ADHURI KAHANI: A tale of an amnesic bond

26. GONE CASE

ISHAAN'S POV

When you set out to do something wrong and it backfires, what do you call it? Is it the other person's luck or your own fate? I tried to teach both Shivyansh and Raaj a lesson for meddling in my business, but it seems like the universe had other plans.

And both plans failed spectacularly. First, because the girl Raaj was with turned out to be Inaaya—there's no way I'm publishing those photos. The second plan with Shivyansh, which I initially thought was a success, wasn't quite what I expected. Sure, he got publicly humiliated, but the outcome wasn't what I had in mind. Tanvi felt bad for him and decided to give their marriage another shot. They're planning to marry again, this time in India, although I can't believe it's true. But honestly, I'm not interested in digging deeper into it. Their first marriage was in the USA, and now they're bringing it back home.

The bride and groom are getting ready. When I met Shivyansh, there was a smug smile on his face the moment he saw me. I wanted to wipe that grin off with a punch, but I held myself back. An injured groom wouldn't look good in the wedding photos.

Finally, he's getting married after running around for so many months. I can hardly remember when he first came to India after Tanvi. The man went ballistic when he found out Tanvi was divorcing him—he was, and still is, so deeply in love. But I get where Tanvi was coming from too. She didn't feel seen or respected in that relationship, and she had every right to want to leave. But now, everything's settled. And even though I'd rather die than admit this to him, I'm actually happy they got back together, no matter the reasons.

I walked over to the beverage section to grab something to drink. I decided against alcohol—I didn't want to be that person who gets drunk at their friend's wedding before the ceremony even begins.

"Fruit tea, one" I said to the person preparing the drink.

As I glanced around, I noticed how the venue was adorned with various types of lighting, creating a magical atmosphere. The open space was illuminated everywhere, with lights even decorating the plants, making them shine. Despite the venue's grand size, there were only a few people present, keeping the event minimal and intimate.

The server handed me my drink, and I immediately took a sip. Fruit tea—my favorite. I used to be a big fan of regular tea, but after it led to a few unfortunate incidents of loose motion, I switched to fruit tea. It doesn't quite replicate the taste of traditional tea, but it's grown on me, becoming my go-to choice. But how did Inaaya know it was my favorite? I remember thinking about trying something new that day, but she somehow knew to get me fruit tea instead. I wonder what she's up to right now—maybe she's already had dinner.

 Something is definitely off with me. Whenever she's out of sight, I find myself wondering what she's up to, and oddly enough, it brings me a sense of peace and contentment. I can't explain why. When she's in the office, my eyes instinctively seek her out in her cabin. Now that I can see into her room through the glass wall—installed with an extra day's delay, which, honestly, I'm not complaining about—it's harder than ever to concentrate on my work. Most of the time, she's either taking notes or deeply focused on her computer screen, and it's becoming increasingly difficult to stay focused on my own tasks.

"Are you checking out girls?"

I recognize the voice immediately.

"Raaj, not everyone is like you," I replied with a bored tone.

"Of course not everyone is like me. But everyone likes me," he laughed.

Gosh. I took a deep breath, shook my head, and refrained from responding, knowing there was no point in arguing with him.