(It is 09:00 AM, and Anita is sitting in the hall, having her tea, when Ashwin comes.)

Ashwin- Wah wah. Ye jo mahine nikale hain naa Anita. Bina kisi stress ke aur bina kisi drame ke. Main bata nahi sakta main kitna khush hoon.

[Ashwin- Wow. These months have passed without any stress or drama, right Anita? I can't tell how happy I am.]

(Harshad, too, joins their conversation.)

Harshad- Aap ko kya ho gaya Dad? Aap ko hi to sab se zyaada khushi milti thi apni pyaari beti ko torture kar ke. Aur ab aap ko uss ke bina acha lag raha hai? Mera to mann tha ki usse thodi din yahan bula lete hain.

[Harshad- What has happened to you, Dad? You used to get the happiest by torturing your beloved daughter. And now you are feeling good without her? I wish that we call her here for some days.]

Ashwin (chuckling)- Beti? Aur rahi baat drama enjoy karne ki to harr baar uss ki vo emotional baatein sun ke mera sarr dard shuru ho jaata tha. Usse samajh hi nahi aata tha ki iss ghar mein koyi usse pyaar nahi karta. But nahi. Dad ye...Dad vo...blah blah blah.

[Ashwin (chuckling)- Daughter? And when it came to enjoying the drama, my head would ache every time I heard those emotional talks of her. She did not understand that no one in this house loved her. But no. Dad, this...Dad, that...blah blah blah.]

Anita- Aur uss ki shaadi ka sab se bada fayda bhi to hua hai hume.

[Anita- We have the most significant benefit from her marriage.]

Ashwin- That deal?

Anita- That deal too. But think carefully. Jab bhi Riya ko kuch hota hai, tab Manik se bardaasht nahi hota. Aur Manik ko stress mein dekh kar Raj Malhotra ke chehre pe smile aati hai. And...

[Anita- That deal too. But think carefully. Whenever something happens to Riya, Manik cannot tolerate it. And Raj Malhotra gets a smile on his face upon seeing Manik stressed. And...]

Harshad- Ashwin (together)- We get benefitted from that.

(They all laugh out loud, and then Harshad speaks up.)

Harshad- Aur iss sab ko chod ke sab se bada bewakoof kon hai? Aryaman Dixit. Jis ki aankhon ke saamne sab hota hai par vo apni behen se zyaada hum pe trust karta hai.

[Harshad- And who is the biggest idiot other than all this? Aryaman Dixit. The one who has everything in front of his eyes, but he trusts us more than his sister.]

Ashwin (acting like Aryaman)- Dad kabhi aisa kuch nahi kar sakte Riya. I know ye sab tumhara plan hai humari family ko insult karne ka.

[Ashwin (acting like Aryaman)- Dad can never do something like this, Riya. I know this is all your plan to insult our family.]

(They all laugh out loud.)

Ashwin- Oh God, Anita. Your years-old decision is giving us so much profit today. If I had not done it, we would never have been able to do all this. Special thanks to you. You had hit two targets with one arrow. Wonderful!

Harshad- Seriously Mom! Itna kuch ho gaya aur kisi ko pata bhi nahi chala. Aur sab ne aap ki baaton pe yakeen bhi kar liya. Hats off to you.

[Harshad- Seriously, Mom! So much happened, and no one even knew. And everyone has also believed in your words. Hats off to you.]

Anita- Bas bas. Itni bhi tareef mat karo ab meri. Kitne papad belne pade the sab karne ke liye. Ufff!

[Anita- Enough now. Don't praise me so much now. How much effort we had to put in to do all that. God!]

Ashwin- Acha ab ye baatein chodo. Mujhe office bhi jaana hai. Main ready hone jaa raha hoon. And you, too, get ready, Harshad. Aaj important meeting hai.

[Ashwin- Okay, leave all this now. I need to go to the office as well. I am going to get ready. And you, too, get ready, Harshad. We have an important meeting today.]

Harshad- Yes, Dad.

(Ashwin and Harshad go to get ready, and Anita enjoys her tea.)

(Mukti comes to the kitchen to drink water and finds Riya mixing some ingredients in a bowl and later whisking them.)

Mukti- Aaj aap leave pe ho kya Bhabhi?

[Mukti- Are you on leave today, sister-in-law?]

Riya- Nahi vo actually aaj koyi surgery nahi thi, and the only appointment got cancelled in the morning, so I took a day off.

