I stood beside Aaru with a calm, satisfied smile on my face. Meanwhile, Nishtha looked like she was about to collapse.
She had always planned to finish college first and then introduce her boyfriend to the family. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine that day would come so soon, and in such a humiliating way.
Nishtha was usually a confident and slightly arrogant girl, but right now, all her confidence had deserted her. She wanted to say that Ajay was indeed her boyfriend, but when she saw the angry and disappointed faces of her family members, her courage failed her.
She remained silent for a long moment, her eyes darting around the room. She wasn't afraid of anyone… except one person — her uncle, Sehdev Tiwari. The man who trusted her more than his own children.
If she admitted the truth, she would lose his trust forever. If she denied it, she had no idea what Arisudan would do next.
Just as these thoughts were swirling in her mind, her aunt Vansikha walked up to her, placed her hands on Nishtha's shoulders, and whispered softly,
"Beta, just say it's a lie."
Nishtha couldn't meet her eyes. After gathering whatever courage she had left, she spoke in a broken, trembling voice:
"Ajay… is my boyfriend."
The moment those words left her mouth, the room erupted.
Some family members who already disliked Nishtha were secretly happy. Others looked sad for her. But Sehdev Tiwari looked like he had been struck by lightning. He couldn't believe what he had just heard.
He slowly sat back down on the sofa, his face filled with disappointment and pain. Looking at my father, Vaibhav Mittal, he folded his hands and bowed his head.
"Mittal ji… please forgive me."
The man who never bowed his head in front of anyone was doing so today — only because he loved Nishtha more than his own life.
Seeing Sehdev like this, tears welled up in Vansikha's eyes.
Vaibhav Mittal sighed and said politely, "Tiwari ji, I think we should leave now."
He was about to signal everyone to go when his secretary leaned forward and whispered,
"Sir… what about the contract?"
The contract.
Sehdev's company had been running at a loss for months. If things continued this way, bankruptcy was inevitable. Sehdev was well-known in Uttar Pradesh, but raising the kind of funding he needed wasn't easy here. That's why he had approached several investors — including my father, Vaibhav Mittal, a tech giant from Bangalore who was looking to expand his business with a new factory in Uttar Pradesh.
Their first meeting had happened in Vaibhav's luxurious Bangalore office.
Vaibhav was sitting in his chair, enjoying his coffee, when the door opened. Sehdev Tiwari walked in with both his daughters — Aaru and Nishtha.
Vaibhav stood up with a warm smile and shook hands with Sehdev. His eyes then naturally drifted to the two girls standing beside him.
Sehdev understood the look and introduced them.
"This is my elder daughter, Aaru Tiwari. She works as a finance manager in my company." He gestured to the other side. "And this is my younger daughter, Nishtha Tiwari. She is currently in her third year of college."
Vaibhav gave both girls a warm smile and asked them to sit. After that, he and Sehdev stepped out for a walk and began discussing business.
Vaibhav had no intention of talking for long. He wanted to state his terms and leave. But Sehdev's words left such a strong impression on him that an hour passed without them noticing.
When Vaibhav finally glanced at his Rolex watch, he was surprised. He had never spent so much time with any potential partner before.
Sehdev's character impressed him deeply. If the father was this upright and cultured, then his daughters must be even better. That day, Vaibhav decided that this alliance could be more than just business.
During lunch, Vaibhav praised Sehdev a lot. Then, suddenly, he said,
"Mr. Sehdev Tiwari, I don't want us to remain only business partners."
Sehdev looked at him curiously. Vaibhav continued with a smile,
"Why don't we become family partners instead? My son is still in college and I worry about him going astray. If one of your daughters becomes my daughter-in-law, she might help straighten him out."
A big smile appeared on Sehdev's face. "I would be very happy too."
All three of them — Vaibhav, Sehdev, and Aaru — were smiling brightly.
But Nishtha wasn't.
She suddenly lost her appetite and sat there lost in thought. She loved her boyfriend deeply and was desperately trying to find a way to escape this situation.
Aaru, who was eating calmly, noticed Nishtha's frozen expression and whispered, "Nishtha, what's wrong?"
Nishtha didn't reply. She was too busy thinking.
Then Aaru gently placed her foot over Nishtha's under the table. Nishtha snapped out of her thoughts and looked at her sister. For a moment, a strange idea crossed her mind — What if Aaru gets married instead? Then I'll be saved.
But she quickly dismissed it. Aaru was already 30 and had zero interest in marriage. And Vaibhav's son was probably only 20-22 years old.
Nishtha sank back into her thoughts.
Aaru eventually ignored her and continued eating.
Later, after Sehdev and his daughters left, Vaibhav's secretary asked hesitantly,
"Sir, do you really want to give them such a huge funding?"
Vaibhav smiled and replied, "Don't overthink it. He's a good man. And if we don't just become business partners but family… there won't be any problem."
"But Sir, 700 crores is a very big amount. Please think again."
Vaibhav leaned back with full confidence and said,
"I have already thought about everything."
Back to present...
The hall was dead silent after Nishtha's confession.
Suddenly, a series of system notifications started ringing inside my head one after another.
[Ding! Host received +2000 Nio Points — For humiliating Nishtha in front of her entire family] [Ding! Host received +200 Nio Points — Nishtha's family is feeling intense shame] [Ding! Host received +200 Nio Points — Nishtha's family is feeling intense shame] [Ding! Host received +200 Nio Points — Nishtha's family is feeling intense shame] ... [Ding! Host received +500 Nio Points — Sehdev Tiwari has lost his trust in Nishtha]
A small, cold smile crept onto my lips as I stood beside Aaru. I was thoroughly enjoying the nonstop flood of points. This feels way too good.
While I was busy watching the points rack up, my ears caught the word "contract" from behind.
I turned my head slightly and looked at my father's secretary, who was standing quietly. My curiosity instantly spiked. Contract? What contract?
Before I could think further, my father, Vaibhav Mittal, looked at Sehdev Tiwari and said politely,
"Mr. Sehdev, we will discuss the contract some other time."
He then gestured toward me, signaling that it was time to leave.
I was already getting bored of this drama and wanted to get out of here quickly. But the moment I heard the word "contract," my interest was piqued. I really wanted to know what kind of deal was going on between our families.
I started walking toward my father when suddenly, someone grabbed my wrist.
Aaru Tiwari had caught my hand tightly, stopping me in my tracks.
Her grip was firm, and her voice came out low but sharp as she said,
"You can't just leave like this!"
The entire hall turned silent once again. All eyes were now on Aaru and me.
I slowly turned my head and looked at her beautiful face. She was staring at me with an unreadable expression — a mix of anger, desperation, and something else I couldn't quite figure out.
A small smirk formed on my lips as I looked straight into her eyes.
Interesting…
To be continued…