Kabir and his mother, Rajalakshmi, got out of their car and stood in front of Sarah's grandparents' house.
They saw a few more cars parked outside, meaning there were guests inside. Kabir knew this was going to be important.
When they walked in, they saw Sarah's grandparents and two older people. Kabir guessed they were Sarah's parents.
As soon as Kabir came in, Sarah's grandfather stood up, surprised.
"Welcome, Kabir. What brings you here?" he asked, then introduced everyone.
"This is my son and his wife. This is Kabir, the village head, and his mother," he said.
Sarah's parents greeted them, and everyone sat down. Sarah's grandfather, still confused, asked, "What is this about?"
Rajalakshmi spoke right away, like she was in charge.
"My son likes your granddaughter. We are here to ask for her hand in marriage," she said.
She tone and behaviour was very authoritative.
The room went silent. Kabir stayed quiet because this was a matter for the elders to talk about.
Sarah's grandparents and parents looked at each other. Then her grandfather spoke.
"Sarah is very independent. We don't think she would fit into a home where she can't be herself. Rajalakshmi, you like things a certain way, and we don't want Sarah to feel trapped. But we will talk to Sarah and see how she feels."
Rajalakshmi's face turned red with anger. She couldn't believe they would say no.
Kabir heard everything.
He understood what they meant, but he wasn't ready to give up. He wanted Sarah, the girl he loves....
Sarah's mother said she had called Sarah, and she was on her way.
Everyone waited.
After 10 minutes, Sarah walked in, surprised to see Kabir and Rajalakshmi.
Rajalakshmi smirked at Sarah's shocked expression.
"Come, dear... We were waiting for you," she said with a cunning voice. Everyone, even Kabir, looked at Rajalakshmi strangely.
Sarah was confused. She glanced at Kabir and looked at him for a few seconds. She wanted to ignore her feelings for him because of Rajalakshmi.
It was hard to accept that Kabir was Rajalakshmi's son.
Sarah had heard that Kabir always stood for what was right and that he didn't know about Rajalakshmi's cruel deeds. She found it surprising that Kabir hadn't figured it out yet.
The truth was that Rajalakshmi manipulated people into silence. When Sarah learned this from a maid, it shocked her deeply.
She also knew that confronting Rajalakshmi earlier had made her a target.
Sarah's mother called her over, breaking her eye contact with Kabir.
She walked toward her mother, wearing a simple kurta and pants, nothing fancy, just decent clothing.
As she approached, Rajalakshmi sneered, "How indecent. I know city girls are like this, but this is a village. You must wear a dupatta," she said in a controlling tone.
Sarah stood silently, but her glare at Rajalakshmi was noticed by her parents. Her mother grabbed her hand, signaling her to stay calm.
Rajalakshmi continued, "Since you are here, I will tell you once. My son likes you and wants to marry you. Be ready. I'll tell you the date."
