Priya's POV:

"Will you be my date tonight?"

I released a breath that I didn't know I'd been holding. Arjun, who sat in front of me, had a blank expression on his face. I couldn't understand what he was thinking. The situation was becoming uncomfortable. Finally, I made the decision to break the silence.

"Look, if you don't want to help, I'll find someone else. I asked because-," I started talking, but he cut me off.

"Mehra, I will help you. Let's talk about the plan," he said smoothly.

For a brief moment, I was speechless. Arjun assisting without hurling slurs at me was a big deal. Miracle. We spent the next few hours pondering over a plan and then decided to meet in the evening.

(Two hours prior to the mission)

I was dressed in a red V-neck gown with a slit near my left leg. I strapped my gun and phone to my right thigh, hoping that the slit would help me hide them from the prying eyes of security guards. After I finished dressing, I went to my dressing table to put on some makeup. To be honest, I was not a big fan of makeup but this was a millionaire party, so I should at least show them that I knew my way around how to look like a lady.

I washed my face and applied foundation before applying eyeliner and curling my lashes. I decided to use red lipstick to match my gown's color. My lips are thin which makes me self-conscious at times but my 'who-cares attitude overpowers the feeling. I didn't put on a lot of makeup because I'll be wearing masquerade masks. The party was a couple-themed masquerade. I was wearing my long, wavy hair freely and it reached my waist. I was proud of my hair.

I was double-checking everything after getting ready when the bell rang. My date was here. I went outside after grabbing the house keys and my mask. He was standing there with his hands in his pockets. I quickly glanced at his outfit before turning around to lock the door. My cheeks were burning right now and I didn't know why. His image lingered in my mind. He looked like a Greek God dressed to the nines in a blue Armani suit and his hair perfectly coiffed. He looked drool-worthy. Today will see a slew of girls flinging themselves at him.

I locked my door and hid my keys inside the flower pot. After keeping them hidden properly, I turned around quickly, determined to get this over with as quickly as possible, and ran into a hard wall.

"Ow," I grumbled and almost tripped when a rough pair of hands gripped my arms and prevented me from falling.

Wait...Did I hit a wall? But there was no wall in front of my house. Then I realised it wasn't a wall, but Arjun's chest.

"Why were you standing so close to me?" I asked, rubbing my forehead.

"I was just looking at what you were doing," he said, shrugging innocently. I narrowed my eyes.

"Don't ever think of stealing my keys. Got it?" I warned him. Arjun tried to stifle a laugh, but when he saw my solemn expression, he lost it. He was laughing uncontrollably.

"I'm serious and till when are you planning to hold me?" I hissed. I immediately felt the loss of warmth when he withdrew his hands but didn't stop laughing. Pouting, I walked towards his car. It was a Mercedes. How did he get this? I realised he wasn't following me, so I turned around to see him staring at me.

"Are you coming or are you not?" I asked, my brow furrowed. I heard him sigh heavily before he began walking towards me. Then, Arjun did something unexpected as I was about to get into the car. He smiled as he opened the door for me. I hopped into the car, giving him an awkward grin. Did he just act like a gentleman? My mind swirled and I felt dizzy as the words 'Arjun' and 'gentleman' came into the same sentence.

When we arrived at the venue, there was a long line of expensive cars in the parking lot ranging from Lamborghini to Rolls-Royce. We were met at the door by two bulky bodyguards who were checking the invitations. Since we had a VIP invitation, they didn't bother us. They assumed we were important guests and let us in without checking us. They would soon find out just how important we were. I smiled to myself.

The party was held in a large hall. The name 'High Life Club' suggested it was a club but it was actually a party hall. They had elegantly decorated the hall, giving it a sophisticated and elegant appearance. By looking at the decorations, an outsider would never be able to guess the motive behind this party. I looked at my date. I could tell he was impressed by the decorations as well. He was scanning the hall, taking everything in. My gaze roved over his features. He was looking devilishly handsome tonight. Ravishing, even. The smile, that little stretching of his mouth in a sideways smirk was causing havoc to my insides. I wish he had a better personality or was at least civil towards me. He was actually nice to everyone except me. I'm not sure what I did to make him hate me so much. Sadness entered my eyes for just a fraction of a second before I tried to shake the sudden emotion out of my system.

Someone cleared their throat, jolting me out of my reverie. Arjun was smirking at me in a teasing manner. What is wrong with him? Then it hit me: I swore internally as I realized he'd just caught me checking him out. I wished that the earth would swallow me whole. Suddenly I saw him leaning in. My breath hitched as I caught the scent of his scent. It was manly and gentle all at once. I bit my lip to keep myself from sighing. His mouth neared my ear and he whispered, "Is it just me, or do you seem smitten?"

"Bullshit," I swore weakly. "I was just lost."

'Liar,' my conscience smirked at me.

I attempted to conceal my embarrassing behavior by looking anywhere but his face.

'What the hell was wrong with you? Why are you acting like a fucking hormonal teenager?' asked my conscience.

'Nothing's wrong with me. He just looks attractive, that's all,' I replied to my conscience.

"It's the same thing, Mehra," Arjun stated flatly.

Wait! Not again. Did I say it aloud? Please, God, make me vanish right now!

"That's not what I meant," I hurriedly tried to amend. I was fully aware of the burning heat in my body and I was certain that in absolutely no time, I would be a blubbering mess if this continued.

"So, what did you mean by that?" he inquired, the smirk never leaving his face. "It's okay, Mehra. I'm all yours for the day. You can stare at me all you want. But only and only staring..." he said and winked at me. I felt my insides melting in embarrassment. I wanted to scream at him. He knew exactly what he was insinuating.

I turned around to conceal the effect his words had on me. I was sweating and I was sure my entire face was red.

Reign it fucking in! You are here to do your job!

"I think we should start looking for clues," I said after I had regained control of my emotions.

"You're right. It's best if you stay away from me," he chuckled. I glared at him. "Okay, fine, I'm not going to tease you," he said, suppressing a laugh.

We split up to look for clues. Nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary. Some people were near the food courts, others were chatting at their tables, and some were dancing on the dance floor with their respective dates.

"Why isn't anyone leaving?" Arjun inquired through the headset. He was becoming agitated.

"I'm not sure, maybe we're missing something? Let's take a closer look," I replied.

When someone tapped on my shoulder, I was in the midst of inner trauma.

"Hey, lovely lady."

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