[Riya- No, I didn't have any surgeries scheduled today, and the only appointment got cancelled in the morning, so I took a day off.]

Mukti- Interesting. Aap bhi ghar pe ho aur aaj Bhai bhi work from home kar rahe hain. Puri planning se kiya hai aap dono ne sab. How cute.

[Mukti- Interesting. You are also at home, and today bro is also doing work from home. You both did it with complete planning. How cute.]

Riya (hiding her smile)- Aisa kuch nahi hai. He just had a meeting early today and is still busy with that. It's just a coincidence, nothing else.

[Riya (hiding her smile)- It is nothing like that. He just had a meeting early today and is still busy with that. It's just a coincidence, nothing else.]

Mukti- Okay main nahi tease karungi aap ko par ye to batao ki aap bana kya rahe ho?

[Mukti- Okay, I won't tease you more but at least tell me what you are cooking?]

Riya- I am making chocolate chip cookies.

Mukti- Oh my God, ye to hum teeno ke favourite hai. Aur sab se zyaada mere aur Manik Bhai ke. Main aur Bhai humesha in ke liye ladayi karte the.

[Mukti- Oh my God, This is the favourite of all three of us. And bro's the favourite. Bro and I always used to fight for them.]

Riya (chuckling)- Ladayi ki koyi zarurat nahi padegi main zyaada bana dungi tum dono ke liye. Khush?

[Riya (chuckling)-You guys don't have to fight for it. I will make some extra for both of you. Happy?]

Mukti- You are the sweetest one. I love you so much.

(Mukti hugs Riya tightly, and she, too, hugs him back, smiling.)

Mukti- You know what, main Bhai ko bhi bata ke aati hoon. Vo apna kaam chod ke ye cookies dekhne yahan aa jayenge.

[Mukti- You know what, I will go and tell bro about this too. He will leave his work and come here to see these cookies.]

Riya- Seriously? He loves them so much?

Mukti- He has loved them since childhood. These are his most favourite.

Riya- Okay! Go tell him then.

Mukti- Yes.

(Mukti goes from there, and Riya chuckles, thinking about her reaction and also smiles, thinking about the newfound information that Manik loves these cookies so much. She then sighs sadly as she remembers her parent's reaction when she used to try cooking- Anita would throw all the food she cooked in the dustbin and also abuse her verbally. Whereas Ashwin would pull her out of the kitchen and sometimes would even raise his hand on her for doing something against his will.)

(But now, she takes a deep breath and focuses on the present.)

Riya (to herself)- Iske liye ek bada bowl chahiye hoga.

[Riya (to herself)- A big bowl will be needed for this.]

(She then goes towards the shelf and tries taking a big bowl which is kept on the upper shelf but cannot reach there. She tries stretching her arm to take the bowl, but it's of no use. She is still trying to take the bowl when Manik comes there and stands behind her. He moves closer to her and speaks up near her ear.)

Manik- Main help kar du?

[Manik- May I help?]

(Riya gets a little shocked at his action and immediately turns back to him. She then sighs relief at seeing Manik behind her, who is now suppressing his smile.)

Riya- Aise kon karta hai Manik? Dara diya tum ne mujhe.

[Riya- Who does this, Manik. You scared me.]

Manik- Arey darana kya? Main to bas tumhari help karna chahta tha.

[Manik- Hey, what are you afraid of? I just wanted to help you.]

Riya- Aur aise kon help karta hai? Peeche se aise bol ke?

[Riya- And who helps like this? By speaking from behind?]

Manik (laughing)- Okay, okay. I came here because Mukti told me you are making chocolate chip cookies.

Riya- Aur ussi ke liye vo bowl chahiye. Jo kisi ne itni upar rakh diya hai.

[Riya- And for this, that bowl is needed. And someone has placed it so high.]

Manik- Kisi ne upar nahi rakha hai tumhari height choti hai. Isiliye tumhara haath nahi pohonch raha hai.

[Manik- No one has placed it that high. It's just that your height is less. That's why you are not able to reach it.]

Riya- Excuse me! My height is standard. 5 feet 6 inches is average for girls. It is you who is 6 feet and something. And you look like a giraffe.

Manik- Really? If I look like a giraffe, then you look like a rabbit.

Riya- I am not like a rabbit, Manik. And why would you say that I look like a rabbit? Even my teeth are normal.

