FOUR YEARS AGO

Bhumi pov!

"So, ready for the dare, Ms Basu?" Aarohi Sharma asked me with a devilish smirk on her pretty face.

"Go on, Sharma. When have I ever hesitated before a damn dare?" I asked back with a smug smile on my face.

Yes! That's right. Bhumika Basu never backs down from a dare. I am not called a dare queen for nothing.

"So here goes the dare,  Basu. You have to sneak into the mysterious billionaire Aryamann freaking Mehrotra's mansion, which is exactly two blocks away from our place. And you have to come back with one of his belongings to prove that you indeed sneaked in there. We need proof darling," Aarohi said, that devilish smirk still there on her face.

"What?" I yelled in utter shock. These girls have gone nuts. I am pretty sure about that now.

"You guys seriously want me dead??" I asked them in horror.

"OMG!!! The dare queen is scared of a mere dare?" Aarohi asked in a mock surprise tone

Come on Bhumi Basu. Your reputation is at stake here.

"Oh please. You people know it right, Bhumi Basu never backs off from any dare. So what do you want me to bring from the Mehrotra mansion?" I challenged them back with another smug smile.

In your face ladies!!

"Are you really going to go in there??" Bani Gupta asked in horror. She isn't as brave as she looks. Or let’s say, she isn’t as childish or crazy as the two of us. She is more practical minded.

So these two girls are my best friends. 

I have not known them for a very long time. But it feels like I have known them forever.

What is common between the three of us??

Well!! We all grew up in orphanages. 

Well!! Don't go all sympathetic on me! I hate pity.

And the conversation so far might have given you an insight on my besties? Right?

"Of course. I am not scared of anyone." I said and it was my turn to smirk at them.

"Oh really Basu?? Then why don't you come back with his red and black chequered casual shirt," Aarohi said with a smirk, showing me a photo of the so-called billionaire, in the shirt mentioned above. 

Yeah, he is scorching hot and handsome. But not really my type!!!

Yeah not my type. I am not interested in hot handsome cold billionaires. I mean, who in their right mind would be? I am interested in cute, gentle and lovely guys who don't make it their business to break the hearts of all the girls they come across in life. 

Not that I have men lined up in front of my house.

Well, that's a story for another time.

Let's focus back on our dare.

"What's with this particular shirt??" I asked with a confused frown on my face.

Why does she want this particular shirt? I couldn't figure out a reason why she would want that one.

"OMG. Doesn't he look sizzling hot in this shirt. I just want that shirt." Aarohi said dreamily, and I rolled my eyes.

Aarohi and her never ending list of celebrity crushes. 

Let me tell you, she has a crush each and every one of the celebrities out there in the world.

"Fine, when do you want me to do this??" I asked with a nonchalant shrug

"Why delay darling?? Tonight is perfect," Aarohi said with a cheeky smile.

"Okay fine. Tonight it is," I said with a steely determination.

Tonight I am going to sneak into the devil's lair and steal one of his shirts.

Here I come, Aryamann Mehrotra.

***********************************************

Aryamann pov!

"I want you to get married within the next six months, Aryamann." Roop, my grandmother said, in a tone of ultimatum.

"No," I said without any hesitation.

I don't do well with ultimatums. She should be aware of that by now.

"I am not asking you Aryamann. I am telling you to get married within six months. Or else!!" She trailed off in a warning note.

"Or else what?" I asked nonchalantly.

"Or else, my darling Aryamann, you will not get a single dime from your shares in the Mehrotra empire." she said smugly.

As if I care.

Did she really think that she could toe me by dangling the Mehrotra shares?

Oh please! I have built an empire separate from the Mehrotra. Only my brothers have shares in it. No one else.

"I never cared about the Mehrotra shares, dadi. You can do whatever you want with it. I don't really care," I said with finality in my tone.

"Fine then. Daksh, make arrangements with our lawyer to transfer Aryamann's share to Ranbir's name," she said to Daksh, my elder cousin brother, and that caught me off guard.

That really set me off balance.

What was dadi thinking? How could she think of doing this to me?

"Ranbir?" I yelled in shock. 

"What do you mean by transferring my shares to Ranbir? Dadi, you very well know what he did to me. How can you even think about this?" I asked, looking at her in hurt disbelief.

"It has been years, Aryamann. It doesn't matter to me anymore. Either you get married in six months or be happy to transfer your shares to Ranbir. After all he is also a Mehrotra." My grandmother said with a casual shrug, hurting me more.

How could she do this to me!

After all that son of a b*tch did to me...

"This is ridiculous," I said and stormed out of the Mehrotra mansion.

I drove recklessly from the Mehrotra  mansion to the mansion where I live.

Or should I say, I live alone.

After that fateful night I distanced myself from everyone from my family. 

But Daksh and Gaurav, my brothers, stood by me even after I tried to shove them away from my life.

They are my strength now, they always were.

