Recap: The guest arrive at ball room of ARC Hotels for the party

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Aryan had his gaze fixed on the grand doors of the ballroom, his heart pounding in anticipation. He stood frozen, waiting for the moment he'd been dreaming about. And then, there she was.

Sanju stepped in, walking slowly beside Ranjith. She paused at the entrance, her eyes scanning the crowd until they landed on him. Aryan couldn't move. His breath caught. Time stilled.

Sanju wore a peach Burmese lotus silk ball gown, uniquely designed with delicate golden flower stitches. The bodice above her waist was crafted from rare vicuña fabric, adorned with embedded gold stones that shimmered under the chandelier light. The bottom flared with vicuña frills, matching the upper part seamlessly, making her look like she had walked out of a royal portrait.

Her hair fell in loose curls, a diamond brooch twinkling through the strands. A diamond-and-ruby choker graced her neck, with matching danglers brushing her cheeks and a bracelet wrapping around her wrist. Her eyes, rimmed perfectly with kohl, radiated a magnetic pull that tugged at Aryan's soul.

She wasn't just stunning, she was otherworldly. An angel. A goddess. The entire ballroom seemed to hold its breath. Guests were gawking in admiration... all except Darsha, whose face darkened with envy.

Aryan's feet moved on their own, drawn to her like a magnet. Sanju's gaze never left him. She walked toward him too, step by step, mirroring his trance-like pace. The rest of the world disappeared until a loud, familiar voice broke the spell.

" Pavithra, look how stunning my sister is!" Naren said his eyes fixed on Sanju.

Pavithra laughed. "That you don't need to say. My friend is a stunning beauty. Sanju, you are breathtakingly gorgeous!"

"Pavi, please stop," Sanju said, blushing.

Pavithra moved closer, leaned in, and whispered into her ear, "Fine, but have some mercy on your man. Poor fellow doesn't seem to be stable looking at your beauty. I think you should check if he's still breathing."

Sanju giggled and turned to Aryan, raising her brows in a silent, teasing question: 'How do I look?'

Aryan exhaled deeply, rubbed the back of his neck, and gave her a cheeky wink.

Pavithra cleared her throat, chuckling, and walked with Sanju to their table.

"Aryan!" Naren called out, his voice cutting through Aryan's dazed trance.

Aryan blinked, still fixated on Sanju. "Tell me, man," he said absentmindedly.

Naren grinned. "Clean your mouth, bro."

Aryan frowned, confused. "What?"

"You're drooling," Naren teased, wiggling his brows.

"Shut up, idiot," Aryan muttered, finally snapping out of it as he gave Naren a playful shove on the shoulder, both of them chuckling.

Soon after, Aryan and Ranjith walked up to the podium. The hall quieted as Aryan took the mic, his voice firm and full of pride.

"Hello, ladies and gentlemen. It gives me immense pleasure to welcome you all to this celebration. ARC has seen tremendous success in recent years. Our newly launched cosmetic line has become an instant hit, topping the market charts upon release."

He paused as applause broke out before continuing.

"Our construction division has reached another milestone by successfully completing the nation's largest government infrastructure project—building administrative complexes across the country. It's been a monumental achievement for us."

He looked around the room with sincere gratitude.

"I would like to thank every employee, partner, and dealer who has stood with ARC on this journey. Your efforts have made this possible.

My special thanks to Mr. Chandrasekar, who has been the very foundation of our growth. Thank you, sir. I hope you all enjoy tonight's celebration as much as we enjoy sharing this success with you. Here's to many more such moments together. Thank you."

A round of applause followed as guests rose to their feet, many coming forward to personally congratulate Aryan.

At a nearby table, Pavithra leaned in, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Sanju, have you decided to propose to him?"

Sanju gave a soft smile, her voice calm but resolute. "I'm doing it today."

Pavithra blinked, taken aback. "Seriously?"

"I don't think your sir will ever do it. So, I will."

"Hey! Don't be rude," Pavithra said, nudging her arm. "You know our boss is just... shy."

Sanju smirked and murmured under her breath, "More of the shy type."

