Recap: Aryan left to UK to meet his client. 

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Maya arrived at the nightclub, dressed to impress, her aura as bold and vibrant as ever. The club lights flickered in rhythmic patterns, and the music pulsed through the air. Her friends, all equally elite and flamboyant, had been waiting eagerly for her ever since she returned from Canada. Before she left, this very club had been their frequent hangout spot—filled with memories of loud laughter and endless parties.

As Maya walked in, a chorus of squeals erupted. Her friends rushed to her, wrapping her in a group hug.

"Hey Maya! How long has it been? I thought you forgot us!" Tina exclaimed with mock hurt.

Maya rolled her eyes playfully. "Come on, don't be silly. Why would I ever forget you guys?"

"How's life going?" Lekha asked, scanning the club discreetly. "Did you notice Vivaan? He was watching you."

Maya's expression stiffened. "Shut up, Lekha. You know we broke up. I'm only behind Aryan now."

Tina raised a brow. "Still? You're still chasing him?"

Lekha chimed in, "Why are you wasting your time, Maya? Look at us—we're enjoying every minute of life. Don't you think you've already given him too much of your time?"

"No," Maya said with conviction. "He's worth every minute... until I get him."

Tina shook her head with a soft chuckle. "My God, Maya... I could never think like that."

"Let's not waste time. Come, let's have drinks and dance," Lekha said, pulling them toward the bar.

The bartender quickly poured them a round of shots. One shot turned into three, and soon their laughter grew louder with every glass emptied.

"Come on! Let's dance!" Tina shouted as they made their way to the dance floor.

The trio danced wildly to the peppy beats. But Maya, slightly off-balance from the shots, stumbled. A firm grip caught her around the waist. She looked up—and found Vivaan holding her.

"Are you okay, Maya?" Vivaan asked, steadying her as she swayed slightly.

"I'm fine. Leave me," she muttered, brushing his hand off, though her voice lacked conviction.

"How are you, really?"

"I'm good," she said quickly, avoiding his eyes.

He hesitated, then said softly, "Maya... why can't we just be friends?"

Before she could answer, Tina, still dancing a few feet away, called out, "Hey Vivaan! Come join us!"

He turned slightly, waving her off with a polite smile. "Carry on, Tina. I'll join you in a bit."

Tina, ever the meddler, walked over to Maya and leaned in. "Girl, I think you should sober up. There's really nothing wrong in being friends. Come on, just chill."

Maya let out a long breath and gave a reluctant nod. "Hmm... okay. Friends."

Vivaan's face lit up with a relieved smile. "Shall we have a drink to celebrate our new friendship?"

Maya groaned, rubbing her temples. "I already had three shots. One more and I'll lose it."

"Come on. Just one more," he teased, nudging her lightly.

Before Maya could argue, Lekha appeared, grinning wide. "Hey, guys! Treat us too for this brand new friendship!"

"Yes! Come on!" Tina echoed with a cheer.

With laughter echoing around them, they made their way back to the bar. Vivaan ordered another round of shots, raising his glass with a playful smirk.

"To new beginnings," he said.

They clinked glasses and downed the shots. That final round, as they all knew somewhere deep inside, was the tipping point—one that washed away the last remnants of their clarity.

Still half-aware, Lekha managed to get some help from Vivaan's friends. They escorted the girls to his car. Vivaan, playing the gentleman, dropped all three safely at Lekha's house before heading home.

The Next Morning at  Aryan's Mansion, Sanju woke up to the warm rays of sunlight. She turned and looked at the empty space beside her on the bed. Grabbing Aryan's pillow, she hugged it tightly.

"Miss you... come soon," she whispered softly, clutching his shirt as she woke to a new morning.

After completing her morning routine, Sanjana headed downstairs. The aroma of fresh coffee drifted through the air, and she found Ranjith sitting at the dining table with a newspaper in one hand and a steaming cup in the other.

"Good morning, bro," she greeted with a gentle smile.

"Good morning, Sanju," he replied, taking a sip from his mug.

"Are you ready to leave for the office?"

"Hmm, yes. Call me if you need anything—or let Bala know. I'll be back by afternoon," he said, concern flickering in his eyes.

"Don't worry, Anna. You take care of the office. I'll be safe at home. You've already deployed enough security."

"Seri maa. But I'll still come back soon," he reassured, standing up and patting her head.

"Okay," she nodded, watching him leave.

Meanwhile, at Lekha's House, Maya groaned as she sat up on the couch, cradling her throbbing head. The early morning light felt too sharp for her eyes, and her body ached from the night before.

Just then, the maid walked in, balancing a tray with lemon drinks and water. She set it down in front of the girls, who looked equally disoriented.

Maya reached for a glass and took a cautious sip. The tangy drink jolted her senses, slowly easing the fog in her mind.

"How did we come here?" she asked, still dazed and trying to piece together the night.

"Vivaan dropped us," Lekha said, rubbing her eyes. "He made sure we got home safe. Then he left."

Tina stretched and yawned. "Such a sweet boy. He's a really good man."

"Honestly," Lekha added, "if anyone else had been in his place, they might've taken advantage of us last night."

The girls exchanged a quiet glance—grateful, thoughtful, and just a little overwhelmed by how things had turned out.

"Thanks to you, Maya. Because you made peace with him, we got home safe," Tina said, lounging on the couch with a tired smile.
"We should hang out with him more."