Manik- Then how am I a giraffe? My neck is normal too.

Riya- Fine. Tum bas mujhe vo bowl utaar ke de do.

[Riya- Fine. You just get me that bowl.]

Manik- No.

Riya (confused)- What?

Manik- What? I said no.

Riya- But why? What is the problem?

(He goes and sits on the chair in the kitchen, and she goes after him and stands in front of him.)

Riya- Manik, what are you doing? I need that bowl for the cookies.

Manik- Nope. You called me a giraffe, and I didn't like it.

Riya- So even you called me a rabbit. That made us equal.

Manik- But still. Giraffe's personality doesn't suit me at all. So I didn't like it at all.

Riya- To aise to mujhe bhi gussa ho jaana chahiye. Because mujh pe bhi khargosh ki personality suit nahi karti hai. Kabhi dekha hai ek doctor khargosh?

[Riya- So I should be angry too. Because rabbit's personality does not suit me too. Have you ever seen a doctor rabbit?]

Manik- So, have you seen a businessman giraffe?

Riya- Manik, please. What topic are we discussing? Give me that bowl.

Manik- Okay, fine. Also, you are making my favourite cookies only.

Riya- Of course! Thank you so much.

(Manik then gets the bowl from the shelf and gives it to her.)

Riya- Thank you so much.

(She gives him a tight-lipped smile and continues her work, and he chuckles, seeing her antics.)

Manik (coming to her)- Have you ever thought about it?

Riya- About what?

Manik- Ki agar ek khargosh doctor ban bhi gaya to vo surgeries kaise karega? Oh, but sorry. Tum to already kar rahi ho naa sab.

[Manik- Even if a rabbit becomes a doctor, how will he perform the surgeries? Oh, but sorry. You are already doing it.]

Riya- Oh, that... what?

(She takes a moment to understand his joke, and he laughs, looking at her.)

Riya- Manik! Just leave. Don't disturb me.

Manik (laughing)- Arey maine kab pareshaan kiya tumhe yaar. Main to bas bata raha tha.

[Manik (laughing)- When did I disturb you? I was just telling you something.]

Riya- You have told me that thing, right? Now leave.

Manik- But at least listen to me...

Riya- I don't want to listen to you, Manik. You just leave.

Manik- But...

(She looks around on the shelf, takes some flour in her hand, and throws it on his face. He stops speaking, looks up at her, and she covers her mouth in shock.)

Riya- Oh God! What did I do! I am so sorry...

(Before she can complete her sentence, he throws the flour on her face as well and she too stops speaking.)

Manik- This is tit for tat! Why did you throw it at me?

Riya- Manik, that was just a little.

(She again takes some flour, throws it at him, and starts the flour fight. He throws it at her, and she keeps throwing it at him. They move around the entire kitchen and run after each other like kids, throwing flour on each other and have themselves turned all white because of it.)

Riya- Manik, bas karo ab please. Kitchen ki haalat dekho tum.

[Riya- Manik, stop it now, please. Look at the kitchen.]

Manik- Oh really? And who started all this? You did, so now deal with it.

(Saying this, he again throws flour on her face, but it gets into her eye, and she hisses, rubbing it.)

Riya (rubbing her eye)- Ah! Oh God! Ye aankh mein chala gaya hai aur nikal bhi nahi raha hai. Aau!

[Riya (rubbing her eye)- Ah! God! It has gone into the eye and is not coming out. Aau!]

(He takes a sigh and goes to her and holds her hand to stop her from rubbing her eye.)

Riya- Manik, what are you doing? It has got into my eye.

Manik- I know. Tabhi keh raha hoon aankh ko rub mat karo nahi to aur irritation hogi. Tum ruko aur mujhe karne do.

[Manik- I know. That's why I am saying don't rub the eye. Otherwise, there will be more irritation. You wait and let me do it.]

Riya- What will you do?

Manik- Relax. Let me do it.

(He moves closer, softly opens her eye, and blows air into it to remove the flour. He then takes some water and then rubs his wet hand on her eyes, cleaning the flour from them. He repeats the same steps twice, and then she can open her eyes. She then looks at him and their position as they are standing very close, and he is busy cleaning her face with water around her eyes.)

Manik (softly)- Is it okay now?

Riya- Hmm. Thank you.

Manik- Don't thank me. It's okay.

