Chapter 20 Masks Behind Smiles
The Grand Imperial Hotel glittered beneath thousands of golden lights.
Luxury cars lined the entrance one after another.
Media cameras flashed continuously.
The city's biggest business leaders...
Industrialists...
Politicians...
Celebrities...
All had gathered for the annual Charity Gala.
Inside the magnificent ballroom...
Crystal chandeliers illuminated every corner.
Soft classical music echoed through the hall.
Servers moved gracefully between guests carrying drinks and appetizers.
One after another...
Business families arrived.
"The Malhotras..."
"The Khannas..."
"The Singhanias..."
"The Oberois..."
Soon...
Another announcement echoed.
"Mr. Rajveer Singh Rathore and family."
Every head turned.
The Rathore family entered together.
Rajveer and Savitri walked proudly at the front.
Behind them came Mahendra and Sunita.
Vikram and Nandhini.
Raghav with Aarav and Vivaan.
Karan and Riya.
Aditya.
Arjun...
And beside him...
Aadhira.
Dressed in her elegant ivory saree embroidered with emerald threads...
She wasn't the most heavily dressed woman in the hall.
Yet...
Without trying...
She became the center of attention.
Whispers immediately spread.
"So that's the new Rathore daughter-in-law."
"She's beautiful."
"Didn't she study abroad?"
Arjun noticed the whispers.
Oddly...
They didn't bother him.
...
A few minutes later...
Another announcement followed.
"Mr. Harshvardhan Devraj and family."
The Devraj family entered.
Harshvardhan.
Devayani.
Rajesh.
Meera.
Arvind.
Kavita.
Raghav.
Sushma.
Vihaan and Ananya.
Atharv and Meher.
Advik and Ishita.
Finally...
Vedha.
She looked toward Aadhira.
Their eyes met.
For a brief second...
Neither smiled.
Neither frowned.
Just a cold glance.
Then Vedha deliberately looked away.
The guests quietly exchanged whispers.
"They still hate each other."
"I heard they haven't spoken properly in years"
...
Near the refreshments...
Kavya slowly approached Vedha.
"You came."
Vedha answered calmly.
"I said I would."
Kavya smirked.
"Tonight she'll lose the respect she's been earning."
Vedha folded her arms.
"What do you need?"
Kavya discreetly pointed toward one of the waiters.
"Just keep her busy for five minutes."
Vedha looked once toward Aadhira.
Then nodded.
"I'll handle it."
Hidden from everyone...
A pair of eyes silently watched both women.
...
Meanwhile...
Business discussions filled the ballroom.
Harshvardhan and Rajveer greeted one another respectfully.
Business leaders exchanged pleasantries.
Journalists captured photographs.
Siddharth, Rohan and Dev joined Arjun.
Rohan immediately grinned.
"You've been looking at your wife more than the buffet."
Arjun frowned.
"I have not."
Siddharth calmly sipped his juice.
"You have."
Dev simply smiled.
Arjun ignored all three.
Unfortunately...
None of them looked convinced.
...
Across the hall...
Meera quietly watched Aadhira speaking politely with several elderly guests.
She looked confident.
Elegant.
Composed.
Nothing like the broken seventeen-year-old girl they had once sent away.
A painful guilt settled inside her heart.
Rajesh silently noticed his wife's expression.
Neither spoke.
Some regrets...
Could never be expressed with words.
...
A few minutes later...
Vedha slowly walked toward Aadhira.
"I need to speak with you."
Aadhira looked at her calmly.
"Now?"
"Yes."
"It's important."
Without hesitation...
Aadhira excused herself and followed Vedha toward one side of the ballroom.
Everyone watched with curiosity.
Even Arjun frowned slightly.
The sisters had willingly gone somewhere together.
It felt...
Strange.
...
Behind them...
Kavya smiled.
"It's time."
She discreetly nodded toward one of her hired men disguised as a waiter.
The man quietly entered the VIP lounge.
Inside...
A designer handbag identical to Aadhira's had already been placed beside a chair.
Within seconds...
A priceless diamond necklace belonging to the charity auction mysteriously disappeared...
Only to appear inside that bag.
The trap had been set.
...
Several minutes later...
An organizer suddenly shouted.
"The Heritage Diamond Necklace is missing!"
Silence spread across the ballroom.
Security immediately closed the exits.
Guests began murmuring anxiously.
"What happened?"
"It was here a minute ago."
"This is impossible."
The event manager looked terrified.
"We have to search everyone's belongings."
One by one...
Guests willingly cooperated.
Finally...
The security officer approached Aadhira.
"Ma'am..."
"I'm sorry."
"We need to inspect your handbag."
The ballroom became eerily silent.
Kavya lowered her eyes...
Pretending to feel uncomfortable.
Vedha remained expressionless.
Arjun immediately stepped forward.
"My wife has nothing to do with this."
The officer bowed respectfully.
"I understand, sir."
"But everyone must be checked."
Aadhira gently stopped Arjun.
"It's alright."
She calmly handed over her handbag.
The officer opened it.
Everyone held their breath.
Then...
His expression changed.
"It's..."
He reached inside.
But instead of a diamond necklace...
He pulled out...
A folded white envelope.
Confused whispers spread through the hall.
The officer opened it.
Inside was a single handwritten sentence.
"Wrong bag."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
The officer frowned.
"There is nothing else."
The handbag was completely empty.
The missing necklace was nowhere to be found.
Kavya's face lost all color.
Impossible.
She had watched her man place it inside.
How...
Vedha looked equally surprised.
Aadhira herself looked confused.
Arjun quietly looked at her.
She genuinely seemed unaware.
Nearby...
Aditya's eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
Someone...
Had interfered.
...
Security finally located the necklace.
Hidden inside a decorative flower arrangement near the auction stage.
The organizer immediately apologized to every guest.
"It appears someone attempted to create unnecessary panic."
The gala slowly resumed.
But whispers continued throughout the ballroom.
Who had moved the necklace?
Nobody knew.
...
On the opposite side of the ballroom...
A person dressed entirely in black quietly exited through the service corridor.
Before disappearing...
A gloved hand placed another white envelope inside a courier locker.
Only one sentence was written.
"Phase One Complete."
...
Late that night...
The Rathore family returned home.
Everyone gradually retired to their rooms.
Inside the balcony...
Aadhira stood alone beneath the night sky.
Her phone suddenly vibrated.
Unknown Number.
She answered.
"...Hello."
For several seconds...
Only silence.
Then...
A calm, disguised voice spoke.
"Did you enjoy tonight's surprise?"
Aadhira's expression didn't change.
"It was you."
A soft chuckle came from the other side.
"Questions can wait."
"There is still another surprise waiting for you."
Aadhira's eyes narrowed slightly.
The voice continued .
"Be ready."
"This game has only just begun."
The call disconnected.
Aadhira slowly lowered the phone.
For the first time that night...
A faint smile appeared on her face.
Very few people in this world...
Could surprise her.
Somewhere...
Far away...
A figure stood beneath the city lights, looking toward the distant skyline.
Their identity remained hidden.
Only one quiet sentence escaped their lips.
"Stay safe... just a little longer."
End of Chapter 20