Chapter 93: chapter 93

“You are making it up,” she whispered once again as they entered the venue and found other Shekhawats waiting. Virender, Jaidev, and Vandana approached them and the other two couples. Once all of them were were led to the stage, Imara whispered again, “Seriously, tell me you’re just pulling my leg.”“Why would I?” Adhiraj replied, fully aware that her disbelief was as strong as his when Virender first dropped this bombshell on him.“I’m not buying it,” she grumbled, her breath catching as he tightened his grip around her waist while they greeted the guests.“Come on! I know you believe me,” he shot back, gesturing at Avir Raghuvanshi, who had just made his grand entrance with his grandmother and an entourage of guards. Ever since his accident a few years back, his father, Janardhan Raghuvanshi, had insisted on turning him into a walking fortress. The poor guy had to endure the torture of a car inspection every single time he wanted to go anywhere, not to mention having a convoy that made him feel like he was the president. He squinted at the guards, who were glued to him like they were his shadow, following orders from the ever-watchful Senior Raghuvanshi.His irritation was palpable as he signaled the waiters to load up his guards with snacks, hoping to distract them long enough for him to sneak away for a breather. Finally free, he made his way to the stage and reached out to shake Adhiraj’s hand, probably thinking it was the only thing he could do without a security detail.“I am happy for you, man,” Avir grinned as he shook Adhiraj’s hand.Adhiraj gestured towards Imara. “This is my wife, Imara.” Avir responded with a ‘Namaste’. Imara returned the greeting, and then it was back to the serious business of discussing the two tenders that had everyone buzzing.“Which company bribed Yash for the tender?” Avir asked, his expressions turning grim for reasons best known to him.“There were quite a few contenders, to be honest. After Yash’s arrest, I haven’t really kept track of things. We’ve dealt with some pretty underhanded tactics even before. So it hardly mattered,” Adhiraj replied.At that moment, Imara’s gaze shifted to the main entrance, where Isha was leading Tara inside. Tara, sporting dark glasses and using a cane, walked closely beside Isha as they made their way to the stage.“Tara is here,” Imara murmured, prompting Adhiraj to focus on her. Avir followed suit, tilting his head in contemplation as he observed the girl, a frown of sympathy crossing his face.‘How cruel it was for someone to not be able to see?’ he thought.“Who is she?” Avir asked.“She is Tara, a lawyer by profession,” Adhiraj said before launching into details about the shared history of Isha and Tara and how Tara helped when Isha was in trouble.“She lost her sight in an accident?” Avir echoed, feeling a kind of kinship with this girl. He understood all too well how such tragedies could completely turn your life upside down.Adhiraj affirmed with a nod, and as Isha led Tara onto the stage, Avir felt an unusual flutter in his stomach. He instinctively took a step back. Somehow, he felt too bad for Tara and it was strange for him.“Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Shekhawat,” Tara greeted, her voice gentle, a stark contrast to her commanding presence in the courtroom.“Thank you, Tara,” both Adhiraj and Imara replied in unison.Avir, trying to dispel the odd feeling, retreated further, mocking himself. “I should probably excuse myself now, or my security team will storm the stage and take over your celebration.”Tara tensed at the sound of that voice leading Isha to assume it to be one of those anxiety attacks Tara got when she was in unknown places.“You want to step down?” Isha asked, her voice laced with worry.Tara nodded, unable to shake that voice from her head, praying it wasn’t him, praying she was hallucinating like she always used to.Both Avir and Tara descended from the stage, from different sides. Avir moved towards the senior Shekhawats, while Tara felt an intense stare piercing through her, making her skin crawl. Overwhelmed, she told Isha she wanted to leave. Neel joined them as they exited the venue. Once Tara was safely inside her car and left, Isha looked at Neel and said, “I feel bad for her, Neel. She had such beautiful eyes. Why is god so cruel to some people?”Neel wrapped his arm around Isha, pulling her close as they walked inside. “I wish I had the answers, Isha. But I know whatever happens, happens for good. Be positive, alright.”Inside the venue, Avir strolled over to his grandmother, who looked like a fish out of water at this gathering—seriously, where were all the other grandmas? She was struggling to join the chit-chat with Vandana, Suvika, and Vibha, who were almost half her age. But then, upon observing keenly, Avir noticed his grandmother’s eyes were glued to the entrance, or more specifically, to Tara, who had just left.“Shall we leave, baby?” Avir quipped, earning a round of giggles from the crowd and a fierce squint from his grandmother.“Must you call me that?” she huffed, clearly unimpressed, as he helped her up and waved goodbye to the others while they walked toward the gate.“Who were you looking at?” Avir couldn’t resist asking, curiosity piqued.His grandmother, Anuradha Raghuvanshi, shook her head almost immediately, insisting, “No one!”Avir shrugged it off; maybe he was just reading too much into it.—————On the other hand, every time Shaurya and Vidhi’s eyes locked, they both suddenly found the ceiling, floor, and even the nearest potted plant incredibly fascinating. Little did they know, their awkward glances were like a soap opera for Adhiraj’s grandfather and Vidhi’s father, Rajat Walia.Virender, with a teasing grin, sauntered over to Neel, who was too busy drooling over Isha as she chatted with Suvika, who was busy playing the role of the family tour guide.“Looks like your wedding bells are still on the distant horizon, Neel,” Virender teased, poking at his sore spot like a pro. Neel was well aware that Shaurya was dodging every marriage proposal, so he just nodded, casting a side-eye at his brother, mentally scheduling a heart-to-heart chat later.“Thanks for the wisdom, Uncle,” Neel grumbled, muttering some not-so-pleasant words under his breath.Virender chuckled like a cupid in a rom-com. “I can help,” he said, making Neel perk up like he just heard he could marry Isha right away.“How?” Neel asked, his curiosity piqued.“Just answer a few questions truthfully,” Virender said, confident he had Neel hooked like a fish on a line.“Shoot!” Neel replied, and thus began the epic saga of Shaurya and Vidhi’s love story, complete with dramatic music and a lot of eye-rolling.