𝙎𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙮𝙖𝙣 𝙎𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙡𝙮𝙖 and 𝘼𝙖𝙨𝙝𝙫𝙞 𝙏𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙙𝙞, business rivals and family friends, are forced into an arranged marriage. Bound by family duty, they must uncover hidden truths while navigating their explosive chemistry. Will their...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
My heart pounded in my ears as I turned to face Mrs. Shandilya. Everyone including the Singhaniya's had left, leaving it just us in this huge ball room. Almost instinctively, my gaze drifted to Shriyan, whose full attention was already fixed on me. His dark eyes were unreadable, yet the intensity of his focus made my skin prickle with awareness. Tearing my eyes away, I redirected my attention to Aditi Aunty. I nodded slightly, signaling for her to continue, though it felt like everyone in the room could sense the unspoken tension.
For someone who prided herself on maintaining control, I was unraveling. The morning breakdown with Anika, the panic attack, and now, this inevitable conversation—I had never felt so vulnerable. Yet, through the chaos swirling inside me, my father's words echoed like a lifeline: "You’ve been raised as a princess—pampered and protected, but never afraid to wield the sword when necessary."
Summoning every ounce of composure I had left, I plastered on the most confident smile I could muster, a skill I had honed over the years. The weight of the room’s gaze pressed down on me, but I refused to buckle.
“Yes, Aunty,” I replied, my voice steady despite the storm brewing within. “And I believe I have a fair idea of what you wish to discuss.”
The atmosphere in the room thickened, the air practically crackling with unspoken tension. Shriyan’s gaze bore into me, but I held my ground, even as my pulse raced. I was standing at the edge of something unavoidable, and while fear threatened to consume me, I knew this was the moment I needed to reclaim control.
"Sweetheart, your father and I have been friends since our school days," Reyansh Uncle began, his voice steady yet tinged with a deep vulnerability that spoke of a past long gone. His eyes softened, and I could see the weight of memories tugging at his heart. "Back then, I was a shy kid—didn't talk much. Not because I was afraid, but because I thought my classmates were hooligans, not worth my time. And at the head of that chaos? Four troublemakers. Abhimanyu Trivedi, Vidyut, Vishwas Rajwansh, and Vihaan Singhaniya. The kings of stupidity, as I liked to call them." He chuckled softly, though his eyes glistened, misty with nostalgia.
"They made it their mission to cause mayhem. But those four? They turned out to be more than just jokers. They were my saviors. One day, I was sitting alone, devastated because my father’s business had gone under. My admission was about to be canceled, and I couldn’t afford to stay. Those four idiots found me crying. I didn’t even have to say anything. They just... knew. They didn’t ask questions. They just paid my fees without a second thought. Abhi even threatened the principal—said if he ever dared to pull a stunt like that again, he’d beat him up.”
I couldn't help but smile through the growing lump in my throat. That was my dad—my sweet, chaotic dad. Mom had told me stories of his wild school days, of how she’d looked down on him as nothing more than a bully, but the soft-hearted man I knew seemed worlds apart from that image.
