Made For Each Other BeHir FF Ch4: The Missing Wifey Updated on 4th Dec

I had posted this FF originally on the Naagin 3 forum as Hum Bane Tum Bane Ek Duje Ke Liye and is still an on going one there. But I wanted to explore the FF Forum as well. So I am posting it here as well.

Made For Each Other is a name that was used by one of my readers Fortitudeoth who found Hum Bane Tum Bane Ek Duje Ke Liye far too long. I decided to keep this name as it's short and sweet just my friendship with her was. We have lost touch with each other and she is no longer active here.

It's a romantic FF and is based in the lead pair from the third series from the Naagin franchise. Bella and Mahir... A pair unlike any other. BeHir will always have a very special place in my heart. I hope you guys enjoy reading this one as much as I have enjoyed writing this.

Chapter 1: Trophy Husband

Bella stood in front of the mirror staring at herreflection. She looked beautiful she thought. But that beauty was not of anyuse. Last few hours were very hectic for her. The wedding day is hectic for anybride on this earth, but it was extra hectic for her. That morning when shewoke up, she did not expect to have a wedding where so many things went wrong.She always knew of her fianc's... sorry ex fianc's womanizing ways but shenever thought he would run away with his ex girlfriend Ravi Saluja on theirwedding day.

It was not as though she had forced him to marry her. YuviSehgal had himself sent a rishta for her. Hewanted to marry her, he claimedto love her, it was he who hadfollowed her around to convince her to marry him, then it was he who had refused to give up hiswomanizing ways even after the engagement, hehad invited his ex girlfriend to their wedding, he had continued to flirt with every beautiful girl he came acrossand finally it was he who had runaway from the wedding leaving her alone in the mandap to face the taunts of thesociety.

She had neverwanted to marry her, she had reluctantlyagreed to marry her as he claimed to love her truly and deeply, she had ignored all of his mistakes, she had tried to overlook the fact that Yuvi wasstill meeting different girls at night, shehad tried to gel with his family while he was away sleeping with beautifulgirls and now finally it was she who stuck with the label that her fianc ranaway on the day of the wedding. She had nearly lost her father that day. WhenMr. Sharma found out that Yuvi had ranaway from the venue, he had tried to commit suicide. She had barely been ableto prevent him from burning himself in the fire that was supposed to witnessher wedding. Now he was sleeping in the room as his BP had shot up and a doctorhad to be summoned and the doctor had given him a sleeping pill to ease him alittle.

She gazed at her sleeping father. He looked restless even inhis sleep. She could hear panditji chanting the wedding mantras downstairs. Herbest friend Suhani and Yuvi's half brother Pratham were getting married. Theyboth had offered to postpone the wedding in the light of that day's events. ButBella had refused this offer. So they both were getting married. But it hadbeen too much for her to see the wedding happening in front of her eyes. Shehad apologised to Suhani and Pratham and retired to her room. Now she was inthe middle of taking off all her jewellery and dress. She planned to return itto Sumitra, Yuvi's mother and then leave the city and go.

She knew that her father was in a drug induced sleep andwould not be waking up any time soon. So had begun changing in that roomitself. She had just unhooked her blouse and was in the middle of taking it offwhen her door banged open. She turned around in surprise, her blouse barely coveringher chest. Her brother-in-law... no sorry would have been' brother-in-law Mahir stood there, a worried expression on his face. When Mahir saw that Bella was half undressed he turned around quickly.

"Sorry, I have been knocking for the last ten minutes.When you didn't open the door, I got worried and so I entered the room." Mahir said awkwardly.

Bella had quickly thrown on her dupatta at the sight of Mahir standing there. She had been so engrossed in her musings that she had not heard the knocks. But the dupatta was a net dupatta and did not really cover her up. Now she was stuck with her blouse unhooked and a flimsy net dupatta that was barely covering her. She had a flashback of her entering Mahir's room to find him in nothing but a towel around his waist. Had that really happenedjust yesterday? That seemed like a life time ago now.

Mahir was still waiting for her to tell him to turn around. Whenthat didn't happen, he said, " I know you are angry, and rightly so. But please, I justwant to speak with you. If not anything at least hear me out for the sake ofour friendship."

How could she refuse him anything? He was the guy who hadstood by her whenever she needed him. In the last twenty days that she had been staying with the Sehgals, Mahir and Sumitra had been her support systems. Even before that, when she had been a mere employee at the Sehgal Industries, it was Mahir Sir as she called him even today who had always helped her. And when shecame to live with the Sehgals a few days before her wedding, it was Mahir andSumitra who had made her feel at home in their big house. She came from amiddle class family and was new to the ways of rich families. Sumitra had supported her throughout, sometimes even against her own daughter Kuhu. Whenever Yuvi behaved in an insensitive manner, Mahir would scold him and comfort her.He had promised to lookout for her no matter what. But she couldn't help butfeel a little disappointed in Mahir as well.

He had failed to recognise his own brother. Last night when she had seen a shirtless and drunk Yuvi come out of their investor Vish Khanna'sroom she had rushed to Mahir's room to tell him that she couldn't marry his brother. That was when she had seen him in nothing but a towel. Mahir had thrown on a bathrobe and rushed with her to Vish's room. He had given a sound scolding to Yuvi and had dragged him to their room. Then he had comforted Bella by saying that Yuvi was still a child and that he would change after marriage. He promised that he would have a talk with Yuvi the next morning when he was sober and that nothing of that sort would ever happen after their wedding. Bella had trusted Mahir to keep his word and now she had been thrown in this situation.

She knew that it was not Mahir's fault, Yuvi rarely listened to anyone and did whatever he pleased, but still she blamed Mahir for givingher a false sense of security. But even then she couldn't refuse Mahir the opportunity to speak. He deserved that chance. But how could she let him turnaround given her current condition? Mahir was still waiting for her response.

"Mahir Sir, I am ready to hear you out but..." Bella began awkwardly

"But?" Mahir prompted her.

"But I can't. How can I let you turn when I am in this condition?" Bella pleaded.

