Is it just me or has the response for this story been deteriorating? Because some previous chapters got like around 100 comments but now it's barely 50. If there's anything in the story you're not liking, do let me know, since I'm giving you 3000+ words chapters with almost each update and it's taking a lot of time and effort (This particular one is almost 3500 words!) Having said that, much love to everyone who votes and comments ❤

I'll try and give the next update within Saturday (which is my birthday yayay) 😄

**

Annika took a good look at the dress kept on her bed and sighed. It looked expensive, but she had to admit, it was gorgeous too. Mrs. Malhotra had sent it for her in the morning, along with some really nice shoes and make-up, and although Annika had called and insisted that she didn't need these, the woman hadn't budged.

"This is the least we can do for you, beta." She had told her kindly, and Annika had had to accept. Running her hand along the length of the dress, she decided to not overthink anything and wear the pretty, brown and golden gown. The event would start at 7, and she would have to reach the venue by 6 to make sure everything was in top order. Meaning, she had only an hour to get ready and going. Rajashri aunty had also proposed sending over a beautician to help her get decked up but Annika had blatantly refused. That would be a little too much, and as it was, she preferred her own make-up skills than anyone else's. She was just about to go to the washroom and wash her face, when her phone rang. Thinking it was Shivaay, whose calls had increased in frequency in the last couple of days since he wanted to make up for not meeting, Annika hurried towards the table where her phone was kept, only to find that it was Prinku. Smiling nonetheless, Annika picked up.

"Hey Prinku, what's up?"

"Annika!" Prinku said, voice filled with excitement, "What are you wearing tonight? I just don't know what to wear!"

Annika chuckled silently at her best friend's enthusiasm.

"Actually, Mrs. Malhotra has sent this dress for me to wear tonight, so I'm wearing that only. And you can wear anything, you'll still look great," Annika said, not untruthfully.

"But I don't know what to weaaar," Prinku whined. "Can you please help me choose a dress on video call? Pleeeease?"

Annika knew Prinku was using that infamous Oberoi puppy-dog face here, and shook her head in amusement. She was getting quite late, but one could never say that Annika's friends didn't find her when they needed help. And so, 15 minutes later, Annika finally hung up after having helped Prinku choose an elegant red dress.

"Oh God, what's with these Oberois and their knack for getting their way with everyone," She muttered, finally moving to the washroom and freshening up. She decided to do her make-up first, and opened the kit Mrs. Malhotra had sent. It was an expensive make-up box from Sephora, and consisted of an eyeshadow palette to go with the dress, a few liquid lipsticks, and other essentials. Applying everything with hands made expert after years of doing these with cheap make-up for time pass, Annika went on to style her hair. She was in a dilemma about curling them or leaving them in waves, when her phone rang again. This time, it was Shivaay indeed.

"Shivaay, you called at the right time," Annika started, before he could get a word in. "Now tell me, should I curl my hair or leave them in waves?"

She could imagine the wheels of Shivaay's head turning in thought, and urged him to hurry up.

"Let me think, babe," He said calmly. "Uh, waves, I think. Yeah."

"Okay, thank you, bye."

With that, Annika hung up, and proceeded to style her hair in waves. She knew that Shivaay would be pissed he hadn't gotten to talk to her or say whatever he had called to say, but she couldn't care less at this point. This was the first big event she was organizing, and everything had to be perfect, including herself. Annika let out a groan of frustration when her phone rang again, thinking it was the baggad billa calling to annoy her again, but her face lit up at the caller ID. It was Rudra.

"Didi," Rudra started, as soon as she picked up, "Tell me, does white look better on me or royal blue?"

Annika thought for a moment, before going for blue, and Rudra murmured a "Thankyou didi, love you," before hanging up. Annika laughed at how alike they were, and carried on with getting ready, putting her phone on silent mode for good measure. Thankfully she had had the presence of mind to put on nail paint in the morning itself, and after wearing her dress and shoes, she was all set to go.

Standing in front of the mirror, Annika took a good look at herself. It was probably narcissistic of her but she absolutely loved the way she was looking right now, and blushed as she thought of what Shivaay would say when he saw her. She made a mental note to thank Mrs. Malhotra once again for her generosity, and twirling around once to flaunt her dress, she left.

