Maheshwari's- The Name needed no introduction in business arena of Kolkata. Held high in Marwari society ,they are considered to be one of the reigning business families in city.

Though, It was Anand Prasad Maheshwari who laid the foundation for the business,It was his son Durga Prasad Maheshwari who led Maheshwari group to the pinnacles of success. Started off as a small business unit , today the group has its foot firmly set in diversified industries. Durga Prasad Maheshwari fondly known as 'DP' by his business associates is highly respected among business circle.

Annapurna Maheshwari, his wife who stood by him through thick and thin fulfilled the role of a dutiful wife to the point. Highly Religious in nature , soft spoken ,she handled household responsibilities with utmost efficiency and ease. A doting mother to her two sons ,Adarsh and Sanskaar

Adarsh Maheshwari, Elder son of Maheshwari household. A MBA graduate from reputed university in states , he headed Management division of their business group and followed footsteps of his father to the T.His Wife, Parineeta Maheshwari, who he was married for 2 years.

Sanskaar Maheshwari, The younger one and pampered. Born after, two consecutive miscarriages , Annapurna held him very close as other family members. He was the only one, who could get away breaking few rules or throwing a tantrum, but Sanskaar rarely did that. He was taught not to take things for granted and he loved his family, no less.An extrovert and outspoken in nature as opposed to elder brother, Adarsh ,who came across as quiet and a man of few words.

Unlike Adarsh, Sanskaar's interest hinged more towards technical side. An engineering graduate, joined business a year and half back to gain more practical experience before he heads for his Masters in Technology.

Durgaprasad couldn't have been more happy, absolute sure of his two able sons carrying legacy forward successfully.Their expertise in different areas would make sure of that. Adash already established himself and proved his worth . Sanskaar proceeded on same lines .They hardly gave a chance to complain.

Maheshwari's have a ritual of early morning aarti with entire family in attendance near Kanha Ji mandir which Annapurna is very fond of.An ardent devotee , she firmly believed 'Kanha ji' had been watching over them for years and he would never let any harm behold them.

Maheshwari's had breakfast together where DP, Adarsh and Sanskaar would catch up on latest business snippets. That morning ,Sanskaar was missing and DP didn't fail to notice the same .On enquiry,Annapurna replied ,Sanskaar was catching up with a friend and he would be join them straight at office. DP gave a silent nod and turned to Adarsh.

"Adarsh , The list of interns for the projects. Where are we on that?" He quizzed.

"The list is already finalised Dad, jo aap ne approve kiya. The respective colleges have been informed, departments and guides have been allocated too. They will be joining us in 2 days." Adarsh replied diligently.

It was no secret Maheshwari group was favorites among colleges for final semester projects. Every year ,they would be flooded with hundreds of applications, only few managed to get in after screening and evaluation considered to be quite tough.But pre placements ,offered with lucrative compensation package and of course the brand name, made it first choice for many.

"Good! Let's make sure we track their performance just to ensure, we offer right candidates. I have a board meeting. Main wahi jaha raha hoon. You carry on. " DP rose from the table, gave a silent nod to Annapurna and left for office .

Done with break fast, about to leave,Adarsh looked at Parineeta ,who handed him over his office bag. "Pari, don't wait up for me . Have dinner on time. I might be late.Kuch meetings hain." He squeezed her hand gently with a soft smile.

Parineeta smiled and nodded. She loved this side of Adarsh. Loving and caring and it was his way of saying I love you , an unspoken way of conveyance,when around people.

Though she would have loved to have more time with her husband, which his busy schedule made impossible, these are few moments she counted on. She felt blessed to be a part of this family. They all have been warm and welcoming and it didn't take much time for her to gel with extended family. Annapurna's motherly love is what she cherished most and no surprise she rarely visited her maayka unless and absolutely needed.

Overall Maheshwari's were an harmonious family, with everything going just right for them.

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Laksh Mathur had his eyes fixed on person before him, who had been toying with his fork for quite some time,lost in thoughts. Sanskaar Maheshwari, His best friend, classmate and partner in crime.

Mathur's are one of the established business families in Kolkata and their relations with Maheshwari's extended beyond business formalities.It was during one of the family gatherings, Sanskar and Laksh, as kids stuck chord instantly and had been friends since then. Same school, Same college and post engineering ,they joined respective family businesses.

Though busy with developments on career front , they never failed to catch up as and when they could.They had a pact of 'no secrets'. Hence, it was not hidden from Laksh

'The saga of masked girl '

"So... You again had rendezvous with your dream girl last night." He struck the conversation.

Sanskaar looked up from plate.He could hardly sleep last night, felt the need to talk to someone and Laksh was his 'go- to -confidant' any time ,any hour.All he had to do, was a call and it was decided they would meet for breakfast.