"Bella, I will go and wait outside. You change andthen let me in. Okay?" Mahir told her, relieved that she was still willing to listen to him.

"Okay." Bella agreed. Even she was curious about Mahir had to say about all that had happened in the last few hours.

As went Mahir went out of the room she let her blouse that she had been holding in place with her hands, fall to the ground. She quickly got out rest of her clothes and changed into her regular clothes. She bundled her wedding trousseau and her jewellery and then let Mahir in.

"Mahir Sir, here is the wedding dress and the jewellery that Sumi ma had gifted me. I am returning this to you. I have no usefor this. Once baba wakes up, we will leave." Bella told him her decision.

"Where will you go Bella?" Mahir asked her, concerned.

"I don't know, but somewhere far from here. I can'tstay here and face the humiliation any longer." Bella replied honestly.

"Bella please I want to say something to you." Mahir pleaded with her.

"Go ahead. I promised I would hear you out." Bella's emotionless voice broke Mahir's heart. The girl who was the life and soul of any party was standing as though emotionally dead in front of him.

"I swear that I did not know Yuvi was planning something of this sort when I spoke to him this morning. If I had known, I would have locked him up in his room till the mahurat and..." Mahir began trying to explain his misjudgment.

"And then what? He would have married me, but then do you really think that I would have had a happy life with him? No. I would haveled a miserable life. It is better this way. Now at least I am not his trophy wife." Bella cut him before he could complete his statement.

"I want to place a proposal in front of you. Think about it before you reject it. I will like to take up your responsibility if you will let me." Mahir told her directly as beating around the bush irritated Bella as he very well knew. She was a very direct sort of a girl and expected other to be the same.

"As what? Your mistress?" Bella asked bitterly.

"NO Bella. How can you even think of it that way? I am proposing marriage to you. I will expect nothing from you in return. Just give it a thought okay? Marry me and..." Bitterness in Bella's voice broke his heart some more and he fumbled for words to let her know that he was just trying to keep his promise of protecting her in case his idiotic brother messed up.

"Be your trophy wife instead of your brothers?" Bella completed his statement bitterly. She knew she was being extremely unfair but she couldn't forget that Mahit had denied her a way out when she tried to take it.

"Hardly Bella. If anything I am offering to be your trophy husband. You can do whatever you want in life. I had planned on making you the Chairman after your wedding to Yuvi. I see a lot of potential in you. I have seen your work, and I feel you will make a great business head. Dad is thinking of retiring and is planning to hand over the business to me. Yuvi had never really shown any interest in business, but you? Even dad sees tremendous potential in you. You don't know, I know how difficult it is to impress dad. Listen,I am not trying to buy you over by offering you a post of power. This is what I genuinely feel. I will nominate your name and make sure you get the post." Mahir finally got the whole thing out. Bitterness in her voice told him that she was not about to forgive him anytime soon for his error of judgement. He detected a flicker of surprise when he offered her the post of company Chairman.

"But what about you? You are supposed to inherit that post." Bella asked him genuinely surprised and very much concerned.

Mahir almost smiled at the concern in her voice. 'Typical Bella' , he thought. 'She is so pissed at me but that hasn't stopped her from being concerned about me.' He suddenly felt very guilty for pushing her to marry Yuvi who, although loved her in his own weird way, never really appreciated and valued her. Despite the fact that his misjudgment had landed her in a humiliating and life-altering situation, she was concerned about his rights.

"The Chairman's chair is not a throne to be passed onfrom a father to his son. You have worked hard in the Sehgal Industries for thelast seven years. You deserve the post. And if I am being honest with you, you are far more capable than me. I would nothave gotten out of a lot of sticky situations without you." Mahit explained to her.

"And what happens if I refuse your offer? Will I get thrown out the Sehgal Industries?" Bella's direct question threw him off guard once again.

"No. You will still get a higher post when I become the Chairman. I will appoint you as the Vice-President, the second highest post our company has to offer. Dad will not agree to make a non family member a Chairman and hence this arrangement. Please consider. I really do think of you as my friend. I have known you for the last seven years. We were colleagues then, but these past few months after your engagement to Yuvi we have come closer as friends." Mahir struggled to explain what she meant to him without revealing the fact that he in fact loved her. His voice broke a little at friend but he hoped that Bella had not noticed that.

Bella had in fact noted the slight catch in his voice when he said friend. She had noticed how his face fell when she had called his proposal to be an arrangement to make her his mistress. She had noticed every little change in his expression since he arrived in her room. She wanted to believe that he was offering marriage not as a compromise but because he loved her, something which he had denied ever feeling for her many many months ago. But her current situation had left her feeling suspicious of even Mahir who was the most truthful and honest man she knew after her own father and Suhani's father. She carefully considered his words.

That was true, Mahir and she had known each other as colleagues for nearly seven years. She had even loved him back then and had confessed to him after an incident but that had gone badly. After her engagement with Yuvi they had shoved aside the awkwardness and had become friends. And as she began to frequent the Sehgal House, her relationships with everyone changed. Andy Sir had become dad and Sumitra ma'am had become Sumi ma on their insistence. But she could never bring herself to call Mahir, Mahir Bhai as Yuvi would call him. It would seem really weird even when she thought about it. So she had continued to call him Mahir Sir.

"Mahir Sir, I need some time. I will give an answer toyou soon." She told him. Her heart was thudding loudly in her chest, making it impossible for her to think straight.

Mahir nodded his head and went out. Bella sat there and thought for a long time. It was true that whatever arrangement Mahir was offering, was beneficial to her. But then it would be a marriage of convenience. It was too much to hope that Mahir loved her. Then what was her marriage to Yuvi going to be? Exactly that, a marriage of convenience.The society, people would talk about how swiftly and quickly she agreed to marry the older brother when the younger one left her. But then they were gossiping about her even now. She looked at her father, fast asleep on the bed.If she married Mahir, he would be saved from a lot of embarrassment. She nodded her head. She would marry Mahir.

