Yet again, the brother and sister sat in the car in complete silence. Sachi had thought something had changed in her brother since the afternoon incident but her hopes were crushed under the heavy silence of the car.

Sachi was busy admiring the beautiful sealink with glittering lights surrounding its edges when her brother broke the silence. “Sachi,” he began. She froze in her place. It was the first time he had called her name. The first time in more than a decade since she had heard her nickname fall from his lips.

She turned around and stared at her brother with rapt attention. “There is something you need to know before we go to the party.” Sachi nodded, not trusting her voice. Although, he had not specifically mentioned where they were going, the dress, shoes and makeup were enough for a toddler to guess the event they were attending. Now that he confirmed her suspicions, she was curious to know why she had to accompany him. Was it like the grandfather-granddaughter party she had attended with her nanu (maternal grandfather) when she was eight?

As though he had heard her questions, Sahil answered, “I am taking you to an evening gala. The people there belong to high society. They are the elites, the cream of society. Some of them come within the top 1% of society’s elite and uber rich. But, you need to be careful around them. Do not speak unless you are spoken to. Do not give your surname to anyone. And most importantly, to anyone who asks, you are my mistress.”

Sachi had been nodding along through the entirety of the instructions but paused at his final statement. ‘Did he just say what I think he did?’ she thought.

“M-mistress?! As in an extramarital affair? I’m your PARAMOUR?!!!” Sachi was alarmed.

“Yes,” came a curt reply.

“But-”

“Do not question me any further. I’m not going to answer your questions. You will know when the time comes, which hopefully will be never.” Sahil cut her off.

Sachi was hurt. She could feel one of those headaches coming. Ones she got when she held back her tears. He thought of her as a child, even after all these years. Any thoughts of her brother being different from her parents was thrown out the window. He was just the same. He was no knight in shining armour. She had thought he would be her saving grace. How wrong had she been.

Unfortunately, Sachi had no choice but to comply to her brother’s demands. After all, if she refused, she would be sent back home and she could kiss her admission to her dream college goodbye.

The car came to a stop in front of a large mansion. Although it was situated in a completely secluded location, the land it covered was large enough to remove any woes of loneliness. The mansion was sprawling, with a sparkling pool surrounded by chaise lounges. On another side was a sunken sofa set with a fire pit in the centre. The glass windows were tinted to hide the mansion from outside view. The house was of modern design with an underground parking. Sahil and Sachi had gotten down from the car and handed it to a valet. It was only when she saw the car disappear behind the mansion that she followed it nervously, only to see a passage leading to an underground parking. Sahil pulled her back with him and gave a glare as if to say ‘Don’t you dare go off on your own.’

Rectangular slabs jutted out from the building, giving it a haphazard shape, like a Jenga tower after a few rounds of the game. The interior of the mansion was just as luxurious as the exterior. Although Sachi had seen only the front of the property from the outside, judging by the people on the inside, she realised the property must have been much large than she had anticipated.

There were two bouncers checking the invitations of guests at the main door. Sahil whipped out two cream coloured envelopes with a golden lining and handed it to the bouncers. They confirmed the authenticity of the invitations before letting the duo in. Sachi and Sahil were led to separate anterooms where they were thoroughly frisked before letting them into the house.

The living room was converted into a large gathering space with lounges, couches, and coffee tables. There was a tiny staircase that led to a higher landing where a huge island sat in the middle surrounded by black high-back barstools. A staircase to the right of the island led to the upper floor of the house. The kitchen was connected to the living room via a door hidden behind the large staircase.

Sahil led Sachi through a door well camouflaged with the royal blue walls. Inside was a large ballroom, most probably soundproofed considering she had not heard a single sound emanating from the door to the outside. The ballroom was larger than a room one would expect to be behind a small door such as the one she had entered through. The actual gala seemed to be ongoing here.

The entire rooms was a mixture of cream, gold and black with the attendees in matching outfits, almost camouflaging into the room itself. There were round tables surrounded by men and women alike, each holding an expensive wineglass, champagne flute or one of those crystal glasses filled with scotch or whatever poison these elites had decided to inject themselves with.

There was a large staircase to the left of the room that led to an upper balcony which also had a corridor leading to several doors running along the circumference of the room. There was a stage set up at the far end of the room and waiters kept entering and leaving the room from a tiny corner adjacent to the stage.

Not sure whether she could eat or drink anything from the serving trays, Sachi put a woeful hand on her grumbling stomach and followed her brother into the crowd.

Crowds. The one thing she hated with a vehemence besides injections and insects. Her brother knew how much she hated socializing and yet, here they were. Just another indication of how much her brother had changed over the years. She hated this man but was helpless in front of her fate. Where was her loving brother? Probably long gone if her mother’s words were to be believed. Just remembering that conversation brought chills down her spine, knots in her stomach and tears in her eyes.

