Chapter 2: Target

Aditya turned around at once and barged into his room. He didn't want to watch this celebration of his loss.

On the other hand, Miral looked toward the Shekhawat mansion.

"You know that's a big ass bungalow behind these huge walls. You won't be able to see anyone," Naveen poked.

"I know that, Nav. I just wonder, the family must be boiling in humiliation hearing the noises of their loss," Miral muttered.

"That, without a doubt is true. I wish we could see the lost colours of their faces," Naveen added.

"Nope. I don't even look at losers," Miral winked.

"Miral Chandravanshi and her attitude," Naveen teased her, making her chuckle.

Miral knew who her opponents were, she remembered their faces, but she never let herself be bothered by them because she never considered them equal to her.

On the other hand, as the noises started to fade away slowly, Aditya picked up his phone and dialled a number, and waited for the receiver to pick up the call.

"Hello, Tarun!"

As soon as the receiver, his best friend picked up the call, Aditya muttered.

"Adi! Are you okay? Your voice doesn't sound alright," Tarun muttered.

"Fuck my voice right now. Do one thing, I want to know everything about someone. So put your puppets to use," Aditya responded in a desperate tone.

"Okay. Tell me the name," Tarun responded.

"Miral Chandravanshi!" Aditya announced.

"What? Adi, are you mad? Do you even know who she is?" Tarun snapped.

"That's the point. I want to know who she is. I want to know everything about her. From her dress size to every big and little thing she has pulled out to this date. I want to know her virginity status, about her exes and her present relationships. I want to know those deepest darkest secrets about her, that only she would know. I want to know about her strongest and weakest links," he spoke.

"Adi? Are you okay?" Tarun's voice sounded really concerned. He wondered what Aditya was up to, but he couldn't figure it out.

"I will be okay if you get done with the task I have assigned you as soon as possible," Aditya growled.

"Fine! How long do I have?" Train responded in a disappointed tone.

"Two days at maximum. I want all the information before Raghuveer Chandravanshi takes part in the oath-taking ceremony," Aditya spoke.

"What the fuck are you planning, Adi?" Tarun's voice sounded really pissed off this time.

"Something that might make my father hate me a little less," he replied in a monotone.

Tarun went silent. He understood Aditya won't reveal his intentions, but he hoped that Aditya won't do anything wrong too. 

"Fine! You will get your information in a day or two. Till then, take care of yourself," Tarun muttered.

"Don't behave like my dead mother," Aditya scoffed and hung up the call.

After getting done with the call, Aditya threw his phone on the bed and looked towards the balcony. He had an evil smirk carved on his lips.

"Miral Chandravanshi. Enjoy the happiest days of your life to the fullest, because soon, I am going to turn your life upside down, and won't even give you the time to cry about it," he gritted.

The same day,

At Evening

"What is this?" Miral screamed at the top of her voice.

Hearing Miral's scream, her mom rushed to her room.

"What happened?" Her mom asked, panicked.

"I told you guys to get a nice kurta for me. What the heck is this?" Miral shouted at her mom, holding a peach-coloured gown in her hands.

"Miral? A kurta? We have a party tonight. For God's sake," her mother scoffed.

"So what? I can't sacrifice my comfort for a freaking party. You guys don't matter to me more than my style and personality. My clothes are my definition," Miral's tone was disapproving.

"Miral. It's just a gown," her mother retorted.

"And she doesn't want to wear it," a female voice interrupted the conversation.

Miral's mother turned around to look towards the voice, while Miral tilted her head. Her eyes immediately lit up seeing the person.

"Di!!" She chirped in excitement.

"Seerat!" Mrs Chandravanshi sighed in happiness.

"Hey, Maa!" Seerat responded with a warm smile.

Mrs Chandravanshi rushed to her and hugged her tightly. Seerat was the elder daughter of Mr and Mrs Chandravanshi. 

After hugging her mother, she went right to her younger sister.

"Di! I missed you so much," Miral spoke in excitement and then hugged her elder sister tightly.

"I missed you too," Seerat responded.

"Congratulations! On your amazing efforts to help Baba win the elections," Seerat muttered, tapping her younger sister's cheeks proudly.

"This could have been us, di," Miral spoke in a sad tone.

"But you know, I was never interested in politics," Seerat responded, asking her younger sister to understand her.

"Who would know you better than me?" Miral winked.

"Yeah, yeah," Seerat smiled.

"How is jiju?" Miral asked.

"Handsome," Seerat winked.

"You guys can talk later. Miral. Get ready. The guests will be arriving soon," Mrs Chandravanshi interrupted.

"But I don't have any outfit," Miral spoke in an irritated tone.

"Who said?" Seerat winked, bringing forward a shopping bag.

"You got me clothes?" Miral screamed in excitement.

