Chapter 1
Fourteen years later
Mumbai
“The décor is so pretty.”
“The food is delicious.”
“I’m waiting for the dessert.”
“Who’s the caterer? I want to hire them for my next soiree.”
From her corner near the dessert station, Sabrina Solanki smiled as she overheard the guests appreciate her catering and décor. She nodded at her staff to refresh the saffron Crème Br?lée trays before she moved ahead.
Sabrina sauntered through the lawns of the fancy house, taking everything in.
It was all perfect in her eyes. From the white flower arbor at the entrance to the delicate bowers of yellow roses adorning pristine white round tables, every detail exuded elegance.
Twin swan ice sculptures stood gracefully at the entrance, while the soft, fresh scent of jasmine lingered in the air.
A towering pyramid of crystal glasses stood ready, each flute perfectly aligned in row upon row, shimmering in anticipation of the champagne to flow.
And the food was already the talk of the evening.
The weather Gods, too, had played sport.
It was a pleasant November night in Mumbai, the soft breeze adding to make it the perfect ambience. Yes, today was flawless indeed.
As usual, not many paid attention to her as she weaved her way forward.
She was invisible to the guests. Just the caterer, and at times like tonight, also the event organizer.
Hired help. And that was exactly how she liked it.
She didn’t want to be a part of their elite circles.
She wanted to remain in the background—hidden and unnoticeable.
Lowering her head, she crossed some of the guests, not meeting anyone’s eyes.
She patted her tight bun, knowing very well that not a single hair was out of place.
Even her clothes were nondescript—plain dark brown trousers and a simple white top.
Her entire getup was harsh and severe, carefully selected to deflect attention, to hide her real self.
She knew the risks when she’d started her catering business.
Someone somewhere could recognize her at any time.
And someone had… She exhaled a shaky breath.
Now was not the time to dwell on the incident from the mall.
It had occurred months ago. It was over.
Her chest tightened at the thought, but she calmed herself.
She was safe. No one was going to find her.
Fourteen years had passed. She looked different now.
She was a different person. She had practiced the art of staying in the shadows so no one could ever find her—not family, not foes.
And yet, someone had… That incident was nothing, she tried to convince herself.
It was random. A fluke. She had to stop thinking about it, and about her past.
She’d faced so much, seen so much since then. She sighed. It definitely was not the time to be thinking about that part of her life or the special people she’d lost thanks to her naiveté. Digging up the past only scraped up the wounds that had never fully healed.
She straightened her spine. She was no longer that immature orphan from Rishikesh who had messed her life up.
She was Sabrina Solanki—a strong, independent, and successful woman. A mother… a widow. Sighing, she looked to the sky, whispering a silent prayer of thanks. She’d made it.
Her past, her husband’s death, his gambling loans—all of that was over.
Life was good and was only going to get better.
Her career was on track, her business was booming, and she finally could afford almost everything her eleven-year-old son, Ahaan, desired.
She could and would give him the best. He was the light of her life.
Her reason for living. Ahaan was happy and safe, and finally, after years, so was she.
So, if the cost of all this happiness meant that she always stayed behind the scenes in everyone’s life, then so be it.
Some people weren’t meant to take center stage.
They were supposed to live their lives on the periphery, and she didn’t mind that if it came with the freedom and security of living her life happily with her son.
And yet the incident from the mall continued to rattle her despite the assurances she gave herself.
She couldn’t deny that it was a stark reminder of her past and the people she’d left behind, but hadn’t forgotten.
If she was being honest with herself, it had scared her, and no matter how many pep-talks she gave herself, even months later, it still worried her.
Again, right now, was not the time to dwell on it.
She exhaled, studying the crowd around her.
Tonight’s event was an engagement party.
Up ahead, Sabrina could see the bride-to-be, Kanika Mehta, floating through the lawns, her arm possessively wound around her fiancé’s as she guided him from one guest to another.
Every now and then, Kanika’s eyes would wander to the entrance of the lawns, as if she were waiting for someone.
Dressed in a bright red shimmery gown, Kanika looked stunning.
Her beauty was undeniable. It was a pity she didn’t have the personality to match it.
She’d made Sabrina’s life hell the last month while planning this event, barking orders and throwing a tantrum over the shade of the paper napkins—she needed the exact yellow hue of the roses for the napkins—and whatnot.
Sabrina had borne all her outbursts with a pinch of salt.
After all, the Mehtas were important in Delhi’s social circles, and Kanika was marrying someone equally important from Mumbai.
The event tonight was being held in his home.
Organizing a successful event in this crowd meant more such business might come Sabrina’s way, and judging from the appreciative comments she’d so far overheard, she hoped to land one or two clients from the event.
Sabrina went to the corner where Dilnaz, her assistant, was standing.
“Is everything okay?” Sabrina checked.
“Perfect so far,” Dilnaz said.
Sabrina nodded. She looked up and saw Kanika beckoning her.
Dilnaz groaned. “Here we go. God save us from bridezillas like her.”
Biting back a laugh, she left Dilnaz to go to Kanika. From up ahead, she saw her whispering something in her fiancé’s ear, before she left him to come to her. Sabrina straightened her spine, wondering what Kanika wanted now. She quickly scanned her surroundings; nothing was amiss.
“Everything okay?” Sabrina asked the second Kanika was in front of her.
“It is perfect,” Kanika gushed. “Just what I wanted.”
“I’m happy that you are satisfied.”
Kanika quickly glanced at the entrance. Her red lips twisted into a pout before she faced Sabrina again, her chin rising haughtily.