If she was being honest with herself, she had always had feelings for Mahir. Initially when she had joined the Sehgal Industries, fresh out of college as Mahir Sehgal's secretary, she had had a small crush on him.He was about six years older than her. Tall with fair skin, dark hair and warm brown eyes, he looked like the perfect Prince Charming to a twenty-one year old Bella. His was polite and kind, and helped her whenever she needed his help. As she continued to work under him, he became her mentor, and guide and her respect for him began to grow. Slowly she began to climb up the hierarchy on her own merit. Mahir encouraged her progress and at the twenty eight, she was the CEO of the Sehgal Industries, one of the youngest in the country.

As she grew old, her silly infatuation developed into healthy respect for him. But even then, deep down, she had always hoped for a life partner like Mahir and had taken a chance when she thought the time was right. But then it was not the right time after all. When Yuvi sent his proposal to her, she was disappointed. He was the exact opposite of his brother. But then he promised to change his ways and she agreed to marry him. She was someone who knew that changes don't happen overnight and so she had waited for Yuvi to change his ways. But he never did. Mahir strived hard to convince her and each time she would believe him. Not because she trusted Yuvi to change his ways but because she trusted Mahir to keep his promise of looking out for her. His proposal to marry was his attempt of looking out for her. The love that she had brushed under the carpet for so many months had begun to resurface again. But she had to be sure before she let it consume her.

Mahir on his part had always loved Bella. Right from the time she joined Sehgal Industries as his secretary. He felt proud to see Bella grow as a person under him. He knew that one day this girl would surpass even him and he was eagerly waiting for that day to come. Mahir was a shy guy, not very expressive when it came to his emotions. He kept pushing aside hisemotions for Bella for years as he did not want to come across as a sleazy boss. He encouraged her to excel in her work and put in extra efforts whenever required. He was aware that Bella thought of him as a mentor and respected him tremendously.

He loved her tremendously and he saw in her everything heever wanted in his life partner. But he did not know how to approach her. And then suddenly it was too late. His younger brother had declared that he loved Bella and he wanted to marry her. Bella had chosen just then to reveal that everything he ever wanted was his to take only if he had had the courage to tell her. It was too late by the time she confessed her feelings and he had pretended to have never loved her. Before he knew it, a rishta had been sent to her home. He had helped Yuvi in convincing her for marriage as he wanted his brother to be happy. It would hurt him like physical injury whenever he would see Bella cry because of Yuvi. He spent good many hours trying to explain Yuvi the meaning of loyalty, but to no avail. And now finally Yuvi had ditched heron their wedding and had run away with his ex girlfriend.

He had been shattered to see Bella standing alone in the mandap crying her eyes out. It was heart breaking to see her trying to stop her father from burning himself alive. He had decided there and then that if she would have him, he would marry her and cherish her for all his life. Even if that meant being her trophy husband, he would do it. For her.

Chapter 2: The Wedding

Needless to say their decision of marrying each other came as a shock for everyone. While Sumitra was overjoyed that her Mahir was going to get married, Andy was not pleased. He had wanted Mahir to marry his close friend Mittal's daughter Anu Mittal. But whatever his faults, Andy loved his kids and so even he relented. When Bella's father woke up he was bit reluctant to give away his daughter to another Sehgal boy, but then Mahir won his heart and even he agreed. They both had a hurried haldi function and then the wedding. While Bella had been finding it difficult to smile during her wedding functions with Yuvi, now she was finding it difficult not to smile during the rituals that she completed with Mahir.

She had to constantly remind herself that she can't smile like a bride in love as everyone thought of this to be a marriage of convenience and in such cases the bride and the bridegroom are not supposed to be happy.But she couldn't help herself. She had always dreamt of having a life partners like Mahir and now she was getting Mahir as her life partner. She was thankful when Sumi ma made her wear a ghoongat as a part of wedding rituals. Even Mahir was thankful for the sehra that covered his face. All through the wedding rituals, Bella could see that Mahir was smiling like an idiot. Whenever she held his hand for offering something to the fire or for some other ritual, she could see him blush.

Bella was a mischievous girl by nature. When she saw how her touch affected her darling hubby, a plan began to formulate itself in her mind.She had carefully studied Mahir's face as she told him of her decision to marry him. His face had not betrayed anything but when she sneaked back to the door,she saw him jumping up and down in joy like a child. She knew that her decision to marry him had given him immense joy. That could mean only one thing, he had always loved her. That was enough for her. Even she loved him, and their love would be enough to start a relationship with each other. They already had trust and respect for each other and now that they had love, they could face anysituation together.

Finally all the rituals were over and Sumitra led Bella to Mahir's room. She requested to go to Yuvi's room first because she wanted something from her bags which were in Yuvi's room. Sumitra let her go there.When Bella came back, she was carrying a small bag in her hand.

"What is this Bella?" Sumitra asked Bella curiously.

"Some essentials ma. Tooth brush and stuff." Bella replied vaguely.

"Okay dear." Sumitra nodded her head, satisfied with the explaination. "Listen, I know that you have known Mahir for a long time now. So I don't have to tell you that he is a nice guy. But I also know this is very difficult for you. I want you to give this relationship a chance. Please." Sumitra told her in a pleading voice. She was genuinely worried that Bella would begrudge Mahir of what he deserved because of what Yuvi had done.

"What are you saying ma? Of course I will try my bestto fulfil my duties as a wife." Bella assured her. She was careful to keep her excitement from showing in her voice.

"No, I don't want to merely fulfil your duties. Try and be a life partner for my son. Please." Sumitra clarified.

"I will try my best ma." Bella promised.

"That is all I am asking. Have a good night dear." Sumitra told her relieved.

"Good night ma." Saying this Bella retired to Mahir's... No sorry their room.

No one had expected that Mahir would get married that day and so his room had a single bed. Bella smiled a devilish smile. Now just wait and watch patidev. She changed into her night dress and then opened the bag that she was carrying and brought out a bottle of an expensive whiskey which she had sneaked from Yuvi's collection. She opened the bottle and poured some of it for herself. She sat there savouring the taste and the burn of her drink, waiting for her paatidev to show up. She knew he would come soon enough. Soon she finished her drink and poured herself another one. After her second drink she was beginning to feel a little light headed. She then stopped drinking. She didn't want to lose she senses completely.

