A Bargain Made with Frosting

Ch. 33. Intoxicated Intentions

The air crackled with tension as Rohit and Natasha approached Annika. Natasha, her smile sugary sweet but laced with an undercurrent of malice, feigned concern. "Annika where's Shivay? Did he abandon you after securing his precious deal?"

Annika, wary of Natasha's sudden friendliness, offered a polite but guarded smile. "Why would he leave me? He just received an important call. Besides, our personal matters are none of your concern."

Natasha, unfazed by the rebuff, continued, her voice dripping with veiled jealousy. "Oh, I was simply curious, dear. You see, this is the first time I've seen Shivay interact with a woman besides myself. In the past, his eyes only held me."

Annika remained guarded, offering a polite smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. Meanwhile, seizing his chance, Rohit made a subtle move. With a practiced sleight of hand, he swapped Annika's untouched drink with a potent cocktail he'd procured earlier. Completely engrossed in the conversation with Natasha, Annika remained oblivious to the switch.

Unaware of the danger lurking in her glass, Annika took a generous sip, the strong liquor sending a warm spark down her throat. As the conversation continued, she continued to drink, the alcohol slowly weaving its intoxicating web. Soon, her laughter became more frequent and uncontrolled, her speech slurred and laced with a carefree giddiness.

Suddenly, with a practiced clumsiness, Rohit reached across the table, knocking over his glass "accidentally." The beverage sloshed over, drenching a portion of Annika's dress.

"Oh dear, how clumsy of me!" Rohit exclaimed, his voice dripping with mock concern.

Natasha, seizing the opportunity, chimed in with feigned concern. "Oh my, look at your dress! You absolutely need to change. Come with me, I know a shortcut to the washrooms." She took Annika's arm, ushering a intoxicated Annika away from the main area of the party.

Rohit and Natasha exchanged a sly glance, their plan set in motion. Rohit discreetly made his way towards a room he'd previously booked, his intentions clear. Their goal was to manipulate the situation, create a compromising scene between Annika and Rohit for Shivay to witness. They believed, with absolute certainty, that Shivay would react just like he had with Natasha in the past – by walking away.

Natasha's role was to lure Annika to this room under the pretense of changing areas. She would then convince Annika to remove her dress, creating the perfect opportunity for Rohit's entrance.  Following this, Natasha planned to send a cryptic message to Shivay, luring him to room number 675 to witness his wife's "true colors."

However, their meticulously crafted plan encountered a critical snag – Annika vanished. While being led to the room, Annika, fueled by the alcohol's effect, insisted on using the washroom first.  Natasha, overwhelmed by handling the increasingly inebriated Annika, reluctantly agreed.

Annika stumbled into a stall, the dizziness making it difficult to maintain her balance. As fate would have it, Natasha's phone rang just then. Stepping outside to answer, she left Annika alone for a crucial moment.

This unexpected turn of events presented Annika with a chance. Taking advantage of Natasha's momentary absence, she cracked the stall door open a sliver, peering out to find the hallway empty. With a surge of drunken determination, she slipped out unseen, slinking away in the opposite direction from Natasha.

Unaware of Annika's escape, Natasha finished her call and returned to the stall, expecting to find Annika inside.  Two minutes passed, then three. Silence.  Panic prickled at Natasha's skin. She rattled the stall door, calling out to Annika, but there was no response.  Flinging open the door, she found the cubicle empty.  Annika had vanished.

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Relief washed over Shivay as he ended the call. He tucked his phone away, a satisfied smile playing on his lips. Returning to the table, his heart skipped a beat. The seat next to him was empty. Annika's plate remained untouched, a single overturned glass beside it. Panic surged through him, replacing the warmth of his successful call.

His gaze darted around the room, frantically searching for his wife. Had she gone to the restroom? Or perhaps decided to mingle with the other guests? He scanned the faces around him, a cold knot forming in his stomach as he found no sign of Annika. "Annika?" he called out, his voice cracking with a mixture of urgency and fear.

The festive atmosphere of the party seemed to mock his growing desperation. No one seemed to have noticed his wife's disappearance. Shivay's heart hammered against his ribs as he began a frantic search. He pushed through the crowd, weaving between tables and chattering guests, his eyes searching for a flash of Annika's familiar outfit.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, Natasha was having her own meltdown. Annika's sudden disappearance had thrown their meticulously planned scheme into chaos.  She frantically dialed Rohit's number, her voice trembling.

"Rohit," she gasped, "there's a problem. Annika's gone!"

Rohit, lounging in the pre-booked room, cursed under his breath. This wasn't part of the plan. "What do you mean she's gone?" he demanded, his voice laced with a mixture of annoyance and frustration.

Natasha explained the situation, her voice rising with each word. "She… she just disappeared from the washroom. I swear I didn't take my eyes off her for a second!"

The weight of their failed plan settled heavily on Rohit. "We need to find her," he said grimly. "And fast. Before Shivay notices."

They hung up, a shared sense of urgency fueling their movements. Natasha retraced her steps back to the washroom, a sinking feeling growing in her stomach.  Rohit abandoned his staged scene in the room and joined the growing wave of people searching for Annika.

As Shivay continued his frantic search, his steps led him outside to the sprawling garden.  The cool night air brushed against his face, offering a momentary respite from the suffocating panic.  Suddenly, a sound drifted through the air – a woman's laughter, light and carefree.

His gaze fell on a solitary figure sitting on a bench, bathed in the soft glow of a nearby lamp. It was Annika, her head thrown back, her eyes sparkling with a carefree joy. Her hair was a mess, a single strap of her dress hanging loose, revealing a glimpse of creamy white shoulder. But it was the unguarded smile on her face that truly stole his breath away.

He approached her cautiously, his voice a husky whisper. "Annika?"