Unwanted Arrangement

2.

Daksh Kulkarni

I can see the wheels turning in her head.

Ishika Ahuja. The shadow.

That's what they call her. The shadow of Ananya Ahuja and the beta to her alpha. That's what the media paints their relationship and personalities as. The Queen and Her General. They say Ananya is the mind behind the ruthless and underhanded moves of Ahuja Inc and Ishika was just acting as the face of those decisions.

Personally? I don't see it. Not just because so many of those decisions scream of an amateur but I have also met Ananya countless times, yet, if they were both in a room, my eyes would find Ishika Ahuja, even as a stranger. The life in her actions and the energy surrounding her would never be of a shadow's. She is all the vibrant colours of the rainbow. She is life herself.

I got hit with the force of that energy when saanvi crashed into her car, and I've acted like it barely bothered me. I blacked out for a second. Nightmares still haunted me of that night but the reality I live in scared me more. It was a string entwined with the devil in the back of my head.

I was pulled out of the call of my demons, at her voice and my demons disappeared like they were scared of her life. I wanted to know what it felt like to hold that much power that you could scare anything dark in your surroundings away.

"What do you need to talk to my mom about?" Ishika asked nervously, and I dreaded delivering this news to the girl of life. I could feel her heart racing. She is so fucking easy to read. No wonder people are questioning her appointment as the ceo. Ruling the boardroom isn't easy. For someone like Ishika, who could barely conceal her emotions, it would be even harder. Entering the boardroom, being expected to fill the shoes of Ananya Ahuja? fucking impossible.

Her family might as well have thrown her into a pool of piranhas.

"About our grandfather." I admit quietly, not sure how I should approach this. I don't know if she's aware of the history between our families. She could know nothing, and I'm hit with the realisation that my grandfather could be holding onto his life with a hope for people who loathe him or worse, are indifferent to him, and that in his last moments, no matter how much we love him, will never be able to give him the peace two woman he's asked for would give.

How would it feel to find out who you're longing for don't even care for your existence. Would it make you hold on stronger to fight? Or would it make you weak enough to give up altogether?

"I need to see your mom." We are here to meet her anyway. Piya is the only one who would understand. That was my hope before I got into the car, nervous to step into the house of the family where we're loathed.

"Ok. I'll call mom. Please sit down." Ishika orders her servants to bring us some water, and disappears upstairs.

Not long after, Piya comes rushing down the stairs, looking at me and saanvi with so much love and affection, it leaves me breathless. She made her way towards, holding my face in the palm of her hands before doing the same to Saanvi.

The familiarity with which this woman gazes at us would be confusing, if one didn't know the true history of our families. Which I understand Ishika doesn't, considering her confused face. I sighed, pained for my grandfather. I could picture the agony on my grandfather's face when he hears that Ishika wasn't aware of his relationship with her mom.

"The people I've wronged are many boy.....but none I regret as much as piya."

I remembered the pain in his voice to this day. I was never aware my grandfather had regrets. He was a man so sure of himself. But in his death bad, during his last stage of his life, he's not even in control of getting the people he loves to visit him.