Divyanshi looks closely at both Devaraj and Mantra and, with her mouth wide open in excitement, exclaims,

“Oh my God… If someone removes your faces, your body structures and personalities are exactly the same… And you both even got the same haircut—what’s going on? Are you two planning to kill all the girls at the party tonight with your looks?”

Hearing her words, Mantra bursts into laughter, while Devaraj completely ignores her and sits down with his file. Mantra, glancing at Divyanshi, says,

“Now don’t wait unnecessarily. Whatever preparations you need to make, go ahead quickly so we can leave soon… All three of us will head out together.”

Divyanshi looks at her brother, who is calmly immersed in reading his file. She then looks at Mantra and gestures toward him, to which he closes his eyes slightly and says,

“Devaraj, we still have some time. Let’s go quickly and buy you an awesome suit. I seriously don’t understand why you are always happy wearing your old ones.”

Devaraj looks at both of them and returns to reading his file as if he never heard a word. Mantra signals Divyanshi to leave and then walks over to Devaraj, sits beside him, and speaks.

“Oh, come on… For once, just listen to me. You're always stuck in this serious attitude. I know you hate unnecessary expenses, but try to understand—this event is extremely important for us. If spending a little can make you look sharp, what’s the harm? You earn a thousand times more than the price of a good suit, and yet you act like it's a big deal.”

“I’m not interested in buying a suit, nor in wasting my time. People are going to judge me based on my work, not by what I wear.”

“You’re absolutely right,” Mantra responds, “but tell me one thing—everyone at the party will be in premium branded clothes. And you? You probably bought your last branded outfit two years ago, and since then, you’ve been wearing the same old stuff on repeat. For once, just hear me out.”

“I don’t have time to waste on shopping.”

“Fine. Then I’ll go buy one for you. We both share the same size.”

“You should be here helping me with the last-minute preparations. Instead, you’re just wasting both our time with your nonsense. Now lock your mouth and sit quietly. It will take one more hour to wrap things up, and after that, we’ll leave. Focus on that. I don’t want to hear anything else right now. I’m already under a lot of stress, and you’re just adding to it with these useless conversations.”

Mantra finally gives up and sits quietly, knowing how difficult it is to convince Devaraj of anything. But he also knows that once all the preparations are complete, there might be a small chance that Devaraj will listen to him. Still, he’s puzzled about what he can possibly do in such little time. While reading the file, his mind races with ideas until suddenly, a soft smile appears on his face. Then, he focuses entirely on the file.

After about 45 minutes of thorough preparation, with every small detail taken care of, both of them glance at each other. Mantra immediately extends his hand, and Devaraj smiles and shakes it. They both say together,

“Congratulations! Tonight’s party is definitely going to get us those three deals.”

They high-five each other energetically and head into the room inside the office. Devraj pulls out his old suit, but before he can react, Mantra grabs it from his hand and begins crushing it deliberately. Mantra playfully stomps on all three of his coats, and Devaraj stares at him in disbelief.

“Have you lost your mind? What are you doing? Now what am I going to wear? I don’t even have time to get these pressed. And if you think you can force me into buying new clothes by doing this, then you’re seriously mistaken. I’ll just have them sent from home.”

“Stop your nonsense. Here, take this—wear my suit. We’re the same size, so you won’t face any discomfort.”

Devaraj looks closely at the suit. It’s the same one Mishthi had brought for Mantra last night. He immediately looks at Mantra, who smiles and says,

“Everything I own has been picked out by my sister. Last night she again bought a new suit for me because she liked it. She told me I could choose whichever I liked—she left the decision to me. So don’t stress. Wear this one. I had already decided that this time, I’m not taking you to the party in those old clothes. And now look—I’ve made sure of it. If you still refuse, know this: I’ll strip you myself and put this suit on you if I have to.”

He cracks his knuckles while saying this, making it clear that his intentions are firm and that he won’t hesitate to take action if Devaraj tries to argue.

Devaraj looks at his clothes, then at the suit Mantra is offering. He realizes he has no other option left. There’s no point in resisting now. He quietly takes the suit and goes to change. Mantra also quickly changes into his outfit. Afterward, he helps Devaraj fix his tie, stands him in front of the mirror, and says,

“Come on, man. Just look at yourself—how dashing you look… One thing is certain: Divyanshi and I will have to completely change your wardrobe. You’re impossible to convince, but Mishthi has excellent taste. We’ll take her along next time and get you a whole new collection. You don’t need to say anything. Your entire wardrobe makeover is our responsibility—and consider this an early birthday gift from us!”

“What rubbish…” Devaraj mutters.

“Keep your rubbish to yourself. I’ve made up my mind, and I’m not backing down. So no use resisting.”

He quickly pushes Devraj out of the room, just as Divyanshi walks in. Mantra looks at her and, for a moment, forgets to breathe. But then he quickly composes himself, knowing Devraj is standing nearby, and says with a smile,

“You look absolutely stunning. Come on, we should leave now. We shouldn’t delay any further.”

Divyanshi smiles softly, and Devraj gives her a careful once-over. He wants to make sure there’s nothing about her attire that might attract the wrong kind of attention. Satisfied, he nods slightly, assuring himself that everything is appropriate. Divyanshi then informs them,

“Mom and Dad are arriving directly. Have you spoken to your family?”

“Mom and Dad have already reached out. Mishthi is with one of her friends. He’ll drop her off there. So let’s get going.”

As soon as Devraj hears the last sentence, he frowns and walks ahead silently. The three of them quickly head to the parking lot and get into the car, setting off for their destination.