"Yeah, he'll make sure we're safe," Lekha agreed, stretching her arms.

Maya stood up and grabbed her purse. "Anyway, I should leave now. See you later, bye."

Just as she headed for the door, the bell rang.

Vivaan stepped in, casual but alert. His eyes went straight to Maya.

"Hi Maya, are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, her gaze shifting away.

"Vivaan, thank you so much," Tina chimed in warmly.

He offered a gentle smile. "That's alright. You're my friend now. It's my duty to take care of you."

"So sweet of you, Vivaan," Lekha added, raising her drink in a mock toast.

Maya hesitated, then murmured quietly, "Thank you, Vivaan."

He glanced at her with a gentle expression. "Are you leaving now?"

"Yes," she said, keeping her gaze low.

"I brought your car back from the club," he offered casually. "Are you okay to drive, or should I take you?"

She shook her head. "No, thank you. I can manage."

"Alright then. Take care," he said, giving her one last look before turning toward the door. "Bye, Tina. Bye, Lekha."

Just as he reached for the doorknob, Tina called out brightly, "Vivaan! Maya! Join us on Saturday at the club!"

Vivaan turned back, flashing a quick, charming smile. "Sure."

Maya hesitated, her voice barely above a whisper. "I'll try..."

"No trying—you're joining us," Lekha chimed in playfully.

Maya managed a faint smile. "Fine. Bye for now."

"No trying—you're joining us," Lekha declared.

"Fine. Bye for now," Maya said, stepping out.

Back at Aryan's Suite,  Aryan's phone buzzed. The moment he saw her name, he picked up—just as Sanju answered on the first ring.

"Hi! How are you? Did you eat? How was your meeting? How's the climate there? Do you feel tired? Did you sleep well? Aryan—answer me!"

He laughed, the sound warm and full of love. "Hey, how do you expect me to answer when you're firing questions non-stop? One at a time, sweetheart! I'm fine. I'll eat now. The climate is good, the meeting went well. I slept fine and no tiredness."

"Are you teasing me?"

"Definitely not, my love. I'm just happy to hear your excitement—it shows how much you miss me."

"I miss you a lot," she whispered.

"I love you, sweetheart. So tell me, what did you do today?"

"Nothing much... It's boring without you. I spent some time in the garden, read books—but couldn't focus on anything."

"Just a few more days. Once I'm back, you won't be bored again."

"Once you're back, you'll be busy with office again. I still can't come to office, so I'll be bored anyway."

"Maybe I'll stay with you all day and work at night while you sleep," Aryan teased.

Sanju raised an eyebrow. "And when exactly will you sleep?"

He chuckled. "Let's flip the clock—make night our day and day our night," he said with a wink she could practically hear.

She blushed, instinctively turning her face away from the screen. "Aryan... you know my favourite purple nightshirt is missing."

"That one? How could it go missing? Are you sure you searched properly?"

"I turned the whole wardrobe upside down. It's gone."

"Don't worry, love. Once I'm back, we'll go shopping—you can pick out ten more."

"But it was special," she said with a pout in her voice.

He softened. "Then tell me what you want. I'll get it for you, no matter what."

"I want only Aryan," she whispered.

His grin widened. "Sweetheart, just hold on until Monday—then I'm all yours."

She sighed dramatically. "Monday feels like forever away."

"Hey now, don't pout! I can't even bite that cute little pout from here," he said playfully.

"Are you sure you'll be back only on Monday?"

"Yes, dear love. Promise. Now go to sleep. I'll call you first thing tomorrow. Good night—Aryan dreams!"

She smiled sleepily, hugging the shirt he'd left behind. "Good night—Sanju dreams," she whispered before drifting off into slumber.

Later That Night – Aryan's Call with Ranjith. Aryan sat by the window, the city lights flickering below as he answered the call. "Ranjith, any updates?"

"Yes," Ranjith replied. "Something important. Last night, Maya went to a nightclub. She ran into her ex—Vivaan. She got drunk with her friends, and he ended up dropping her at a friend's place. From the looks of it, he's trying to get close to her again."

Aryan's voice remained steady, unreadable. "Good."

"I've got photos—shots of them at the club and outside the apartment."

"Keep tracking them. I want to know where this is going."

"I've already assigned men to tail Vivaan. So far, nothing else. I'll update you the moment something shifts."

"Fine. Stay sharp," Aryan said coolly before hanging up, his expression unreadable as he stared into the night.

Meanwhile – At Vivaan's Apartment, Vivaan lounged on the couch, a glass of whiskey in hand, when his friend asked, "So... did you patch things up with Maya?"

He smirked, the expression slow and deliberate. "Not really. We're just friends now."

"Why now? What's changed?"

Vivaan's gaze darkened. "She left me for someone richer. More polished. She thought I wasn't enough. I want revenge, plain and simple. And I'll get it."

His friend raised an eyebrow. "What's the plan?"

"I haven't figured out the how. But first, I need her to trust me again. That's step one."

"So all this sweet-guy act is just a setup?"

"Obviously."

His friend let out a whistle, shaking his head. "Damn. Just be careful, man. That girl... she's trouble."

Vivaan's smile vanished, replaced by something colder. "Let me worry about that. Just keep your mouth shut."

As his friend nodded, Vivaan's thoughts turned inward, his jaw tightening.

Maya... you made the mistake of choosing someone else. Now, I'll make sure you regret every second of it.

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A/N:

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