"What was that?" Pavithra asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Nothing," Sanju replied innocently. "I agree, your sir is very shy to propose."

A few minutes later, Aryan made his way to Sanju. She stood up, a soft smile on her face. He looked at her like she was the only person in the room.

"I'm lost," Aryan whispered. "You've swept me off my feet."

"Me too," Sanju replied, her voice almost a whisper.

"Just two more hours," he said with a sigh. "But it feels like years waiting to be alone with you."

"People are watching us," Sanju reminded him gently.

Aryan leaned in just a bit. "What do you have in your eyes? I'm lost in them. They speak a thousand words... and I want to get lost in them for the rest of my life."

"Enough," she said, blushing. "Go look after the guests."

"Hmmm," Aryan smirked. "Let me first speak to Chandrasekar sir."

"Carry on," she smiled.

Aryan approached the table where Chandrasekar was seated and respectfully joined him.

"Chandrasekar: 'Congrats, Aryan. I'm impressed with your growth and success.'"

"With your blessings and mentoring, sir."

"Don't give the credit to me. It's all your hard work. You deserve to enjoy this success."

"Thank you, sir."

Chandrasekar smiled. "How about meeting the team behind your success?"

"Sure, sir." Aryan turned. "Ranjith, call our team."

"Sure, sir," Ranjith replied.

He moved quickly, calling upon ARC's business heads and core officials—Vinay, Manasi, Karthikand Sanjana, escorting them toward Chandrasekar's table.

Aryan introduced Vinay, Manasi, Karthik, and other key officials of ARC to Chandrasekar. As the introductions concluded, he turned toward Sanju.

"Sanju, come here," he called, ready to introduce her.

Before Sanju could speak, Maya stepped forward with a smug smile. "Dad, she's Aryan's PA," she cut in sharply.

Aryan clenched his jaw, but Sanju gently gestured him to stay calm.

Chandrasekar smiled warmly at Sanju. "Oh, nice meeting you, young lady. You look beautiful."

"Thank you, sir," Sanju responded politely.

"Wish you all the best," Chandrasekar added. "Aryan truly has a great team. Since you all are the most trusted people in Aryan's life, I take the privilege to make a proposal in front of you."

He turned to Aryan. "Yes Aryan, how about we take our relationship to the next level? I would be very happy."

Sanju's heart sank.

Sanju's mind voice: No. I can't hear Aryan accepting this proposal. Maybe we're not meant to be. Sorry, Aryan. I know it'll hurt you to continue this conversation in front of me. I should leave.

With tears brimming in her eyes, she slowly turned and walked away. Pavithra noticed her face and quickly followed. Maya, noticing her plan working, walked behind them and stopped Sanju just outside the ballroom.

"Hey, you!" Maya snapped.

Sanju stopped and looked at her.

"I told you to back off. Now see? Aryan won't go against my father's words. Your little game is over. Before Aryan returns home, make sure you vacate your things."

Maya eyed her gown with disdain. "So, this is the dress Aryan designed especially for you? Leave it outside the mansion, I'll burn it tonight when I enter Aryan's life. Now get lost."

Sanju walked away without responding, tears streaming down her cheeks. Pavithra ran after her.

"Sanju, stop! Where are you going? Why is she talking to you like that? And why didn't you say anything back?"

"Pavi, take me to your home," Sanju said quietly.

"Are you out of your mind? I'm calling Aryan sir right now—"

"Please, Pavi. If you won't take me, I'll go somewhere else. Just... please don't stop me."

Seeing her break down, Pavithra softened. "Okay. Stop crying. Come, let's go. I'll get my car."

She brought her car around, and Sanju got in. As they drove away, Ranjith, who had come in search of Sanju, saw them leaving. He immediately called the guards.

"Follow Pavithra's car. Let me know their location," he instructed.

Turning back, he bumped into Aryan, who was storming out of the ballroom, visibly distressed.

"Where's Sanju?" Aryan demanded.

"Sir, she just left with Pavithra. I've already asked the guards to follow them."

"Dammit! Wind up the party. Take care of the guests. If anyone asks, tell them I left for an emergency meeting."

"Okay, sir."

