Anurag Basu's jeeps screeched to a halt in front of Sharma house. Anurag got down like a hero and walked into the house like he owned it.

"Arre bhai, kon hoach tum? Aise hi andar kaahe..."

Anurag tossed money on the ground to shut the lady up.

Bua laughed greedily picked up the money. "Ao, ao. Apna hi ghar samjho!"

Anurag looked around the small place with his thumbs in his pockets. "Ghar nahi, gharwali chahiye."

"K-kya kaha?"

"Sunai kum deta hai kya? Dikhta nahi baraat le kar aaya hoon? Dhulaniya le kar hi jaein ge," Anurag sat in the sofa chair, relaxed. "Kidhar hain hamari hone wali Mrs. Prerna Basu?"

"Prerna! Woh abhi bazaar gayi hai. Aane wali ho gi! Aap kuch leinge damaad ji?" Bua was eager to keep the guest happy.

"Of course! Munh meetha to hona hi chahiye."

Prerna was on her way back from shopping when she noticed some Jeeps she hadn't seen before. She was curious about them as she was walking into her house, and get her answer.

"Anu!" A man got off the couch, calling his friend. "Bhabi aa gayi!"

Bhabi? Prema thought. Oh no, Anurag! She hadn't thought of that brat since Sonia graduated. As if her life needed more issues, she sighed.

Unfortunately, Anurag Basu came out of her kitchen.

"Prerna!" Anurag clapped. "Sorry, wedding invitations banana bhool gaya, lekin aaj hamari shaadi hai!" He announced happily as if she'd already agreed.

"Propose karna bhi bhool gaye kya?" Prerna asked, annoyed with his pompous behavior.

"Nahi toh!" Anurag mocked as he came towards her.

"Propose to main, kitne saal pehle kar chuka hoon." Anurag walked past her, standing in front of the door.

"Na bolne se pehle soch lo. Agar tumne proposal reject kar diya, toh sirf bua nahi, pura neighborhood suffer kare ga. Aur woh tumhari fault ho gi."

Prerna swallowed. She couldn't bare the responsibility of other people hurting because of her. Agar bua ko kuch ho gaya, to Nisha kahaan jaye gi?

"Huh- haan." Prema said quietly but Anurag heard her.

"Great!" He exclaimed. "Toh phir upar jaa ke ready ho jao jaldi se. Ziyada time mat lagana, muhrat our pandit wait nahi karte."

Prerna finally put down the things and made her way up, quickly running up the stairs before she could cry. She slammed her bedroom door and began to cry. As she sat against the door, Prerna noticed the stuff on her bed.

A wedding lehenga and everything else was waiting for her. She didn't have the energy to get up, but a knock at the door scared her into getting ready.

Quaking with tears, Prerna recalled happy childhood memories as she made herself ready to marry a man she hated. There would be no one she would hate more than Anurag Basu. Ever. Prerna knew that men like him didn't believe in the constitution of marriage, and this wedding was only so he could get his way.

"Bhabi ji late ho rahe hain!" A new voice said.

"A- ay," Prerna shouted back. She checked herself one last time in the mirror, to clean up her tear stains. Prerna touched up her make up and left the room.

"Wow! Gorgeous!" Anurag said once she was downstairs.

"Good choice, haina?" he asked his buddies, and they agreed.

Anurag checked his watch, "oof, we're getting late," he grabbed Prerna's wrist and quickly walked out. Prerna struggled to follow him in the heavy lehenga. The neighborhood watched as the thugs drove away with the Sharma women.

They drove far, to an almost secluded area. They went up a hill, and parked outside an abandoned villa.

"Nice, na? Hotel hai. Week ke liye book kiya hai maine," Anurag said before he got out of the jeep. He opened Prerna's door and helped her out.

"Anu, yaar pandit ko samjhao," one of his friends approached them as they walked into the lobby.

Anurag gritted. "You ladies go upstairs. Jabh pandit ready jo jaye ga toh main phone kar doon ga."