As soon as they arrive at the venue’s parking lot, Divyanshi spots her parents and rushes toward them, entering the hall with them. Meanwhile, Mantra and Devraj head toward the entrance, but Devraj’s phone suddenly starts ringing. He stops taking the call while Mantra moves to the side to call his parents.

It’s an important client on the line, and Devraj immediately starts addressing all their queries with focused attention. Suddenly, someone grabs him from behind. He instantly feels the soft pressure of a woman’s breasts against his back. His breath catches in his throat, and a jolt shoots through his entire body like an electric current. He was 15 years old when he last touched his sister. He had never been in contact with any girl, and someone was hugging him, which was surprising him, but more than that, he was completely silent because of the strange discomfort in his body. Suddenly his body reacts like igniting an extinguished volcano.

~~~~~

Mishthi steps out of the car and immediately looks ahead. Her face lights up with a wide grin as she excitedly exclaims,

“My brother looks amazing in every outfit—there’s literally no limit… If he looks this good from the back, then he must be even more handsome from the front…”

As soon as Mishthi gets out of the car, she sees her brother Mantra talking on the phone with his back on her side, and she feels happy to see him. As always, she rushes toward him and hugs him tightly from behind.

"Aaj to tum ekadam maal lag rahe ho."

“You look like such a catch…”

While clinging to him like a child, she playfully sways and gently raises the hand that was holding his phone to his ear. She then moves in front of him, holds his waist, leans forward, and rests her chest against him.

“I told you this suit would look amazing on you.”

She’s hugging her brother tightly, something that’s been her habit since childhood. Whenever she’s overly happy or excited about something related to her brother, she clings to him like this. However, this hug feels different from the others. The moment she touches him, her heartbeat starts to race, and a strange current runs through her body, surging through her chest and exploding in her heart before traveling to her mind and leaving a strange sense of pleasure behind.

She quickly lifts her head to look at him. He, too, is looking down at her with his phone still pressed to his ear. He is not her brother but Devraj.

Devaraj had been answering the client's questions when she suddenly hugged him from behind, mistaking him for Mantra. He was momentarily frozen, speechless. And when she raised his arm even further and circled to come front and pressed herself against him, he completely forgot everything—his body reacting in a way he couldn’t control. Waves of sensation coursed through him, and all thoughts vanished. His voice died mid-sentence. His gaze, too, lost focus, a strong wave going down and giving him a sensational pain in his groin. He tilts his face with difficulty to check her.

Their eyes met. They both stood there, staring at each other, taken by surprise and deeply shocked. Yet, in that moment, neither could react. They were paralyzed—not by fear, but by a situation that was suddenly charged with something unexpected. Her lashes batted in shock, and his lips parted with the same confusion.

As Devaraj's gaze slowly drifted from her face to her shoulders, he realized… there was nothing covering them. His eyes paused. She was wearing an off-the-shoulder dress. Mishthi, too, suddenly snapped out of her dreamy haze. Realizing what just happened, she was still holding his waist, and she immediately pulled away from him.

Both of them turned away, unable to look at each other. Mishthi was utterly confused. Her body still tingled with an unknown sensation that was now beginning to unsettle her even more. She didn't know why she felt so overwhelmed. Her heaving chest still feels the pressure of his strong muscles against it.

Devaraj, on the other hand, felt as if all the blood in his body had rushed downward, making it difficult to breathe. He took a deep breath, ran his fingers through his still-gelled hair, and tried to compose himself. He stole a quick glance at Mishthi, who now stood turned away from him. She had her hair tied in a bun, which revealed her bare back clearly, and the sight somehow sparked a strange frustration within him. They both turn to each other.

Devraj knew very well that Mishthi had hugged him thinking he was Mantra, and Mishthi, too, was completely aware that none of it was Devraj’s fault. Yet, all of a sudden, a strange, unexplainable pull began to rise between the two of them—something silent yet powerful, something neither of them could name. Because of this unfamiliar tension, neither of them could find the right words to speak to each other. They both stood there, caught in the moment, unable to step closer or move away.

Their eyes would lift, unintentionally meeting, holding each other in a silent conversation. But just as quickly, those glances would shift away, as if scared of revealing too much. Every time their gazes met, something stirred within them—an unease, a question, a lingering connection that refused to fade. Devraj, try to say something.

“Mishthi… Hey, my little princess…”

Mantra's voice trailed off, and Devraj fell completely silent. Mishthi suddenly turned to face him. Her eyes met his once more. The moment was intense, both of them aware of the strange discomfort that had taken root between them. But this discomfort wasn’t just awkward—it was something else. Something far more complicated.

Not knowing what else to do, Mishthi quickly turned away and hugged her brother tightly. Mantra, smiling, returned the hug and said,

“I was calling Mom and Dad just to check if you had already arrived or if I needed to go pick you up.”

“Yup… We should head inside.”

Mishthi clearly didn’t want to say anything more. She wanted to avoid any conversation with Devraj, so she turned around to lead the way. Devraj, clearing his throat, walked ahead of both of them, not wanting to fall into any more awkwardness.

Mantra continued talking to his sister as they walked behind him. He seemed to be listening very closely—perhaps more closely than usual. He always paid attention to his sister’s words, but today it felt like he was absorbing everything more intently.

They all entered the grand hall, which shimmered under the glow of moon-shaped chandeliers. The venue was already bustling with some of the most prominent business tycoons, each of whom had brought fresh opportunities across different sectors.