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THE BILLIONAIRE'S SURPRISE WEDDING 91
Vihaan couldn't get her smile out of his head. Her face lit up as if thousands of diyas were lit on a Diwali night. He felt as if a hundred Diwalis had come at once. And the smile felt like a jolt of recognition. Recognition of what? He had no idea. He didn't believe in the stupidity of knowing each other in previous lives or the crap about star-crossed lovers taking rebirths to reunite with their lover.He felt suffocated because the feelings were so strong. What was so special about her?Yes, she was a beautiful woman, but he had seen many beautiful women in his life. He had women throw themselves at his feet even before he made his first million. So, what was so different about this particular woman?He found this meeting so damn disturbing and wanted it to end soon. The purpose of the visit was to know whether or not she would be open to the idea of meeting the daughter she had given up years ago. There was no question about that. The memorabilia of Drishti's life on her
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As soon as Vihaan entered his apartment, Drishti bombarded him with a barrage of questions."What is she like? Is she pretty? Does she want to meet me? Did you set up a meeting?""Yes, to your last three questions. Now please hold on for a moment," Vihaan said, gently pushing her hyperactive body away and settling her at arm's length.Drishti's face was radiant with excitement, her hands waving like a baby's, her ponytail swinging, and her glittering green eyes—Divyanshi Trilok's eyes—staring into him, desperate for information."Don't be a spoil sport, Uncle Vihaan. I'm dying to know all about her.""Let me pay Mrs. Soodh first."Mrs. Janaki Soodh, a woman in her mid-fifties, was Drishti's nanny."Vihaan beta, you're back?" The woman smiled warmly at him."Yes, Janaki aunty. Were there any calls for me on the landline? My phone seemed to be out of network coverage during the journey.""Oh yes, Sandhya had called. No one else.""Okay, I will call her back tomorrow," Vihaan said.Janak
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Divyanshi strolled slowly along the lakeside, feeling a bit early for her lunch with Vihaan and Drishti. If she had stayed in her apartment for a moment longer, she would have succumbed to the anxiety that had led her to change her outfit four times already. She had tried to think about what a twelve-year-old would like to see her mother wearing – smart and classy, soft and feminine, casual and approachable, bright and boldly chic – there were so many looks one might present. Finally, after much contemplation, she settled on vanity. She was wearing a lemon-yellow short-sleeved top and a long emerald green skirt that matched her eyes. And however foolish it might sound, she wanted Vihaan to take a long second look at her. If only he could see her with the same eyes as he did during their first meeting, on their thirteenth anniversary today, maybe the magical connection could happen again. As she neared the deck, she spotted Vihaan leaning against the railing, his profile in view, with
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As if a thousand diyas were lit on a Diwali night, as if a hundred Diwalis had come at once. Vihaan stared at her, captivated by that image. Realising how uncannily accurate it was, he thought.‘Isn't that how he felt when he saw her smile?’ And today, when he saw her standing among the crowd, staring straight at him, he couldn't help but wonder, ‘What was that energy that passed between them?’ The energy that caused an electric sensation to pass through his spine. He stared, wishing he could read her mind, wishing she wasn't such an enigma to him. She was still affecting him, and it was not a simple physical attraction. There was some kind of recognition he could feel in his heart. The only way to deal with it was to wait for her to reveal more about herself.Whoever Drishti's real father was, he'd undoubtedly been a smooth-tongued bastard to come up with that apt and evocative description. It was all too clear that the lover boy had taken his merry ride and left her pregnant. Lo
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"I don't see how he could forget you," Drishti mumbled the same line multiple times during her chat with her real mother. She found it so unacceptable that anyone could forget her oh-so-obviously gorgeous mother. Vihaan felt the same.With no acquaintance at all, he found Divyanshi Trilok unforgettable to a point that she haunted his dreams. However, the way he looked, it appeared supernatural. He was glad when the lunch arrived, forcing himself to eat everything on his plate. It proved, at least to those who looked at him, he was handling everything with ease.Occasionally, Drishti called on him to comment on some points of the conversation, but Divya never once tried to draw him into it. He sensed she was wary of him, guarded, perhaps over conscious of his power to call a halt to this meeting and take Drishti away from her. Or was she as acutely aware of him as he was of her, and hiding it in case it created a problem in future meetings with her daughter? Was she as attracted to hi
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Divyanshi took three deep breaths before pressing the doorbell. She was nervous and excited at the same time. Vihaan's house was located in one of the posh housing areas in Mumbai, which emphasised the stark difference in their current lives. Thirteen years ago, he had been a simple middle-class boy backpacking around the country on vacation. He had once told her that his sister had fallen in love with someone from upper-class society and married him. Vihaan had been living with them while attending a nearby college. That's the address he had given her, and she had seen it for herself when she went in search of him after becoming pregnant. It was one of the reasons she had given up her baby, so her little girl could enjoy all the privileges in life that she couldn't provide.As soon as she pressed the doorbell, the door swung open, and a very excited Drishti greeted her with a grin. "Hi! You're finally here," Drishti said. "I am on time, right?" Divya asked. "Oh yes," Drishti repl
