FF: WOH AJNABEE: Update:Part 48:Dec 6th 2009:p 172 - Page 122

awesomeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Update: Milind leaves Syndey. He serves Prachi with divorce papers. Prachi and Neev have an intense conversation in which Neev tries to reason with Prachi. Both find out about Milind's pending engagement. Prachi realizes that she doesn't want to let her marriage slip away; she wants to talk to Milind. Neev and Prachi head to Mumbai.

Part 46:

After a long flight, Prachi and Neev arrived into Mumbai the following evening. They had left Sydeny so abruptly, that Prachi had only the chance to say brief goodbyes to the hotel staff, Diya, and Aryan. Neev had lied to Aryan, saying he needed Prachi's help to start the Chandigarh hotel project. He didn't want to tell the truth just yet. First he wanted to get everything sorted out between Prachi and Milind, and then everything would just take care of itself.

As they landed at the airport, Neev saw his driver waiting at the airport gates. Wasting no time, he grabbed their luggage, and whisked Prachi into the car. "The engagement is taking place at our hotel, but we can't go looking like this. I'll take you to your house and you can quickly dress up. The function starts soon."

"What about you?"

"I have some spare outfits in my suitcase. I'll just change at your house."

They quickly arrived at the Mishra-Shah mansion, due to the driver's fast and professional driving. Prachi got out of the car and looked at the mansion. She was finally home.

Suddenly, all of her memories came flooding back into her mind, as small tears formed in her eyes. Neev noticed, and grabbed Prachi's hand, taking her inside.

They thought no one would be home, and would be at the engagement party by now. They were wrong.

As Prachi entered, she heard a high-pitched scream. She looked to where it came from, and she saw her mother standing there in shock, "PRACHI!" she exclaimed.

"Maa!" yelled Prachi, as she ran towards Premlatha and embraced her tightly.

Hearing the commotion, Prachi's grandmother came into the room too, and upon seeing her granddaughter, started crying. "Dadi," squealed Prachi, as she wrapped her in a warm embrace.

In a couple minutes time, the story was sorted out. Both Dadi and Premlatha had given their seal of approval to Milind's engagement, after he had told them what happened in Syndey. It all happened so fast. The moment Milind has landed in Mumbai, he had rushed into plans. He'd gotten divorce papers reprinted. He'd called up Mr. Singhania, who'd been endorsing the idea of a rishta between Milind and Sonia Singhania for quite some time now and finally said yes. Now, everyone had gone to the hotel for the engagement. But it had been too painful for Premlatha and Dadi, who couldn't bear to see the engagement ceremony. Milind had pleaded with them, but in the end, realized that it would be too tough for them to watch, and let them stay home. Meanwhile, everyone else, like Soumya, Bobby, and Mishra Ji, who was still confined to the wheelchair and said very little, had all gone to the hotel.

Realizing that they didn't have much time, Prachi and Neev quickly went to get dressed. Prachi walked up to her old bedroom that she'd shared with Milind, wondering if her stuff was still in there. Before she entered, she heard her mother, "Prachi, your clothes are in the guest room. Milind moved all your stuff there a couple months ago."

Prachi felt a jolt of energy go through her. "Oh," she replied disappointed, as she redirected herself to the guestroom.

Premlatha had made her way upstairs now, and explained, "He couldn't bear to see your stuff every day. He never said it, but we all knew that it reminded him of you. So, he moved everything."

"It's okay," said Prachi as she went into the guestroom.

"Wait one second," said her mother, as she put on hand on Prachi's arm to stop her, "What are you up to? It's been six months and I haven't heard a word from you! Now, you're suddenly back. I need an explanation. Do you have any idea how much pain you caused us all?"

"Maa, I'm sorry. I want to explain everything to you, but I don't have time right now. Let's just say that I made a mistake and now I want to fix it. I need to stop this engagement!"

Suddenly, a huge smile appeared on Premlatha's face, as if she'd just won a 50 million dollar lottery. "Then hurry up and get ready," she smiled, "And Prachi...you're going to break an engagement. Make sure you dress really well so that Milind can't keep his eyes off of you!"

Prachi laughed, hugged her mother, and then quickly went to get ready.

***

15 minutes later, Prachi was ready. Neev waited at the bottom of the staircase with Premlatha and Dadi anxiously.

Dadi and Premlatha knew it was going to be a big deal when Prachi entered the engagement. They at first thought that they should go with her too. However, after some thought, they realized that this was purely between Milind and Prachi. They did not want to interfere. This needed to be done between just Milind and Prachi. Already, interference by Ayesha had ruined their relationship. In order for them to fix their broken bond, they needed to sort out their problems themselves. Neev had agreed with this, and thus it was resolved that the two ladies would stay at home, waiting anxiously to find out what happens at the party.

