No Thanks!

Prologue

"Papa! Momma! I am home!" Ann got off the car and ran inside. She loved coming home to her family. She had a doting father Mr.Harsh Trivedi, and a mother who didn't give her birth but who treated her less. In fact despite Saahil being her younger brother, she was still the favourite Trivedi child. Saahil often got annoyed at his parents praising his Ann Didi all the time. "My daughter is in the best business school!" or "My daughter is the prettiest in whole of Mumbai!"and the mostly "My daughter is the smartest in her class!" Which were all true. He loved his sister dearly, but often she did make him feel a little less important in the house. So when his parents were talking about a marriage proposal for her, he couldn't be over the moon. Finally, they will start recognising his value of being the only son!

"OHHH SAAAHIL! I MISSED YOU!" Ann showered his little brother with soppy kisses and he wiped his face. "EWWW ANN DIDI...I am a big boy now...Stop doing this! YUCK!" He pushed her aside. Ann gave him a bright smile, messed up his hair a little, and hugged him. "I really did miss you my little Dramabaaz!"

"ANN You are here already! Oh beta, why didn't you call us! We could have come to the airport to pick you!" Avantika gave her a tight hug.

"Saahil go fetch Papa, he must be in the study!"

"Mama....Nooo why can't you go!"

"Because your Ann Didi and Momma has something more important to talk about! Oh darling! I missed you so much! I hate being alone with the boys!" She made a face and hugged Ann again.

Ann and Avantika, were more like best friends than mother and daughter. Their was nothing in the world Ann would hide from her. From her first crush to her heartbreaks. She often wondered, what would it have been like if her mother was alive. Would they have been friends too as she was with he step mother? But Avantika truly never let her feel the absence of her.

"Come on now spill the beans...I know you went on a date with Daksh? What happened? Tell me are you two?"

"Oh Momma.....It was just one date! Well...I can't say I didn't enjoy it! Let's see...I have all the time in the world! Besides...right now my focus is to increase our revenue. Momma I have so many plans drawn up. We can really use social media to boost up our wedding planning game! It's all about marketing now!" She started pacing up and down, sharing her dreams for the family business!.

"Ohhhh Ann how boring! A girl of your age should be talking about boys! Parties...but you my child...you have always been drowning in books, and your studies...how many dates you went on the past 3 years? With Daksh I think....two? OH MY GOD! You are going to die alone...a grandma...alone! Oh god!" Avantika started panicking.

"Momma! MOMMA! I am just 23...who cares if I went on a date or not? There are more important things in life than finding a man for yourself!" Ann shook her mother.

"Well I couldn't agree more!" Ann turned around hearing the voice of her father. "With me or momma?" She ran and hugged him.

"Haha with both!" He winked.

"Darling...I am glad you are back! But it's time you think of finding the right partner for yourself!"

"Papa....I just got back! Can I not focus on my business?" She complained.

"You can dear...who says you can't! You have always been great with multi tasking! Haven't you? Besides we are just looking out for you! It's not like we will be here for you always?" Her father's usual sunny face darkened a little.

"Papa...stop talking nonsense!" Ann hugged her father one more time. She couldn't help but feel a nervousness inside him. "I love you!" He placed a kiss on her head. Avantika joined in a family huddle, when Saahil stood by the door way with crossed arms. "TSK TSK....The prodigal daughter returns, and they forget who was there for them all this time! Shame...Shame!" All three of them laughed and they rushed towards him. "YUCK stop it! Stop it I am not a child!" He pushed away Ann and Avantika who was planting kisses on him.

"Then you shouldn't have been acting like a jealous little monkey!" Ann blew a rasberry, and Saahil joined in the family huddle laughing.

"Oh Papa...Did you show Didi by the way our Jiju's picture came on front page of Forbes India Today! He's a handsome chap I might say! You are one lucky gal!" Saahil blurted out when Harsh and Avantika shushed him.

