"Dad, how are you feeling?" Parinidhi asked entering her father's room with a smile, which dropped immediately when she didn't see him in his room. Shaking her head she looked at the washroom and found no one.

Sighing she looked everywhere in her apartment and she didn't see him. 

"Jaya, where is dad?" She asked entering the kitchen and Jaya who was busy cooking startled hearing her.

"In his room?" She sounded unsure with the way she trailed off at the end of the sentence. Parinidhi clenched her jaw in anger before walking out of her apartment. 

She called him only to find his phone switched off. She walked around instructing rohit to look around the surrounding area. Breathing heavily, she looked here and there running around the streets.

Finally, after reaching the nearest park her tracks stopped and she released a sigh of relief seeing her father sitting with a group of elder people and talking. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves. Sending a quick message to Rohit, she walked towards group with fast steps.

"Dad" Hearing her voice, Rakesh Gupta snapped his head towards the source. He smiled and introduced her to his newly found friends in the park.

"See, here she is. She is my daughter. Parinidhi Gupta. A well known lawyer in the city" The pride when he talk about his daughter made the elders amused and parinidhi smile. 

"She is your daughter?" A elder lady said with a disgusted face making Parinidhi raise her brows and Rakesh nodded with a grin. The lady scanned parinidhi from head to toe before shaking her head in disagreement.

"I found you so pure hearted and mature, that's why I'm giving you this suggestion. How many days are you planning to keep your daughter without any marriage? She doesn't have a mother that doesn't mean you can ignore your responsibilities. Look at her, she is getting old, it's time to think of her marriage before-"

Before she can complete her sentence Parinidhi cut her off and said

"Before pointing out at others why don't you look at your own son who made his girlfriend pregnant for the second time and went for an abortion. They are being too desperate don't you think you should marry him off at this point or are you waiting for your grandson or granddaughter to be born?"

The lady's face turned red with embarrassment and anger. She furiously turned to parinidhi and glared at her. The remaining people who sat their tried hard not to laugh by covering their mouth with their palms.

"Shame on you!! This is how you talk to elders? Is this what your father has taught you? to answer back to the elders and disrespect them? Of course, what can we expect from a child without a mother." She taunted and laughed at the end as if she made a good joke. Rakesh gupta who has been listening to her talk felt his heart drop when she mentioned about not having a mother.

He expected parinidhi to be angry more like deadly furious and he even expected a punch landing on the lady's jaw for talking to her like that, but what he heard made him astonished.

"Firstly, Learn to earn respect rather than demanding. Secondly, If you think that you are succeeded with the usage of term 'you have no mother' to trigger my emotions, then you are highly mistaken. Yes, I don't have a mother nor do I need her in coming future. The only one I ever have, had and will have is my father, Rakesh Gupta who is more than capable of taking responsibilities of being my mother and father and whom you just disrespected. You asked what my father has taught me? To not bring you and your family on the streets for raising your voice at me, which I'm more than capable of doing in a minute. So stop playing shit with me if you want to live peacefully" Saying it she walked away with her father.

"Dad, don't even think about all the shit that lady has spit. I'm telling you if I find you overthinking about her words, her son would loose his job." Rakesh Gupta shook his head at her.

"That is a pure blackmail Pari" Parinidhi scoffed before saying

"So don't think about all that drama if you don't want her son to loose his job, it is as simple as it is" Parinidhi grinned at her father only to receive a smack on head.

"You shouldn't have talked about her son, she looked quite embarrassed" Parinidhi narrowed her eyes at her father saying

"As if you didn't laugh when I said that" Rakesh Gupta raised his hand again to smack her head which she dodged and laughed at him. Rakesh chuckled at her while walking towards the apartment.

"Ahh I forgot, Why the hell were you roaming when the doctor said to rest?" She asked as soon as they entered inside. Rakesh shrugged saying "I was bored, so I went out to walk around and lastly settled in the park" 

"Atleast inform someone while going dad, I was worried" Parinidhi said.

"I thought I would return in 5 to 10 minutes but I met new friends there and didn't see the time. It won't happen again Pari" He said making parinidhi release a sigh.

"Mam, what should I cook for dinner?" Dinner? Parinidhi looked at the clock only to release a curse seeing it as 6:00 pm.

"Ask sanjana, I actually have somewhere to go, wait why didn't she still didn't return from her work?" Parinidhi asked

"She said that some urgent work has came up and will return in an hour" Parnidhi nodded before running inside her room to get ready. Rudransh will arrive by 7 pm.