It never mattered that Daksh is a cousin rather than a brother. He and Gaurav are the same for me.

I can't let Ranbir have my shares. I won't let him be happy after he mercilessly destroyed my happiness.

***********************************************

Bhumi's pov!

Shiv ji, why the hell did I agree to this bloody dare?

Of course because of my freaking reputation.

I am the dare queen after all. How can I back off from a dare.

And those two dumbos, how did they even come up with such a dare.

Okay! I must say I am impressed.

It is not usually easy to faze me. And tonight, they have successfully done it. Though I wouldn't show it to them even if I am dying.

I tiptoed towards the mansion gate after looking either side to make sure that I was not being watched.

What kind of a mansion is this? Doesn't even have a security guard? 

Oh come on, Bhumi. You are sneaking into the bloody mansion and you are worried about the security. Seriously?

I carefully walked towards the garden clutching my phone tightly with both my hands.

You see, you could be sent to prison for this, a voice whispered from the back of my mind.

Well you were the one encouraging me for this stupidity a while ago, I snapped back.

And I shook my head realising that I am talking to myself.

Well, I tend to do that a lot. 

Focus, Bhumi Basu, focus.

Talking to yourself wouldn't help you with a backstory when the judge confronts you in the court, asking what possessed you to do a freaking shirt robbery.

Okay! Am I using the word 'freaking' a lot?

Well! If I am, you will just have to bear with it.

I am not gonna change myself for anybody dude!!

Get over it!!

After glancing around and making sure that no one is watching me, I darted across the garden and came to a halt when I saw a balcony on the first floor.

Yippee!!!

A freaking balcony. What more could I ask for?

My excitement was short lived when realisation dawned upon me that I am not a spiderman and I could never climb through the walls just by throwing by hands.

Should I just give up now? It's nearly ten at night. Or else I would have gone to a textile shop and got a similar shirt and claimed it to be the billionaire's shirt. No one would know right? 

It's not like his name will be imprinted on the shirt anyway. 

Anyways, it's of no use to think over that as it is almost time to close the shop.

Also, that would be cheating.

And Bhumi Basu is not a cheat.

I sighed. It's a matter of your pride Bhumi, you have to do it.

I looked around thinking of anything that could help me sneak into this freaking mansion. That's when I noticed the ladder kept near the huge tree. 

Did someone know that I was planning to sneak into the mansion.??

Oh what are you even thinking, Bhumi.

I took the ladder and climbed onto the balcony and to my surprise the door was opened too.

Now I am pretty sure that someone was expecting me to sneak into the mansion.

I mean seriously, who would leave the mansion gate open without a freaking security. And then there is this ladder kept handy to help me sneak in. 

And to add on, the freaking door is left open.

Should I just go back?? 

No, Bhumi No. 

Think about your reputation. 

You came this far. Now just get his freaking shirt and run back.

I walked in through the mysterious mansion.

Why the hell is he living alone?? That too in a mansion. Why would he need this much space!

Bloody rich people!

I walked and walked and walked and came to a stop in front of a giant wooden door. It seems like the master bedroom.

I mean I have read in many novels what a billionaire's bedroom door looks like. This door perfectly fits in that description.

I pushed open the door slightly and sighed seeing the room empty.

It's your lucky day, Bhumi. 

You easily sneaked into a mansion and into a billionaire's bedroom.

I mean, it's not an everyday thing right??

This doesn't happen to you on a daily basis.

I quickly walked into the walk-in closet and started searching for what I wanted.

The red and black chequered shirt. 

I took my phone out and switched on the torch light and took the photo Aarohi sent me of Mr Aryamann Mehrotra's, in that red shirt. 

Now I have to quickly find the shirt and sneak out of the mansion.

"What are you looking for," I heard someone asking me.

"Ahh. I am looking for this red and black shirt of Mr Mehrotra." I said, shrugging as I continued to look for the shirt.

Then there was an eerie silence and I finally came to my senses.

I gulped remembering the voice. Who was that?

I turned around to come face to face with the mysterious billionaire. I gulped looking at his eyes which held nothing but coldness.

You are so dead Bhumi Basu!!

Should I just text Aarohi and Bani that I love them and they will always be in my heart. 

Ahh I should add, don't ever forget me or else I will scare the sh*t out of them being a ghost.

God!! Bhumi, focus on the man in front of you.

It's now or never Bhumi. 

Just get your hands on the shirt and run out of the mansion.

After all, he is a billionaire. Losing a shirt won't be a big deal, right?

Of course no! He will bear the loss.

It's not as if his entire empire will crumble if I take that shirt. 

I again turned around and took the shirt in my hands and again looked at him.

I smiled cheekily looking at him and he looked at me confused for a moment.

"Thank you for the shirt, Mr Mehrotra." I yelled and started running away from him.

"What the..!!" I heard him curse before hearing footsteps running after me.

Don't turn, Bhumi. 

Keep running.

You are a fighter.