"Bhai? " Akash called out to Arnav as soon as he entered his office, but he was met with a deadly glare from Arnav and Sahil shushing him as he pointed to a sleeping Lulu.

Akash apologized to Arnav upon seeing Lulu sleeping on his chest.

Arnav stood up and walked to the office's lounge, where he pressed a button on the couch, transforming it into a pull-up bed.

He laid down a sleeping Lulu and kissed her forehead; she smiled in her sleep, making Arnav laugh while Akash admired them.

He turned to Akash, his smile faltering as he approached him.

"You appear to have forgotten your manners?" Arnav reprimanded Akash making Sahil chuckle as Akash apologized. "What exactly do you want?"

"Shashi came here to see Khushi." Arnav was surprised by Akash's response. "Bhai, I have a bad feeling this is not going to end well." Akash admitted making Arnav frown.

"Why so?" he inquired.

"Khushi bhabhi has been here for over five weeks and has not once visited Shashi, who has stood by and loved her, and seeing the new her, I am not sure if their meeting will go down well."

Arnav realised Akash was correct and asked him and Sahil to accompany him.

"Khushi, please do not do anything stupid." Arnav pondered as they walked to her office, but what they heard shocked them to their core.

"Preeto, my bag. " Preeto seemed perplexed, but she followed the instructions.

Khushi pulled out her checkbook, wrote something on it, and handed it to the perplexed Shashi.

"Write whatever amount you want on the check......" It is recompense for your love and hospitality over the years I spent with you and my so-called aunt."

Khushi explained calmly and handed him the cheque, but he refused, which irritated Khushi, so she grabbed his hand and slammed the cheque into it before walking away, leaving the entire Gupta and Raizada family stunned.

Shashi appeared devastated as he watched his once-angelic daughter become cold.

"What in the hell is wrong with you, Khushi?" Preeto yelled at Khushi, who responded dismissively.

Was her best friend so broken that she would hurt the only person who had loved her unconditionally and protected her from a vicious Buaji and enabler Garima?

"Look, Mr. Shashi Gupta, I thank you for everything you have done, but I think we should end this...... The check represents payment for everything you have done for me." Khushi exclaimed in the coldest tone imaginable.

"My love for you is not for sale." Shashi responded sadly, and everyone sensed the pain in his voice.

He approached Khushi, held her hand, and placed the check in it.

He picked up the bag he had brought and handed it to Khushi, who accepted it and walked away, his eyes shimmering with unshed tears.

Arnav and Akash, who saw his expression, knew he was doing everything in his power not to cry.

They turned to Khushi, who opened the bag and took out a parcel containing her favorite sweet and a card saying.

"I am really proud of you."

Khushi's eyes shone as she saw this, and she swallowed her vulnerability and returned the items to the bag.

"What's wrong with Khushi?I do not believe Shashi hid the truth from you out of malice. "Preeto justified making Khushi glare at her.

"Really, Preeto..... You believe that what he did was not malicious?........ He took advantage of my dissociative amnesia and lied, claiming that my parents had died in an accident when everything was a lie........ He saw me give the women who murdered my parents special titles and respect which they don't deserve ...... Now I realize he took me in because of his quilt, not because he loved me like I thought........ He does not deserve me... He is just like everyone else who has hurt me and I want nothing to do with him." Khushi sobbed as she walked into her office, leaving a depressed Preeto watching the closed door.

Preeto sighed and turned but after a few steps, she halted only to find Arnav,Sahil and Akash staring sadly at her and she immediately realised they heard everything.

"Preeto, please can we talk? " Arnav begged, but Preeto glared at him and walked away, leaving Sahil to hold her wrist and beg her.

Preeto nodded, and they all entered the conference room just a few meters from the offices.

"Preeto, why did Khushi claim that Garima and Buaji murdered her parents?"....... I thought they died in an accident? " Akash inquired, confused.

