The engagement venue was a sight to behold, transformed into a dreamy space bathed in hues of purple and ivory, echoing the elegance and sophistication befitting the occasion.

Upon entering, guests were greeted by an enchanting sight as they stepped into the lavishly decorated hall. The walls, adorned with cascading drapes in shades of deep purple, created a mesmerizing backdrop, accentuated by intricate white detailing that added depth and richness to the ambiance. The drapes gently swayed in the soft breeze, casting ethereal shadows that danced across the room.

Amidst the enchanting setting, delicate strings of twinkling lights hung from the ceiling, casting a warm, inviting glow over the space. Their soft illumination intertwined with the deep hues of purple, creating a magical atmosphere that enveloped the room in a soft, romantic aura.

Each corner of the room boasted exquisite floral arrangements, meticulously crafted with a mix of lush purple and white flowers, adding bursts of vibrant color and natural beauty to the scene. The sweet scent of fresh flowers wafted through the air, further enhancing the experience of the evening.

A limelight of the venue was the elegantly designed stage, positioned at the forefront of the room and adorned with drapery in shades of regal purple. The stage was framed by an arch, intricately woven with an abundance of purple and white flowers, creating a stunning backdrop for the couple's momentous occasion.

Guests were seated on plush chairs, their backs enveloped in soft purple fabric, providing comfort and luxury as they awaited the ceremony. Tables were adorned with crisp white linens, complemented by gleaming silverware and sparkling glassware, adding a touch of refinement to the setting.

As the guests mingled and exchanged warm greetings, the ambiance of the venue radiated with joy and anticipation, setting the stage for a night filled with love and laughter.

Shashank, dressed in a black tuxedo, was greeting the guests. Raghbir was holding his baby and trying to make conversation with other businessmen but baby Ragh was trying her best to get his sole attention with her soft cries. Abhimanyu was nowhere to be seen. But it was obvious that he must be tailing behind his pregnant wife and nagging her about anything and everything. Ansh was standing by Rudraksh's side. Almost three decades ago, his father worked as Secretary of Rudraksh Yaduvanshi. Now he was doing the same. Aas was standing with a few friends, but her mind was somewhere else. She heard her crush was also invited and she was waiting for him.

Miraya was sitting in the makeup room upstairs. She was dressed in a dark purple ballgown, paired with a choker set. Her hair was elegantly curled and set on her left shoulder.

Angana helped her wear the white sandals. Miraya was not going to risk her life by wearing heels with that heavy gown. She was fine with her ten years old sandals. It's not like those poor sandals could make their presence known under that viciously heavy gown that Sahana had personally designed. It was strapless and put attention on her cleavage. She didn't mind the exposed cleavage but she never liked wearing heavy gowns. But Sahana had designed it so beautifully that Miraya couldn't refuse.

“Miraya, we should head downstairs,” said Angana.

Miraya nodded and both the friends exited the room together. She descended the stairs with Angana's help, trying her best not to trip and make a fool out of herself on her own engagement.

Shashank was spellbound. It was like a breath of fresh air to see her in something other than pants and shirts. He slowly took steps towards her. But when he was standing right in front of her, he couldn't voice out how he felt in that moment. For years, he kept hiding his affection towards her and now there she was smiling lovingly at him.

“Are you going to say something or not?” Angana brought him back to the reality, smiling at her lovestruck cousin.

Shashank rubbed the back of his head, “You look mesmerizing.”

Miraya grinned, “You look dashing too.”

“Mira, yaar, don't lie. Shashu, you look okayish.” Angana teased her cousin.

“My dear Angoor, don't be the third wheel. Your husband must be laughing with other women somewhere.” Shashank too teased Angana.

Angana narrowed her eyes at him cutely, “He must be struggling with the baby, you liar,” She walked away after slapping his arm, leaving the couple alone.

Once again silence fell between them. After long moments of sharing dreamy looks and happy smiles, Miraya spoke, “You are looking at me as if... as if, umm... I can't think of an example.”

“As if you are the Sun of my universe. As if my whole life revolves around you. As if you are the moon and I'm one of the many twinkling stars looking at you with a longing gaze,” A longing gaze. That's how he looked at her.

“If both of you are done flirting, your parents are calling for you on the stage,” Ansh interrupted their romantic moment.

Shashank glared at Ansh before smiling back at Miraya. She held his arm before they went to the stage together where their parents were waiting for them.

As Shashank and Miraya stood on the stage, surrounded by their loved ones, the moment they had been eagerly awaiting had finally arrived – the exchange of rings. Their family members beamed with pride and joy. Finally that idiot Shashank will stop pretending to dislike Miraya when his eyes said it all.

Shashank took Miraya's hand in his, his eyes filled with love and admiration. With a gentle smile, he slid a sparkling Amethyst ring onto her finger. Miraya's eyes glistened with emotion as she received the ring, feeling the weight of his love in that small, precious gesture.

Then, it was Miraya's turn. With trembling hands, she took Shashank's hand in hers, feeling a rush of happiness and excitement. With a loving gaze, she slid a matching ring onto his finger, sealing their promise to each other with a simple act.

