The hall resonated with a loud round of applause, bringing Prachi and Ranbir out of their reverie. Prachi instantly moved away. Looking around, embarrassed, while Ranbir merely smirked. Prachi grasped the triumph behind that smug smirk and in those handsome eyes instantly. Her mask had slipped momentarily and she had let him see how he still affected her and how he still had the ability to make her lose herself in his eyes. Instead of meeting the challenge in his eyes, she took the easy way out and hurried away, making him chuckle.

The lights came up again and flooded the hall in its warm glow. Pallavi kohli, who had been a mute spectator of the mesmerizing dance, once again felt the insecurity raising its hoary head again inside her. She curbed it down and hastily made her way towards her only son. As soon as she reached him, she placed a hand on his arm. He turned around with a quizzical look.

"Ranbir, now it's time for the engagement, son. Come, let's perform the ritual." Pallavi urged.

"Sure, mom. I am ready. But where is the girl with whom I am supposed to get engaged? I don't see her anywhere, do you?" Ranbir looked at his mother, frowning.

Befuddled by her son's words, Pallavi looked around but Rhea couldn't be seen in the immediate vicinity. Everyone else now began to look around and ask the others if they had seen Rhea. The only answer they could come up with was that they had seen her during the dance but not after that.

"What's going on? Where can Rhea go and that too right at this moment?" Aliya exclaimed.

"Let's search for her." Vikram Kohli suggested.

However, before he could even begin the search, his phone beeped with an incoming message. He fished the phone out of his pocket and checked the message. It was a simple text from an unknown number. It asked him to take the members of Mehra, Khanna, Kohli and Arora families to a room in the mansion if they wanted to know Rhea's whereabouts. A chill ran down Vikram's spine as he felt approach of an unknown danger.

Arora family? So, I have to call Pragya ji and ask them to come here too?

His thoughts had hardly concluded when Pragya, Saritaji and Sahana hurried into the hall.

As they reached them, Prachi hurried over to her mother.

"Ma, what are you doing here?" Prachi looked at her mother, bemused.

"Someone called me and said that if I want to know Rhea's whereabouts then I should come here with Saritaji and Sahana." Pragya explained.

"Now I understand what the test meant. The text on my phone asked me to bring the members of Mehra, Khanna, Kohli and Arora families to a room. Let's go." Vikram explained.

All of them made their way to the nearest room.

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As they walked into the room, Vikram's phone buzzed with an incoming call from an unknown number. It was a video call. Vikram immediately accepted it.

A masked man appeared against the background of an almost dark warehouse. Everyone was shocked to see Rhea tied on a chair as the masked man moved away. Her mouth was covered by a sticking plaster. She was wriggling to get free but to no avail.

"Rhea!" Pragya exclaimed.

"Oh God!" Pallavi kept staring at the screen with stunned eyes.

"What's going on? Who are you? What do you want? Why have you abducted Rhea?" Vikram threw the bewildered questions at the abductor.

"Finally someone who cut the crap and came to the point. Now to answer your questions, Mr. Kohli, we have abducted Rhea to make sure you fulfill our demand." The masked man's voice filled the room.

"And what is your demand?" Aliya asked in a hard voice.

"Get Ranbir Kohli married to Prachi Arora." The masked man replied.

For a moment, only silence reigned in the room. Prachi was stunned to hear the demand from the stranger and turned to look at Ranbir. Ranbir was frowning in confusion as he stared at the man.

Before anyone else could say anything, Prachi stepped forward and looking straight into the screen, refused to listen to the autocratic diktat.

"No way. I am not going to get married to Ranbir." Prachi glared at the screen.

"Okay as you wish. Now all of you can say goodbye to your Rhea. Rhea darling, say goodbye. Oh I am so sorry. How can you say anything? But what can I do? You screech like a banshee and it was inducing a terrible headache. That's why I just had to put that sticking plaster on your mouth. Let's finish the source of headache once and for all." The man raised a gun and pointed it at Rhea.

"Don't. Please don't. Prachi, say yes, please. Or they are gonna kill Rhea." Pragya entreated.

Vikram and Pallavi looked at each other, both were at sea regarding the course of action at that moment.

Aliya's calculating brain, however, began to calculate the pros and cons of the situation already. Aliya instantly grasped the fact that if they kill Rhea then Prachi would become the sole heiress of her father's property and since Prachi would never be a puppet in Aliya's hand like Rhea had been, it would become highly difficult for her to maintain control over her brother's property. However, if Prachi gets married to Ranbir, even if she would come to live in the mansion and take over the business, she could only claim half of it. Aliya could have control over the other half through Rhea. She had to save Rhea even if at the cost of getting Ranbir married to Prachi.

"But why are you doing this? Who are you?" Prachi exclaimed in frustration.

"We don't want Rhea to get married to Ranbir. Don't ask the reason now. You will know the reason on your wedding day." The man replied.

"Okay. Okay, fine. We will do as you say. We will get Prachi and Ranbir married. Just don't harm Rhea. Okay?" Aliya faked concern.

"Fine. The wedding shall take place within three days from now." The masked stranger instructed and cut the call.

Everyone was befuddled, not sure what to do anymore. Pallavi was the first one to raise her voice.

"But..." Pallavi began.

"But what Pallavi? Can't you see Rhea's life is in danger? If you truly are a family friend, then you won't object to this marriage." Aliya tried to guilt Pallavi into accepting the alliance.

"Yes, Pallaviji. Please don't say no. Otherwise they will kill Rhea." Pragya entreated.

"Yes, Pallavi. We have to get Prachi and Ranbir married. Think about Rhea." Vikram insisted.

"Okay. As you all say." Pallavi accepted grudgingly.

"But ma..." Prachi tried to object.

"But what? Prachi, please say yes." Sahana pleaded.

"Yes, Prachi. I think you should say yes." Aryan nodded solemnly.

"Please Prachi. Do this for me. I know you and Ranbir like each other. And Ranbir is such a great guy. He will always keep you happy." Pragya tried to convince Prachi.

"Okay, ma." Prachi finally gave her consent.

"So, shall we go outside and announce their engagement and get them engaged?" Daljeet asked.

"Yes, let's go." Vikram urged.

They left the room in a hurry, failing to see the triumphant smirk that lit up someone's features.

Precap - Pranbir Engagement