𝐘𝐞𝐡 𝐇𝐚𝐢 𝐀𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞

Ayan and his mom

Abhi swallowed hard, glancing nervously at the closed door behind them. "We're so screwed," he muttered under his breath.

"Forget us," Malika shot back, her voice tight with urgency. "Ayan is so screwed—so is Arohi if mom sees"

Abhi nodded grimly, but before they could take another step, they froze. Standing just a few feet away, Monica's ever-loyal minion, Devangi, was watching them with an all-too-familiar smile.

"Hi! Hi, Diva!" Malika greeted quickly her tone overly cheerful as she plastered on a forced smile.

Devangi's expression didn't waver, her sharp eyes flitting between Malika and Abhi like she was reading a script they didn't even know they were performing. "Well, well," she said, her tone silky and smug. "I didn't expect to run into you here of all places. Is everything alright?"

"Of course, Devangi Aunty," Malika replied, stepping in with a smoothness honed from years of dealing with situations like this. "ugh! dont call me that word aunty"  Malika smiles 

 Devangi's gaze lingered for a moment on the closed door, her curiosity unmistakable. "And Ayan? How is he? You know Sarah always asks about him, she is so worried of him being a mafia boss is not easy"

Malika fought to keep her smile intact, even as her insides twisted. "Ayan's doing well, Aunty. Busy as usual. You know how dedicated he is to his work."

"Ah, yes, always so busy," Devangi replied, her tone faintly mocking. "But you know, Malika, family is what matters most. Monica was just saying how we need to focus on planning Sarah and Ayan's future. Sarah is such a lovely girl, and so fond of him."

Abhi couldn't resist muttering under his breath, "Haan OfCourse, I'm sure she is in his money" Malika jabbed him in the ribs, shooting him a glare to shut him up.

"That's wonderful to hear, Aunty," Malika said smoothly, her voice calm despite the tension bubbling under the surface. "But you know Ayan—he's focused on his work for now. He'll take those steps when the time is right."

Devangi's smile tightened, but the glint in her eyes sharpened. "Of course. But don't wait too long, you should talk with him i know he listens to you and Monica has big plans, and you know how she likes things done... her way."

With that, Devangi turned and sauntered away, her heels clicking against the floor, both Malika and Abhi let out a deep, relieved sigh, barely holding back their laughter at how ridiculous the conversation had become.

But just as they were about to relax, Devangi's voice sliced through the air again. "Oh, mein toh bhool gayi! Ayan ka ward kaha hai?" she called back, her hands dramatically pressing to her cheeks in exaggerated shock. "OH MY BABY WAS SO WORRIED when Monica told us about what happened! What happened?"

Malika and Abhi froze, their eyes widening. Malika's brain raced, and before Abhi could speak, Devangi cut herself off mid-sentence and suddenly switched to a new topic, her voice taking on a sweet, sugary tone. "Oh,baby, I remembered!" she chirped. "Sarah did sooo good on that runway, you know? that walk was *chief  kiss* Her hips don't lie!"

Malika bit her lip to stop herself from laughing. "What hips?!" she thought to herself, but outwardly she just nodded with a stiff smile.

"Uff, my baby did so good, you know?" Devangi continued, clearly oblivious to the fact that Sarah's runway walk was more like a nervous shuffle. "Malika, you should've been there—you would've been so proud to see the future star! Her walk was flawless! I mean, flawless, you know? Like a supermodel like Naomi, shalom, Yasmeen yeassss"

Malika had to swallow down her sarcasm, feeling the urge to run in the opposite direction. "Oh, hehe, good, good," she muttered, barely holding back her cringe.