Author's Note: So sorry for the super delayed update. Writing multi character stories is SO HARD! and my personal life sucked so much. Anyway, I will try to update whenever possible. RuSam scene is best enjoyed while listening to "Ainwey Ainwey" from "Band Baja Barat" XD

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Recap: Rathod Sisters Angel, Ruhana, Priyanka, Anamika live together. Orphaned at a young age they are all they got. Angel, Ruhana run the Rathod's company that came to them from their father. Dushyant is their friend, and Priyanka's colleague at a news agency. Suddenly Angel finds that their business rival Taksheel has taken over the property. Angel, Ruhana question their parents' death and Taksheel's involvement. The two of them, Priyanka, Anamika are desperate to do something to reclaim their legacy. Priyanka is suddenly dragged to Shimla by her boss Aditya where they expose Mumbai's lazy police commissioner. Angel and Ruhana decide to find temporary work. Angel gets appointed as superstar Mahesh's PA and due to circumstances ends up as having to play his pretend girlfriend... Ruhana is at Samrat's studio, the rude guy she had a run in with. Meanwhile Anamika and Vineet solve cases. Anamika is considering taking the help of Vineet who's a nice and graceful lawyer who treats his assistant as a friend.

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***

Anamika keeps breathing in and out deeply until she reaches Vineet's place. It took only fifteen minutes to arrive at her destination even in a slow moving auto. His place is not as far as she thought.

She pays the auto wala and turns her gaze towards the single storied house that belongs to her senior.

"Sir ne mujhe apne ghar par kyon bulaya hai?"

She walks towards the single storied house, mumbling to herself.

The main gate is already slightly open. Moving past the gates and the garden, arrives at the door to the living room and is astonished at the sight she finds there.

Vineet is trying to pacify a puppy with an injured limb. Both Vineet's concerned voice and the puppy's constant whining are heartbreaking.

Vineet looks up. Anamika hurries to his side.

"Sorry, sir I am late..."

Vineet shakes his head. "Arey nahin, you came here in 20 minutes... that's quick. Thank you. Also I'm sorry tumhare day off par maine tumhe bulaya. Darasal, mujhe mere ghar ke samne yeh puppy mila. Chot lagne ki vajah se yeh ro raha tha aur mujhse iska dard dekha nahin gaya."

Anamika lets out a huge sigh. "It's okay sir. Lekin jis tarah se aap keh rahe the... I thought you were sick and I was worried. Haan, and now I am worried ki yeh puppy injured hai..."

"Wahi toh, jab kisi ko chot lagti ya dard hota to mujhe kuch soojhta nahi... and I freeze. Yeh meri ek kamzori hai. Main kya karta! Main is ghar mein akele rehta hu aur didi bhi mere sath nahi rehti... I know I shouldn't freeze but wahi hua tha. And when I thought I should call somebody bus sabse pahle tumhara naam zehen mein aaya."

Anamika is touched by Vineet's words. This is a new side of her senior, the stiff and strict lawyer she's witnessing. It's astonishing that he's admitting his weaknesses in front of her and is asking for her help. She smiles.

"Aapko safai dene ki zarurat nahi hai, sir. Jab bhi kuchh anhoni ho jaati hai toh kuch sujhta nahin, lekin hume himmat se kaam lena hai. Aur aap ne toh wahi kiya. Aap madad nahi kar sakte toh dusre ko bulaya. That's really sweet and very brave..."

Vineet chuckles and his nervousness decreases considerably. He's relieved. Recovering, he says in his usual tone, "makkhan na lagao, junior... madad karo."

"Acha ji? Senior Mr Akdoo Sir ji wapas aa gaye?" Anamika laughs because she knows Vineet is embarrassed and he is teasing her now.

"Huh yes, Miss... Main humesha tumhara senior..." Vineet trails off and throws her a funny look. "Tumne mujhe Akdoo kaha?"

