Recap: Aryan and Sanju arrive at ARC hotels to meet Naren

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Sanju's heart ached at Darsha's words. Without looking at anyone, she quietly turned to leave. But a firm voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Sanjana..." Aryan's voice was calm, yet commanding.

She turned slowly, meeting his gaze. He was already walking toward her.

"Naren, excuse me for a few minutes. I'll be back," Aryan said.

"Sure, dude," Naren replied.

Without another word, Aryan gently grabbed Sanju's hand and led her away from the cabin to a secluded corner of the corridor.

"What are you doing, Sanju?" he asked, frustration and concern flickering in his eyes.

Sanju looked away. "Aryan, I think I shouldn't have come. I don't want to spoil your day. You're meeting your best friend after so many years. Please carry on. I don't mind going home."

Aryan's voice lowered. "Sanju, do you remember what I asked you after the incident with Sunita?"

She hesitated. "Hmm..."

"So you want to give up on me, is it? You'll leave me just because of someone else's words? I thought you'd stay by my side."

"Aryan, I didn't mean to leave you. I just wanted to give you space—to spend time with your friend," she explained gently.

"If I wanted time with my friend alone, I wouldn't have brought you along. I knew she'd turn up today. I wanted you to see her... and her intentions. She's the one who paid Sunita."

Sanju's eyes widened in shock. "What???"

"Yes. I wanted you to witness her intentions directly. That's why I didn't tell you anything about her before. And now, it's your choice—either stay or I'll ask Ranjith to drop you home. But remember this—going away once... is running away forever."

Sanju swallowed hard, then nodded. "I'll stay back."

"Sure. She's venomous. I can't stop or act against her right now, and I'll explain why once we're home. But for now, you need to be with me. Just ignore her presence."

"Sure... and I'm sorry," she said softly.

Aryan smiled gently and kissed her forehead. "Come on. Let's go."

They returned to the cabin. Naren looked up and grinned widely, while Darsha's expression twisted into a forced, sinful smile.

"Why is she back?" Darsha snapped.

"She is not only my PA," Aryan replied coolly, "so she will have lunch with me."

"What do you mean by not only PA?" Darsha shot back.

"Darshi, could you calm down, please? I'm starving here and I need food," Naren interrupted playfully.

Darsha shot him a glare for distracting the conversation.

"Aryan, come on. You can sit with me," she said, patting the seat beside her.

"Dude, I want to sit with my sister. Don't separate us, please," Naren added.

Aryan smiled. "I'll sit with Sanjana, and you sit with your sister."

Aryan and Sanju took their seats opposite Naren and Darsha. Soon, the manager walked in with the pre-ordered food.

"My favourite biryani... and you arranged it?" Naren beamed.

"I know what your favorite is. Why wouldn't I arrange it for you?" Aryan said with a chuckle.

"What about my favourite food?" Darsha asked, leaning forward.

"I didn't know you'd be joining us for lunch. Otherwise, I would've asked Ranjith to check and arrange it," Aryan said evenly.

"Don't you know, Aryan?" she asked, her tone turning sharper.

"How would I know?" he replied coolly.

By the time they finished their main course, the manager returned.

"Sir, shall I get the sweets and dessert?"

"Yeah, sure. Get the crème brûlée first," Aryan instructed.

"Sure, sir."

The manager served the dessert.

"Wow, this tastes amazing," Naren commented.

"This is my favorite, bro," Sanju said, smiling.

"Is it? Wow, this is amazing. And what about the pasta you had?" he asked.

"Even that is my favorite, bro," she replied.

Darsha's face darkened. The knowledge that Aryan knew Sanju's favourites cut deep.

"I don't like this. Get me some other sweet," she snapped.

"Shall I get jamoons? They're specially made, as sir and madam would like to have it," the manager said casually.

Aryan and Sanju both choked on their dessert and looked at each other with wide eyes. Naren frowned, confused. Darsha raised a suspicious brow.

"Yes. Get us," Aryan said quickly.

Under the table, Sanju pinched Aryan's thigh.

"Ow—" Aryan winced.

"What happened, Aryan?" Naren asked.

"Nothing, man... nothing happened," he replied, coughing slightly.

"What happened, sir?" Sanju asked sweetly, feigning innocence.

Aryan quickly typed a message on his phone and sent it to the manager. Moments later, the manager returned with a tray.

He placed the bowls of jamoons in front of Aryan and Sanju first, then moved to serve Darsha and Naren.

"I don't want this. Please take it away," Darsha said, pushing the bowl aside.

"Okay, ma'am. I'll serve you ice cream. What flavour would you like to have?"

"Get me blackcurrant. That is mine and Aryan's favourite," she said pointedly.

"Sure, ma'am."

As the manager turned to take away the jamoon bowl, his foot slipped. The bowl tipped, and the syrupy jamoons spilled all over Darsha and Naren.

"Ouch! I'm sorry, ma'am. Sorry, sir. That was an accident!" he said, startled.

"How dare you?" Darsha shouted, jumping up and lifting her hand as if to strike him.

Naren caught her hand swiftly. "Darshi, that was an accident. Stay cool. Manager, you may leave."

"Sorry, sir," the manager said and hurried off.

"You can take them to our VIP suite to get cleaned," Aryan offered. "Naren, both of you follow him."