As they exchanged rings, the room was filled with applause and cheers, a celebration of the beginning of their journey together. And in that moment, amidst the cheers and laughter, Shashank whispered to Miraya, “Can I kiss you?”

Her eyes widened at his request. She was feeling shy, all of a sudden. But she nodded. Shashank pecked her lips, earning hoots from the crowd of guests. Ansh's hoot was the loudest.

“Now begins the boring part. Meeting the guests,” Shashank grimaced.

Though Miraya was already scanning through the crowd to find that face. Mrs Sandhya Anand. She was sitting with a group of women, wearing a black saree. She was undoubtedly a graceful woman. People would easily develop a liking for her.

Miraya held Shashank's wrist and dragged him with her to that group of women.

“Hello, ladies. Meet my fiancée Miraya."

Miraya said Hi to all of them and Shashank continued, “Miraya, she is Kamya Thapar. She owns Caia Makeup Line.” He introduced the lady in orange saree.

“Oh, I love your brand's Mascara.” Miraya exclaimed. Mrs Thapar too smiled brightly at her.

“She is Komal Sinha. She owns the By The Bae restaurant near Kismet.”

“Oh, that seafood restaurant! I love the fish curry served at your restaurant,” She shook hands with her.

“She is Pragya Mathur. A renowned divorce lawyer.”

“Oh! I hope we never cross paths officially, ma'am,” Miraya laughed.

“Well, I hope the same. Stay blessed, both of you,” The lady smiled.

“She is Shanti Mehra. She runs an NGO.”

Miraya shook hands with her.

And now came the turn of the woman Miraya has been eagerly waiting to meet officially.

“This is Sandhya Anand. Creative head of Label Sandhya.”

There was a subtle change in Miraya's demeanor. Caution. She got a little cautious.

“Nice to meet you, Mrs Anand,” Miraya smiled.

“It's nice to finally meet you. We couldn't meet at the merger party because you fainted,” She chuckled, “You must be really shocked at the proposal.”

Miraya too chuckled, “Yeah, it was a mix of shock and exhaustion.”

In her head, Miraya was screaming at that vile woman that she was the reason she fainted out of shock.

Shashank took her to meet the other guests. Most of them were businessmen and bureaucrats. Miraya was pretending to take interest in the conversation but once in a while she would discreetly glance at Sandhya. She noticed that Sandhya and her husband Sameep Anand did not look like a happy couple at all. They looked like a couple who fought every single day. Their gestures and expressions made that pretty clear. And they made no effort to hide the animosity between them.

Now Miraya and Shashank were standing with Raghbir and Abhimanyu. Raghbir had promised Angana that he will take care of the baby for the entire function, but he got tired after a couple hours. So now Baby Ragh was in her Abhi uncle's arms. And Abhimanyu was so good at handling babies that he put Raghini to sleep in fifteen minutes. And Raghbir was staring at his face like an idiot.

“Shashank, is there something wrong between Mr and Mrs Anand?” She asked Shashank.

“Yeah, they are divorcing each other in a couple of months,” He replied while signaling a waiter who was serving champagne.

He took the flute filled with the almost golden-colored drink. But Miraya took it from him and drank it in one go. Raghbir and Abhimanyu shared an amused look.

“You could have told me you want the drink too,” He mumbled and signaled the waiter again. He took another flute but Miraya took that drink too. Shashank glared at her as she drank it's content with a winning smile.

“Why are you annoying me, Miraya?” He asked with his hands on his hips, and a pout on his face.

“Because I can annoy you,” She smiled.

Shashank rolled his eyes at her annoying self.

“Shashank, Miraya is just practicing to become your wife. Don't short sell her business too to get back at her,” Raghbir joked.

Shashank glared at Raghbir for bringing up the topic of short selling. Not many people knew that Shashank was involved in short selling, not even his mother.

(Note : Short selling is when someone 'borrows' a stock or other asset from a broker [middleman who helps people buy and sell stock] and sells it on the market with the expectation that its price will fall. Later, they buy back the asset at a lower price, return it to the broker, and pocket the difference as profit.)

“Shashank, I already know you are associated with that financial research firm that has short sell over twenty companies in the last four years. And you are the mastermind, keeping your involvement a secret from the business community.”

“Oh, of course, you will know. You are yourself an expert in corporate law.”

“Then tell me, are you going to short sell any company soon? I also want to earn some profit,” She asked excitedly.

Shashank sighed and looked at Abhimanyu.

Abhimanyu started, “Before the merger of Agnihotri Consulting Services and BrainTech was planned, Shashank was planning to short sell Sandhya Anand's brand. It got listed on stock market recently. Through some digging Shashank got to know that she is doing stock manipulation and tax evasion.”

Shashank took over from there, “But then the merger happened. So I changed my mind. And now that they are divorcing, I don't want to put her in depression by short selling her brand.”

“You are quite considerate, Shashank,” Miraya smiled. A scheme was getting formulated in her mind. A scheme to ruin Sandhya Anand. Shashank didn't want to short sell her business, but Miraya could. Without any remorse.

•••

I hope the chapter was worth the wait.

And I hope you understood the concept of short selling. If anyone can explain it better then please explain it in the comments.

Bye 👋