Everyone was getting ready to go to the market for some fashion ideas and street food, all thanks to Anaya's enthusiastic demand. Rhea and I were ready first, so we went down to the hallway and started chatting about the day we met Mr. Roy for a meeting. Rhea, curious as always, asked, "Now will you tell me how you know Mr. Roy?"

I smiled and said, "Yes, Rhea, calm down. Let's sit and talk." We sat, and I began explaining. "You know my Abbu had a close friend, right?"

Rhea nodded, "Yes, I know he had a jigri dost, but I never met him or saw him."

"That friend is none other than Mr. Roy," I revealed.

Just then, Raghav, who was ready and carrying a tray with a cup of coffee, entered and overheard us. He interjected, "I am Mr. Roy Singhania's son, Raghav Singhania."

Rhea's eyes widened in shock. "What? That means you both know each other from childhood?" she asked.

I shook my head, "No, he did study here till high school, but we didn't know each other then. After that, he got transferred to another school."

Raghav continued, "And when Fiza ran away from her house..." I noticed his hesitation as he brought up a painful memory, and I felt my heart sink slightly. He quickly added, "My father helped her."

I picked up the story, "Yes, his father sent me to the US for higher studies, for my MBA. He was the one supporting me. He made all the documents, the visa, the passport, everything ready and sent me there without my father knowing."

Rhea's eyes softened with understanding. "Oh, okay, now I get it."

"Yes," I continued. "After my studies, I came back here and started the business. You were there with me from the start, so you know very well how hard it was for me. And now I am here, on top, just because of you guys, Raghav, and his father. They supported me a lot."

Raghav interrupted with a laugh, trying to lighten the mood, "Leave that. If we had known each other in school, what a trio of friends we would have been, right?"

Rhea teased, "Yeah, right! And you, Raghav, would have been the troublemaker of the group, always dragging us into some mischief."

I chuckled, adding, "And Rhea would be the one keeping us in check, making sure we didn't go too far."

Raghav grinned, "And you, Fiza, would be the mastermind behind all our plans, always coming up with the best ideas."

A while later, Aditya, Haris, Anaya, and Aria came in and saw us cheering with coffee mugs and laughing together. Haris, looking a bit jealous, asked, "What is going on here?"

Rhea replied, "We were just talking about how if we had known each other in school, we would have made a great trio."

I noticed Adi's expression change slightly. He tried to hide it, but I could see a hint of jealousy. He knew Rhea was already his girl, so he didn't show much. Trying to diffuse the situation, I moved from the girls to my girl, Anaya, and said, "Anaya, let's go ahead. They'll catch up."

I bent down to ask Aria, "Aria, do you want to come with us?" But before Aria could respond, Anaya replied, "You guys finish the work first. The three of us are going with Aria."

Fiza and Rhea, who were already standing with their arms folded, chimed in. I asked, "What work?"

Anaya smirked, "The mess you made in the kitchen yesterday, you need to clean it up."

I protested, "But Kaaki can come and do it, right?"

Fiza and Rhea replied in unison, "We sent her home."

Aditya and I, shocked, asked, "Sent her home? Why?"

Anaya joined them, "Kaaki needed rest. How could she do it?"

Fiza continued, "So, we sent her home."

Anaya finished, "Now you all finish the work and then come."

Rhea pointed at Adi and ordered, "Understood, Adi? We're going. You finish up and then come."

All three of us sighed and replied, "Okay, we'll finish it. You go ahead."

As the girls left, we exchanged glances, knowing we were in for some hard work. But seeing their determined faces, we knew we had no choice but to clean up the mess we made in the kitchen.

We moved out, and I took the wheel. Aria sat in the front passenger seat, chattering away happily, while Rhea and Anaya were at the back. Aria asked excitedly, "Mumma, hum log ice cream bhi khayenge na?"

Rhea replied, "Haan beta, ice cream bhi kha lenge. Pehle thoda dekh le, ghoom le." Aria chimed in, "Ok, mumma."

We reached our destination and parked the car, then started exploring the market. After a while, we all felt tired and stopped by a cart where some women were already standing. Still having a bit of energy left, I said, "Let me get the ice creams."

Rhea asked, "Kaha se?"

I pointed ahead and said, "Waha samne kulfi ki bandi hai. Ruko, main aur Aria jakar aate hain. Chalogi na, Aria?"

Aria nodded enthusiastically, "Haan, Fiza maasi, chalo!"

I smiled, loving how Rhea had asked her to call me "maasi." Holding Aria's hand, we walked over to the kulfi vendor and bought four kulfis. 

On our way back, I noticed a group of men teasing Rhea and Anaya. My blood boiled instantly.

Rhea and Anaya started walking towards us, but those idiots followed them closely. I gestured to Rhea and Anaya to stop where they were. They understood and paused, standing on the street.

I hurried towards them with Aria, positioning myself between the girls and those men. In a loud, commanding voice, I warned them, "Dare to touch them, and you will die."

But as expected, they were too foolish to heed my warning. One of them sneered, "Kya karegi tu? Hum toh lagayenge haath."

He moved his hand towards Anaya, and I acted swiftly, kicking him hard in the stomach. He doubled over in pain. Another man advanced towards Rhea, and I delivered a solid punch to his face, sending him staggering backward.

The rest of the group then tried to circle around me, thinking they could overpower me with their numbers. I handed the kulfis to Rhea quickly and faced them, ready for a fight.

One of them lunged at me, but I sidestepped and delivered a sharp elbow to his ribs. He stumbled, clutching his side. Another came at me from the right, swinging wildly. I ducked and countered with a punch to his jaw, making him reel back.

