Sorry for delaying the fic for so long. But I needed sometime to sort out the plot a bit. Will try to be regular with the updates.

Also, I wonder why there can be 400 readers but less than 100 votes. It would be really encouraging if the votes increase. It also boosts our confidence that, yeah the plot's going good and we should update more often.

Moving on...

"Words in double quotes" - Talking

'Words in single quotes' - Thoughts

Chapter 18 - Trouble Magnet

"So? Where are we going?"

"To the place where all ladies love to go. I plan to impress you with all the beauty there!"

Ragini was a bit amused by his words and couldn't help but smile. "Okie. But I still don't get it."

Ratan smiled a charmingly at her. "To the mall dear. Where else? You women love to doll up, don't you. Tell you what? You can buy any dress you like. I'll pay for it." he promised with his chin raised high. He brushed his hair with closed eyes and a content smile, all the while humming to himself. 'Don't I look just like a Greek sculpture of beauty!? Oh, Ragini is so lucky that I've chosen her to be my bride. So very lucky.'

Ragini, on the other hand could feel her anger rising at his words. 'Doll up? Does he think all we care about is makeup and accessories?! He think he can make me his by offering me material things, does he?! Well, I'm no commodity for him to buy with barter.' she huffed. "Look Ratan. You really have a narrow perspective of women."

"Oh, don't worry my dear. I've been acquainted with many ladies. I've courted lots of them. I know what ladies like and what they do not." h smiled at her. "But Ragini, my queen... none have stolen my heart like you. It is like you have stolen my heart with your smile. Oh, Ragini, my evergreen cherry blossom..."

Ragini sighed mentally as he went on and on with his exaggerations. 'What would it take to shut him up?!' she looked out of the window and put a hand to her chin in boredom. 'I wonder what's going on in the Maheshwari mansion. I don't want to intrude in matters anymore but...but I can't help but worry what Sanskar might be plotting now. Also...' a small blush appeared on her cheeks as she thoughts back on the letter. 'What did he mean that he would make me his again? He's determined to win back my heart. Only if he knew that it was always his, and always will be. But...but I don't want to be hurt...not again. He lost my trust on him and I'm content to live with this unrequited love as it is. After all, most true love stories always do end unhappy.'

"We're here, my darling."

"Please refrain from calling me such endearing names. It makes me uncomfortable." Ragini uttered. She herself was a bit shocked as to how assertive she was being. 'I've really changed, haven't I? Can't say I don't like it though.'

"As you wish. I'll stop calling you darling, my dear." he replied as he got out and went round to open the door for Ragini.

She sweatdropped. 'Well...at least being called 'dear' is better. It's either this or darling I guess. Wow, the choices I have.' she tried to smile for him as he held the car door open for her and put forward his hand. "Thank you Ratan."

"You're welcome, my dear. Let's go." he crouched to talk to the driver. "Nikhil, take my phone. I don't want anyone disturbing me while I spend time with Ragini."

"But sir, your duties as a Prince are important. What if your father calls you?"

"No call can be important today than my time with Ragini. But if it's really that important, then you may approach me."

"Yes sir."

"Good. Also, if we're late, you can go have a meal or so, alright?"

"That's very generous of you Ratan." Ragini approved.

He chuckled and rubbed his neck with a blush. "Thanks!" he grabbed her hand and led he towards the entrance of the mall. "Let's go, my Ragini."

'My Ragini? This guy is unbelievable!' Ragini thought in irritation. However, she couldn't help but feel touched that he was ready to leave even his Princely duties for her. 'Well...he may be over dramatic. But at least, he's got a good heart.'

Once they went away, Nikhil's eyes darkened. 'I need to look for a way to get her alone so that I can carry out my plan.' he looked down in misery. 'Ragini is innocent. But I need to so this for my Mishka. I'm sorry Ragini. I hope you forgive me.'

#Mall#

"Which section do you want to go first? Lehengas? Western wear? Footwear? Watches? Jewelleries?"

"How about we have a cup of tea first?" Ragini suggested.

"A brilliant idea indeed! Let's do that first."

She giggled at his enthusiasm. He aacted more like a child then a royal Prince. As she stepped forward, she wasn't looking where she was going and stumbled on a tile. She felt her body propel forward and raised her hands to prevent her head from getting hurt from the fall.

However, it never happened.

She felt a hand hold her by the waist. Ragini sighed. She smiled and turned back to thank him. "Ratan, tha-" her words stopped in her mouth when she noticed who it was.

It wasn't Ratan. Rather, it was someone she knew quite nicely. After all, it was the same smirk, the same mischievous look in the eyes, the same handsome face that she had fallen for once.