Anamika laughs again at the silly turn of events. She also hopes Vineet won't be mad at her for babbling her mind. To her relief he smiles wryly. His thoughts aren't apparent to her but he thinks she's the only one who has opened him up this way. He's not usually like this around other juniors who he has taken in under his wing. Is this informal behaviour acceptable? Just as he contemplates, the puppy cries again.

Vineet rubs the brown fur of the little baby.

"Sir, honestly aapko vet ko bulana chahiye tha! Mujhe bulake kya hoga..." Anamika says and for a moment vineet thinks if she's making fun of him. But she lovingly reaches for the puppy. "Khair koi baat nahi. Chot gehri nahi iski."

She holds the paw of the puppy, whispering to it in a sweet babyish voice. "It's okay baby, you're fine..."

Vineet can't help but smile at the scene. His heart feels at ease as if he's the one Anamika is calming down.

Squatted on the floor, he looks at Anamika, who's also seated on the cold marble flooring right near the entrance to the living room, with the puppy in her lap.

Her one hand rubs the puppy's belly while the other dials a vet's number.

Anamika wraps her handkerchief tightly around the puppy's injured limb,suspecting a fracture. The vet denies a home visit so she urges Vineet to rush. She carries the puppy out while he calls an auto. The little one is already feeling a little better, he's no longer crying.

After the treatment at the veterinary hospital, they leave the puppy in the rehab. Vineet thanks Anamika for coming to his rescue. The girl who is only thrilled to be spending some time with her senior, who she has a huge crush on, amicably smiles and says thanks are not needed.

Vineet insists on treating her to a nice coffee and they walk to a nearby cafe. They sip their coffees and slip into a conversation. Vineet praises her.

"Really how cool you are, Ana. Tum meri assistant ho par you know ab tum ek dost jaise lagne lagi ho... I'll be honest with you. I'm so curious to get to know you better. I'm not hitting on you but as a friend... and... no it's not out of pity. Although again I noticed tum serious thought mein chali gayi."

Anamika smiles but soon it vanishes. She thinks, sir, I will not mind if you hit on me. But I hope apke feelings toh genuine rahe... haha par abhi aap kitne genuinely baat kar rahe. Main hu ki apna sach chupa rahi hu. You will probably hate me if you know I'm not the sweet and simple girl you like but badi ghar ki beti. Powerful Rathod Sisters ki ladli choti behen...

Vineet snaps his fingers before her.

"Firse soch rahi ho... Batao, kya hai? Family mei problem?"

Anamika decides on a whim and nods her head. "Actually problem hai, sir..."

Vineet is surprised but nods his head, eager to listen.

***

Ruhana and Samrat agree to engage in a dance competition. The natkhat young students choose a fast beat dance number. "Ainwey ainwey lut gaya" from Band Baja Barat.

A reluctant Samrat dials up Dushyant on his smartphone and stomps his foot in frustration when the call doesn't connect.

"Kaisa dost hai mera! tumhe yahan bhej kar available nahi hai khud!"

Ruhana huffs. "Hah! Dushyant mera bhi dost hai. Kaafi acha dost hai woh. Humara pyara Bhalu. Tum uski burayi na karo toh acha hoga."

Samrat frowns at her. "Bhalu kaisa nickname hai?"

"Main kyun tumhe explain karun..."

Ruhana folds her arms across her chest and ties her loose hair in a bun.

"Waise challenge se dar gaye kya, mister? Isliye Dushyant ko phone kar rahe? Are you sure you're not a chicken?"

Samrat whirls at her, pressing his lips together he throws his phone aside not caring if it breaks. Thankfully the room has padding and the anhoni doesn't happen.

"Who are you calling a chicken? Chicken ko bhi nacha sakta hu main...."

"What a gallant dance master! Sirf chicken ko hi nacha sakte ho tum I'm sure?"

"Huh? Hello I'm the owner of this dance studio. Apne piche dekho kitne students hai!"

"Haan, haan.... Ab baatei kam aur naach zyada karei?"

