The Arranged Marriage

Arjun Sharma

Arjun Sharma was the son of Rakesh Sharma, a wealthy and influential business tycoon, and Kamala Sharma, his first wife who has passed away. Arjun was born out of wedlock, but he was never treated differently by his father or his step-mother. He grew up with his half-brother Armaan, who was the son of Rakesh and his second wife, Lavanya. Arjun and Armaan had a cordial relationship, but they were not very close. Armaan had a passion for music and pursued a career as a singer, while Arjun took over the family business and became the heir apparent of his father's empire.

One morning, Arjun was waiting for his father in the driveway of their mansion. He was wearing a suit and tie, ready to go to the office with his father. He checked his phone and saw a message from Armaan.

Hey Arjun, can you do me a favor by giving the new dress to Anu?

Arjun felt a surge of annoyance. He hated it when Armaan asked him to do such favors. Armaan was engaged to a girl named Anaya, who was the CEO of a rival company. Arjun had never met her, but he had heard a lot about her. She was supposed to be a smart and successful entrepreneur, who had built her own company from scratch. Armaan was madly in love with her and wanted to marry her as soon as possible. He had gone to Dubai for a music project, but he had not forgotten about his fiancee. He had bought a new dress for her and wanted Arjun to deliver it to her.

Arjun replied to his brother with a refusal. He typed:

Sorry bro, I can't. I have a lot of work to do. Why don't you ask someone else?

He put his phone in his pocket and saw his father coming out of the house. His father was also wearing a suit and tie, looking sharp and confident. He was a man of authority and charisma, who commanded respect and admiration from everyone. He walked towards the car and said to Arjun, "Let's go, son. We have a busy day ahead." Arjun said, "Papa, aap itna late kardiya na, tab hum office time mein nahi ponchenge." (Translation: Dad, if you are this late we will not reach the office on time.)

Rakesh did not reply. He just got into the car and said, "Drive fast." Arjun started the car and drove out of the driveway. He sped towards their office, which was located in a skyscraper in the city center. He knew that his father had a lot of important meetings and deals to attend to. He also had his own responsibilities and tasks to handle. He was the manager of one of the divisions of the company, and he had a team of employees working under him.

When he reached the office, he was greeted by his manager and best friend Abhimanyu. Abhimanyu was a young and energetic man, who had been Arjun's friend since college. He was loyal and trustworthy, and he always supported Arjun in his work and personal life. He smiled and said, "Hello Arjun, how are you?" Arjun said, "I am fine Abhi. There is something I want to tell you."

Arjun nodded and went towards his cabin, which was next to his father's. He entered the cabin and sat on his chair. Abhi followed him and sat in front of him. He said, "You know the AAS company?" Arjun said, "Abhi, who does not know that company? It is one of the leading business companies in the world."

Abhi nodded and said, "Do you know them personally?" Arjun nodded, "Yeah dude, the CEO, Anaya Singh will be my sister-in-law in like 3 or 4 months."

Abhi was shocked, "You mean Anaya Singh will marry Armaan?" Arjun nodded and said, "Yeah and he is crazy in love with her. Even though he is in Dubai, he asked me to deliver some dress to her and I said I cannot."

Abhi said, "You are crazy dude, why do you hesitate to meet your sister-in-law? She is a beautiful and powerful woman, and you are a handsome and rich man. You should get along well." Arjun said, "Dude why do you care, just look after the company. And most importantly leave me alone now, I need to check these data which Shruthi sent me." Shruthi was one of Arjun's employees, who had sent him some reports and analysis.