She began pacing around the room, waiting for Mahir to show up wondering why the hell was he taking so long. In reality Mahir had been standing right outside the door for last fiftee minutes wondering how could he enter the room?

'How can I go in? What will she think of me?' Mahir thought. 'She will think that I have come there for our wedding night. But there is noway she would be ready for that yet.But then where can I sleep? If someone sees me sleeping outside or in someother room then it will be so embarrassing. What to do? Should I go in? No, I can't. No I will go in. She will be fast asleep by now.'

Bella finally got fed up of waiting and decided to go outand look for Mahir. She opened the door at the same moment Mahir pushed the door. Since the door opened inside the room, Mahir lost his balance and fell on top of Bella. Since Bella was a little unsteady on her feet, even she could not resist and they both tumbled to the floor. In a way this was the perfect opening that Bella needed for her plan to work. Mahir was surprised to find himself falling down and that too on top of Bella.

As soon as he realised that Bella was squashed under him, he tried to right himself, but his hand slipped and he fell once again, this time his lips landed perfectly on her lips. He was highly embarrassed. He had not meant to kiss her but then it was an accident but how the hell was he going to explain that to her? Bella was highly amused to see Mahir's flustered face on finding himself on top of her. She watched as he tried to get up and slipped once again and coincidentally landed right on her lips. She felt her limbs go weak at his electrifying touch. It took all of her will power to push him away from her. She could have simply pulled him in deeper and that would have beena that. But then her plan would have remained incomplete.

Mahir felt Bella trying to push him away and he rolled offher. His heart was beating fast as though he had just run a mile and his limbs felt weak. He just sat there looking around like a surprised child. Bella struggled to her feet and went and locked the door. She did not want anyone to see what was soon going to follow. As he gazed around his decorated room, he noticed the whiskey bottle and a filled glass. Bella was pouring him a drink.He also noticed that the bottle was a little empty and that Bella was unsteady on her feet.

Bella had finished pouring him a drink and then went up to him and yanked him to his feet. He was still quite unsteady from the earlier unexpected kiss and he stumbled once again. Bella chuckled inwardly as she steadied him. Mahir was also drunk, but in a different way. She made him sit-down in the chair and offered him the drink. He accepted hesitantly. She then went to music system and played a song. When he heard her choice of song he got a very "izzat looti jaane waali hai kind of feeling.

Yeh.. raat ruk jaye

Baat tham jaye..

Teri bahoon mein

Khwaishein jagi hain

Pyase pyase labon pe

Sii..

Khud ko jala doon

Teri aahon mein

Aagosh mein..

Aaj mere samah jaa..

Jaane kya hona hai kal

Aa zara

Kareeb se jo pal mile

Naseeb se

Aa ja zara

Kareeb se jo pal mile

Naseeb se jile...

Bella had begun dancing in front of him seductively. He watched her mesmerized as she sashayed in front him. He had no idea that she could dance so well. She was observing him carefully as she danced. This was prank as well asa test for him. She was giving him bait, and she wanted to see if he would take it. Her drunkenness, the seductive moves, inviting gestures were for testing his control. She knew that they had not had time to have this conversation before. The Mahir that she knew would never go ahead without having a prior talk with her, especially when she was not in her senses. But that was his office persona. What was he like in his personal life? Hence the whole set up.

She saw that Mahir was mesmerized by her moves but his expressions weryenot lusty. That assured her to some extent.

Yeh jahan..

Saara bhool kar..

Jismon ke saaye tale

Dheemi dheemi saanse

Chale raat bhar

Pal do pal

Hum hain humsafar

The abhi dono yahan

Honge subah jane kahan

Kya khabar

Aa ja zara

Khud ko mujhme mila ja..

Jane kya hona hai kal

Aa zara

Kareeb se jo pal mile

Naseeb se

Aa ja zara

Kareeb se jo pal mile

Naseeb se jile...

Mahir had suddenly realised that he was looking at her and he immediately averted his eyes. He should not be looking at her. She was inviting him but then she was drunk and not in a condition to take such a huge decision. He stood up, the glass of whiskey untouched. Bella noticed his change of expressions and was relived.Mahir was not any different in his personal life. She went up to him and began dancing real close to him, but he turned his face away from her. She then decided to continue with this prank since he had passed the test. She slowly and seductively began to unbutton his shirt. Mahir felt her fingers trying to unbutton his shirt and he backed away from her, alarmed. The look of shock and alarm on his face was too funny, and Bella could barely contain her laughter.At one point he turned his back to her and she hugged him from behind. Now genuinely concerned, Mahir tried to make her let go of him but she held on with all her might.

Mahir finally managed to free himself from her grasp and as soon as she was free, she went to the table and picked up Mahir's untouched glass and poured it down her throat. Now with three drinks within an hour in her system she was officially drunk. Like lost-my-senses-dancing-on-the-tables level drunk. Mahir saw that she had begun to lose control and as she stood there swaying on her feet, he bent down and lifted her up in his arms. She let out a small shriek but that did not deter him and carried her to the bathroom.

"Weee... I amflyinggg... Wooo... Mahirrr Sirrr..." Bella shrieked like a small child. "Let meee downnnNOoowww! Mahhiirr Sirrr I ammm scared of heightsss.." She was flapping her hands and feet in the air making it very difficult for Mahir to hold in to her.

She suddenly hugged him close, her lips brushing against his collar, leaving lipstick stains on them. Once inside the bathroom, he set her down on her feet in front of the basin.

"Splash yourface with water." Mahir ordered her sternly.

"No." Bella shook her head stubbornly.

"Bella you are drunk, please do as I say." Mahir repeated.

"No" Bella pouted.