When Prachi appeared, they all sighed in astonishment.

Prachi was wearing a hot pink netted sari, with a golden blouse. She was wearing minimal jewellery, just some bangles and earrings. Her hair was flowing and her manglasutra was around her neck. She was dressed to impress.

"Prachi, you look beautiful," beamed Dadi.

"Thanks Dadi," smiled Prachi as she made her way down the stairs.

Wasting no time, Neev and Prachi left the house.

****

The hotel was going insane. It was hectic. The who's who of Mumbai's business elite were showing up, despite the sudden notice. Milind's Mishra's engagement to Sonia Singhania was a huge deal. No hardcore businessman wanted to miss the opportunity to witness the merger of two of India's most powerful companies.

As Neev and Prachi pulled up, Prachi got a really weird empty feeling in the pit of her stomach. She was nervous and anxious at the same time. The engagement party seemed to be a huge occasion, and she felt really out-of-place. Sensing her nerves, Neev placed his hand on Prachi's and assured her, "It's fine Prachi. This needs to be done. Let's go."

As they exited the car and made their way to the main entrance, Prachi stopped walking. "Neev, I can't" she stuttered.

"What do you mean?" asked Neev in horror. Was she backing down? Did she change her mind?

"I can't go in from the main entrance. It's going to cause too much of a press flurry and it's going to look really bad for the business. Is there a back exit?"

Neev sighed a breath of relief. "Ya, good thinking Prachi. We don't want to create a media storm and get people all curious. It's not good for business. Okay, I'm going to go in from the front door, since some businessmen have already seen me. There's a back exit to your right hand side. So, take that door and then take the elevator to the top floor. That leads directly to Milind's office. He's probably getting ready in there."

Wasting no time, Neev entered the hotel. Prachi quietly slipped through the other door and made her way up to the top floor. As she exited the elevator, she quickly made her way to Milind's suite. She knew this hotel well enough to navigate quickly.

As she was about to knock on Milind's door, she realized it was open. She quietly opened the door a little bit, and instantly heard voices. Without going inside completely, Prachi caught view of a beautiful woman fixing the duppata of her purple lengha. She was gorgeous. Her hair was done up neatly in an elegant bun and her fair skin was glowing. She was smiling and giggling as she looked at herself in the mirror. It was obvious to Prachi, that this stunning young woman was Sonia Singhania.

Prachi felt herself getting strangely irritated and jealous of this woman. She was beautiful and made Prachi feel inadequate. Maybe this was actually the type of woman Milind preferred. Suddenly, Prachi saw Sonia walking towards someone sitting in a chair across the room. It was Milind. Sonia leaned and gave Milind a big hug. "Milind I am so excited! I love you," she exclaimed.

Prachi felt a shiver go down her spine. She felt like storming in and yanking Sonia away from Milind. But Prachi just stood there, still as a statue.

"I'm excited too," smiled Milind gruffly, "But I should really get ready. I'm going to take a quick shower and get ready. You're parents are probably waiting for you. You shouldn't have snuck away to see me."

"Oh Milind, I couldn't help myself. I am so happy and I just had to see you. It all happened so fast and I needed to talk to you."

"Well, we can talk after the engagement," he laughed, standing up.

"Okay, fine," giggled Sonia, "I'm going. I'll see you soon. My father wants the engagement ceremony to occur in about an hour. So I guess you'll see me in about an hour."

Prachi was relieved that Sonia was leaving. However, before she left Sonia reached over to Milind and placed a soft, gentle kiss on his lips. Prachi's eyes widened in shock and so did Milind's.

Prachi observed his body language. Sonia was kissing him, but he remained motionless. Slowly, he eased her off him, by placing his hand on her waist and stepping back. Prachi was slightly relieved but completely infuriated. He should have pushed her away instantly! He was her husband!

Sonia was about to come out the door where Prachi was standing. Sensing this, Prachi hid behind a plant in the hallway, until Sonia had taken the elevator down to where her parents were.

Wasting no time, Prachi barged into the room, without knocking.

Milind, who was in the process of unbuttoning his shirt so he could have a quick shower, stood there in shock. Was this actually happening? In front of him stood Prachi, in the sexiest saree he had ever seen. She looked radiant. By far, she was the most beautiful woman in the world.

He looked at her face. She seemed angry and upset. He wanted to reach over to her and pull her into a hug. But then, he realized the current situation. Her stinging words had come back to him, and he realized the power of his hate for her. She had broken his heart twice. She left him once and then in Sydney when he finally mustered up the strength to tell her his true feelings, she had broken him again. Now, his resolve was stone-cold.

"Why are you here?" he asked icily.

There was no response.

"ANSWER ME!" he yelled, in his authoritative manner.