"Who?" Ann raised an eyebrow and looked threateningly at her parents, who were fidgeting about.

"Err never mind child...we'll talk about this later..."

"Papa...Momma...what did you do?" She cross examined them, who were awfully looking guilty.

"You remember Shakti uncle?"

"How can I forget him? He's Papa's best friend is he not? But I thought his whole family moved to England like 15 years ago?"

"Yes but they are back now...and his eldest Shivaay Singh Oberoi, is very successfully running the family business here!" Saahil came running to her with the latest Forbes in his hand. She took a glance at the cover. The man was looking sleek in his suite, looking rather smug, nose up in air, crossed his arms and legs. Even his still magazine cover was screaming arrogance. She felt the little hairs on her neck standing up seeing his smug face. She just knew she hated him the moment she saw him. Then she recalled seeing him somewhere else. Somewhere...Perhaps another magazine? Yes it was the Hello magazine, or the cosmopolitan, where they named him the sexiest billionaire playboy in town! Urgh...out of all the bachelors in India, her parents found this man? YUCK...No thanks!

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Shivaay broke his third phone for the day. Khanna his assistant came running to him with a brand new mobile phone, that he kept under his desk for days like this. His boss was in a really really bad mood today. Usually only two things can fix this. A dinner date fixed with Tatiana, an elite model in town, or a super high return on one of his investments in the stock market. He ducked and dialled the number of Tatiana's secretary. "Err...Yes....7.45 PM please...at the Hilton..I'll book the usual suite!" He wiped the sweat off his forehead, hoping that by the end of the night, his boss will be back to normal. He wondered what on earth might have ticked him off like this.

Shivaay was rocking back and forth on his chair. How dare his father, threaten him to oust him from the CEO position if he doesn't go and see some silly girl! His parents have been on his neck for the past six months for marriage. Why on earth he would want to get married? He had everything he ever wanted. He walks out of that door and all the women in the office start staring at him. He will just have to give a wink, and they'll be lining up, dying to go on a date with him. Thankfully he knew how to keep his personal life, and his professional life separate. Business was business for him. He would never mix business with pleasure, perhaps except for that one time, he was stuck in an elevator with a business associate from Amsterdam. A devious smirk dawned on his face.

He sighed as his mother's call ID popped up on his screen for the umpteenth time. He finally answered.

"SHIVAAY SINGH OBEROI! IF YOU HAVE DONE BREAKING YOUR PHONE! GET HOME NOW!" His mother yelled at him.

"Mother...it is not even 5.30 yet...you can't expect me to leave the office with all the...."

"I DON'T CARE! YOU ARE A THE BOSS AREN'T YOU? GET HOME, I WANT YOU HOME BY THE TIME TRIVEDI'S GET HERE, YOU HERE ME? AND I WANT YOU ON YOUR BEST BEHAVIOUR! NO MORE STUNTS! YOU WILL MEET ANN TODAY!"

ARRRRRRGH! He smashed the phone across the room, and Khanna sighed. He walked in to the office with another new mobile, and an envelope.

"What's this Khanna?" He asked.

"This...Your mother sent it...she said to look at it!" He gave the envelope with a shaking hand, noticing the fire breathing dragon of a boss sitting in front of him.

Shivaay pulled the envelope from his hand, and opened it. It was a photograph with a post it note on it. P.S. This is Ann Trivedi, Marry her!" He pulled out the post it stuck in the middle of the face of the woman's picture, whom he had no interest of looking at. He tore it in to tiny pieces and put it back in the envelope where it belonged.

"Fine! Let's get this over with!" He stood up to leave, when Khanna handed him the another post it note. It read Tatiana, Hilton suite 101, 7.30 P.M. He smiled at Khanna, who was already on taking care of the flowers and the Dom Pérignon. "Thanks Man! Remind me to give you a raise!" He winked, and put on his shades before getting in to the elevator.