Dusk till Dawn.[ON HOLD]

Chapter 12. Golden games.

Aahana not for once shied away from being at the center of everyone's attention. Being exceptionally best at whatever she did, it was given to be noticed by all eyes. Apart from being Rudra Bedi's daughter people mostly acknowledged her for being Aahana. Her present last name or any that would be fortunate to associate with her in the future was not important.

Because lucky were the ones beside whom she stood, not the other way around.

Her uncanny confidence was the prominent shine that enhanced her bold and strong bearing and was also an asset to her admirers. Her refined poise instinctively attracted everyone to her like sweet nectar attracting the buzzing bee. Females of her age were acutely jealous of the way she carried herself while the men were divided in two categories.

One foolish set wanted to control her arrogance, put a leash on her and finally flaunt her as a beautiful trophy. The other deranged lot wished to have her beside them as theirs because which brainless power hungry jerk didn't need a woman who was an enchantress as well as a cash-machine.

On days where her father's elite friends were in touching vicinity she wished for the earth to spilt open and swallow her in its depths. And today too, even though it was her birthday party, she chose to stay in the shadows than the spotlight.

The cake cutting was done and instead of being unfaithfully grateful for the false love showered upon her, she had picked a secluded table in the dimly lit corner of the garden and was languidly sipping on her sparkling drink.

She was not a fan of high-end shimmery gowns, outlandishly sparkling jewelry and sweet talks dipped in untamed envy. Regrettably those were the only ones she was surrounded with at this moment and that had her exhale a long weary sigh.

What would she not give to be in the arms of the man she loved, safe from all the lustful gaze and venomous motives?

As luck would have it, her eyes zeroed on her father. He looked revoltingly proud of all the praises being sent his way. Seeing him enjoy the absurd situation made her roll her eyes with boredom.

Over the years Aahana had made peace with the fact that Rudra loved to boost about everything he had accomplished over the years. The influence of achieving success singlehandedly had turned him into an irritatingly self assertive man. Unfortunately the difficulties of his life had made him boisterously arrogant and not humble.

To maintain her sanity she quickly ignored his existence and let her eyes wander around. She caught a glimpse of her mother. Falguni sat with her friends having a nice chat and also managing the party by coordinating with everyone who came to her for last minute instructions. Seems like her mother was genuinely enjoying the night unlike her. But then she merrily chuckled when she saw how bored Mrs. Bakshi looked.

Niharika never appreciated letting people know much about her. She said and followed the idea of 'privacy is power.' The next biggest no of her life was interacting with others that didn't concern her. Only heavens knew how she managed to sustain in a profession full of individuals loving to poke their butts into other's business.

Picking up the glass for a refill, Aahana roamed her eyes in search of a waiter. In her attempt to spot one her uninterested attention was diverted to Sahil standing with a group of men of his age. Seeing them she could point out what the topic of discussion was and it made her want to throw up her hands in air to show so done she was with everyone and this clusterfuck of an evening.

"Why did you choose army over the family business?" Questioned many loudmouths, trying to satiate their never ending and good for nothing curiosity.

Their circle of friends and family comprised of the ones who ran after money and only money. So those greed hungry reptiles knew nothing about dreams and ambitions. Hence expecting them to understand why Sahil did what he did was like pouring water in a bottomless vessel.