“Initially, I was very apprehensive about hiring your services, but you came highly recommended. However, I wasn’t sure you’d do justice to my event.
I wasn’t sure you’d give me your best like you do for the Sehgals, Balis and Jaisinghanias.
They are, after all, your premium clients, aren’t they?
Everyone in Mumbai’s social circles knows that you plan and organize all the events for their group.
Since you, too, are a part of that clique, obviously, you’d give your best to them. ”
Yes, all of them were Sabrina’s friends, but she wasn’t really a part of their clique.
Thanks to her best friends Aisha Bali and Diya Jaisinghania being part of said group, she was always invited to all their events, big and small.
Despite all of them being wonderful, she deliberately chose to stay away from them.
Most of them in that group were rich and famous, and she wanted to…
No, she had to remain anonymous. One wrong picture posted on social media by any of the guests at their events, and her carefully built life could possibly crumble.
No, thank you. She liked the safety net she’d built around herself and Ahaan.
There was also another reason, her heart said.
But she shut that thought even before it formed.
Since she wouldn’t attend her friends’ events as a guest, they now called her to cater and organize for them so she would attend anyway.
Thanks to all of them, her clientele was growing rapidly.
She truly had been blessed with the best people in her life, and Kanika belittling her or her work because of her association with all of them was unacceptable.
Instead of the several scathing remarks bubbling in her head, Sabrina forced her lips to curve into a smile. “I put my best effort into all my clients’ events, friends or not. As you can see, tonight has turned out fabulously, just the way you wanted.”
“Of course, a lot of it was because of my own input,” Kanika remarked.
Sabrina’s anger simmered beneath the surface. Women like Kanika refused to give credit where it was due and wanted all the accolades. However, in her line of work, she couldn’t afford to be rude.
“It’s almost midnight,” Sabrina said calmly. “Should I get the cake out?”
Kanika scanned the entrance again before facing her. “Did you send out all the invites for today?”
“Yes, my team couriered your invites and gift baskets to every single guest on your list.”
Kanika’s eyes returned to the entrance, and her face fell. A second later, however, her eyes widened, and a cunning smile stretched on her lips as she hurried back to her fiancé.
Strange. That woman was so… Suddenly, Sabrina felt the air shift, followed by a hush. The silence rippled in a slow wave around her, and she turned.
And there he was. Tall, gorgeous, and dressed in a charcoal suit that probably cost more than her staff’s combined salaries.
His stylish hair was swept back from his wide forehead, just a touch too long, and his sharp jaw was dusted with that ever-present stubble that made him look like trouble with a capital T.
But it wasn’t his looks that had sent a hush through the crowd. It was him.
Aditya Wahi.
The man the bride-to-be had been dating just six months ago. The ex. And now he was walking through the lawns like he owned the place, commanding attention with every step that brought him closer to his ex and her new fiancé.
All eyes were on him as the flurry of whispers started.
Why was he here?
Was he going to create a scene?
What did he feel about his ex-girlfriend being engaged to someone else now?
Did he care? Did he not?
Aditya looked unconcerned. In fact, a corner of his mouth was tipped in a smile. Fuck. He looked like trouble, and most definitely, he was here to stir up more of it.
Sabrina didn’t mean to stare. But there was something about the way he moved—controlled, cool, shoulders relaxed, and totally unbothered by the whispers following him. There was a raw magnetism to Aditya Wahi, the kind that made people stop and stare. The kind that always made her stop and stare.
Aditya Wahi, owner of the Gemini Group of Companies, was an integral part of Aisha and Diya’s close circle of friends.
Kanika and he had dated for five months before she had called it off.
And now, a month later, Kanika was engaged to be married to someone else.
Aisha, who was also Sabrina’s sister-in-law—her late husband’s younger sister—had told her something to that effect, but now she couldn’t recall more of what she’d said.
She wished she’d paid more attention to her then. But when it came to him…
Aditya’s eyes met hers across the distance, and his face lit up.
The careless smile on his lips turned to something warmer, and he gave her a naughty wink.
Her lips curved and her heart rumbled. Uff.
Aditya Wahi was like a force of nature, and the main reason she stayed away from their common group of friends as much as she could.
He was the only man to ever make her heart stumble in years, the only man in whose presence her heart and mind reminded her that she was also a woman…
a single woman who’d been lonely for far too long.
Oh God. She stopped all those scandalous thoughts and focused on the present.
Why was he here? Was he invited? As usual, Dilnaz had handled all the invites.
Had he been on that list? Fuck. If only she’d paid attention to the guest list. Her gaze flicked to Kanika, who stood taller, her back ramrod straight, her hand tightly wound around her fiancé’s, her smile loud and vibrant, and her left hand fluttering in the air, quite conveniently showing off her large, sparkling diamond.
All of it looked like a performance, carefully rehearsed and perfected… for him.
Everything suddenly became clear. Kanika had deliberately invited Aditya.
In fact, she had been waiting for him to arrive.
She wanted Aditya to see her like this at her fancy engagement party, with her new fiancé, and her flashy diamond.
And Soham, Kanika’s fiancé, didn’t even know he was a prop in Kanika’s revenge opera.
The poor guy looked at her with stars in his eyes, like he’d found the most perfect woman.
And then there was Aditya, who was cutting through the crowd like a slow-moving storm, about to erupt and cause chaos. If there was one thing that made any party unforgettable and the talk of the town, it was the scent of scandal in the air.
Sabrina didn’t bother to stop the smile from spreading on her face.
Because this? This had just become the event of the season.