"So? That's it. I have noted down all the details. Don't worry, Sathvik and Devangana. I will make sure your big day is going to be memorable," Vedhika vowed.

"When Vedhika Yadav promises something, she will never fail to deliver it," Charan said as he walked towards the living room with Nilima and the elder Kashyap couple.

"You are spot on, Uncle," Vedhika grinned at Charan.

"And Devangana, the designer will be coming for the measurements in the evening. She will show you the catalogue too. Tell her your wishes. She will design accordingly," Vedhika said.

"I will. Thank you, Vedhika," Devangana said with a smile.

"No sorry and no thank you in friendship. You are Sathvik's wife, so you are our friend now," Vedhika said.

"Now nothing can save you, Devangana. Vedhika is going to be a pain. If she starts talking, she will never stop, even if you beg," Ishwar said in a loud conspiratorial whisper, earning a whack from Vedhika.

Tripti laughed.

"That's because you don't know my daughter. She hasn't come out of the shock yet. That's why she is so silent now," Tripti said.

"That's right. As far as I know, Devangana has made friends with the entire floor in the office," Sathvik said.

"Angana is perfectly capable of holding a conversation herself without much input from the other party," Ishaan added jokingly, earning a scowl from his sister.

"Oh God! Sathvik? You too have the same fate?" Ishwar asked in mock pity.

"What to do, Ishwar? If that is what destiny planned for me, I will have to live with it, right?" Sathvik played up his part.

Devangana placed her hands on her hips and turned to Sathvik with a scowl.

"Did I ask you to introduce me as your fiancée? Did I ask you to marry me? Did I ask you to play knight in shining armour out of the blue? No! I didn't. It was all you. Do you hear me? It was all YOU," Devangana said, poking Sathvik's chest with her index finger.

"Woah. Calm down, tigress. We were joking," Sathvik said, and he held her angry finger in his fist.

"See? This is what I told you. Don't fall for that innocent face," Tripti added in a teasing tone.

She felt good seeing Devangana back to her form.

Devangana was behaving unnaturally silent all along. And Devangana was never silent.

Devangana huffed in annoyance.

"Have fun at my expense. I am not the only one who got married today. Then why am I the only target?" Devangana complained.

"That's because Sathvik is shameless. We wouldn't get this reaction out of him if we tease him," Ishwar said, earning an eye roll from Sathvik.

"Mrs. Acharya... I mean, Mom, please tell me some embarrassing things about Sathvik ji too. I am sure my mommy won't stop once she opens Pandora's box," Devangana said, making a face at her mother.

"Definitely, Devangana. We will have a girls' night, and I will tell you all the details," Nilima agreed, earning a look of horror from her son.

"Okay, everyone. We need to get going. I have two parties to plan," Vedhika said.

"Two?" Charan asked in confusion.

"Yes, Dad. A cocktail party for the Acharya Group employees two days after the reception," Sathvik said, and Charan nodded.

"We will take your leave now," Ishwar said and walked towards the kids who were happily playing with each other.

"Okay, darling. It's time to go home," Ishwar said and picked up Ishwari in his arms.

Ishwari let out an ear-splitting wail in protest, and Muskaan followed suit.

The Acharya Mansion was filled with the angry cries of the two kids.

Sathvik bent down and picked up a wailing Muskaan.

"Ishaa, nooo!" Muskaan cried.

Ishwar frowned.

"Who is she calling Ishaa? Me or my daughter?" Ishwar asked, as Sathvik had mentioned Muskaan's penchant for calling everyone by their name.

"Does it matter now?" Sathvik asked with a glare, trying to quieten the crying child.

"We will come tomorrow. Then you can play together," Ishwar offered, trying to pacify his daughter who twisted and thrashed in his arms in her attempt to get down and play.

"Ishwar, just walk out. She will forget once we are out," Vedhika said, knowing the attention span of toddlers.

"Okay. Bye, everyone. Will call you," Ishwar walked out with the crying toddler, and Sathvik held onto the other crying child.

"To think that they have been fighting for toys when they first met," Ishaan said, shaking his head, remembering the kids' fight over toys.

Nilima soon distracted little Muskaan with a teddy bear.

"Sathvik, show Devangana around the house," Nilima said, urging them to spend time together.

Sathvik held Devangana's arms and took her around.

The two sets of parents watched them with worry, hoping that the marriage would work out and their children would be happy.

"Are we taking Angana home, Mommy? The reception is a week away, right?" Ishaan asked.

He had always known that at some point, his sister would get married and leave the house. But this happened all of a sudden, and he couldn't come to terms with the fact that Devangana wouldn't be at home for him to fight with or irritate.

"We can't, Ishaan. The news of her marriage must have spread all around our housing area by now. What would they think if we took her home now?" Indrajith asked.

Ishaan nodded in understanding.

"And we should maintain the story of the marriage proposal. If anybody asks anything, keep up with the story that they have been unofficially engaged, and we were planning the official ceremony when all this happened," Charan said, and the others nodded.

Sathvik showed Devangana around the house, and Devangana stared in awe.

She had been born into a middle-class family, and she had lived the twenty-three years of her life that way.

All of a sudden, she was going to live in a house that looked nothing less than a palace.

"This is our room," Sathvik said, opening the bedroom door.

Devangana felt the colour rising up on her cheeks at the mention of "our room."

Devangana came in and saw that there was a king-sized bed in the middle, a work table in one corner, and two loveseats in the other corner near the windows, which opened to the backyard. There was a door leading to the balcony facing the beautiful garden they had walked through earlier.

"Your room is very beautiful, Sathvik ji," Devangana said.

"Our room. It's our room, Deva. From today, there won't be anything like 'mine' or 'yours.' It will be ours," Sathvik said, earning a sweet smile from Devangana.

Sathvik led Devangana towards the love seats, and they sat opposite each other.

"Deva, we both are new to this married life. We will make mistakes, but we will learn together. Are you ready to join me in this, Devangana?" Sathvik asked.

"I have never thought much about marriage before, Sathvik ji. It has always been on the periphery. I knew I had to marry someone one day, someone my parents chose. So I never bothered about it. It happened all of a sudden, and I am a little overwhelmed. And your house, it's just so different from what I grew up with. It will take time for me to adjust to your lifestyle," Devangana said.

"I understand, Deva. Our relationship will grow according to the pace you are comfortable with. You tell me when you are uncomfortable with anything that happens here. I can't read minds, Deva, so you will have to tell me what you think, what you feel. I will do the same," Sathvik said.

Devangana nodded in agreement.

"And, Deva, I want you to know that I like you. I like you very much," Sathvik said, and Devangana looked at him in surprise.

"I didn't give it much thought before. I liked your company in the office. You were easy to talk to. But I was preoccupied with the custody battle. I didn't understand how much I actually liked you until your father rejected the proposal. I am telling you all this because I don't want you to think that this is all about Muskaan. Yes, it started for her, but now I want you for you," Sathvik said as he held Devangana's hands in his.

Devangana felt her heart would burst out in happiness.

"Sathvik ji, I..." she trailed off, not knowing how to respond.

"You don't have to say anything now, Deva. I don't expect you to reciprocate the feelings so quickly. I will wait for you," Sathvik said and brought her hands towards his lips, making her blush.

A/N

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