"You're welcome Ra-gi-ni." he uttered, spelling out each syllable of her name in a slow flow.

"L-Laksh?!"

"Who else would be there for you always? After all, you are a trouble magnet, you know." he chuckled as he held onto the stunned Ragini. "Miss me?"

"Ragini! Oh, my dear!" Ratan shouted as he looked back and came near. "Are you alright?"

Ratan's voice made her break out of her trance. She straightened up and moved away from Laksh. "I-I'm fine."

"You shouldn't worry about her when I'm around." Laksh informed with a wink towards Ragini.

'If he acts like this, Ratan will think something is in between us! Not to mention he already saw me in Laksh's arms.' Ragini looked at Ratan with questions fearful look. "It's not what it looks like! He's just a friend."

"Ah! So you already know him. Good, good." Ratan commented and went near Laksh.

To Ragini's shock, he pulled him into a hug.

"Long time no see good friend. How have you been?"

"I've been good. What about you Ratan?"

"I couldn't have been better! After all, now I've got this beautiful lady as my bride-to-be."

Laksh chuckled and turned to Ragini. "She is indeed beautiful. You better be careful Ratan, or else there are many who are already trying to win her heart. And they won't give up so easily." he spoke, indirectly speaking about himself.

"Haha...! Then, they should be ready to admit defeat."

"Wait, wait! You both know each other?" she asked in bewilderment.

"Of course! We've been friends since college."

"Yep! And it is through his WhatsApp message that we came to know he was going to be engaged to  you. Imagine the extreme reactions of us friends!" he said with a smile. "It was really a shocking news."

Laksh spoke in enthusiasm which Ragini knew was fake. 'So that explains how he got to know that I was about to get engaged to another even before I myself knew of it!' she thought to herself. "I see Laksh."

"Let's catch up on lost times, shall we Lucky? Ragini dear, I'll tell you all about our teenage adventures! Come on." he walked forward, confident they would follow.

Laksh smirked at Ragini, who was glaring daggers at him.

He simply blew a kiss at her, making her glare harder. "Don't look at me like that. I'll fall more for you...if I've not already fallen enough."

"Fall and disappear, why don't you?!" she bit back. "Can't you be after someone else and leave me alone!?"

He gave her a challenging look. A look that she felt as if pierced through her very soul. "It's you I want." the tone in which he spoke and the way he was looking with so much passion made her gasp. She couldn't look away. Her body tingled at his look.

At once she made herself look away with much effort and walked at a brisk pace after Ratan.

As they went away, Nikhil cursed. He had hoped Ragini would fall. Then, she would have to sit at the car while Ratan shopped the things for her. 'And I would have successfully kidnapped her. But no! This guy ruined it.' he narrowed his eyes at Laksh's back. 'Who is this guy anyway?'

#Maheshwari Mansion#

Sujata knocked on the door to Sanskar's room. She waited until she heard the lock turn. Slowly, she pushed it open and entered, locking it behind her. "I brought you food."

He looked at her in irritation, rather than gratefulness. "Thanks." came the glum reply.

Sujata went and placed the tray on the table, opting to sit on the bed. "Your little tantrum outside must of made you hungry." she surmised, referring to the fit he had thrown in front of his family, faking his madness. "You know, although calling for your 'dost' was supposed to be an act on your part, your eyes seemed to speak a different story."

Sansakr snorted and came near the table picking up a piece of bread. "That little brat that ruined my plan! How could I forget her!?" he angrily tore the bread and bit it harshly.

"I am your mother. I can see the longing you have for her."

Sanskar stopped chewing and gulped down the food in his mouth. "Are you kidding me? Why the heck would I be yearning for that girl?! I hate her!"

"Like I said. The line between hate and love is really thin. You may not have noticed it, but I have. You have been moody all day, sulking like a child! Tell me, what have you schemed as your next move? Have you even begun thinking about it? Infact, have you thought of anything other than Ragini?!"

"I have! I have a plan in progress in my mind." he answered, looking into her eyes.

Sujata kept looking, until he was the first to look away. "See? You can't even lie convincingly." she sighed and got up. "Finish your food. I'll come back later to get the plates." saying so, she moved past him silently.

Once outside the door, she sighed to herself. Her son may not have figured it out yet, but she knew he was in love with Ragini. He wanted to hurt her, but it would backfire and make his heart ache instead. 'Not to mention there's the risk of Ragini admitting Sanskar's truth to the family. I...I need to find a solution. One that solves both the problems.' she smirked to herself. 'Its time I clip your wings dear Ragini.'