"Sure. Come on, Darshi," Naren said.

"Idiot! He spoiled my dress," she muttered as they walked out.

As the door closed behind them, Aryan turned to Sanju with a sly grin. "Sweetheart, have your sweet now."

"Did the manager spill it unintentionally?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Why do you even ask? Yes, it was accidental. You sound like I instructed him to do it intentionally to have my special jamoon," he teased, winking.

"No doubt. You did it," she replied with mock suspicion.

"Now that you know me so well, give me my sweet," Aryan said with a boyish smile.

"What would bro think of us?" she asked hesitantly.

"He knows it wasn't an accident, so don't worry—and stop wasting time."

Before she could respond, Aryan leaned in, pulled her close, and pressed his lips against hers. His hand gently cradled her face as he deepened the kiss, parting her lips with a teasing bite before slipping his tongue into her mouth. It was intense, consuming. They finally pulled apart only when their lungs screamed for air.

Sanju playfully hit Aryan on his shoulder, but before she could pull back, he caught her hand and pecked her lips.

"What are you doing, Aryan?" she asked with a soft gasp.

"That was very sweet," he said, grinning mischievously.

"Let's go home," she said with a smirk, "and I'll handle you back."

By then, Naren and Darsha returned to the table and settled in their seats.

"Aryan, aren't you eating sweets?" Naren asked, glancing at his untouched bowl.

"I already had," Aryan replied casually.

"You had? But your bowl is still full?"

"That... yeah, we shared from one bowl," he said, tossing a knowing look toward Sanju.

Darsha, watching their faces and catching Aryan's reply, clenched her jaw. Her irritation grew with every passing second.

After a while, once lunch was finally over and they had spent a good time chatting, Naren stood up.

"Okay Aryan, I think we should take our leave now."

"We'll meet again," Aryan nodded with a friendly smile.

"Take care, bro," Sanju said warmly.

"Take care, sister," Naren replied, equally affectionate.

Darsha, still sulking, stepped forward. "Aryan, how about dinner tomorrow?"

"I'm busy," he answered without hesitation. "We have a party early this week."

"Okay," she said tightly, her smile forced. "I'll meet you soon."

They stepped out of the cabin, where Ranjith promptly joined them. Naren and Darsha got into their car, but not before Darsha noticed Aryan and Sanju getting into the same car. The way they walked close, Aryan's hand protectively on Sanju's back, sent flames through her.

"Swear Aryan, I will get you." she thought in her mind.

"What are you looking at, Darsha?" Naren asked from the passenger seat.

"Nothing. Let's leave."

At DC Residence, Darsha stormed into her room, slamming the door shut. She threw her clutch across the room and began knocking down everything in her sight,  perfumes, frames, vases. The crashing sound brought Chandrasekar rushing in.

"Darshi! What happened, child?" he asked, shocked at the mess.

Darsha turned, tears pouring down her face as she pretended to sob hard. She collapsed into her father's arms.

Naren stood frozen at the door, watching the drama unfold.

"Darshi, tell me what happened! You went for lunch, right? What's bothering you?"

"Dad..." she sobbed.

"Darshi, calm down and tell me. I can't see you like this," Chandrasekar said, pulling her gently from the hug. He wiped her tears, sat her down on the couch, and settled beside her. "Tell me now. What happened?"

"Dad... I love Aryan."

"What?" Chandrasekar's eyes widened. "So why are you crying? Did you tell him?"

"No, Dad," she cried. "But he knows that I love him. And still... he ignores me. He doesn't even care. I can't handle it."

"Calm down, my daughter. You know your Dad loves you the most. I can't see you in this condition."

"Dad, I will die if I don't marry Aryan. I swear I will die."

"Shut up, Darshi!" Naren snapped. "What are you saying?"

"Naren, quiet!" Chandrasekar warned. He turned back to Darsha. "Don't say such stupid things, darling. My daughter is the strongest girl I know. Don't talk like this again, please."

"Dad, I really love him. I can't live without him. Please, Dad."

"Fine," Chandrasekar said after a pause. "Let me speak to Aryan."

"Dad!" Naren stood up. "Aryan respects you a lot. He'll obey you — that's the problem! Don't embarrass him with this proposal. You know him. If he decides something, he'll never change it. He has no interest in Darsha. None. If you push this, you'll ruin the relationship you've had with him all these years."

"Naren," Chandrasekar said firmly. "I know Aryan very well. And if my words can bring happiness to my daughter, I will speak to him. That's a father's duty."

"Then don't involve me in this," Naren said with finality. "I can't lose my friendship with Aryan. Sorry, Dad. Sorry, Darsha. You people are set to sail on a wrong boat."

"Bro, if you can't help me, at least don't spoil my life," Darsha snapped. "Let Dad handle it."

Naren sighed deeply and left, knowing there was no point arguing further.

Meanwhile, in Aryan's mansion, Sanju curled up on the couch, her head swirling with thoughts. Aryan sat across from her, gently holding her hands.

"Sanju, I know you have a lot of questions. That's why I brought you there , I wanted you to meet Darshika, to see her for what she is, before I told you everything. She's the spoiled daughter of former business tycoon Chandrasekar, and Naren's only sister. You probably got a sense of her attitude by now."

Sanju looked up, her brows furrowing.

"Is she... obsessed with you?"

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A/N:

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