'She looks so cute when she pouted like this.' Mahir thought. 'I had never seen this side of Bella yet.' He had a sudden urge to capture that pout of hers in a passionate kiss and... He shook his head. Having such thoughts were not going to help him in the long run. He couldn't proceed with Bella's explicit consent and she was in no condition to give consent. Shoving aside all thoughts of kissing Bella, he looked at her sternly. Summoning his inner boss he said, "Bella don't make me force you. Please do it."

Bella suddenly burst into years. " You are scolding me Sir. I don't like you."She accused him.

Mahir was genuinely exasperated now. He remembered a statement made by a senior colleague a few months ago. He had said, 'Love is alright but marriage acts as an eye-opener.' when someone had said that love conquers all. Mahir was never aware of this side of Bella. It was surprising to find that the girl who was always so composed and mature in the office also had a childish and stubborn side to her. While this was an adorable trait, it was not helping his cause in anyway. He was finding it difficult to retain his stern tone in face of a her adorable pout.

"Bella what is this childish behaviour? Just do as I say."Mahir ordered her.

"Will I get a toffee?" Bella asked him suddenly.

'What?' he thought. 'A toffee is all that would take her to splash her face with water?'

Loudly he replied, "Yes, I will give you whatever you want. Just splash some water on your face."

Bella was in a naughty mood, aided of course by the liquid courage inside her. She began to splash water on Mahir. Mahir was very surprised to find himself suddenly very wet. He himself splashed some water on her face making her sputter in surprise. She again began wailing loudly. "Mahir sir, you got me all wet. I will never talk to you."

In reality Bella was not as buzzed as she was pretending to be. Her alcohol tolerance was quite decent and she had also ensured that she drank some water between her first two drinks. She had lost herself for a while after the third one, but the cold water had revived her a bit. She was enjoying her little game with Mahir. She had grand plans for him.

Mahir led her out of the bathroom and made her sit down on the bed. He offered her a towel to dry her face, but she shook her head stubbornly. He sighed. He had never imagined that he would be spending his wedding night dealing with his drunken wife. He dried her face and then sat down in front of her.

"Now that you are slightly sober, can you please tell me what the hell was that?" Mahir asked her.

"What?" Bella asked him without meeting his eyes.

"That dance, the seduction everything. Why were you trying to undress me?" Mahir clarified.

"Awww, that is what you wanted from me right Sir?" Saying this she leaned offensively close to Mahir, and he backed away from her.

"What? No, ofcourse not." Mahir told her alarmed. Is that what she thought this marriage was all about? Did she really think that he had married her for sex?

"You know what? Go to sleep Bella, we will talk when you are completely sober. Good night." Mahir told her.

He went and switched off the lights and Bella closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep satisfied that Mahir was indeed a decent guy.

Chapter 3: Wedding Night

Next morning Bella woke up with a massive headache. The sun was streaming directly in her eyesmaking her headache all the more worse. She blinked a little and soon her eyesadjusted to the light. She saw that Mahir was sitting at the foot of her bed onthe floor with his head resting on the bed. She suddenly felt very bad for him.

' Poor guy.' she thought. 'What a way to spend the wedding night!'

Just then someone knocked on the door and Mahir woke with a jump. He sat there rubbing his fists in his eyes like a small child. When he moved his hand away from his face,Bella suppressed a smile. His shirt's collar was stained with lipstick marks and right across his lips was a perfect imprint of her lips. He was unaware of that and before she could stop him, he had opened the door.

"Good morning Mahir. I am just here to remind Bella that it's her first rasoi today so comedown quick..." Sumitra began briskly but her voice trailed away when she saw Mahir's condition. She stifled a giggle that threatened to escape her lips.

'What were you saying ma?" Mahir asked sleepily. He was still rubbing his face and managed to spread the lipstick mark all over his chin as well.

"Ummm...Nothing. Take your time. We will complete the ritual in the afternoon." Sumitra replied and fled from there as she was barely able to contain her laughter.

Mahir turned to lookat Bella, puzzled by his mother's behaviour. When he looked at Bella he saw her looking at him accusingly. Now what, he thought. Her eyes slowly filled witht ears as he looked at her.

"What happened Bella?" He asked her concerned." I know you head must be hurting a lot. I will ask Bhushan to make lemonade for you.'

Bella simply shook her head.

"Then why are you crying?" He asked her puzzled.

"I never thought you would do something like this with me Sir." Bella was looking at him accusingly.

"Huh? What did I do?" Mahir asked confused.

"As if you don't know." Bella scoffed letting a lone tear escape her eyes.

"Listen, I should be saying these lines to you. I had never thought you would do something like that to me." Mahir informed her.

"Wow Sir, now you are blaming me for whatever happened?" She said this in a very hurt voice.

"What happened? Nothing happened Bella. I stopped you at the right time." Mahir told her.

'Really?" Asked Bella disbelievingly. "Then what are those marks?"

"What marks?" Mahir asked genuinely confused.

"These marks." Bella retorted.

She pulled him tostand in front of the mirror and showed him the lipstick marks on his shirt and lips. He was embarrassed to see them. How was he going to explain them to her?She was drunk and probably did not remember anything from the previous night. Looking at the marks it seemed as though they at the very least made out with each other but that was far from the reality.

"No. Bella you are getting me wrong. I didn't even touch you last night." Mahir desperately tried to make her believe him.

"Then how come I reached the bed Sir?" She asked him innocently.

"Well I lifted you..." Mahir started saying but Bella interrupted him before he could finish his statement.

"Wow sir, how did you lift me without touching me? Are you Harry Potter that you cast a levitating spell, Wingardium Leviosa and then lifted me to the bed?" Bella said in mock surprise.

"No. I did lift you... And t...took you to the b.. b.. bathroom..." Mahir stammered.

"What Sir? The bathroom? What did you do with me there?" Bella prodded him to continue.

"Nothing..." Mahir tried to say but was again interrupted Bella.

"Don't lie to me sir. I know something happened... That lipstick mark on your lips is a dead give away that something happened..." She accused him once again.

"Trust me Bella,nothing happened. I did nothing to you." Mahir pleaded desperately.