Anurag left to deal with the pandit, leaving Prerna alone in the lobby as her aunt was already going upstairs.

Phone kar loonga ka kya matlab? She never gave him her number. Unless...

Prerna looked in the direction of the stairs. Bua itni toh nahi gir sakti, right?

Prerna picked up her heavy lehenga and walked upstairs.

Bua was in the bathroom and Prerna was restlessly pacing the room, furiously eating something as her mind was filling with horrible thoughts.

After what felt like forever, Manorama finally came out of the bathroom.

"Khao naahi, makeup kharab ho jaye ha," bua taunted as she helped herself to the snacks.

"Aap ne Anurag ko phone number kabh diya?" Prerna asked.

"Abhi subhe hi, bhai. Damaad banne ja raha hai, phone kaise nahi dete?"

"W-woh mujhse zabardasti shaadi kar raha hai, aur aap uss se dosti kar rahi hain?"

"Konsa sardak chhaap bhikaari hai jo tumse shaadi kar raha hai? Paise wala hai. Aur kya chahiye?" Bua was eating as she talked.

"Pyaar vyaar sirf kahaaniyon mein hota hai. Asli dunya mein zaroorat dekh ke shaadi karni hoti hai."

Prerna sat as she quietly stared at her adoptive aunt.

"Sivaye hamare bhaiya sahb ke. Ek toh dahej baghair, aur uper se chhokriyan chod gaye."

"Bas!" Prerna shouted, standing up. "Aap apne bhai bhabi ke bare mein aise kaise bol sakti hain? Aap ke paas zara bhi dil nahe hai?!"

"O, chhokri! Dil vil se ghar nahi chalta! Is duniya mein jeene ke liye paise chahiye. Aur uss chhokre ne bohat paise diye hain."

As if a reminder, bua's phone rang.

"Haan, haan. Hum aahat hain damaad ji," she said and hung up.

"Abh chal! Dulhe sahab intezaar kar rahe hain," Manorama moved to the door, but Prerna didn't.

"Main shaadi nahi karungi!" She finally said.

"Nahi karungi kya matlab? Laafa khayein gi to dimaagh thikane aa jae ga. Chal!" Manorama tightly grabbed Prerna's wrist and began taking her down the stairs. Prerna tried hard to not trip.

"Bua ji chodein!" Prerna cried.

"Mandap mein pohonchen ge phir chodeen ge. Tumse shaadi karne ke liye bohot paise diye hain larke ne. Mere paise agar..."

They reached the lobby floor and Prerna tripped. She was bracing to hit the concrete floor, but someone caught her arms. She stood up to come face to face with Mr Bajaj. Perna didn't have the voice to say anything, but Mr. Bajaj was already walking past her.

"Kitne paison mein aapne Prerna ko becha?"

Prerna sobbed as he said the words she was thinking.

"10? 50? Yeh blank cheque hai," Mr. Bajaj gave Manorama the document. "Iske baad aapka Prerna se koi lena dena nahi hai."

Prerna was shocked. What about Nisha?

"Beghani shaadi mein Bajaj deewaana."

They turned to see Anurag come in from the yard.

"Aap ki mom ko pata hai aap kya kar rahe hain, Mr. Basu?"

Anurag scowled. He hated being treated like a child.

"Yeh mom ke paise nahi, mera paisa hai. Mera paisa," he pointed his brows at Prerna, "meri pudiya."

"Person koi product nahi hota, Mr. Basu," Rishabh walked to Anurag. "You can't buy people, with any amount of money in the world."

Anurag laughed. "Aap ke is dialogue ke bohot meaning ho sakte hain, Mr. Bajaj. Aap kehte hain main Prerna ko nahi khareed sakta," he pointed his thumbs to the men now surrounding them. "But I can buy people, as in, their loyalty."

Rishabh looked around him at the thugs ready to fight.

"Last warning, Bajaj. You need to leave."

"Prerna leaves with me," Rishabh countered.

Anurag smirked. "Le kar dikhaen."