"Get my car ready and message me the location."

Ranjith nodded. Within minutes, Aryan was driving off, the location of Sanju sent to his phone. Back at the ballroom, Ranjith ensured the guests were politely seen off.

"Ranjith, where's Aryan?" Chandrasekar asked.

"There was an emergency at one of our sites, sir. He had to leave immediately. He sends his apologies for not staying until the end."

"That's alright. I'll talk to him later," Chandrasekar replied.

Maya and her father left in their car.

"Dad, what did you speak with Aryan?" Maya asked, clearly impatient.

"I'll tell you in the morning."

"Did you see his PA? She's the reason Aryan won't look at me."

"We'll settle everything. Stay calm."

"I believe you, Dad."

Meanwhile, Pavithra and Sanju reached her apartment. Sanju hadn't stopped crying even for a second, her shoulders trembling with every breath.

"Sanju, what happened? Why are you crying so badly?" Pavithra asked, guiding her gently inside.

Sanju wiped her tears, her voice broken. "Chandrasekar sir... he proposed Aryan's wedding."

"What?!" Pavithra gasped in shock.

"Please, Pavi..." Sanju begged, her eyes pleading. "I'll stay here. Don't ask me anything more. Please."

Pavithra hesitated, completely thrown off by what she was hearing. "What are you even saying? Fine... come, stay in my room."

"I want to be alone," Sanju murmured, avoiding eye contact.

Pavithra sighed, understanding there was no point in pushing her further. "Alright, there's another room. You can stay there."

Without another word, Sanju walked to the spare room, shut the door, and locked it. She slid down against the door and burst into tears again.

"Aryan... did you accept his proposal?" she whispered brokenly. "I have no one left for me..."

Not long after, the doorbell rang. Pavithra opened it to find Aryan standing there, tense and restless.

"Sir... please come in," she said quietly.

"Where's Sanju?" Aryan asked, stepping in with urgency.

"She's in the room. She's been crying ever since we left the party. She's not listening to anything I say."

"I'll handle it," Aryan said, already walking towards the room.

"Sir... she's emotionally really hurt and..." Pavithra started.

"And what?" Aryan turned sharply.

"Maya was... she was very rude to her," Pavithra confessed, lowering her voice.

She explained everything Maya had said outside the ballroom. Aryan's jaw clenched as the fury slowly rose in his eyes. His hands curled into fists.

"Sanju is already hurt too much," Pavithra added, her voice soft.

"Don't worry. I can handle her," Aryan replied, steel in his tone.

He went to the room and knocked firmly. "Sanju, open the door."

Silence.

He knocked harder. "Sanju, please baby. Open the door. I need to see you."

From inside came her muffled voice, cold and distant. "Go back, Mr. Chaitanya."

Aryan froze, stunned. "What? Again with Mr. Chaitanya? What's your problem, woman? Open the damn door!"

"No. Get lost."

"Sanju, I'm already pissed off. Don't trigger me further. Open the door."

"I won't."

He turned to Pavithra. "Get me the spare key."

Without a word, she handed it to him. Aryan unlocked the door and stepped in. What he saw broke him.

Sanju sat on the floor, her knees pulled up to her chest, head resting on the side of the bed. Her face was soaked in tears, her whole body trembling with sobs.

Quietly, Aryan closed the door behind him and knelt beside her.

"Sanju... come, let's go home," he whispered, trying to remain calm.

"No. I'm not coming," she replied, her voice hoarse.

"Sweetheart, please. Let's leave."

"No."

Aryan clenched his jaw. Without another word, he leaned down and scooped her into his arms. Sanju began to struggle immediately, pounding weakly on his chest.

"Sanju, be calm," he said, trying to steady her.

"Let me go!"

"No. Now be quiet."

"You better let go of me!" she screamed, thrashing against him.

And then Aryan did something that silenced everything.

He leaned in and kissed her, deep, fierce, and full of everything he couldn't say. When he finally pulled away, Sanju stared at him, stunned and breathless.

"Now be quiet," Aryan whispered against her lips, his gaze intense and unshaken. "Or I'll kiss you the same way in front of everyone."

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A/N:

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