The Royal Deal

7.

Sometimes you gotta be,
a beauty and a beast.
- Unknown.

*****

Singhania Residence,
New Delhi.
Friday,
8:18 AM

Chaos was rarely introduced to Singhania Residence and when it was, it held significant value to each member of the family but today felt different to all, it felt a sad chaos not the happy one.

A gloomy feeling settled deep within Shaina, she smelled the worst from miles but this whole week proved to be a bad phase of her life to her, she lacked the touch of perfection she always managed to add to her imperfections. She kept pondering for one hint of wrong happening in her life but all she got was nothing.

All she hoped for was good and trap her perfections back on track.

"Sid, I have a meeting with Tristan this afternoon..." Shaina addressed Siddharth while she failed to notice that he had his attention stuck on his mobile phone and he heard nothing she spoke and Shaina who was helping Aryahi with her breakfast thought Siddharth had his ears alert when she spoke to him, like always.

"Pick Aryahi up from her school on time." She spoke and her father silently watched interaction happening which seemed quite one sided, spoke no word against Siddharth's nonchalance

She only got a chance to notice anything around her when Aryahi ran to get her school bag from her room.

Dev and Shaina had split responsibilities regarding Aryahi apart from their work duties- Shaina insisted on it- Shaina picked her up from school as one of them and he dropped her off but Dev was often out for his business trips and Shaina took it upon herself to fulfill the hollow Dev was unknowingly creating in his relationship with his own child.

Maybe knowingly and Shaina hated him for that. She made sure to rub it in his face when negligence went overboard and successfully got him back to track.

He silently obliged to his responsibilities with time and learnt to acknowledge his love for the child who reminded him of his wife. He now loves to love his daughter, and Shaina proudly took credit of it.

This time he was out for a trip and not very negligent towards Aryahi. He was learning, was all Shaina thought when he video called her niece last night.

Ever since he left, Shaina was doing it all. Taking care of Aryahi, business, keeping Siddharth in check, her father's unusual behaviour and everything single handedly.

It exhausted her, the prominent dark circles underneath her eyes and the eyebags testified her hardwork to keep it all together. She might have also lost a kilogram or two.

"Siddharth, you heard me?" Shaina required assurance when it was Siddharth, she really needs to learn to trust him.

"Yeah?" He fumbled and taken aback but Shaina's ice cold eyes made him back out from asking her the context to her question.

"Of course, Shai." He answered with unwavering confidence and enough to convince Shaina. She nodded and left the table when Aryahi returned with her school bag

"Shaina!" Her mother called her and she looked back at her with a question in her eyes while she instructed Aryahi to wait for her in the car

"Yes, mumma." She looked at her mother and her mother silently admired Shaina's outfit, she wore a mulberry formal suit and even matched her shirt with her jacket and pants. She looked really pretty in mulberry and she always pulled it like a queen.