Riya- Okay.

Manik- And well, look at us. Koyi dusra hume aise dekhega to usse lagega ki kitchen mein 2 bhoot hain.

[Manik- And well, look at us. If someone sees us like this, they will think that there are 2 ghosts in the kitchen.]

(Riya giggles at his remark, and he also laughs.)

Riya- And I was here to bake some cookies...

(She looks at the bowl, which is now full of flour over all the ingredients she had mixed.)

Riya (sighing)- And the cookies are done.

Manik- Hey, don't worry. Abhi tum jaake change kar lo. Cookies baad mein bana lena.

[Manik- Hey, don't worry. You go and change now. And make the cookies later.]

Riya- And you want to stay like this?

(He looks at her with a straight face, and she laughs at his expressions.)

Riya- Okay, fine. Don't get angry now. Room mein chalte hain. Taaki koyi hume aise dekh naa le.

[Riya- Okay, fine. Don't get angry now. Let's go to the room. So that no one sees us like this.]

Manik (sarcastically)- No, no. Let's be here for some more time.

Riya (laughing)- Come, Manik.

Manik (smiling on seeing her laughing)- Let's go.

(They both go to their room, Riya goes to get changed first, and Manik calls the butler and asks him to clean the kitchen. He then remembers all that happened in the kitchen and smiles. Later Riya comes out after getting fresh, and Manik also gets changed.)

(In the evening, the doorbell rings at Malhotra Mansion, and the servant opens the door. A guy enters inside with a gift hamper in his hand.)

Guy- Mujhe Manik se milna hai. Ghar pe hai vo?

[Guy- I want to meet Manik. Is he at home?]

(Just then, Manik comes there and is delighted to see the guy there.)

Manik (smiling)- Veer. Tu yahan?

[Manik (smiling)- Veer. You here?]

Veer- Manik.

(Veer is 25 years old and is the only son of Shekhar and Jahnvi Mehra. He is into business with his father and is a cheerful guy. He currently dates a girl and plans to marry her after establishing his career. He is a good friend of Manik too, and they have known each other for over 5 years.)

(They both share a hug and greet each other. Riya, Mukti and Cabir also come there. Cabir and Mukti shake hands with him while Manik introduces Riya to him.)

Manik- Veer, she is my wife, Dr Riya Manik Malhotra.

Veer- Oh! Hello, sister-in-law.

Riya- Oh, you can call me Riya.

Veer- That means no formality? Nothing?

Cabir- Abhi tumhe pata nahi hai ki humari Bhabhi kitni cool hai. Par koini dheere dheere seekh jaoge.

[Cabir- You have no idea how incredibly cool our sister-in-law is. But you will learn slowly.]

Riya- Okay, so Veer, please have a seat. I will get something to eat for you.

(Riya goes to the kitchen, and the servant brings glasses of water for everyone. The servants bring snacks too, and Riya sits with Manik.)

Veer- I am here to invite you guys to the New Year's party. The party starts at 09 PM on the 31st, and we will welcome the New Year together.

Manik- That is amazing. We would love to join you.

Veer- And we will wait for you, and all of you have to come, okay? And where are Uncle and Auntie? It's been a long time since I met them.

Riya- They will come to the party too. Don't worry about that.

Veer- Okay, that's great. So I will take your leave now.

Riya- But at least have something, please.

Veer- Agli baar aaunga to pakka kuch kha ke jaunga but abhi mujhe bohot logon ke ghar jaana hai. Because Dad ne saari responsibility mujhe de di hai and I want this party to be the best.

[Veer- I will definitely have something next time, but I have to visit many more people now. Because Dad has given me this responsibility, I want this party to be the best.]

Manik- It will be the best one. Don't worry about that, and next time I won't let you leave like this.

Veer- Haan haan mat jaane dena. Main ek pura din yahin ruk jaunga okay?

[Veer- Yes, yes, don't let go. I will stay here for a whole day, okay?]

Riya- Sure! We should make a plan soon for that.

Veer- Sure! Okay, guys, I need to leave now. See you guys at the party.

(They all get up where Manik and Veer share a brotherly hug, and he shakes hands with Riya, Cabir, and Mukti and then leaves.)

Mukti- I am so excited about this party. Yaad hai Bhai Veer ke parents ki anniversary party mein kitna mazaa aaya tha.