Prachi refused to be scared by him. "Why didn't you stop her?" she asked, mustering up strength that she never knew she had.

"What?" asked a confused Milind.

"Why didn't you stop her? She kissed you!" screamed Prachi.

"I'm getting engaged in an hour. I can do whatever I want," he replied smugly, realizing now why Prachi was so angry.

"Milind..." sighed Prachi.

"Listen Prachi," stated Milind, ruthlessly, "I need to get ready, so unless you have something important to say, you need to get out." He turned around and walked towards his bathroom.

"You can't get engaged," she replied quickly.

Her words hit him right in the heart. Still, he was not moved. "Why?" he asked, still turned around, as began to finish unbuttoning his shirt.

"Because, I didn't sign the divorce papers. We're still legally married."

Okay, enough was enough for Milind. What did this woman want? Marriage? No marriage? He was DONE playing these games. He did not need this stupid drama in his life. "PRACHI I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU!" he roared. He quickly walked towards her, held her by the shoulders and shook her, "I AM FINISHED. I DON'T NEED THIS! I SURVIVED FINE BEFORE I MARRIED YOU AND I AM GOING TO SURVIVE JUST AS WELL WITHOUT YOU. SIGN THE BLOODY PAPERS. I'LL GIVE YOU WHATEVER YOU WANT. HOW MUCH WILL IT COST FOR YOU TO SIGN THE PAPERS?"

His words stung her, "You think I'm doing this for money, Milind?"

He took his hands off of her, "How much do you want?"

"I don't want money. I don't want a divorce," instantly tears started streaming down her face.

Milind looked away. He didn't want her tears to break his resolve. He would have died to hear those words in Sydney, but now it was too late. He was getting engaged to a woman who loved him to death and who trusted him. This was a huge business transaction. Hundreds of important businessmen were at the hotel to see this merger happen. So what if he didn't love Sonia? He was sick and tired of love. Now, he just wanted to concentrate on his business.

"Listen Prachi," stated Milind, still avoiding eye contact, "Sign the papers or else I am going to kick your mother, grandmother, and siblings out of my house. I will make sure that your brothers or sister can't find work and I will make their lives a living hell. Just sign the papers." Saying those words hurt him immensely. He loved Prachi's family as his own, and could never hurt them. But this needed to be done for the sake of his business.

Prachi stood there in dismay. Had Milind changed so much? How could he say all this? It was clear to her, that he did not want her back. She wept her tears, and tried to stop crying, but it was no use. She felt like a fool. Why did she let Neev convince her to do this?

Sniffling, Prachi finally responded, "Okay, I understand. I'm sorry for causing you pain Milind. I wish things were different. But I understand. Sonia is beautiful, young, and perfect. I can see why you love her. She's the prettiest woman I've ever seen. She seems nice and I'm sure she'll keep you happy. I'll sign the papers before I leave Mumbai tonight."

Holding back tears, Prachi made her way to the door.

As she was leaving, Milind spoke, "You're the prettiest woman I've ever seen."

She looked towards him, surprised at his words. He too seemed surprised. He'd been thinking those words, but ended up saying them out loud.

"What?" she asked.

"Umm...," Milind tried to remain calm, collected, and mean, "I mean Sonia is pretty, but...well, you might be prettier, but I know I'm actually going to be happy with her."

"Goodbye, Milind," spoke Prachi, trying not to feel hurt.

"Bye," stated Milind robotically, as his eyes lingered over how stunning Prachi looked. He wanted to keep this serene and beautiful image of her in his mind forever. He was being ruthless and cold-hearted towards her, but somehow he felt just a pinch of love for her as he saw her walk away.

As she left, he realized the seriousness of his actions. Prachi and Milind were finished. Their love was over. He realized that he could never love again, and he begrudgingly accepted this. No one could ever compare to Prachi. Yes, it ended badly and there was pain. But, the short time he had spent with Prachi was the best time of his life. Now, it was over. There was no going back. He needed to move on with his life, and he was sure that his decision to divorce Prachi was best. His business was his love now, as it has been for the past six months.

Strengthening his resolve, Milind stepped into the shower to get ready for his business-transaction engagement.

***

That's an emotional update guys! The pace of the story is about to pick up!

I hope you like it!

Please, as always, do leave your inspiring and motivating comments. I love reading them!

I loved the update. I felt sad for prachi's current situation. Hope milind forgives and get her back.
CB thank you for the update🤗 Can't wait for next part😉.

hai cb very nice update filing very bad 4prachi waiting for next part

omg hun...WOW~! i cant believe everything that has hapnd.

noo that was too short! u cant stop there! what will happen! i need to know! nOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!..ahhh...wow! intense update..will he really go thru with the engagement..and wills he realyl sign the papers..are the main two questions.. pls pls pls pls continue soon!!! :)

it was great.