Sachi shook herself out of her reverie when she heard Sahil greeting someone. She realised they had stopped at a table occupied by three men in suits - one black, one grey and one dark blue. There were two women as well, in elegant cocktail gowns - one black with a slit from mid-thigh, running the length of the dress, the other a dark purple with snug fit, reminding her of a vicious viper - smiling and exchanging pleasantries with her brother.

Sahil finally brought her to the front and introduced her to the table, “This is my partner, Savyasachi.”

“Hello, pleased to meet you all,” she greeted them with a sickly sweet smile, one she usually reserved for her father’s sister. One by one each of them men took her hand and kissed it gently, except for the man in black who gave her a salacious smile and held her hand longer than she would have liked. The women, however, pulled her in for a hug, giving her air kisses on both cheeks.

“I must say your partner is lovely, Sahil.” The man in black spoke. He had a deep voice, which, had he not acted perversely with her, she would have found quite attractive.

“And her outfit and makeup are just,” the woman in purple gave an exaggerated chef’s kiss, giving Sachi a peek to her long nails painted in the same colour as her dress.

‘She is definitely a witch. Even her lipstick is purple. Is she dressed up for Halloween or something? Maybe she entered the wrong party by accident.’ Sachi reasoned with herself.

“By the way, how is Kshitija?” the man in black asked Sahil. Sachi’s head whipped towards him but she managed to keep a poker face. The man in the dark blue suit sighed, “Is it really necessary to mention her right now, Daksh?”

Meanwhile, the man in the gray suit was staring at the crystal glass in his hand as though it were his wife.

“Come on. He must have told his partner about his wife, wouldn’t’ve he?” Daksh snickered. Clearly, he was enjoying riling up her brother. Before Sahil could respond, Sachi burst out, “Of course, I know her. Kshitija is a lovely lady, I must say. But Sahil doesn’t do lovely now, does he?” Sachi tried her best to emulate an eyebrow raise, although she knew both of them must have risen in unison.

Daksh chuckled and nodded his head in amusement. Sahil gave her a quick sideways glance.

‘Oh my God! You did not just say that Sachi! He is your brother. How can you quote a mafia romance in an elite gala woman!’ she chided herself.

“But she’s a little too young for Sahil’s tastes, no?” the man in gray finally looked up. His honey eyes scanned her from top to toe. “I can assure you she is old enough for my tastes,” her brother commanded. For the first time, Sachi noticed the authority in his voice. Lightning crackled as the two men had a staring contest. Noticing the growing tension, the woman dressed in black let out a nervous laugh. “Oh, enough catching up. We must dance to such good music.”

Sachi tried following the tune. She had no idea which song was playing but looking at the couples dancing in the centre of the room, it seemed it was a slow Viennese Waltz. (Another term she had learnt from those mafia romances). Her brother, playing the part of a true gentleman, held out his arm to her. She hooked her hand into the crook of his elbow and together the couple walked towards the dance floor, gradually followed by the others.

Sachi tried to follow to her brother’s steps as best she could. She wanted to ask him a million questions but was too busy following his lead to talk. She wondered how people managed to make conversation while following such delicate dance moves in the movies. Suddenly, her brother twirled her around and she swirled right into the arms of Daksh. Apparently, they were switching partners now.

Seizing the opportunity, Daksh held her waist by one hand and pulled her flush against his body. He wound her arms around his neck while holding her waist and the two swayed to the tune. “Beautiful,” he said. “Too beautiful for a stone like Sahil. He wouldn’t know what to do with a woman, much less a freshly bloomed flower such as yourself.” He pulled her closer, smashing her breasts to his chest. Sachi felt like a snake was slithering up her spine. She wanted to push the man away and punch his nose, but wasn’t sure if it would ruin her brother’s plan. He definitely had one, considering the sheer amount of instructions she had been loaded with. Sachi just couldn’t figure out his objective of coming here.

“He handles me just fine,” she replied with a calmness she did not feel.

“Well, a girl like you screams to be manhandled, not ‘handled just fine’,” he countered.

“Sorry to disappoint, but I refuse to be at someone’s mercy.”

“Feisty. So the kitten has claws after all. This just keeps getting interesting,” he chuckled.

Suddenly, Sachi felt something poke her abdomen. With a start, she realised her abdomen was in direct contact with Daksh’s groin. He chuckled at her startled face.

“Don’t worry, he doesn’t bite. But he can make your first time quite wild.”

Sachi wanted to vomit at the cliche line. She had read it more than enough times in her books.

“My first time was too wild to be topped,” the lie spilled out effortlessly.