A car was waiting outside her house, as had been promised by Rohit. The drive to the resort was giving Annika all sort of jitters, since she was highly anxious about how the event would turn out. She had put her heart and soul into arranging it, as had everyone else she was working with, and now she could only pray that everything turn out smoothly. She was worried if the guests would like the décor, enjoy the food, like the wine that she had order taking Jhanvi Aunty's opinion, etc.

However, there was one more thing Annika was nervous about. That was, being recognized of being Shivaay Singh Oberoi's girlfriend.

The Malhotras' had invited all the well renowned business people of Mumbai, so naturally guests who had been at the Business Awards function would be here too. Fiddling with her fingers, Annika hoped that no one spread the word that she was dating Shivaay. She didn't want the Malhotras' to know this, firstly, since it seemed the kind of thing that would change the dynamics of her relationship with them. And secondly, all these people were her potential clients and being labelled as the Businessman of the Year's girlfriend would make them appoint her not because of her talent, but because of her association with the Oberoi family. She had warned Shivaay time and again for the past few days to keep his hands to himself during the event and pretend like they were only friends. She knew it would appear weird to anyone who already knew about them being together, but Annika wasn't willing to take any chances when it came to her work.

Soon, the car entered the gates of the Grand Palace Resort, and Annika smoothed out her dress after getting out of the car. Wearing these kind of heels were never comfortable, especially when you would have to do a lot of running about, but she didn't have any option left. Trying not to trip, Annika made her way towards the main garden of the resort, where the party would be held. Tables and chairs had already been set up, along with lights and chandeliers which would be lit as soon as the sun set. Flowers were adorning the garden in various places, and a small stage had been set up in one corner for the orchestra, along with a podium for Mrs. Malhotra to give a welcome speech. On one corner, caterers were busy setting up the buffet, and Annika made her way there.

"All good?" She asked one of the workers, a young man of around her age who was an old friend, and he whistled when he saw her.

"Woah, Ani. You look hot."

Annika rolled her eyes and smacked his arm, smiling nonetheless.

"Are all the arrangements done?" She asked again, and earning a nod, went on to look at the other preparations.

Annika was busy setting up the wine glasses on a table, when a white Mercedes entered the premises. Rohit came out from the car, escorting his mother, and hand in hand, they made their way towards Annika. They both looked really elegant, with Mrs. Malhotra dressed in a stylish golden saree, and Rohit in a navy-blue suit. As soon as Rohit saw Annika, his breath hitched.

"Wow," he breathed out, uncaring of how smitten he sounded, "You look beautiful."

Annika blushed at his comment, and went to hug his mother.

"All thanks to Rajashri Aunty," Annika said, smiling, "It's because of all these amazing things she sent me that I look presentable."

"Actually," Mrs. Malhotra voiced out, looking at her son with a twinkle in her eyes as he turned pink in the cheeks, "It's Rohit who chose all these, including the dress. So you should thank him, Annika."

"Really?" Annika asked, surprised, and Rohit nodded. "Thank you SO much, Rohit. I love them!" She exclaimed, and Rohit felt extremely happy to know she had liked his choice. Taking Mrs. Malhotra's hand, Annika led her away to show her all the arrangements one last time, and Rohit stared after her with a smile on his face.

Tonight seemed like a perfect night to let her know how he felt.

**

Guests started pouring in a little after 7, and as soon as they did, Annika was busy as a bee. She helped people find their chairs, asked them to have snacks, made sure the children playing about didn't get hurt, and what not. Mrs. Malhotra took the stage and welcomed everyone to their party, thanking everyone for showing up and sharing such an important day, that had marked the beginning of their company, with them. After that, a soft music started playing, and guests happily chatted with each other. Mrs. Malhotra introduced Annika to many friends as being the "gorgeous event planner", and Annika received various compliments for such great arrangements. Many even asked for her card, but unfortunately Annika didn't have one yet, and gave them her number instead.

"Are you looking for someone?" Rohit asked from beside Annika, noticing her straining her head to look at the gates time and again. He had been keeping near her since the party had started, and kept on asking if she needed anything. Annika found it extremely sweet of him to do so, and did not think he had any hidden agenda. Moreover, she knew that seeing Rohit close to her would make Shivaay jealous, and she loved to mess with him, so she wasn't complaining.