#Mall#

Ragini sipped her drink as Ratan and Laksh continued chatting, talking about their college days and other things. She still found it surreal. Here she was having a cup of tea sitting beside her potential future husband and her past lover, who still was adamant to win her back. She briefly wondered what would happen if she blurted out the fact to Ratan. 'I could go like - Hey Ratan, your friend Laksh is someone whom I still love, but I don't want to be with. However, he wants me back and will try to break our relation before it has even begun. Anyways, it's totally alright that you're treating him to a cup of tea.' she mentally smacked herself for her thoughts. It would only end in a bloody fight.

"Excuse me Sir."

Ratan looked up as Nikhil approached him. "Yes?"

"There's an important call for you. The person on the other end sounded really desperate." Nikhil informed, extending his hand holding the phone. "You should receive it Sir."

"You don't say! Give it to me." he turned to his company. "Please excuse me for a moment. My duties call for me." once they nodded, he got up and took the phone, moving away to attend to it. Nikhil followed after him.

An awkward silence prevailed at the table with Laksh staring at Ragini, and Ragini looking anywhere but at him.

"Really Ragini? Of all the men in the country, Ratan is the one you choose? He even shows sophistication while eating a pizza. I mean, who eats pizza with a fork and drinks coke like its a royal drink?"

Ragini bit her lip to keep herself from laughing. Some of Ratan's antics were indeed amusing. "True. But its also true that he is genuine. He doesn't fake things. What is on the outside, you get on the inside."

Laksh nodded. "Can't argue with that. It's this that made me become friends with him in the first place. And trust me, he would be a husband that would love you as a wife till death does you apart. However..." his eyes darkened. "I love you. And no matter how amazing he is, I'm not letting him have you. The only future I want to have is with you."

Ragini gritted her teeth. "I'm not some play thing that you can take back and throw away as per your wish."

At her words, he flinched. "I'm sorry I made you feel like that. But trust me, if you decide to love me again, I'll do anything for you! I can die for you,I can kill for you. But I can't see you with another man. I've changed Ragini. I understand things better now. Love is no longer a game to me."

"So what? You plan to force me to love you back?!" she bit back with a challenging look.

Laksh gave her a pained look. "No. I would never. But I refuse to give up when I believe that you love me...still. And if I can turn that spark into a fire, I'm ready to do anything!"

"You say it so easily. But what if I already have chosen Ratan over you. He's everything that you're not. Kind, truthful, dignified and handsome as well. You're not half the man that he is." she taunted.

As she looked at him, she saw the hurt in those eyes. The pain she saw made her look away.

Ragini knew she was lying. Laksh too possessed all these qualities. However, she wanted to hurt him purposefully so that he gives up on her. 'Maybe then he would go back to Swara. She would be happy with Laksh too...I think?' she wasn't sure herself after what Swara had said to them.

"You're cruel with your words Ragini."

She gritted her teeth to prevent the flinch that threatened to escape her. "I'm only speaking the truth."

He swallowed the lump in his throat. The thoughts and emotions from his mind and heart seemed to get stuck in his throat like a tangled bunch that wouldn't come out through his mouth. Like a jack that refused to open, his mouth failed to form words.

That's when she knew she really hit a nerve. All her instincts screamed for her to reach over and tell him that she was sorry. But she refrained herself. 'It's for the best. It's for the best of both families!'

She fisted the hem of her dress instead in helplessness.

"Excuse me Mister." came Nikhil's voice as he came near. "Sir has called for you as well."

Laksh composed himself and cleared his throat. "Me? What would he want me there for?" Laksh questioned.

"I-I do not know. Sir didn't tell me." Nikhil replied. He adverted his eyes downward to hide his anxiety at being found out.

The person who called Ratan was someone who he had bribed to keep Ratan busy. Now, he was making an excuse to pull away the other guy away from Ragini as well so that she was alone.

"Hmm...strange." nevertheless, Laksh got up. He needed some fresh air anyway. The more he looked at Ragini'scold demeanor, the more his heart bled.

Nikhil moved to the side to give him space to leave. Once Laksh left, Nikhil turned to Ragini. "Ma'am, you look tensed. Is something wrong?"

"Um no...nothing. Thank you for asking." she replied with a smile. She brought the tea cup to her lips, only to notice that she had already finished her drink. 'I never noticed...'

"You know, some fresh water always helps to freshen up the mood. Would you like me to fetch you some?"

"That would be nice, if it's not much trouble. Thank you."

"It's absolutely fine ma'am." he bowed and left for the counter. From his pocket, he quietly took out a white veil. 'Once I mix this in her drink, she won't be awake for some hours. Enough for me to kidnap her as per the plan.' he felt guilt gnaw at him for what he was about to do. However, he would go to any extent to protect his daughter. He still remembered Swara's threat. He couldn't let it happen. He wouldn't let it happen!

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~ 🌹Mona🌹