A third man tried to grab me from behind, but I twisted out of his grip and kicked the back of his knee, causing him to collapse to the ground. I kept moving, not giving them a chance to regroup or catch their breath.

As they realized they were no match for me, they started retreating, muttering threats and curses under their breath. I stood my ground, glaring at them until they were out of sight.

Breathing heavily, I turned back to Rhea and Anaya, who were both visibly relieved. I handed Aria to Rhea and made sure everyone was okay.

"Are you guys alright?" I asked, my voice still tense from the adrenaline.

Rhea nodded, "Yes, Fiza. Thank you. That was... intense."

Anaya added, "You were amazing, Fiza."

I shrugged, trying to downplay it, "Just doing what I had to do."

When we arrived after dealing with the kitchen mess, we saw a huge crowd gathered around. Adi, Raghav, and I pushed our way through to see what was happening. As soon as we saw the scene, all three of us were shocked—Fiza was in the middle of a fight.

Standing between Adi and Raghav, I felt their eyes bore into me. They looked at me as if I had committed some grave sin. Raghav started blabbering as always, "Waah bhai, kya choice hai apki," he said, shaking his head in mock admiration.

Adi joined in, "Bhabhi to sherni nikli!" He gave a low whistle.

I gulped at their teasing and said, "Chup kroge tum dono?" trying to sound stern.

Raghav, ever the instigator, replied, "Nahi bhai, ab to aap gaye."

Adi chuckled, "Haris, tera kya hoga re?"

Raghav added, "Adi, main soch raha hoon, first night kya hoga?"

Adi giggled, "Bhai ki dhulai aur kya!"

I shouted, "Abe chupp kro saale, bhot ho gaya!"

Meanwhile, the fight had ended, and the police were taking those idiots away. We quickly made our way to the girls, concerned about what had happened.

I asked, "Sab thik hai na?"

Rhea nodded, "Yes, we're fine. Thanks to Fiza."

Adi looked at Fiza with newfound respect, "Fiza, tum to ekdum action hero nikli."

Fiza smirked, "Bas, thoda self-defense."

Just then, Aria, who had been watching the whole scene with wide eyes, ran up to Fiza and hugged her tightly. "Fiza maasi, you were so brave! Aapne unko acchi tarah se sikhaya!"

Fiza smiled warmly, picking up Aria, "Thank you, Aru. Maasi ko bhi tumhari help chahiye thi."

Aria beamed, "I want to be brave like you, maasi!"

Raghav and Adi kept up their teasing, "Haris bhai, ab to aapko bhi fight seekhni padegi."

I rolled my eyes, "Bas, ab chalo. Let's get out of here."

We all shared a laugh, feeling relieved that everyone was safe, and continued our day with a renewed sense of camaraderie.

Meanwhile, they explored the market, indulging in some street food. They tried golgappas, bhel puri, and chaat, savoring the flavors of the bustling streets. After wandering around for a while and feeling hungrier, they decided to have dinner at a nearby hotel.

As they settled down at their table, both Haris and Fiza received calls at the same time. Raghav and Adi exchanged teasing glances, nudging Haris playfully as he and Fiza stepped away to attend their calls.

Meanwhile, Rhea and Anaya took charge of ordering the food. Aria, excitedly, said, "Mumma, I want paneer!" Rhea smiled and started placing the order. They decided on a variety of dishes to satisfy everyone's tastes:

Paneer Butter MasalaChicken BiryaniButter NaanTandoori RotiDal MakhaniVegetable PulaoAloo GobiRaitaGreen Salad

Once Haris and Fiza returned, they all enjoyed a hearty dinner, chatting and laughing about their day.

"Aria, do you like the paneer?" Rhea asked, smiling at her daughter's enthusiasm.

"Yes, Mumma! It's so yummy!" Aria replied, her face lighting up.

Raghav, taking a bite of his naan, said, "You know, this reminds me of our school days. If we had known each other back then, we would've been a great trio."

Fiza laughed, "Imagine us causing chaos together. It would've been legendary."

Haris, trying to hide his jealousy, joked, "Well, thank God you didn't. The world wasn't ready for that."

Adi added, "And Haris would be too busy chasing after Fiza, right Haris?"

Haris rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, guys."

Rhea, enjoying the banter, teased, "Looks like someone's feeling a bit left out."

Fiza, noticing Haris' slight discomfort, decided to lighten the mood, "Come on, Haris. You know we would have let you be part of our chaos."

Aria, not wanting to be left out, chimed in, "Fiza Maasi is so cool! She can even fight bad guys!"

Everyone laughed, and Haris felt a little better, seeing the camaraderie among them.

Raghav, with a mischievous grin, said, "So, Haris, when are you going to show us your cooking skills again? Or was today's kitchen disaster enough?"

Haris groaned, "Not you too, Raghav. One disaster and I'm never going to hear the end of it."

Fiza chuckled, "Well, practice makes perfect. Maybe next time, you won't burn the toast."

The group continued to enjoy their meal, sharing stories and teasing each other. The day had been full of unexpected events, but it ended with laughter and good food, strengthening their bond even more.

After dinner, they headed back to Raghav's house. As they walked in, everyone felt a sense of contentment and camaraderie. The day's adventures had brought them closer, and the warmth of friendship filled the air.

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Hey bookish beauties! 🌸📚✨

Hope you enjoyed the chapter and had a great time with all the adventures.

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Stay tuned to find out what the mysterious call was about... 📞✨