Samrat only grunts in response. The dance competition begins as one of the older students plays the song which echoes in the speakers—

Ho... akkhaan de katorey, surma batorey

Lagde chhichhore bade haaye-faaye

Samrat mixes a few hip hop moves with bhangra and ends with a back flip, pointing a hand at Ruhana.

Ho... akkhaan de katorey, surma batorey

Lagde chhichhore bade haaye-faaye

Dil pe darati, sadde chal jaati

Maare dil gulaati, poochhe why-why

Chaaye mein dooba biscuit ho gaya

Main to Ainvayi ainvayi ainvayi ainvayi lutt gaya

Main to ainvayi ainvayi ainvayi ainvayi lutt gaya

Main to ainvayi ainvayi ainvayi ainvayi lutt gaya

Main to ainvayi ainvayi ainvayi ainvayi lutt gaya...

Ruhana doesn't know if it's confidence or adrenaline, perhaps it's her self esteem that's too high — she, who never danced before her sisters, is dancing before a whole lot of students and a rude dance master.

Hat re nigode, neem ke pakore

Piccha kyon na chhode

Ghoome daayein-baayein

Tujhko sudharoon, jooti main utaaroon

Sar pe de maroon tere dhayein-dhayein

She mimics Samrat's moves precisely earning a surprised stare from him. Before he can snap out of his stupor, she grabs him by the collar and drags around the dance floor, flashing her jutti at him as per the lyrics.

Romeo bina permit ho gaya

Tu to ainvayi ainvayi ainvayi ainvayi lutt gaya

Tu to ainvayi ainvayi ainvayi ainvayi lutt gaya

Ho tu to ainvayi ainvayi ainvayi ainvayi lutt gaya

Tu to ainvayi ainvayi ainvayi ainvayi lutt gaya

For a moment Samrat freezes but resumes dancing as he can't stop; the song is playing and the kids are cheering. It's surprising how he's at ease dancing with this haughty woman who tried to run over him. She's surprisingly talented and— was he too quick to judge her? Nope, she just pulled his hair harder on purpose!

He pulls away from her and runs a hand through his hair, as if styling them with his favourite hair gel.

Ho baalon ko main set keeta gel mal ke

Chhaati choudi dolle sholle dand peil ke

Kudiyaan haraaya toone chaal chal ke

Baaton waali basket ball khel ke

He holds Ruhana by the arm and spins her around faster on purpose. He tries to jog away from her but she makes him stumble by stretching out her foot (all part of the dance as the cheering around them reaches sky-high). She holds her hips and glares at him while he does a few floor movements.

Haan aa gel-vel dekh chhori patdi nahin

Dollon se umar sari kat-ti nahin

Main khoob pehchanoon tere dil mein hai kya

Fitrat chhoron ki palat-ti nahin

Gudd dekha makhi jaisa fit ho gaya..

Tu to ainvayi ainvayi ainvayi ainvayi lutt gaya

Tu to ainvayi ainvayi ainvayi ainvayi lutt gaya

Tu to ainvayi ainvayi ainvayi ainvayi lutt gaya

Tu to ainvayi ainvayi ainvayi ainvayi lutt gaya

She drags him by the collar and he follows her movements as they walk the dancefloor again, both of them forgetting their petty rivalry and enjoying dancing to the music. He twirls her once and then pulls away doing a series of cartwheels.

Ho main to ainvayi ainvayi ainvayi ainvayi ainvayi ainvayi

Ho main to ainvayi ainvayi ainvayi ainvayi ainvayi

Ho main to ainvayi ainvayi ainvayi ainvayi ainvayi ainvayi

Main to ainvayi ainvayi ainvayi ainvayi lutt gaya

He returns to her and holds her hand. She pushes him on his chest.

Kyun meri gali mein aake wait karta

Harqat down market karda

Dekhoon jo hataa ke khidki ka parda

Seeti veeti maar irritate karda oye

He gives her a chase whistling and humming the song; she ignores him.