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Vihaan observed the mother-daughter duo walking away, feeling a twinge of envy for his niece, Drishti, who had claimed her mother's attention entirely.Divyanshi looked stunning today, but she always looked beautiful. Those green eyes, locking with his for a brief moment when she greeted him, stirred up emotions that had been running through him since they first met. Sandhya cleared her throat to get his attention, causing him to blush slightly. She had dropped in an hour ago, but with Drishti around, they hadn't been able to talk yet.Now that his niece was in her room with her mother, it was time to discuss his relationship with Sandhya. "Sandhya...""Yes, Vihaan?""We need to talk.""Oh, I was about to say the same thing," Sandhya replied."You go ahead," Vihaan suggested."No, I'd rather hear you first. It will give me time to gather my thoughts too," Sandhya chuckled.Vihaan hesitated briefly before deciding not to delay the conversation any further. "I don't think this would wor
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They strolled along Pearl Beach in the twilight, a man, woman, and child. Divya allowed herself to pretend they were a family. It really didn't matter what she thought as long as Vihaan and Drishti were not aware of it. It was their first night here, the first of the nine nights they would spend in this beautiful place with none to intrude—only the three of them. This was her family—her baby, her love.After these holidays... No. She wouldn't think about what would happen after the holidays. She would live in the moment, treasure every moment with the two most important people in her life, the only two people who mattered to her.It was a wonderful island with a small community of people living, even though it was a private island. Vihaan had stocked up the kitchen of the house they would be staying in, but he decided not to cook as they were too tired after the trip. So they had eaten at a diner nearby."I had bought the place to build a resort. But somehow the place grew on me, and
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THE BILLIONAIRE'S SURPRISE WEDDING 109
5 years later.Diya draped her saree and was about to wear the sindoor when a hand caught hers, stopping her. Vihaan took the box of vermilion from her with a charming smile."Do I have to remind you every day that this is my haqq biwi?" Vihaan asked as he took the vermilion between his thumb and forefinger and applied it on her partition."I thought you would be busy downstairs with preparations," Diya said, smiling contentedly."I'm never too busy for you, love," Vihaan said as he snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her against his chest."Vihaan, what are you doing?? Someone will come. We have lots of work to do," Diya said, trying to wriggle out of his hold."No one will come, and all works are done. The house is all set for Diwali," Vihaan said before bending down and pecking her on her lips.Vihaan caressed her exposed waist with his fingers, earning a light moan from Diya."Vihaan. It's morning.""So?? Do I have to wait till night to love my wife??"Diya wound her arms ar
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Drishti walked to the front door, pausing before making her exit, sweeping them both with another grin, her eyes twinkling like stars. "Happy Diwali," she called out. Then off she went down the hallway singing.As Drishti went out of sight, Vihaan's hands slid around Divyaa, turning her around to face him, making her heart flutter wildly. "Thank you. Thank you for being you, for having my child and giving her to me. But above everything else, thank you for waiting for me, Diya.""Oh Vihaan," Relief gushed through her. The love in his voice was unmistakable. "I'm sorry I gave up on you. I...""No..." He placed a finger on her lips, hushing the stream of regret. "I was wrong. You don't have anything to answer for. God knows I've seen enough, been with you enough to appreciate, in some small measure, how it's been for you. I'm sorry I got so screwed up about being left out.""Well, at least I'm not too young for you anymore."He frowned, pained by the reminder."I don't know that you eve
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Tears streamed down Drishti's cheeks, but she seemed unaware of them. She was still staring at Vihaan, her desperate plea for him to make things right for her evident in her gaze. Twisting the hem of her nightshirt, her open hair hung around her face, giving her a bedraggled appearance. She looked like a lost little waif, and Divyanshi wanted to gather her child in her arms and hug her insecurities away. However, it was to Vihaan that her daughter looked for what she needed now, and Divya held herself back. It was up to him to answer his daughter, to answer all the questions now.Yet, Vihaan looked as lost as Drishti, struck by the realisation of all she might have overheard - the role her adoptive parents had played in taking her from Divyanshi, in preventing Vihaan from knowing about his fatherhood, ensuring he didn't reunite with her mother, and keeping the knowledge of her real parentage from her. The world they had known had been torn up, and the pieces couldn't be put togethe