"That means you were with someone else. Oh God!!! My destiny!!! My husband spent our weddingnight in someone else's arms... Oh no..." Bella jumped from one erroneous conclusion to another. Mahir didn't know which one was worse. Her thinking that he had taken advantage of her drunken state or that he had spent their wedding night with someone else.

She had begun wailing loudly; actually she was enjoying his discomfort but at the same time she was also feeling rather sorry for him. Mahir was helpless.

Out loud he said,

"Bella no, I was not with anyone else..." Major tried once again.

"Then from where did the lipstick marks come? Did they materialize out of thin air?" She asked him indignantly.

"No. They are from your lipstick only but..." Major told her helplessly.

"Don't worry about it sir, I am your wife now. Even the law gives you the right to... But sir at least you could have been a little honest with me. I trusted you but..." Said Bella, making a show of being generous.

Bella could barely control her laughter at Mahir's cute expressions and his attempts at convincing her that he had not touched her.

Bella gave a very fake sounding sob. Mahir looked at her in surprise. He wondered why had she made such a weird sound. The truth was she trying hard not to laugh. The look on Mahir's face at her accusations was too priceless. She hoped that Mahir would turn around soon but he was already suspicious of the sound that sounded cross between a squeal and a laugh. He continued to stare at her. So she continued to give fake sobs and lamenting that he had broken her trust. Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder and Mahir forced her to look up. He was surprised to see here yes completely dry. The look of utter surprise on his face was too much for her, and she burst out laughing. Mahir was even more puzzled to see her laughing.

"What's so funny?" Mahir asked her perplexed at her bipolar behavior.

"Your expressions, Mahir. Too funny..." Bella told him. She had called him Mahir instead of Mahir sir for the first time. She didn't know how he would react to that.

"What did you say?" Mahir asked her looking at her intently.

"Too funny..." Bella replied suddenly nervous that she had crossed a line.

"No before that." Mahir's expressions were still unreadable but his gaze was making her blush.

"Mahir..." Bella replied.

Mahir had never seen Bella blush and although he would thought it to be impossible just a few moments ago, she was looking even more alluring with a delicate pink blush adorning her cheeks.

"What no suffix?" He asked her.

"Well if you want me to I can call you Mahir Sir for the rest of our lives I can certainly do that." Bella replied after she had recovered a bit.

"No just Mahir is fine..." Major assured her. "So, you remember last night's events?" he asked her uncertainly.

"Of course I do! Last night was my plan." Bella replied.

"Plan?" Mahir asked her confused.

"Yes plan. It was a prank as well as a plan." Bella confirmed.

"That means you were not drunk?" Mahir asked her.

"No I was drunk but not as much as I made out to be. I was fully aware of what was happening around me. It was simply a test for you initially, which you passed. Then it was a prank." Bella replied.

"And what was the test?" Major asked her although he knew the answer.

"I wanted to see if you took the bait. The kiss when you fell on top of me was not planned but the song, the dance the seduction.. it was all to see if you went ahead without having a proper talk with me first. My heart knew, that was not why you married me, but my brain was being doubtful. After Yuvi's betrayal, I just wanted to besbe sureure of where I stood in your life. But last night, you didn't even look at me that way. I am convinced that you are what you make yourself out to be. There are no hidden facets to your personality. I hope you can forgive me for testing you like this." Bella explained her plan to him.

"Of course,Bella. I proposed marriage to you out of the blue. Of course you wanted to be sure. I am not at all offended." Mahir assured her.

Bella was relieved that she had not offended Mahir. After a brief pause, she asked "Can I ask you something? Will you answer honestly?"

"Yes.." Mahir answered looking curious.

"You have always loved me right? Even when I was your secretary." Bella was looking at him shrewdly.

"Bella I..." Mahir was suddenly awkward. Very awkward.

"Be honest Mahir, I won't judge you." Now it was Bella's turn to assure him.

Mahir took a deep breath and replied , "Yes. But trust me when I say none of your promotions were because of my feelings for you. You earned them. If anything, it was difficult to keep tongues from wagging given the nature of our jobs. You know how people perceive women who rise up the corporate ladder. I had to ensure that none of my actions affected you in any way and most importantly my actions did not come across as I was doing you a favour. On top of that I was the one mentoring you, and in a corporate set up even that relationship is looked upon with doubt. I did not want anyone to think that your success was because there f anything other than your own merit. People simply assume that a girl rises up the ladder because she is sucking up to her boss. In more ways than one. I simply wanted you to be happy."

"And now? With our marriage the tongues will wag." Bella said.

"I don't care.You are my wife now. Now if anyone says that we had been in a scandalous relationship from the beginning it will not tarnish your reputation in any way as I don't intend to let go of you. Ever." Major ended his explaination with a promise.

"Thanks Mahir,for everything." Bella told him, greatfully.

"Anytime Bella.And yes I love you. I have always loved you and will continue to do so." Mahir finally confessed his feelings to her.

"Mahir I ..." Bella started saying something but Mahir stopped her.

"I don't expect you to love me back. Take your time Bella. Now go and get ready, I will meet you downstairs otherwise people will wonder what are we up to. Go!" Mahir gave her a slight push.

Bella suddenly grabbed Mahir's collar and pulled him close to her and whispered in his ear, "Aren't we? Up to something?" And to her utter delight Mahir blushed and became very awkward.

"What?" she said innocently. "We are up to something. We are talking right? Hawwwww what did you think? Dirty mind..." She pretended to cover her face with her palms but through the gap Mahir could see she was waggling her eyebrows at him looking like cute devilish angel.

"Okay! Enough of this time pass. Go and get ready. It's our pehli rasoi." Mahir said in a stern voice but his cheeks still were somewhat pink.

Bella hurriedly got out of the bed and grabbed a towel from the cupboard. Inside the cupboard she found a bag with a brand new saree in it along with a note from Sumitra. The note said,

'Dear Bella,

I hope you will wear this saree for the pehli rasoi ritual. It's a tradition in the Sehgal family that a bride be gifted a saree on her first day as the daughter-in-law of the family.

With this gift I promise to love you and cherish you as much as I cherish my daughter Kuhu and slightly more than my sons. Welcome to the family dearest daughter.

