The story, as readers know, revolves around two time frames; one captures the events that led to and took place in the year 1998 and the other is the present day scenario. Payal Gupta and Aakash Raizada, belonging to families involved in the fashion line of business, decide to marry, bringing great joy to one and all. The union results in the formal meeting of Arnav and Khushi.
Arnav had earlier chanced to see Khushi at a fundraisers ceremony. She had been one of the speakers in the seminar and he had mentally appreciated her articulate presentation.
However their first interaction at Aakash and Payal's engagement wasn't great. They avoid each other as far as possible due to the unfathomable effect they feel in the other's presence.
Everything is fine till a party is held by the newly wed couple, Aakash and Payal, a month after their wedding. Arnav and Khushi had no interaction with each other for the interim period of a month and the latter hoped that the feeling she fostered for Arnav had died down. In an attempt to avoid Arnav at the party, she slips to the next room that happens to be the ball room. A man offers her a hand in dance and she obliges without paying much attention. Arnav follows her to the ball room and what he sees makes him forget rationality. The man Khushi was dancing with was Veer Singhania.
In an aberrant incident at the time of Aakash's marriage, bloopers were found in the garments produced by AR. The incident hadn't caused much of a monetary issue but had been embarrassing due to the presence of business clients. When the matter was further looked into by Arjun, cousin brother of Rohan and detective by profession, they found that Veer had been involved in it. He had used an insider to get his job done.
Veer Singhania was a competitor who with this incident soured the cordial relations they shared . Arjun had further concluded that there were possibilities of more than one hand being responsible. However as a deeper investigation would attract much attention from the media, they had let the incident be for the time being, owing to Aakash's marriage.
When the song ended, at the party, Arnav came forward to dance with Khushi in an attempt to keep Veer away. Khushi accepted his hand in a daze, but when she felt Arnav dance closer than comfort, she resisted, aware of gossip mongers who awaited a chance. The resistance irked Arnav further as Khushi seemed completely at ease in Veer's arms. He held her firmly and continued to dance. When the song ended they realised all eyes on them.
In the days that followed tabloids provided juicy articles about them, tagging them as the most happening couple in town. Despite efforts of preventing the pictures from leaking, articles were written on them. Some of them had information regarding them, which only close associates were aware. It made Khushi wonder if anybody they knew, was behind them.
Garima and the Raizada family came up with the idea of their marriage. But Arnav strongly opposed it initially, by stating that marriage wasn't on his cards. Circumstances after circumstances rose pointing otherwise; Nanaji died, leaving a will that Arnav would inherit his share of property after marriage with a girl of his own choice, Veer showed an increasing interest in Khushi. Moreover Arnav felt guilty at being somewhere responsible for the dance that resulted in the sort of articles that were published regarding Khushi. This made him come to the decision that he would wed Khushi.
When he approached her and disclosed regarding the very same, Khushi disliked the manner in which he stated his opinion, making the proposal sound more like a compromise. She confidently stated that she would not marry him and her family would support her decision. The refusal stimulated Arnav to use Garima's name and remind her before leaving, of how her mother had been greatly interested in the alliance .
Life hadn't been rosy for Garima. Having fallen in love with her sister's brother-in-law, Arun Mishra, and then losing her whole family, saving Khushi in a tragedy before their marriage. All she had left of Arun was a red shawl he had gifted her, his first gift to her. She had searched for the nine year old Khushi, who was her elder sister Malvika Mishra and Sanjeev Mishra's daughter, for a whole year after the tragedy had separated them.
During this period she met Shashi who helped her find Khushi. Garima in return assumed the position of a nanny to his daughter lone Payal (who was thirteen then). She married Shashi later and they adopted Khushi.
The events of her past made her overprotective of Khushi's identity and Shashi helped her in removing the traces that connected Khushi to her birth parents. She made up her mind against revealing the true events of the past to Khushi.
Khushi, who was too young to understand the events then, had a different perspective to it. Garima did not have the heart to reveal the unknown to her later. The procrastination continued for long till she became resolved against revealing it. Her reasons for the very same were that it was Khushi's nature to explore extremes to seek answers to questions, specially when the events happened to be related with the death of her birth parents. She feared her identity would become known to people she intended to hide from. If revealing the past meant even one percent danger to Khushi, she would prefer veiling it.
Garima is shown to be more concerned than usual, as pointed by Shashi, when Khushi appeared in newspapers every second day. She believes Arnav to be ideal for her daughter and a solution for her concern. Hence she showed an interest in the alliance along with the Raizadas.
The mother and daughter have a heart to heart conversation where Garima tries to understand Khushi's opinions regarding the alliance. She reasons with her daughter, affectionately explaining her the difference between reality and fairytales (for those who want to read the conversation in detail, it takes place in the 4th chapter). Khushi had always been grateful to Garima for having searched for her with great efforts. She had lived in an orphanage, in the year she had been separated from her family. At the tender age of nine she was made to understand her parents were no more and life had taken a dramatic change. When her Maasi found her, the joy she had felt at having one living member had been immense. Garima and Shashi brought her up with love and care, guiding her at every stage from there on. In return Garima had never asked her anything. Khushi feels obliged to give life with Arnav a chance. The fact that she knew the Raizadas well and her sister lived with them helps her decide.
The sudden announcement of marriage by Arnav at Shantivan brings joy to Nani and Mami, while Aakash, Mamaji and Payal were curious regarding the dramatic change. Payal, who along with Khushi helps Shashi with the business, confronts Khushi in a conversation the sisters share, whether it was her decision wholly. Khushi's answer makes it obvious to her that what she had thought would be a happy courtship ending in a marriage like hers and Aakash's, wasn't even close to true. She feels inadequate as a sister for not being able to do anything when Khushi is firm on the alliance.