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"This is the final round, Drishti," Vihaan warned as he set up the game board again."You're just jealous that I've been winning all the games so far," Drishti crowed proudly."Yeah, by cheating," Vihaan said, and Drishti rolled her eyes as if it wasn't a big deal.They had played three rounds of Snake and Ladder and two rounds of Ludo at Drishti's insistence. Drishti had won all the games, using her sneaky tricks to avoid the snakes and win at Ludo.He looked tired. He had been rather quiet, almost distant, all evening, only responding to Drishti's demands.Divya hoped he wasn't too tired to stay up with her after Drishti went to bed. It had been an active day filled with swimming, windsurfing, drawing rangolis, decorating the house, and setting up the pooja room. Besides, he couldn't have had much sleep last night as he had been up early with Drishti this morning. What would she do if he suggested they retire early?"It's Diwali tomorrow, Vihaan Uncle. I'm too excited to go to bed,"
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Not knowing was killing him. He knew that he had unsettled Divya with his brooding. Well, she wouldn't have the slightest idea as to what was eating him up, and he couldn't just blurt it out. If she realised what he was thinking, and if he was wrong, she would think he had lost his marbles, imagining himself to be her one great love. He didn't want to confuse her feelings for him. But... he had to know!He paced the living room, impatient to get a little time to himself so that he could make the much-needed phone call. If anyone would know the critical details of what had happened to him that Diwali season thirteen years ago, Omkara and Aditya had the inside track. They'd been with him from the start to the end of the vacation, and they had told him nothing worth mentioning had happened during the trip. Is there any point in asking them again? What is he going to lose anyway?The sculptures set along the corner Divya had set up to do the pooja caught his eyes, and he stopped, struck b
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Vihaan engaged Drishti in conversation while Divya had her breakfast.Observing the two of them together, so similar in more ways than they realised, was heartwarming.Is it wise of her to leave the past in the past?It felt wrong for Vihaan not to know he was Drishti's father.She shouldn't keep such a special flesh and blood bond from him, from either of them. They both had a right to know.Telling him was not going to be easy, especially after she had briefly mentioned the adoption last night.Her reasoning for holding back had seemed right at the time.She didn't want to burden him with a truth he'd find disturbing and painful, considering the part his sister had played in taking responsibility from him, the long-played deceit that had denied him his true relationship with his own child.However, the circumstances are different now.Vihaan felt the same about her as he had all those years before, and Sandhya Rathore was out of the picture.Now she wouldn't be putting any sense of
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Diyaa!The name echoed persistently in Vihaan's mind, as if it belonged to this moment, an enchanting magic of their union."Divyanshi," he said aloud, trying to dispel the echo, to overpower it."Yes?" she replied."I could never have dreamt of what we've shared," he murmured, lifting himself from her embrace to tenderly brush his lips against hers, a loving tribute to her generosity. "It transcends dreams."He rolled onto his side, bringing her along, and wrapped an arm around her as she lay on his chest, their legs entwined in intimacy.She felt so right, so perfect, as though she had been created exclusively for him. How could she have loved another man? No other woman had ever been like her for him."It's a miracle," she whispered, her warm breath caressing his skin, making it tingle. "A Diwali miracle." Her voice carried a happy smile.Diwali.Diyaaa.The special name stirred an unease, a sense of wrongness he tried to resist, but it persisted. He remembered the grieving look on
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Warning: This work is purely fictional. You might find certain things illogical... Read at your own risk 😂Vihaan gazed at the ceiling, unable to sleep at the moment. He relished the feeling that something extraordinary had entered his life. Divyanshi Trilok seemed to offer him everything he had desired in a woman. The problem was, he couldn't be sure how much his dreams of her were influencing him. Was this strong attraction driven by wishes or was it genuinely real? The emotions she stirred in him were so intense and rapid that he had barely restrained himself from pursuing a deeper connection with her tonight. He used the excuse of Drishti's early rising tomorrow to keep his desires in check. He wanted her. He wanted to hold her, embrace every part of her, but he knew he had to be cautious. Drishti was closely involved in this relationship, and he couldn't make hasty moves.The wisest thing to do was to wait. Divya wasn't going anywhere. He needed to make sure that whatever he did
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"Two Irish coffees coming up," Vihaan announced as he came out to the verandah.As soon as she saw him, her hard-won sense of peace shattered, and her heart started galloping again. She tried hard to get herself under control.He set the tray of coffee on the small tea table and took a seat next to her. "This is life. Far from the maddening crowd of the city and pressures of business. Sun, sand, and surf. Nothing could beat it for a wonderful holiday," Vihaan said and took a sip of the coffee.Divyanshi smiled. That hadn't changed for him."It must be very stressful being the CEO and leading a multimillion-dollar empire," Divya said, smiling. She was so proud of him, of what he had become with his own hard work."Well, I have my moments. But it's what I am trained for," Vihaan said."Then it was worth going to Harvard," she said.His head snapped around. "How do you know I went to Harvard?"Divya's heart rate increased in panic. The comment had slipped out, and now she had to answer f