"Oh no, nothing like that. It's just, the Oberois haven't arrived yet..."

As soon as the words left her mouth, a series of 2 cars entered the gate, one after the other. Annika's face lit up in a smile as she saw the seniors Oberois descending from the first one, followed by the Juniors in the second. All of them looked every inch the royalty that they were, and Annika's eyes particularly noticed her kanji aankhonwaala who looked extremely hot in his classic black suit and white shirt.

Advancing towards them, Annika put her hands on her hips and scowled at them.

"You're late." She told them, and they chuckled at her cuteness.

"Sorry, Annika," Tej said as he came to wrap an arm around her shoulders, "but the ladies of the house were taking too long."

"Haww, jethji, why you lies?" Pinky said, gasping, "It is YOU who took an hour to set your hair!"

Everyone laughed at that, and Dadi came forth to lovingly caress Annika's head.

"You look lovely, Annika. Nazar naa lage kisi ki." She said, putting on some kajal behind her ear. Annika smiled, and from the corner of her eye, saw Shivaay eyeing her up and down with an appreciative smirk on his face.

"Yes, Annika beta. You look beautiful." Shakti offered, and Annika blushed at all the compliments being showered upon her.

"That she does," Rudra does, looking here and there as if to find someone, "But I can't wait to check out other beautiful girls at the party, too!"

Om smacked his head at that, making him scowl, and everyone shared a laugh again.

"Okay, come on everyone, your table is this way."

Saying so, she started leading them towards their table, but Shivaay held her back by the arm. When the others had left, he turned her towards him.

"Do you want to kill me or what?" He asked, eyeing her intently while snaking his arms around her waist. Annika tried to pry his hands away, looking around to check if anyone noticed, but thankfully no one was around.

"What do you mean?" She asked, voice husky due to his proximity and scent. Shivaay lightly nuzzled her cheeks before answering.

"Agar itni khubsurat lagogi na, toh jaan chali jani hai ek din meri." He said flirtatiously, and Annika blushed hard at his words, looking down in shyness.

"Stop being so cheesy, Shivaay," She said, finally managing to get out of his hold. "And I've told you before, keep your hands to yourself tonight! I don't want anyone to know about this 'dating game' of ours, okay?" She warned him, wagging a finger in front of him, and he raised his hands in defence.

"I'll try keep my hands to my self, babe," He said, eyes dancing with mischief, "but with you looking the way you are, I can't promise anything." With that, he gave a wink and left, lightly moving his fingers on her waist as he passed her.

**

"Areh Annika beta, tum yaha?"

It was the same woman Annika and Shivaay had sat next to during the business function- Mrs. Ahuja- and Annika's eyes widened as she turned around to face her. This is the kind of thing she had been dreading, that someone would surely remember her as being with Shivaay, and then the news of her being his girlfriend would spread like wild fire. Media was covering the event too, and Annika knew that if they got news of Shivaay and Annika appearing as a couple here, they won't hesitate about revealing her name in the news this time, since Tej and Shakti uncle could only make them keep mum using money for once.

"Aunty, really nice to see you," Annika said, trying to hide her anxiousness, "How are you doing?"

"Very well, dear. What about you? And where's your other half, the handsome Shivaay?"

Annika gulped, and cursed herself mentally, for having the kind of phooti kismat she did.

"Oh, uh, he must be somewhere around. Why don't you go and try the snack? Have you tried the soup? It's delicious..." Saying so, she dragged the elder woman towards the buffet, and breathed in relief when she got engrossed in talking to another friend and did not mention Shivaay again. Turning around, Annika came face to face with Rohit, who gave her a smile.

"Did you have something?" He asked her, gesturing towards the food, "Make sure you don't go hungry yourself while urging everyone else to eat!"

Annika laughed at that, and assured him that she had had a bit to eat.

"Is everyone liking the party?" She asked him, still unsure about how it was all turning out. Everyone seemed to be having good fun, but still...

"Are you kidding me, Annika?" Rohit asked, surprised. "Everyone is LOVING the party. I have had almost everyone come up to me to tell me how wonderful the arrangements are, and ask me for the number of the talented event planner we have hired!"

Annika beamed at that, thankful that her first event was a success so far.