Ho chhad attitude abhiman kudiye

Blank check tujhe doon, ya ke jaan kudiye

Eente ka yeh dil kar naram zara

Dekhle yeh ghabru jawaan kudiye

Chheh foot se dedh foot ho gaya....

He holds her hand again and they smile at each other. He brings their joined hands to his heart and gives her another killer smile.

Main to ainvayi ainvayi ainvayi ainvayi lutt gaya

Main to ainvayi ainvayi ainvayi ainvayi lutt gaya

A little stunned, she returns his smile and steps closer to him and they break into a bhangra step together.

Tu to ainvayi ainvayi ainvayi ainvayi lutt gaya

Tu to ainvayi ainvayi ainvayi ainvayi lutt gaya

Main to ainvayi ainvayi ainvayi ainvayi lutt gaya

Main to ainvayi ainvayi ainvayi ainvayi lutt gaya

As the song reaches the end, he reaches for her waist and spins her around causing her to laugh, which in turn causes him to laugh.

The kids all clap when the dance ends. Ruhana and Samrat smile at them and at each other before realising what they are doing. Both turn away at once mutering, "I shouldn't smile at this rude person!"

"So... chup kyun ho?" Ruhana finally clears her throat after a few seconds. "Takkar barabari ki di maine, isliye chup ho? Ya fir isliye ki I exceeded your expectations?"

"Hey, don't get your head in the clouds!" Samrat begins to argue but he sighs, "but yeah you were good. Not bad, I mean."

The kids exclaim they want Ruhana Didi as their dance instructor. A cheeky kid says it will be fun to watch Samrat and Ruhana behaving like Tom and Jerry.

Samrat mutters, "waise meri zindgi ek mazak ban kar reh gayi. Usko bachon ki cartoon na banao yar..."

Ruhana chuckles hearing him. "Poor chap! Lucky for you, main yeh job nahi kar sakti. Ek badtameez ladke ke sath bhala main kaam kaise karun? Maine challenge accept isliye ki, kyunki backing away isn't me. Samjhe. mister? I hope you stop judging everyone you see from now on."

Samrat doesn't answer her right away. He's a bit breathless from the dancing and so is she, he observes. He passes her a water bottle after getting it from the nearby fridge.

"Bacche log like you. Aur tum jaogi?"

Ruhana sips the water. The surprise gesture coupled with Samrat's soft tone gives her a pause.

"Mere students decide karenge tumhe yaha rehna hai ya nahi, Miss... Yeah, uske baad your wish..."

Samrat sounds so disappointed while saying the last sentence. Ruhana sips more water and sighs. Does Samrat care so much about his students? This proves he isn't the mean guy. She isn't mean, either. Maybe they started off on the wrong foot?

The students start screaming Ruhana's name. "Ruhana Didi please stay!"

Samrat smiles fondly at them and looks in her direction. "Heh, they like you. Pehle jo bhi aaye, they didn't like them. So you must be special. Can you please consider? Mujhe kab se ek instructor chahiye tha jo mere capabilities se match karta ho and... jisko bacche pasand kare. I truly would have been more comfortable if it were a guy but hey, main gender bias nahi dikhata. And I promise you. Humare bich jo bhi hua, uske baad bhi, you can expect 100% professional behaviour from me if you join our academy."

Ruhana thinks for a long moment. The kids' innocent smiles touch her heart, and Samrat's words mark their impact. She can't deny that despite everything that happened, her dance competition with Samrat put her through an euphoria she never experienced. Not even as the strong independent woman running her company alongside Angel. This is liberating. There's some freedom; she feels like she's breaking barriers that held her back — she's getting to do something she loves and also getting paid. How can she say no?

Her decision made, she nods at Samrat. He smiles softly; the haughty smile is gone. They shake hands after she signs the employee agreement. Life has been so unpredictable, Ruhana can't help but think what's more is in store for her. Unknown to her, Sanrat is wondering the same.

