and he doesn't seem like he's pleased to look at her, and so is she.

"Tum yaha?" He glares at her menacingly. "Tum mujhe follow kar rahi thi? Maine socha badi ghar ki beti ho, par jis tarah se chupke se yaha aayi, lagta hai ki tum chor ho!"

Ruhana clicks her tongue. "Oh, mister! That's enough, han? Zyada zuban na chalao! Main yaha job keliye aayi hun. Apne dost ke kehne par. But tumhe yaha dekha. Now I'm having a second thoughts. Tum jaise admi ke saath muje kaam nahi karna."

The dance master, the biker from before frowns for a minute, staring at her. "To tumhe Dushyant ne yaha bheja? I can't believe he would send someone like you. Jisko zara bhi tameez nahi hai!"

Ruhana has had enough. This man is purposefully insulting her though what happened earlier was an accident.

"Tumhara problem kya hai, Mister? Screw dheela to nahi pad gaya tumhara? Pehle tum tameez se baat karo, phir tameez ki bhashan dena. Don't you know the saying give respect and take respect?"

The guy rolls his eyes. "Wah, chor daaku log ajkal angrezi bhi bolte hai!"

"Excuse me? Tumhara kya matlab hai? Agar tumhe meri baat zara si bhi samajh mei nahi aayi toh tum anpadh ho, ye pakka! Are you sure you're the dance master here, and not an imposter?" Ruhana snaps back. Her rage is boiling now. Doesn't this guy feel tired of shouting all those insults before the kids? And the music is still loud which means they have been screaming at each other all this while.

The dance master, Ruhana recalls reading the name from the display board outside, Samrat Sawant, glares at her vehemently.

But before he can speak, one of the older kids in the group of students turns off the speakers. The loud music from before is gone and there's only quiet now.

"Akaash?" Samrat turns to look at the lad who turned off the music and the bunch of kids who have stopped dancing and are looking at him with mixed expressions.

He sighs. He shouldn't have lost his calm like that before these guys. But these mehlo wali raajkumariya... these rich girls really annoy the hell out of him. And this woman... Dushyant said she was a friend of his, her name Ruhana, but she's downright rude and arrogant. She doesn't want to accept her mistakes and resorts to returning his insults. This argument wouldn't have happened if she would have apologized.

"Master, aap kyun lad rahe hai inse! Aap humko sikhate hai na gussa karna bahut buri baat hai. Aur jab bhi koi aapko bahut zyada tang kare to uska muqaabla dance se karna chahiye?" Akaash, a boy who looks like he's thirteen looks innocent as he converses with Samrat. "Toh aap bhi wahi karo!"

Samrat remains quiet for a moment. Ruhana too remains in a trance, but suddenly he breaks his silence and issues her a challenge.

"You said you wanted to be a dance instructor, Miss...." Samrat trails off.

Ruhana tampers down her anger and gives her name. "Ruhana."

"Han toh, Miss Ruhana. Let's settle our argument with our dancing skills! Do you think you can keep up with me?"

Ruhana is not sure about having a dance competition all of a sudden with some strange guy who was rude to her, and in front of a bunch of kids, but she can't back down from a challenge.

She smirks a little, confident about her skills. If she were to admit the truth, she is a little nervous but she decided she'd teach this arrogant guy a lesson if their paths would ever cross, and now she'd do the same thing.

***

When Angel arrives at her home, she heads straight to Anamika's room only to find it empty.

Just as she thinks about where the girl has wandered off to, she receives a text on her phone.

"Didi, something urgent has come up. Boss ne bulaya hai. I should be back in an hour. Wapas aapke aapke sath gappe shappe marungi."

Angel lets out a disappointed sigh and plops down on the sofa there in her sister's room.

"Ab wait hi karna padega. Meri ek bhi behna ghar per nahin hai. I hate waiting but what can I do...?"

She trails off and shakes her head. Her thoughts return to the present scenario she and her sisters are in, agitated she switches on the TV.

Anamika has one of these DVDs of Mahesh's movies. The girl won't bother if she watches one right now, right?

Angel doesn't know why she just thought that Mahesh's blockbuster movies would be a stress buster. Even so, she runs a movie and decides to kill time until one of her sisters arrives home.

Mahesh's acting is not bad and he doesn't have a mountain size of an ego. Maybe working wouldn't be as bad... but how will her sisters react to this news? Hearing she is appointed as a manager to the superstar himself should surprise the girls, and maybe it will cheer them up.

***

Anamika rushes towards Vineet's place in a auto that's rather going slow even through the space traffic.

The auto driver says picking up speed is impossible as his gaadi is ages old.

Anamika curses her luck. She murmers under her breath, "itni purani hai to kabadi wale ko kyon na becha?"

The auto driver doesn't hear her. Anamika hopes that somehow she will arrive at Vineet's place on time. The man has asked her for her help and sounded like it was urgent. He also said, this isn't about work, so she hopes everything is fine.

It'd be nice if she can drive a car now... Her sisters wouldn't let her drive a car alone but she would have loved to do it. Doing so would land her in a trouble anyway. Vineet wouldn't be pleased to see her arrive in a posh car.

Anamika sighs once more. She shudders to think what might happen when Vineet finds out her truth.

"Mujhe unse jhoot bolna hi nahin chahyie tha. Mauka dekh kar main unhe sach bol deti hun... aur jo mere aur meri behnon ke sath ho raha, wo bhi... Vineet sir mujhse experienced hai. Shayad wo legally hamari kuchh madad karpaye... Par madad to tab karenge na jab woh mujhe maaf karenge..."

Anamika feels her nervousness rising along with her thoughts. The more she tries to quiet it, the more stronger it becomes. Closing her eyes, she recalls what her sisters had told her while she was giving the law entrance exam. Deep breaths, chhoti, don't be anxious about anything. She breathes in and out, trying to calm herself as her auto continues to move along the busy Mumbai roads.

***

Up next: Anamika meets Vineet! What does Vineet want to say to her? Priyanka is back in town with Dushyant. He treats her to some nice coffee. Is that a date? Will Ruhana win against Samrat? How will the sisters plan to win against Taksheel?

Stay tuned!

AN: I apologize for the super delayed update! Creative work is hard and this is a story which has many protagonists. I wont put this story on hold and will try to update whenever I can! I hope the next update will be coming to you all soon! <3

Thank you for reading! Please vote and comment!

This chapter is dedicated to my friends, soul sisters for whom I started this story! Happy friendship day to you all.

Happy friendship day to everyone who read this chapter. Hope you all liked this one!