"Khushi's parents were killed, but it was staged to appear as an accident........ Garima and Buaji borrowed millions of rupees from a dangerous gangster to start their own business, but it failed miserably, and they did not tell anyone until the loan sharks kidnapped Shashi and beat him up as a warning to pay him back........ Maximo Jnr had them arrested, which is how the truth about them borrowing money came to light...... The arrest revealed that the gangster and his gang were running money laundering and Ponzi schemes, so the police shut down their operations and froze all of their assets.... They blamed Maximo Jr. for the incident and targeted him...... Khushi and her parents were on their way home from a family outing when the goons chased them and drove them into a ravine...... The goons were arrested and sentenced to death, but Shashi was concerned that their business partners would retaliate, so they relocated from Ooty to Lucknow." Preeto explained, and the men were stunned by the revelation, but they understood Khushi.

"So, how did she find out about all this?" Sahil questioned.

"After Maximo Snr's death, Khushi was going through his belongings and discovered the complete report on Khushi's parents' deaths..... It broke Khushi, and with the assistance of a psychologist, she remembered that day...... Since then, she had detested Shashi for not telling her the truth. "Preeto opened up.

"That is why she did not pay Shashi a visit after you returned." Arnav exclaimed as the realization kicked in, and Preeto nodded.

"Well, I do not blame her." Sahil exclaimed, causing Preeto to glare at him, but she was also surprised by Akash and Arnav's expressions, which indicated that they agreed with Sahil.

"You three can not seriously believe Khushi is right in what she did?" Preeto lashed out in rage.

"She is right about her feelings, even if her delivery was wrong." Arnav came to the defense.

"Bhai is correct." Akash supported. " Because of how everything went down, Khushi bhabhi is correct to misunderstand Shashi's love for her. We all know Shashi's love for Khushi is genuine and real, but that does not negate the fact that he concealed it from Khushi in order to protect her.

"Sometimes we make our own decisions about how to protect those we care about, and it ends up backfiring and causing more harm." Arnav spoke as he recalled how his rash decision to protect Khushi caused him to lose her.

Akash and Sahil understood why he was lost, as did Preeto, but she pretended to be confused.

"I need to distract her, and I know exactly what to do." Arnav smiled as Akash and Sahil nodded, trusting him.

"You had better not do anything stupid." Preeto lectured.

"No, I will not." Arnav countered.

They went back to their respective work as Arnav put his plan into actions.

Meanwhile, Anjali was furious about her arrest, and Siddharth did not seem to care, while Shruti was constantly taunting her.

Mami was of no help because she was crying because Manohar had announced his arrival and informed Mami's family that he was calling to end their marriage.

Nani has also turned a blind eye to Shruti's verbal abuse.

Worse, Sheetal was always rooting for her against Siddharth, and her family avoided her like the plague, even calling her a liar and telling Anjali to stay away from her.

Her phone interrupted her reverie, and she was stunned to see the message.

"You must confess your crimes or I will."

Anjali screamed and dropped her phone, luckily for her, she was alone in her room.

She began hyperventilating, trying to figure out who was blackmailing her.

She picked up the phone and dialed the number, but it was switched off, which frustrated her.

"There is only one way to find out who this blackmailer is...... Only a private detective can help me, but I do not have the funds to hire one." Anjali exclaimed in frustration as she sat on her bed, but it did not last long because she had an idea.

"Payal!Payal has a lot of expensive jewelry that is also extremely valuable. At least two pieces will provide me with the necessary funds...... I will pawn them for the time being until the house is ready and I can get my jewelry back..... If Arnav, Akash, and Mamu had not cut us off financially, Mami and Nani would not have sold all of their jewelry to support their and my expensive lifestyle...... Sorry, Payal, you will have to let go of a few of yours for the time being." Anjali smirked as she formulated her plan.

Payal, Anjali's blackmailer, had set up hidden cameras in her room to humiliate her in anticipation of her theft attempt.

She knew Mami and Nani had no more valuables that could fetch Anjali the money she needed for a private detective, and Siddharth had locked all of the family jewelry in a safety deposit box, which Anjali could not access.

"You have fallen right into my trap; either confess how you became pregnant or prepare to be labeled a thief for life.

Flashback.

It had been a few days since Payal returned to the Raizada mansion, and she awoke in the middle of the night thirsty.

She went to the kitchen, but stopped and hid behind a pillar when she heard Mami scream.

She peered behind the pillar and saw Anjali covering Mami's mouth while glaring at her.

"Mami, please stop screaming." Anjali murmured as she let go of Mami's mouth.