***

Dushyant doesn't let Priyanka exchange a word with Aditya, all along, inside the flight, and when they arrive in Mumbai — standing tall as a wall between them. As they walk out of the Chatrapati Shivaji terminal, Dushyant swiftly grabs Priyanka's hand and finds them a taxi.

Priyanka looks at him in disbelief. "Dushyant, Was that okay? Adi sir boss hai humare!"

"How he treated you was not okay!" Dushyant huffs as they find themselves in the backseat of the taxi. "Aur yeh Adi sir kya? Don't call him that!"

The taxi rolls on the city roads at a leisurely pace. Priyanka chuckles. Dushyant's annoyance puts a ticklish feeling in her heart, she ends up using the same term—

"Baat sun lo na, hum Adi sir ko aise nahi chod sakte. He's our boss. We didn't even exchange goodbyes."

"Firse Adi sir? Come on, yaar! Aditya bolo!"

Dushyant crosses his arms and looks out of the car window. Priyanka settles into an expression somewhere between a smile and a sigh. Why is Dushyant so annoyed? And why is it only making her feel pleased?

The cold evening breeze through the car window is familiar. She rests her head on his shoulder and closes her eyes.

"Toh Aditya hi bolungi... ya fir Akdoo... Khadoos..." She murmurs in a silent voice. "Thank you for coming to my rescue, Dushyant. It was a surprise but I'm glad you came. And don't worry I'm fine. It wasn't awful. Aditya ne hi sab handle ki waha..."

"Hmmm..." Dushyant hums, but still gladly wraps his arm around her shoulders. "Fir bhi. He put you in danger. I can't forgive him for that."

"Ab chodo, Dushyant, humare boss hai woh! Don't earn his grudge!"

She looks at him pulling away lightly; he brushes her hair.

"Maloom hai. Tum jyada fikar mat karo."

"Kaise na karun? You're my bestie. Yeah, I trust you always have a way! But I was mad at you. Humara contact nahi ho pa raha tha before I left for Shimla! And you recommended my name to Aditya?! I wanted to be mock angry with you for a long time, lekin ab main woh nahi kar paungi."

Dushyant laughs and pulls her close. It's still a friendly hug, soothing after what they went through.

"You're silly..." he bops her head playfully. "Han, maine recommend ki kyun ki I thought you're capable and you'll enjoy some adventure. Lekin ab nahi karunga."

"Haha theek hai! We're silly? Well, we match!" She comments reminiscing about their school days and pointing to the same colour of their outfits.

They laugh again and lean back into their respective seats. Dushyant's phone beeps. "Oh missed calls from Samrat and messages too. Maine Ruhana ko uske paas bheja tha na naukri keliye. Oh ye kya..."

Dushyant trials off. Priyanka asks, "sab theek hai na? Ruu thik hai?"

"Thik hai! Bas Sam ki ussey ladai hogyai. It must be a misunderstanding. Don't worry sab theek ho jayega."

Priyanka watches as Dushyant types a white text to Samrat, asking him to not judge a book by its cover.

"Badi Ghar ki Beti zarur hai Ruhana. Lekin ghamandi nahi hain. Woh meri achi dost hai, Samrat. Aur ek nek-dil insaan. So please don't be rude to her. Tum bhi mere ache dost ho. Aur jo bhi hua tum dono ke beech... Woh near-accident and everything... should be a coincidence. So don't judge."

Dushyant pockets his phone. Priyanka faces him with a frown.

"Are you really sure sab theek hai? I don't want this to cause stress to Ruu. Woh already pareshan rehti hai! In fact, hum sab pareshan hai, you know why."

Dushyant throws an arm around her in response. "It's okay. I know... it's awful. I wish I knew right away kya karein. We'll figure out, I promise."

Priyanka nods comforted by his smile and closeness.

"Sab theek ho jayega, Pri. Ab smile karo mere liye please. We're almost close to your home aur kal tak hum mil nahi payenge again."