Taking out the black dress, she stared at it for sometime with her hands busy tracing the design and remembered their conversation when she was having conflict to what to choose in between two dresses.

_______

"You know? Just take both of them or I can buy you the whole mall if you want." Rudransh spoke with an arrogant smirk making the saleswomen who heard his words swoon over him. Parinidhi rolled her eyes at him saying

"They are not going to work on me Mr. Rathore" She gave him her sweet smile making him shake his head.

"Atleast give a hint on how can I impress you, your highness" His dramatic voice and teasing eyes made her smile a little bit before she said

"I'll rather have someone who would choose an outfit for me in this millions of options rather than someone who would buy all of this for me only to put me in the same conflict again"

"You mean I should help you select an outfit?" His grey eyes lit up when he uttered the words.

"No, I'll select them myself" Her answer made his grin drop.

"That's not fair, you just said that you like the one who would help you" He argued only to see her shake her head.

"But I don't like taking anyone's help" Her reluctant answer made him furrow his brows.

"Then how the fuck you will find that 'someone' you are telling about if you can't take my help?" Parinidhi raised her brow.

"You think that that certain 'someone' is you?" Rudransh smirked before saying

"I don't think sweet heart, I know it is me" Parinidhi shook her head at him and walked away from him mumbling

"Dream on"

_________

Smiling at the memory, parinidhi quickly freshen up and wore the dress. The half shoulders made her collar bones visible while she decided to make her hair into a ponytail. Her soft curls brushed her bare shoulder when she was done with her hair. Applying a little make up she looked at herself with a smirk.

She smiled at herself seeing her reflection. Finally spraying a little perfume on her wrists and neck she walked out of her room.

"Where are you going?" She heard three voices as soon as she stepped inside the hall.

"Dad, there is a family dinner I need to attend at at Rudransh's house" As soon as she finished she head a snort coming from sanjana, who appeared to be arrived at home just now.

"Yeah, how about you tell me about your love story? or how did you both meet? like when did this dating started?" Parinidhi glared at her sister to keep her mouth shut.

"I'll answer all your questions later, I don't have time" She said gritting her teeth making Sanjana roll her eyes. "I'll get going dad" Parinidhi said and about to walk out when she was stopped on her tracks by her father.

"Wait, Don't you need your father's permission to go out with your boyfriend?" Her father asked straightening his posture to intimidate her. Sanjana laughed and parinidhi rolled her eyes

"Are we really going to play this now dad?" 

"What? It was my dream to act like an typical indian father and stop my daughter from meeting her boyfriend. But you never actually gave me a chance and now when I got it, i have to act like this" His answer made her smile a little before she came 

"Dad, Can I go and meet my boyfriend?" She asked and Sanjana opened her phone to record the moment.

"No" Rakesh Gupta said in his stern voice making everyone laugh.

"Daaadddd" Parinidhi shouted.

"Where is the word 'please'?" Parinidhi sighed before reforming her sentence.

"Dad, Can I go and meet my Boyfriend PLEASE" Rakesh grinned at her annoyed face.

"Sure sure, but no naughty business is allowed" Sanjana laughed loudly and parinidhi gasped in return.

"Okay now go, he must be waiting for you" Parinidhi rolled her eyes at him and walked downstairs. As soon as she walked towards the entrance her eyes landed on rudransh who was leaning on car with his hands in his pockets.

She had to take a deep breath to control all the sudden tingles rushing in her body. Biting her lip, she took in his appearance. He was in his black shirt which are folded revealing his veiny hands. His hair is neatly gelled with a small tendril of hair falling on his forehead. Then his grey eyes locked with hers.

And they felt their world freezing.

Rudransh scanned her, from head to toe, the black dress hugged her curved making his throat dry in an instant. Her hair being in ponytail didn't help him either, her bare neck and shoulders would give him a hard time tonight.

His thoughts broke when he head her exclaiming 'Woahhhh"

He blinked and looked at her, she is looking at him. Is he that good which made her react that way? He know he is looking dashing in his simple black outfit but hearing her made his cheeks burn. A sly smile formed on his lips.

He opened his mouth to thank her only to feel a push, which made him move aside.

"Woahhh... I had some second thoughts about the dress but wow. I'm stunning" Hearing her excited tone, he could not help but to groan loudly

"Urrgghhh"

"Let's go" He said coldly while flaring his nose to control his frustration which made parinidhi smirk.

"Yes yes, let's go"