"Anjali, what if Siddharth discovers you drugged him and slept with him to become pregnant...... Anjali, he is a smart man, and he will discover you were not drunk as you led him to believe." Mami expressed concern, and Anjali chuckled.

"Mami, I ensured that the CCTV from the parking lot where we had sex was destroyed...... The money I gave the security is sufficient to last them a lifetime."

Payal, who was stunned, noticed Mami relax after hearing Anjali's confession.

"Since I saw him at the office and went to apply for a job, I knew I wanted him back, which is why I asked the recruiter to make me his personal assistant...... I planned it all." Mami nudged Anjali, and she laughed.

Payal felt sick to her stomach but cursed herself for not bringing her phone to record, so she let it go because she had better things to do than pursue her.

Flashback ends.

"If I had known Siddharth was a good man trapped by you, I would have saved him, but it is too late because it will be my word against yours, and there is no guarantee he will find evidence against you..... But I will not let you go unpunished for what you did to my daughter." Payal pondered while sitting in her new office.

A few hours later, Lulu sat in the backseat of Arnav's Lexus, beaming with joy at the prospect of her parents going out together.

Khushi looked at her in the front view mirror, and all of her reservations about their outing vanished.

Arnav smiled when he noticed Khushi smiling.

When they arrived at the petting zoo that Lulu had requested, she immediately began playing with the animals.

To protect Khushi and Lulu's privacy, Arnav disguised himself with a cap and black aviators.

Khushi, who suspected Arnav was behind them on this outing, decided to teach him a lesson, so she suggested the petting zoo because she knew the great ASR was afraid of any flying animal, particularly chickens.

She smirked, having come up with the perfect idea, as she approached Arnav, who was photographing Lulu.

"Lulu baby? "

"Yes Mama. " Lulu responded enthusiastically, but Arnav noticed the mischievous grin and innocent expression on her face and knew she was up to something.

"Won't it be nice of your papa caught one of the chickens over there for you. " Khushi exclaimed innocently, batting her lashes at the stunned Arnav.

He immediately realized Khushi was setting him up because she knew he was afraid of chickens, but seeing Lulu beaming with joy, he could not bring himself to break his little princess's heart, so he nervously nodded and entered the pen.

Lulu pointed to the chicken she wanted to pet, and Arnav awkwardly began chasing the chicken, which dodged him at every opportunity.

Khushi seized the opportunity and purposefully dropped her phone in the pen, causing all the chickens to fly around towards Arnav, who began squealing like a girl for help.

The attendants and parents, as well as some of the children, were taken aback by what happened, particularly seeing the great ASR in such a setting, but they were in for even more shock when they saw what happened next.

A little girl was laughing hysterically, clutching her tummy.

"Lulu not funny. " Arnav exclaimed as the chickens settled down and walked away.

"It is Papa...... You are really funny. " Lulu laughed as Khushi looked at him with a mischievous grin on her lips.

"Oh my god, Arnav, are you alright?" Khushi exclaimed innocently as she entered the pen, and Lulu followed her, still giggling, noticing her father's disheveled appearance with feathers in his hair as he glared at her in defense mode.

The audience stood godsmack not only at seeing Arnav in such a place but a little girl calling him papa.

"Papa, are you okay? " Lulu asked and Arnav nodded and started straightening himself up and they moved out for the pen.

The rest of the day, the trio played, eat and later on went to pick Kiki up from school and she also joined Khushi and Lulu as they hysterically laughed at Arnav's predicament.

He smiled watching Khushi and the girls at the back laughing and teasing him and this warmed his heart to see his girls looking so happy even if it was something embarrassing about him.

A drunk man barged into a run-down apartment on Delhi's outskirts.

"I can not do this any longer..... "We need to act quickly." The drunk middle-aged man exclaimed as he gulped down his cheap alcohol.

The person he was speaking with became enraged and slapped him, knocking him to the ground and causing him to glare at the person.

"You are as useless as your son, who is now digested in the stomachs of crocodiles...... He only had one job and failed, just like you."

He burst into tears as he remembered his son, who died the most horrific death.

"I want revenge. I want the blood of Arnav Singh Raizada and Anjali Kapoor." The drunk man cried, clutching the person's leg, while the person smirked, staring down at him.

"Soon my dear........ Soon. "

To be continued.

Precap: Khushi exposes Anjali.

See you all on Thursday.

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