[Mukti- I am so excited about this party. Remember how much fun it was at his parents' anniversary party.]

Cabir- Bhabhi aap pehle se nahi jaante the Veer ko? Like your Dad and brother, too, are into business, right?

[Cabir- Sister-in-law, you did not already know Veer? Like your Dad and brother, too, are into business, right?]

Riya- They are Cabir. But Dixits and Mehras are rivals. And when I say this, they just hate each other. I don't know why, but all this has been happening for years.

Mukti- But you don't worry now. We four are a team now. We will enjoy ourselves a lot at the party.

Riya (smiling)- Of course.

Mukti- I am going to select my dress for the party.

Cabir- And I need to prepare for it too.

(Mukti and Cabir leave from there, and Manik is confused about listening to Riya's words about Dixits and Mehras being rivals.)

Manik- Riya, but why are Dixits and Mehras rivals? I mean, do you know something about it?

Riya- Dad keeps saying that Shekhar Mehra tried to destroy him and kept coming on his path to success. But in the end, Dad won. Shekhar Mehra gave up, but I don't know why were they fighting.

Manik- It's okay, actually. And I am happy they won't be there, and we will enjoy the party.

(She shakes her head in disbelief, and he looks on, confused.)

Manik- What? Tum chahe jo marzi keh lo mujhe but I will always be the happiest to go to places jahan unn logon ke aane ka chance 0% hai.

[Manik- What? You can say whatever you want, but I will always be the happiest to go to places with a 0% chance of them coming.]

Riya- You are right, Manik, but I don't feel good talking about them like this. They are still my family.

Manik- Okay, just leave all this and come with me. We need to decide on the clothes and everything too. Let's check them out.

(He takes her to the room, and they decide what they will wear for the party.)

(A couple is sitting in the hall discussing something when Veer enters the house.)

Veer- Mom, Dad.

(The lady hugs Veer tightly while the man also smiles, looking at his son.)

Man- Sab ko invitation mil gaye naa Veer? Koyi gadbad nahi honi chahiye.

[Man- Everybody got the invitation, right? There should be no issues about this.]

Veer- Yes Dad sab ko main khud invite kar ke aaya hoon and koyi gadbad nahi hogi. Aur dekhna. Ye party sheher ki best New Year party hogi.

[Veer- Yes, Dad, I have invited everyone personally, and there will be no issues with anything. And this party will be the best New Year party.]

(So the lady is Veer's mother- Jahnvi Mehra, and the man is Veer's father- Shekhar Mehra.)

(Shekhar Mehra and Jahnvi Mehra are parents to Veer Mehra and are also a much-in-love couple. Shekhar is a successful businessman, and Jahnvi is a homemaker and is linked to many NGOs, and they keep helping people around them. They love their son a lot and are naturally generous and kind.)

Jahnvi- Veer tu jaa aur fresh ho jaa. Phir dinner karte hai.

[Jahnvi- Veer, go and get fresh. Then we will have dinner.]

Veer- Aap logon ne abhi tak dinner nahi kiya? Kyu yaar Mom? Aap dono apna bilkul dhyaan nahi rakhte ho. Aap ko medicines bhi to leni hoti hai dinner ke baad.

[Veer- You guys haven't had dinner yet? Why Mom? You both don't take care of yourself at all. You also have to take medicines after dinner.]

Shekhar- Tujhe pata hai naa ki tere bina kuch bhi karna acha nahi lagta.

[Shekhar- You know we don't enjoy doing anything without you.]

Jahnvi- Aur tujh se pehle main nahi khaa paati hoon. Isiliye abhi jaldi se jaa aur fresh ho ke aa. Bohot bhookh lagi hai.

[Jahnvi- And I can't eat before you. That's why go fast now and get fresh. We are starving.]

Veer- Coming.

(Veer quickly rushes to his room, and Shekhar and Jahnvi chuckle, looking at his antics.)

Jahnvi- Kaash sab kuch theek hota Shekhar. To ye khushiyon iss waqt dugni hoti.

[Jahnvi- I wish everything was fine, Shekhar. So this happiness would have been double at this time.]

Shekhar- No sad talks, Jahnvi. Otherwise, your health will deteriorate again.

Jahnvi- Yes, yes. No sad talks. Now let's go. Your son will come soon to have dinner.

Shekhar- Let's go.

(They go to the dining table, and the Mehras have dinner together.)