Arranged marriage was an age-old story that Khushi, the youngest of the infamous Gupta family, who revolutionized and dominated the trading market for generations, knew well.
For it was the only thing she heard growing up.
But that neither prepared...
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Alok Raj Gupta believed in perfection.
Being an only child, he had grown up under the razor-sharp eyes of not only his father, but also his grandfather, who's regime was perhaps the most difficult of all. The Second World War had taken a rather heavy toll on then flourishing Gupta empire, to the point that many assumed –quite gleefully– that it would be the end. It was his grandfather's sheer will and then his father's ambition after that, that had truly saved them all.
So, it went without saying that when Alok came of age, he had very big shoes to fill.
In the initial days, his ever-calculative father had pushed him to abandon his naivety and benevolence –and for a businessman's son, Alok had a little bit too much of it– warning him that the cost of being trustful was high, especially when running an empire as affluent as the one the Gupta's owned. People, whether big or small, would always take advantage and one day or another, it would all amount to a big blow to a delicate system.
Alok had accepted his father's words, for it was hard to ignore the changing allegiances, backdoor deals and political maneuvers happening in his very own company. He saw as clear as day how fickle people became around money, how distrustful, and he realized that the only way to steer through such murkiness was by order. If everyone was entrusted with a job, if everyone was held accountable for their responsibilities and rewarded handsomely in return, if the punishment of failure was severe, then the chance of a collapse was low. And even if the winds blew too hard one season, it would be easy to see where the cracks lay.
That was the beauty of systems.
And as Alok had aged, his belief only strengthened, and he stopped at nothing to make sure every aspect of his life ran like a well-oiled machine. And perhaps, things would have continued like that if it wasn't for that terrible accident.
Alok still remembered very vividly the first time he had met Garima. His father, who had finalized the alliance after much deliberation, had sent him to Lucknow to meet her parents. Alok had agreed out of obligation, but actually returned, impressed. Beautiful as she was, Garima had told him in the five minutes they seized alone while she served him tea, that she hoped for a life partner who respected her and that she viewed marriage as a mix of compromise and responsibility.
Alok, who had been expecting a shy, reserved girl, was both surprised and relieved. Relieved that she spoke with practicality and from that moment onwards, their partnership had begun in earnest. In the many years that followed, Garima fulfilled her duties with perfection. She respected his desire to expand the company and let him work late hours without complaint, sacrificing their time together and handling both his parents and later, their children.
But perhaps, more than Garima's compliance, what Alok valued in his wife was her understanding. Since day one of their marriage, she knew very clearly what he wanted and what he needed in less than a heartbeat. She knew when to speak, when to chide and when to defend. It was perfect harmony.