"She's real , Lucky," Sanskaar stressed, " I already told you this."

Laksh shook his head. He could see his best friend was messed up again, which had become common phenomenon, past few weeks. He thought Sanskaar was over it but no! They had to rehash.

"C'mon Sunny ! It's high time yaar.Can you please move on?Ok,Now don't give me those looks. Fine! Let's think she's real ,phir kaha hain woh?It's been what 2 years or year and half and you're still hung up. It's not like we didn't try to figure her out ,Right! One thing is clear , Woh khud tere samne aana nahi chahti . Do you get that?"

"Then who is she?" Sanskaar countered, "Why would she just show up , kiss me and leave? About Moving on Lucky, You know I tried, Didn't I ? I have been going on all those freaking stupid dates you have been setting me up ...but "

"Let me finish," Laksh took over," None worked out ,because you don't want them to.Even when the other party is keen to take it forward, You ,my dear boy, mess it up brilliantly. Remember that Mythili, Kitni cute hai yaar woh aur tune kya kiya ? You go for dinner date, she asks you for dance, you oblige and in one minute, you walk off making an excuse.

Aur woh Meenu,such a hottie!She tries to kiss you and you run away ,phir Reena, Anitha, Nisha and the list goes on and on ..." Laksh vented out his frustration. He had been putting up with his friend's madness who seemed to be obsessed with some masked girl, for quite a long time. He should find a way to end to this.

Sanskaar fell silent. There's no denial, he messed up all dates, quite badly and he could totally get Laksh's frustration. Could he complain when he is clueless by himself .Laksh had taken it quite seriously in initial months, but as months passed on , he concluded its his active imagination which at times, Sanskaar was almost tempted to believe, but then he knew by heart, it's no imagination.

"It's because ," He started off slowly ,"Every time I hold someone close ,I know its not her. Someone tries to kiss me , All I see is her and only her ,I know how she feels and I...I ..." Sanskaar shrugged shoulders unable to phrase his words.It's impossible to put across in words, all that he felt that night.Does feelings have any logical way of explanation? A way to dissect.He was not sure.

"Exactly,You keep looking for her in every girl you meet, which is practically impossible," Laksh made his point straight and clear. "Trust me, Sunny ,If you go on like this ,you will die virgin.Can you imagine such prospect. Isn't it scary ? If I had been in your place I would have kissed every other girl to check, if she is the one or not.

Aur tu hai ki saadhu ,sanyasi banke ghoom raha hai , Bina beard waala majnu , bina bottle wala devdas and you know, what is missing , a background song - Laila oh Laila ...Makes perfect setting right!" Laksh switched to his playful mode.

"Shut up Lucky. This is serious."

"Fine!" Laksh took a sip of his coffee , "Ab ek hi raasta hain ,just one way. " He told quite seriously .That had Sanskaar curios.

"Take the mask and go around city ,like that fairy tale prince , jo slipper leke ghumta hai What was it?" Laksh tried to recollect .

"Cinderella ,'Sanskaar supplied shaking head at his antics.

"Wah Bhai!Tujhe abhi bhi yaad hain .Don't tell me, you are still reading fairy tales.Remember you had a crush on disney princess, all of them. Cinderella was your fav right! Now you have your own cinderella bro ! My Lucky Boy, "Laksh chuckled as Sanskaar threw napkin at him and next picked up fork with a murderous glare .

"Ok ! I get it, "Laksh suppressed his giggles , "No more jokes. But yaar, On a serious note..."

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As he drove to office,Sanskaar recalled Laksh's words.

"How many more years are you gonna wait ? Is there an end to it ? What if she never comes in front of you ?What if all this doesn't matter to her ?It might just be a prank , dare or just a joke played on you. I am sure ,she might have had a good laugh at your expense and you are just obsessing over someone ,almost non existent."

Just a prank? A joke? He couldn't wrap his heart around that idea. Her eyes spelled more that night, something deep or was it just his illusion ?.Did that night meant nothing to her? Their kiss ?The thought itself was very disturbing... but Laksh had a point too.If he really meant something to her, held some feelings , she would have shown up, one way or another...Only she didn't.

Sometimes, he felt angry overself for letting some stranger to play with his feelings but he also know it's highly impossible for him to move on ,without answers.

"It's just kiss,Right! Or something more serious happened, Like did you both?" Laksh enquired towards end, raising his eyebrows suggestively, still not clear on, how just a kiss landed his friend in, deep chaos.

He denied then, but for the first time he kept a secret from his best friend.

It wasn't just a kiss. There's more to it, and it all started with ...that party.

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