“I can recognise a virgin when I see one.” Daksh’s hands finally found purchase in her ass cheeks.

With a swift push, Sachi turned them around, pushed Daksh back with enough force for them to break apart slightly, twirling into the arms of yet another stranger.

Pitch black eyes shocked her back to reality. Her breathing calmed as yet another pair of arms led her across the dance floor. The man, no boy - not much older than her - wore a dark gray suit, with a matching boy tie and a white shirt beneath the suit jacket. Sachi caught a faint whiff of spicy cologne and mentally applauded her nose for smelling something, if only at the randomnest of moments.

“You ok?” he asked her. His voice was a deep rumble, something she had expected of the men she had conversed with at the table, not someone as young as him.

“I’m fine, thank you.” Her mother would have been proud of her politeness. Thinking of her brought a pang of homesickness and her throat closed up. Clearing her throat, Sachi focused on her partner and followed his lead. He looked handsome, with his straight black hair and cupid bow lips. Doe eyes that held seriousness enough to ground her. He was a good dancer, she had to admit. Good enough to lead her patiently so that she would not have to focus too much on following his lead. Sachi was actually enjoying the dance.

Just as the music rose to its crescendo, the boy leaned forward and whispered in her ears, “Welcome to the spyverse.” Sachi’s eyes went big as saucers. The boy leaned back and flashed a wonderful smile before the music stopped completely. All the couples turned to face the stage. The boy held onto her arm firmly, not enough to hurt but strong enough to hold her in place.

A woman dressed in an elegant gold dress with a deep v-neck and spaghetti straps walked to the centre of the stage. Her tall gold heels were visible through the slit in her dress that ran from mid-thigh to the end of the dress. Her dark skin beautifully contrasted the bright gold dress. She held a mic and a rectangular object in each of her hands.

“Attention, everyone! I welcome you all to this wonderful evening. On behalf of my husband and I, I would like to thank all those in attendance for taking out their precious time to attend this minor event.”

The boy chuckled beside Sachi. “As if anyone would want to miss this ‘minor event’.” His tone dripped sarcasm.

“A waiter will come to you with special menus for the upcoming auction. As we all know, this year’s charity auction is going to be quite big and important. We wish to donate as much as possible to help the needy. Feel free to choose items off the menu. However, no prior item reservations can be made. This menu will also serve as your entry ticket to the auction. Therefore, it goes without saying that one must not lose the menu. Also, any counterfeiting will be detected and according our society’s policy, the member will be evicted. Now, we don’t want that happening, do we?”

The crowd erupted in mild laughter.

“Anyways, thank you for being such lovely guests and do enjoy the rest of the evening. The starters are too good to pass up from what I hear.” The woman gave the mic to one of the waiters standing by the stage and scurried up the staircase onto the balcony overlooking the dance floor. Sachi noticed a few people on the balcony, engaging in small talk and discretely exchanging a few items. Huh. Some clandestine transactions were being carried out at an evening gala. Sachi’s stomach churned. This place was more complicated than she had fathomed. The tip of an iceberg, of you will.

Sachi turned and spotted her brother standing a few feet away, with the woman in the black gown standing with her arm linked in his. A waiter approached them with a tray and they picked up a menu each. Another waiter approached her partner who had still not loosened his grip on her. She marveled at his grip strength and stamina.

The tray held menus made of glass lined with gold borders. The boy picked one menu and the waiter moved on. Sachi glanced at the contents. The menu held a list of various objects with their starting price. One item caught her attention - A rose crystal. She wondered what it was, a crystal that was rose in colour or the name of a precious gem or maybe a rose carved out of a crystal. There were other items as well - paintings, alcohol dating back to 1979 which was ridiculously overpriced considering the liver damage it came with.

Suddenly, the menu disappeared from her sight. Sachi found herself standing next to her brother who was glowering at her. He grit his teeth in anger and spoke in a low voice, “I told you not to engage with people unnecessarily. Why can’t you listen for once, Savyasachi?” Sachi could hear her mother’s voice in her head. ‘How many times, Savyasachi? How many times do I have to tell you something before you finally decide to listen? Why can’t you follow my instructions in the first try? What grudge do you have against me?’ It was like a repeat telecast of the same thing, just phrased a little differently.

Once she came out of her head, she realised that they had already exited the mansion and their car had been brought back by the valet. In no time, the couple was seated in the car as they drove back. Sachi assumed they were going to the hotel, but when their car stopped in front of a residential building, she realised that she was home. No, not her home, her brother’s house. With a deep sigh, she braced herself and got down from the car. As she followed her brother into the society, she wondered what lay ahead of her. In the span of 10 hours, her life had changed so drastically that Sachi wondered if it was all a dream and whether she would ever wake up from it.