"Yes!" Seerat nodded.

Mrs Chandravanshi smiled, nodding her head.

"Seerat! Help this brat in getting ready. I have work to do," she muttered and walked out of the room.

As Mrs Chandravanshi walked out of the room, Miral and Seerat looked at each other and giggled.

A few minutes later, Seerat was doing Miral's hair, while Miral was applying kohl to her eyes.

"By the way, Miral. Do you know, you can't always wear these jeans and kurta," Seerat spoke.

"Why so?" Miral pouted.

"One day, you will get married. And then, you will have to wear several other outfits, such as gowns, sarees, suits and so on," Seerat teased her.

"Hah! Prioritising a man over my outfits, never," Miral scoffed.

"Darling. Love can make you do things that you would have never expected," Seerat winked.

"Yeah! You're crazy in love," Miral laughed.

On the other hand, Mrs Chandravanshi was helping her husband get ready.

"You know, I have always wanted my daughters to get married to powerful political families," Raghuveer muttered, looking at the mirror.

"I do," Mrs Chandravanshi replied.

"Seerat disappointed me, by marrying someone out of this politics. But I know, Miral would never do that," he proudly boasted.

"Miral is your shadow. She thinks exactly like you," she responded.

"Well! Miral is the better version of me, and I can proudly say that" he responded, with eyes full of affection for her daughter.

"Well! Why are you saying all this of a sudden?" Mrs Chandravanshi asked.

Raghuveer smiled, noticing her wife's curiosity.

"Chief Minister would be coming to our party with his family today," Raghuveer spoke.

"So?" His wife curiously asked.

"He has a son, Manik. I would introduce Miral to him today. And if they get along well, I will be asking Manik's hands for our daughter," Raghuveer spoke.

"With Miral's consent right?" Mrs Chandravanshi asked.

"Of course, love," Raghuveer chuckled, "I know what my daughter has been doing behind my back. And I would never want her to get caught, as it would be troublesome for her life."

Mrs Chandravanshi smiled.

After getting ready, Miral clicked some selfies of herself and sent them to someone.

"Oye, selfie queen. What's happening?" Seerat asked, after noticing Miral.

"Sending snaps to Naveen," Miral nonchalantly responded.

"Naveen? Is something going on between you two?" Seerat excitedly asked.

"Us? What rubbish," Miral laughed out.

Seerat pouted.

"Nav and I are best friends, Di. He is my partner, and we have known each other for years. You know it," Miral spoke.

"Yeah! I know it, but I thought if something sparked between you two, and then, you two fell in love and that shit," Seerat winked.

"Love? With her? No way," Naveen barged into the room without any prior announcement.

"Nav! How many times do I have to tell you to knock before entering?" Miral shouted.

"It's not that I will see something that I have never seen," Naveen winked.

"What did he just say? Miral?" Seerat growled.

Miral bit her tongue and gave a deadly stare to Naveen.

"What am I missing?" Seerat demanded to know, "is something going on between you two?"

"We're just friends with benefits. Nothing else," Miral admitted.

"What?" Seerat was shocked.

"What what? We're full grown adults, we do have some physical needs. So, that's why," Miral reasonated.

"For that, fall in love, get a boyfriend for hell's sake," Seerat retorted.

"Do you really think there's a guy anywhere in this world who would be able to handle me?" Miral gave a deadly stare to Seerat.

Seerat went quiet and looked at both of them.

"Yeah! It's awkward now," Naveen spoke.

"You're getting kicked in your ass today, Nav," Miral growled in irritation.

Seerat gave a nod of disappointment to both of them and sighed.

"I think we should go downstairs now. Guests will be arriving soon. And I do have to save my darling husband from the wrath of my cracked father," Seerat spoke, changing the topic of conversation.

All three of them giggled, and then walked out of the room.

At 11:00 PM, 

Aditya was in his room, playing with his PS5 when his phone pinged. The notification tune was so loud that he got distracted from the game and lost in the next five minutes.

"Fuck this," he growled, tossing away the controller and picking up his phone.

It was a text from Tarun, he had sent him some pictures.

Aditya quickly clicked on those pictures and looked at it. It were pictures of Miral from the party they were having tonight.

Aditya noticed Miral's features very carefully, from her messy braided hairstyle, to dark kohl laden eyes, to lightly painted lips. But it was her dressing sense that surprised him the most.

In a party, where everyone was donning chic looks, that girl was in a ripped jeans, liliac chikankari kurta and boots. She oozed of attitude and confidence. Her sharp features did express her cunning mind.

"I have to say, Miral Chandravanshi, you won't be an easy game to play. But your good days are over darling," Aditya laughed.

Even though he hated her, but he couldn't stop himself from looking at those pictures again and again, somewhere admiring her from deep inside.