"Anyway, I should probably go and meet the arriving guests. I'll see you around." With another charming smile, Rohit left, and Annika moved towards the table where the Oberois sat.

"Areh Annika, we were just talking about you," Jhanvi aunty said with a smile as Annika approached. "Everything is so lovely, dear. We're so very proud of you."

Annika felt overwhelmed at that.

"Really?" She asked, unbelievingly, and everyone nodded.

"Of course, puttar, I knew you'd do great. Now just relax and enjoy the party yourself, okay?" Annika nodded, and deciding to abide my Dadi's words, went to get herself a cold drink. She was followed by Shivaay, who was getting restless by the minute to talk to her, especially since he noticed how close Rohit was keeping to her all the time.

"Hey, what's up?" He asked, as Annika took a sip of the cold drink.

"All good," She said, trying to keep a friendly distance from him. "Do you think I've done a good job?" She asked, wanting to know his opinion, and Shivaay smiled.

"I think you've done a great job, as I knew it would. I'm super proud of my girlfriend," He added with a wink, and Annika's eyes widened as she looked around to see if anyone had heard him.

"Shush, Shivaay! I swear, if anyone here comes to know I'm supposed to be dating you, I'll kill you!"

"Alright, alright, sorry. By the way, why does that stupid Rohit stay so close to you all the time? I don't like it." He said decidedly, and Annika rolled her eyes.

"It's nothing like that, he's just making sure I'm comfortable. And anyway, I don't understand what you have against him?"

Shivaay shrugged.

"I don't know, he just doesn't give me good vibes. Anyway, did I mention you look gorgeous tonight?" He said, smoothly changing the topic and making her blush.

"I believe you have," She replied. They stared at each other a while, before their moment was broken, by none other than Rohit who had been escorting a guest to their seat.

"Oh, hey, Shivaay, right?" He said kindly, forwarding his hand to an annoyed Shivaay. He took it nonetheless, and Annika glared at him and told him to "Be nice" through her eyes.

"Yeah, it is. And you must be Rohit."

Rohit smiled, and told Shivaay how much he had heard about him, and had been looking forward to meet him.

"Wish I could say the same about you," Shivaay muttered, and thankfully it went unheard by Rohit. Annika, however, heard it and gasped.

"Anyway, I'll see you around," Rohit said, and turning to Annika much to Shivaay's displeasure, gave a smile, before going his way. Shivaay glared hard after him, and Annika giggled.

"You just can't be nice, can you?" She asked, shaking her head at his antics.

"I AM nice," Shivaay rebuked, "It's just some people just annoy me, and he is one of them. End of matter. Anyway, enough about him. You come with me, I have to give you something."

Annika furrowed her brows.

"Give me what? And anyway, I can't come anywhere now. I have to look at the dinner arrangements."

"Annika just for a minute-"

Before he could continue, Tej had joined them, and leaned in to talk to discreetly.

"Listen, you guys. Just wanted to tell you, that be careful with the whole fake dating thing today. I know Annika doesn't want her name to be out in the world as your girlfriend, and in the business event, we managed to bribe all the media personnel present from doing so. But, there's this new media house present here that wasn't there in the Business Awards, and I've heard they can be quite exaggerative and ruthless in their news. So make sure they don't get a whiff about you two being a couple, or they'll surely broadcast it, and if that happens, all the other media houses will follow. Got it?"

As he finished, Annika looked at Shivaay anxiously. She was afraid he would do something stupid and reveal the news, but he gave her an assuring smile.

"Don't worry, bade papa. No one will know."

Tej nodded, and left the two alone again.

"Are you sure?" Annika asked, extremely worried now.

"Yes, love." He said, putting his hands on her shoulders, and Annika shrugged them off quickly, glaring at him in anger. Shivaay bit his tongue; touching Annika had become so natural to him now, he couldn't refrain.

"Nothing will go wrong, trust me." He said, taking a step back.

"You promise?" Annika asked, looking at him expectantly.

In turn, Shivaay gave her a smile that melted her heart.

"I promise."

**

Phew, done with the first part of the function. The next part will be quite...eventful to write, I think, since I'll have to be narrating a lot of things there. See you guys on Saturday (hopefully). Do share your views on the chapter, and what you think will happen next ❤