Your loving mother,

Sumitra

When Bella looked up, her eyes were shining with tears. Mahir hurried to her side when saw that she was close to tears.

"Mahir, when did ma get the time to keep this saree here?" She asked Mahir.

"I am sure she did it as soon as we were done with the pheras." Mahir replied.

"And this note... Wow! I don't know if I deserve so much love." Bella said. She was now crying silently.

Mahir hesitantly reached out and patted her back awkwardly. "You deserve all the love in the world and then some more." he told her. " Now come on get ready."

"You said it's our first rasoi. What do you mean? Isn't first rasoi a ritual where the daughter-in-law prepare food for the family?" Bella asked him as she laid out her saree on the bed.

"Ma has a different version planned for us. You will find out soon enough." Mahir told her mysteriously.

Bella took a hurried bath and came out to find Mahir missing from the room. When she opened the door after getting ready, she found him patiently wait outside for her. Then Mahir went for a bath. By the time Mahir came out of the bathroom, Bella had already gone downstairs. Sumitra was waiting for her to show up. Seeing Mahir's state that morning, Sumitra was super happy that her son was happy and most importantly finally married. By the time Mahir joined her, everyone was already at the breakfast table. After breakfast, Sumitra announced that it was the time to commence the ritual. Lunch was to be prepared as a part of the ritual. Bella and Suhani began going towards kitchen but stopped when Sumitra called out to them.

"Where do you think you both are going?"she asked them.

"To the kitchen." Suhani replied obviously confused while Bella nodded her head.

Palomi or Polo as she was fondly called was Andy's second wife and Pratham's biological mother. She went and grabbed both the girl's hands and led them to the sofa while Sumitra handed aprons to Mahir and Pratham.

"What's happening mom?" Suhani asked her mother-in-law.

"Will you do the honors Sumi di? Polo asked Sumitra.

"As both these boys have recently gotten married to these beautiful girls, as per the ritual, they have to impress these girls by making food for them. If they manage to impress their wives, they get to spend the night with their respective wives. If not, then they will have to sleep in the guest room." Sumitra announced.

"We have been training you for this day for years now. Don't let us down in front of Bella and Suhani." Polo warned them.

"Wow this is such a nice ritual." Suhani exclaimed.

"Yes, it was invented by Sumi ma when me and Kuhu got married. I was assured that each of the Sehgal boys will also have to complete this ritual." said Rajesh Jaiswal better known as RJ. He was Kuhu's husband and lived with the Sehgal family.

Once Mahir and Pratham were shoeed towards the kitchen, Bella and Suhani settled down with Polo, Sumitra, RJ and Kuhu. They spent the next few hours getting to know each other better.

When lunch was served, both Bella and Suhani declared that the food was delicious.

That evening Andy had called a press conference where he announced his retirement plans and also declared Bella as the chairman of the Sehgal Industries and Mahir as the VP.This announcement came as a shock to the media. Mahir was well aware that the next day's headlines were going to speculate the nature of the relationship that he and Bella shared over the past seven years. Tongues would wag and people were going to call him a sleazy boss and Bella an opportunist. But neither of them cared. They were both happy with each other.

After a really hectic day when Mahir came back to his room, he found Bhushan in their room with one other servant pushing the sofa from his room out. Bella was standing over them,giving instructions.

"Careful now, I don't any of you to hurt yourself... Yes that's it. Thank you very much. You may take this to the guest room."

When they both went outside, Mahir turned to Bella.

"What was that?" Mahir asked her puzzled.

"What?" Bella looked at him innocently.

"Why did you move the sofa?" Mahir clarified.

"Because it was taking up a lot of space. I need a lot of room to move around. Anything wrong?" Bella replied, innocent expression still in place.

"No. I will ask Bhushan to prepare the guest room for me." Mahir told her sadly. He had hoped to sleep on the sofa while Bella slept on the bed till... Till if at all she allowed physical intimacy. But by kicking out the sofa,Bella had as good as licked Mahir out of the too.

"Why?" Bella asked still very innocently.

Just then there was knock on the door and the servants brought in a couple of reading chairs and a coffee table, which they placed exactly where the sofa was. Bella told them togo. She went and sprawled on the bed and looked mischievously at Mahir. Mahir was looking at the chairs worriedly and trying to see if he could sleep there.Finally he decided that he could sleep if he sat in one chair and kept his feet on the other. Having ascertained that, he went to get the blanket and pillow from the bed. Bella had been observing him and had guessed what was going on in his mind. She immediately picked up the second pillow and placed it on her own and kept her head on both the pillows.

"I hope you don't mind Mahir. I have to habit of using two pillows." She told him.

"No, of course not." Mahir assured her with a sad smile.

He turned towards the blanket but again Bella snatched it from his fingers.

"God it's so cold. I need the blanket now." She pulled the blanket over her pretending to shiver.

She looked at Mahir and saw to her satisfaction that he had his drenched puppy expressions on. She loved him when he made such faces; he looked so cute and hot at the same time.She felt like kissing him there and then. Making a sad face he went to the chairs and tried to settle in them comfortably. But those chairs were made to sit and not sleep and very soon when Mahir tried to turn around, he found himself rolling on the floor. Bella laughed his surprised expression.

Mahir looked at Bella with an injured expression.

"What? Even you will laugh at your own stupidity. Who tries to sleep in the chair, you tell me?" She asked him.

"Where can I sleep then?" Mahir asked her.

"Here."And she lifted up one end of the blanket and invited him to the single bed. 'Come. You can sleep here."

"Okay." Mahir agreed uncertainly.

He could not understand where this was headed but he went there. Bella had spread out considerably on the bed and had occupied most of the bed. He tried to make himself as small as possible to adjust in the little space that was remaining;careful to not touch Bella in any way. Seeing his efforts to avoid touching her, Bella shook her head.

'There is limit of decency. The girl herself is inviting this guy to share a single bed with her and even then he is not getting the hint? The intention is loud and clear, but... And not just any random girl; his lawfully wedded wife.' she thought to herself.

