The Devil's Substitute : Book #1 [Original Edition]

|| Chapter 20||



Piyali entered the room after a deep talk with her in-laws. She was confused about how to tame the Hulk, Reyansh. She understood it should start with friendship, but her desire for revenge on Reyansh was stronger. The more she thought about it, the more determined she became to show him a lesson or two.

Reyansh was deeply engrossed in working on a new project when his eyes fell on Piyali standing at the door, pouting.

"Why does she always pout like that?" he thought, mildly irritated.

"One day, I'll proudly say my wife is a Donald Duck," he mused, then abruptly stopped himself. "Wait, wife? This kid can't be my wife."

Sighing, he adjusted his glasses and continued working. Piyali stared at him for a moment before sitting on the bed. She continued looking at him, pondering where to start. Her urge to cut his hair and feed it to the donkeys was increasing by the second. Reyansh, feeling her intense gaze, became cautious and slightly uneasy.

"Looks like you're seeing a human for the first time," Reyansh taunted, his eyes still glued to the screen. Piyali's eyes widened in surprise. She instantly turned her head and flipped her hair to show attitude, making him chuckle.

"No I am seeing a pig with specs for the first time. Nice to meet you Piggy," she retorted, sticking her tongue out at him as he looked offended at her comment.

Reyansh raised his eyebrows. "Oh, I look like pig, do I? You should get your eyes checked tomorrow, Miss Piyali."

"Why? There's nothing wrong with my eyes. They always shine like stars. Pretty, pretty, heina? I always wonder why I wasn't blessed with blue eyes. I would have looked like a Disney princess. It's not like I don't look like a princess now, but if I had blue eyes..."

Reyansh stared at her, wide-eyed, as she continued speaking, waving her hands and giggling. He regretted commenting and didn't know how to stop her incessant chatter. To save himself from mental trauma, he took his earbuds and placed them in his ears.

"Very funny, heina..." Piyali's voice trailed off. She pressed her mouth shut in embarrassment, seeing him working with earbuds.

"So, all this time I was talking to myself. Wow. Good thing this Hulk doesn't deserve to hear my sweet voice," she muttered under her breath.

Silence filled the room, much to Reyansh's relief and Piyali's awkwardness. She glanced around, scolding herself for constantly looking at Reyansh.

"What should I do? This Hulk won't play with me. And everyone else here are oldies. There's no one like me with the same mindset. I'm bored," Piyali muttered. She threw her slippers irritably, and Reyansh noticed.

She kept her feet on the bed and dragged herself to the headboard, still grumbling.

"La la la la le le le le lu lu lu..." she hummed, trying to distract herself from her frustration.

Reyansh rubbed his head and stared at Piyali, who was humming with a smile, playing with the pillow. 

"Can a 22-year-old behave like this? Riya is far better than her. God must have forgotten to give her some sense," he thought.

Piyali continued humming when the maid knocked on their door. Reyansh and Piyali looked at her in unison.

"Baba, dinner is ready," the maid announced.