"Hehe. Hum video call kar sakte hai kabhi bhi. Ah, I want to ask you to buy me ice cream but ab ghar jake khaungi."

"Haha. Theek hai. Sath mei khaynge kabhi. And you Rathod Sisters should give me a treat."

"Accha why?"

"Arey for coming to your rescue today!"

"Haha! Woh tumhara far tha, as a dost!"

"Come on yaar..."

"Nope! Tumhe kuch aur khas karna hoga—"

"Jaise kya?"

"Arey, tum socho!"

"Main kyu karun? Tum bhi toh mujhe surprise de sakti!"

"Sochungi."

"Arey! Batao kya surprise dogi?"

"Chup raho. Ab bataungi toh surprise kaise hoga?"

"Haha."

Dushyant and Priyanka's banter goes on until they arrive at the Rathod residence. That night the Rathod sisters have dinner with him, and after he's gone (to attend his work), they assemble in the hall to discuss how their day went.

The rest of the sisters are glad to have Priyanka back. They are happy that Ruhana somehow got to get out of her comfort zone and secure a job at the dance studio. They are absolutely thrilled that Angel got a job as superstar Mahesh's secretary. When Angel hesitatingly describes what happened between her and Mahesh, and how an actress Mahima had caused trouble, the sisters are intrigued.

"So Mahesh requested me to play the girlfriend part... Iska kafi high price pay karne wala woh mujhe! Not a bad employment deal huh?" Angel says and the sisters go gaga.

"Aapki to jackpot lag gayi!" they say much to her annoyance. She sighs.

"Pata nahin, girls. Mahesh utna terrible nahi. For a superstar he's seedha-sadha, so this might work. Anyway there is no time to day dream. Tumhe pata tum logon ke aane se pahle maine company website check kiya. Hum Rathods ka sirf 10% share hai ab company mein. Pata nahin woh Taksheel humen kab kangal kar de!"

The joyful mood of the sisters dissipates and they all agree on one thing — they must act quickly.

As everyone is in deep thought, Anamika clears her throat.

"Di, we have to take legal action ab. Aise chup baithne se kuch nahi hoga. I explained our situation to my senior Vineet Kumar, without mentioning our company name and details. I told him humare family mein problem hai jayzaat ko lekar. And that some of our relatives wrongly acquired our property. Sorry, didis, I did this without asking you."

"Toh usne tumse kya kaha?" asks Angel.

"Actually he was ready to legally proceed with this. Bina fees ke. But I stopped him. Toh usne kaha ki hume Taksheel ke khilaf saboot ikhata karna hoga. It will strengthen our argument during the case hearing and it will be much easier to directly acquire our property."

Priyanka agrees with Anamika's reasoning. Angel and Ruhana shake their heads, as they know Taksheel is an evil guy; dangerous too, and might have had in the murders of their parents.

Angel says, "Taksheel shouldn't be dealt in straight ways. Woh seedha aadmi nahi hai, girls. Iss waqt legal measures lena will be bad. It's not the right time. But I like this idea of "saboot ikhatta karna.""

"I know, Angie. I agree," says Ruhana.

Ruhana, Angel, Priyanka are still thinking. Anamika comes up with an interesting idea.

"You know, Didis, main aur Vineet sir kaise saboot ikattha karte hain sometimes, as we go undercover? Main soch rahi thi we should send someone undercover to get to Taksheel!"

Angel, Ruhana, Priyanka think it's a good idea but are not sure who to trust and who to send.

"Aisa kaun hai bhai? Taksheel knows us all... Dushyant ko nahi bhej sakte..."

"Didis..." Anamika raises her hand in the air. She ends up naming someone unexpected, the rest of the Rathod Sisters stare at her in disbelief. They are all unsure of which road to take but know that they have to move forward. Shayad chalte chalte Raste Ban Jaaye?

***

AN: that's all for now. Thank you for reading :)

RuVineet So sorry for long wait. I hope you like this part xoxo😃😄😘💖