She decided to teach him a lesson. She stretched herself a little and as soon as Mahir felt her hand touching his back he tried to move away and for the second time that night found himself on the floor. As he sat up he heard Bella speak.

"Mahir, there is a limit to being decent. You deserve this." Bella told him exasperated.

"What?" Mahir was even more confused.

" What? You dare to ask me what? A girl herself is inviting you to share her bed with her and what are you doing? Trying not to touch her. You are my husband, you have the right. Legally as well as morally. The signals were loud and clear. Unless you are not ready for this step right now, come closer you idiot. I need you." Bella fairly screamed at him.

Mahir kept staring at her.

"What? Are you not ready for this? Tell me. I will wait but don't behave in such an idiotic manner." Bella told h impatiently.

Mahir shook his head.

"You are not ready..." Bella said, clearly disappointed at his apparent rejection.

"No, I am ready but it's just that... You don't have to rush... I mean.." Mahir clarified.

"I know perfectly well what you mean. You are the one who is not getting me. I want you. No I need you right now. Get it?" Bella was fast loosing what little patience she had.

"So even you love me?" Mahir asked her suddenly hopeful.

"No. I am simply using you for pleasure. I am doing what you could never do when you had the power." Bella said seductively.

"Huh?" Mahir looked at her dazed.

Bella got down from the bed and helped Mahir to his feet. She slowly guided him back to the bed and helped him lie down on it. Then she climbed on top of him.

"You were my boss for seven long years but even then you did not take advantage of me even once. But now the tables have turned, I am your boss now and I plan to take advantage of my position whenever and wherever I can. So Mr. Mahir Sehgal, you are my trophy husband now. You will have to please me no matter what. Got it?" Bella explained while hovering just above him. He could feel her weight on top of him. The proximity made it impossible for him to think straight.

"Huh?"

Mahir, it seemed as though had lost the ability to speak anything beyond huh. He kept staring at Bella in awe. He had seen her taking control in the boardroom multiple times since she became the CEO, but seeing her take control like this was not somethingyhe expected to see. Ever. He suddenly found his voice. He put his hand on her waist and pulled her in for a passionate kiss.

"Does this please you, ma'am?" He asked her when they parted to catch their breaths.

"Yes, but can do better." Bella panted.

He pulled her in for another kiss, their hands exploring each other's bodies as they kissed. Soo their clothes were on the floor and they were making love to each other. After some time as they lay there in each other's arms, Bella turned to Mahir.

'By the way,even I have always loved you." Bella told him casually.

yuvi is such a horrible guy.if he wanted to elope with his ex on the wedding day why did he want to marry bela?mahir proposing bela was a real surprise.bela's reaction was really bitter n harsh. but loved how calm mahir was.offering her a high post in sehgal industries knowing her calibre was also good.shocking that bela used to love mahir earlier.she confessed love n mahir rejected it for yuvi?is it true?

Originally posted by: jasminerahul

yuvi is such a horrible guy.if he wanted to elope with his ex on the wedding day why did he want to marry bela?mahir proposing bela was a real surprise.bela's reaction was really bitter n harsh. but loved how calm mahir was.offering her a high post in sehgal industries knowing her calibre was also good.shocking that bela used to love mahir earlier.she confessed love n mahir rejected it for yuvi?is it true?

Thanks Jasmine.

Yes, Yuvi does seem to be a selfish and a horrible guy at this point in the story, but wait before you judge.

Yes, Bella and Mahir shared a moment post which Bella decided to confess her feelings to Mahir. But he rejected because he knew that Yuvi "loved" Bella and wished to marry her.

Again thanks for stopping by.

bela noticing the effect of her touch on mahir was cute .loved sumi bela scene.hope sumi doesn't turn negative here.drinking scene was shocking.fall scene n accidental kiss. ..so romantic. bela hugging was was romantic.bela's seductive dance was cool.it reminded me of khushi's seductive dance before Arnav .mahir didn't have any lustful feeling towards bela n that's what I find pure .hug was cute .bela asking this is what he wanted n mahir thinking if she thought that he married her for intimacy was sad.bela sleeping with a relief that mahir is decent was nice

Originally posted by: jasminerahul

bela noticing the effect of her touch on mahir was cute .loved sumi bela scene.hope sumi doesn't turn negative here.drinking scene was shocking.fall scene n accidental kiss. ..so romantic. bela hugging was was romantic.bela's seductive dance was cool.it reminded me of khushi's seductive dance before Arnav .mahir didn't have any lustful feeling towards bela n that's what I find pure .hug was cute .bela asking this is what he wanted n mahir thinking if she thought that he married her for intimacy was sad.bela sleeping with a relief that mahir is decent was nice

I can assure you that Sumi will never turn negative in this one.

Bella has been through a lot in last few hours. As the story progresses, readers will get to see what happened on the night before the YuLa wedding through multiple flashbacks. So, Bella's reaction was kind of justified. Also, Bella is a tad bit impatient so her reactions will be a mixture of maturity and impulsiveness.

i was thinking that its bela who did it..but she is misunderstanding mahir that he only behaved like that.bela's dialogues..omg..poor mahir.surprising that bela was fooling mahir.never thought that she was pretending to be not in her senses n purposefully she behaved like that to test mahir.what an announcement by sumitra!she really brought changes to the ritual.bed scene ..where mahir fell down n bela saying that he deserves it ...this is the result of being extra decent was funny.never expected a consummation so fast.it was romantic

Originally posted by: jasminerahul

i was thinking that its bela who did it..but she is misunderstanding mahir that he only behaved like that.bela's dialogues..omg..poor mahir.surprising that bela was fooling mahir.never thought that she was pretending to be not in her senses n purposefully she behaved like that to test mahir.what an announcement by sumitra!she really brought changes to the ritual.bed scene ..where mahir fell down n bela saying that he deserves it ...this is the result of being extra decent was funny.never expected a consummation so fast.it was romantic

Thanks Jasminne. I know I disappeared for a whole month. But now I am back. Let's hope the response picks up.