Aakash though concerned about the alliance, seems convinced that Khushi is the best that could happen to his Bhai. In a talk with Payal he expresses how drastically Arnav had changed since the events in the past, how he could hardly recognise him as his brother. Aakash and Manohar have a conversation where the latter asks him to promise to help, if need be, Arnav and Khushi in future, with a statement that Aakash knew why he had asked such a promise.
Shashi on the other hand returns from his Mumbai trip to learn of the alliance being accepted by Khushi and Arnav. He isn't convinced that it was entirely Khushi's decision and expresses his displeasure. He further iterates that Garima's opinion might have resulted in it. (If one wants to read the conversation in detail it is the seventh chapter. Note; Garima never forced Khushi to marry, she isn't one who can force her children. Khushi in her conversation with her mother had asked her what she felt of the alliance and Garima stated her viewpoint.).
Arnav visits his sister, who is married to Rohan (he is in the consultancy business) and has a seven year kid, Prithvi. Rohan shows him a well concealed drawer that he uses for documents of importance. Rohan and Arnav share a comfortable relation where Arnav finds it easy to approach the former for business related matters. In a conversation with his sister it is depicted how Arnav detests the very mention of his father, Pramod Malikh. A contrast is shown where Arnav as a child admired his father to the extent of imitating his mannerisms.
Meanwhile the past is catching up. A man (to be revealed) is shown plotting in his study, filled with various articles, maps, pictures, rare information, all regarding the two industrialist families in the past, the Mishras and the Malikhs, in the chikankari business, at Lucknow. He talks of bringing justice to his father in relation to the two families. In a later chapter it is revealed how he had followed Arnav and Anjali to Delhi, after his father's demise and spent years waiting patiently, for the right moment to strike. He spotted Garima in Aakash Payal's wedding and was surprised to find her. With the information in hand and a little effort he traced Khushi's connection with the Mishras. He steered the media to cover the party incident and credits himself for ensuring Arnav and Khushi to be wed (more to be revealed in here).
An engagement ceremony is held for Arnav and Khushi at Shantivan. Khushi is introduced to Aman Roy, Arnav's corporate lawyer and friend. Veer Singhania attends the occasion. His wishes to the couple sounds more like a gibe, confusing Khushi regarding the exchange he and Arnav share. Khushi later reminiscences that Veer was the same man she shared her first dance with, at the party and expresses the same to Arnav. Arnav tells Khushi briefly that Veer isn't a pleasant man and should be avoided by them.
Later Veer leaves the Raizada mansion, frustrated that Khushi is betrothed to Arnav. His driver delivers him a parchment from an unknown man. The note asks him to come to a given location at one a.m. It signs off with the symbol of a falcon that Veer recognises.
At one a.m. Veer meets Tiwari, who helped him make bloopers in AR garments, at the said location. Tiwari leads him to a man who reveals that it was he who helped Veer in his task. Veer learns Tiwari was a mere istrument in the man's hands and feels cheated. However he can not walk out of the den, he himself had entered as the man threatens to provide enough evidence to have the police knocking at his door. The man, whose face is conveniently hidden due to the minimal light, goes on to reveal his plan.
Khushi visits the Raizadas the next day and makes modifications in the room she would have to share with Arnav. After dinner Arnav offers to drop her back home. Khushi takes the opportunity to ask him why he had wanted to marry her when he could have chosen any other girl of his choice. She further questions him whether the reason he preponed the wedding begins and ends with the property. Arnav chooses to remain quite.
The look of dismay on her face makes Arnav purchase her wedding lehenga the next day. He gets it delivered the day before the wedding. The gift puzzles Khushi, who had been expecting the lehenga from the Raizada family. After haldi Arnav leaves to set his scores with Veer in an inconspicuous yet delivering manner. Veer was greatly interested in a piece of land whose auction was being held. Arnav participates and hikes the bid price by three crores and exits with the winning smile.
It is further revealed that in the past, Arun and Sanjeev Mishra find out that their manager was revealing inside information to the Malikhs. They are livid and decide to retain the manager for a while, to take advantage of this knowledge before reporting. Moreover Arun managed to retrieve a burning parchment from the manager's cabin, most of which was burnt. The only thing that stood out was the signature of a falcon and they take note of it.
The night before marriage, Khushi shares an endearing moment with Shashi and Garima. Manohar relates an incident to his wife that he couldn't help but remember on the occasion. It was at the time when his sister, Ashwini was alive. She had sounded upset on the phone and he had taken the next train to meet his sister and her family. He narrated how he had tried to speak to Pramod regarding his actions but the latter snubbed him off. Manohar had returned on his sister's persuasion. Ashwini had come to see him off at the station when she expressed to send Arnav and Anjali for higher studies to Delhi. In Manohar's words about his sister's intention: "She attempted to cover her intention of sending away her children from the mess, to a place where they would not be involved or exposed to Pramod's ambitions. Her eyes held a plea, when she requested me to look after her children. It broke me to see my sister thus. I held back my tears, Ashwini hated sympathy and I did not want her to feel I pitied her. She was a woman who believed in solving her own problems, did not want her brother to combat them. I left by promising to short list a few institutes, to take care of her kids as if I was having a normal conversation, only that we were hiding our sentiments from one another. Months later, Arnav and Anjali did come to Delhi, as orphans."
Payal, on the other hand converses with Arnav. The latter had promised her a gift on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan but she had not wanted anything then. Payal goes on to say that she wanted her gift now, her wish that Khushi stays happy always. To Payal no other gift could be superior than their happiness in the marriage. Arnav makes a genuine promise that he would ensure Khushi stays happy.
This summary includes everything till and including chapter 11.
Mannat Har Khushi Paane Ki
Cricket
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