Amidst the celebratory hum, Raj Sanyal finally moved toward Divya. His presence was like a calm but immovable mountain. He felt it was his responsibility, as the patriarch of the Sanyal family, to ensure Taniya's well-being now that she was officially joining his lineage. Their conversation started with the usual formalities, but Raj's sharp, analytical mind soon pivoted to a detail that had been bothering him since the girls descended the stairs.
"Taniya is a lovely girl," Raj said, his voice deep and steady. "But I must ask... the girl by her side, Meira. Who exactly is she?"
He paused, his eyes narrowing slightly as he searched his memory. "The news years ago was quite clear about the Salai household. I was under the impression that other than Taniya, there was only one other daughter in this house—your daughter, Kiran. And as the world knows, she passed away eight years ago."
Divya felt the blood drain from her face. The room seemed to tilt for a fraction of a second as the ghost of Kiran was invoked by a man who didn't miss a single detail. To a tycoon like Raj, inconsistencies were like cracks in a foundation—they demanded investigation.
Despite her internal panic, Divya's years of social maneuvering kicked in. She managed to keep her voice stable, though her skin remained pale. "You have an excellent memory, Raj," she responded with a strained but polite smile. "But there is no mystery there. Meira is simply Taniya's closest friend. She has been with us for a long time, especially after... after we lost Kiran. She is like a sister to Taniya, but she is not family."
Raj looked at her for a moment longer than was comfortable, his gaze lingering on her face as if checking for the slight tremor in her hands. He nodded slowly, but the curiosity in his eyes didn't entirely vanish.
The chaos of the engagement finally worked in Dev's favor. While the elders were locked in their high-stakes conversations and Taniya was surrounded by well-wishers, he navigated the room with the grace of a predator who had finally spotted his mark. Meira had retreated to a quiet corner, her eyes scanning the room as if she were still looking for an exit.
"So, Miss Guest is finally here," Dev said, his voice smooth and laced with that same playful energy from the day before.
Meira turned, her expression softening when she realized it was him. "I... I wanted to say sorry for yesterday," she began, her voice a gentle murmur. "I might have sounded rude to you. I wasn't exactly in a state to receive guests."
Dev let out a short, melodic laugh, his eyes crinkling. "Oh, no, not at all! I was the one who laughed far too much and behaved quite rudely," he replied. Even as he apologized, he did so with a bright, infectious smile that seemed to light up the dim corner of the hall.
Meira watched him, a flash of genuine confusion crossing her face. How can someone be sorry laughingly? she wondered. In Roopa Mansion, apologies were usually heavy, dripping with guilt or forced by authority. But Dev's apology felt light, almost like he was inviting her to share a secret joke.
"You're a very strange visitor, Dev," Meira said, a small, real smile finally tugging at her lips.
"And you're a very mysterious 'friend' of the family," Dev countered, his gaze dropping for a fraction of a second to the high collar of her dress, before returning to her eyes with a look that was both curious and unexpectedly kind.