Chapter 5
1227 Words
The next morning, Ananya's eyes fluttered open, and for a brief moment, nothing looked familiar.
Then, reality settled in.
Aryan.
The contract.
The marriage.
The crazy house.
And Manushi.
The last thought hit hardest.
Immediately, she grabbed her phone. No missed calls. No emergency messages. Nothing. Very good.
She let out a slow breath.
A knock sounded at her door. Before she could answer, the door opened.
Ananya blinked. Standing right in front of her while holding a tablet was Nahida. Looking as intimidating as ever.
"Good morning" she said.
Ananya's expression hardened.
"You know courtesy demands you wait for permission before entering?"
Nahida glanced at her.
"Yes, don't you think courtesy should also demand not oversleeping until ten-thirty? "
Rude.
30 minutes later, Ananya walked downstairs and immediately regretted it.
The dining room looked less like a home and more like a business meeting. Nahida sat at one end. Neil was shamelessly stealing food fro Nahida's plate. Aryan was reading documents. Three phones sat beside him. All ringing at different times.
"Do you ever take a break?" Ananya asked before she could stop herself.
Aryan looked up.
"No" then returned to reading.
Neil nearly choked laughing.
"He's serious by the way."
Ananya looked at Neil .
"He hasn't taken a proper vacation in 3 years."
"What?"
Neil pointed at Aryan.
"This crazy man once attended a meeting from a hospital waiting room."
"Why?"
Aryan didn't even look up.
"Because the meeting was important, Why else?"
Neil slapped the table.
"See?"
Ananya found herself staring. Not with love. More like...trying to solve a puzzle.
Because the more she learned about Aryan, the less sense he made.
A man obsessed with control. A man who never rested. A man who apparently bought companies for fun.
Yet somehow...
He had spent millions helping Manushi.
Her thoughts were interrupted when Nahida's phone rang and without hesitation, she answered.
Listened. Then stood.
"Aryan."
The room changed instantly. No jokes. No teasing. Just tension.
"What happened?" Aryan asked.
"The meeting has started early."
Aryan stood.
Picking up his jacket.
"Who?"
"Dev Khan."
Neil groaned loudly.
"Oh, I hate that man."
Ananya looked between them.
"Who?"
Nobody answered yet.
Which meant it was way serious than she thought.
Finally Neil spoke.
"Imagine the python owns five billion dollars."
Aryan paid no attention to him .
"Conference room."
Nahida nodded.
"Already arranged."
As they started leaving...
Aryan stopped, looked directly at Ananya.
The first time he'd really looked at her all morning.
"Manushi's doctor will call today."
Her heart beat quickened.
The business atmosphere disappeared. Only Manushi remained. Aryan's voice softened slightly. Barely noticeable.
"If there are any changes, you'd know immediately."
Caught off guard, Ananya's eyelashes fluttered....because that wasn't transaction, that wasn't control. That was...Consideration.
Before she could respond...
Neil appeared beside her like a ghost.
"See?"
"What?"
"He does care."
Aryan closed his eyes briefly.
Like he was giving murder a thought.
Then walked away.
Ananya watched him leave.
Suit. Phones. Pressure. Responsibility. Meetings. Rivals. Expectations.
And somehow...
The man looked lonely. The thought came out of nowhere and she disliked it because it made her feel something she wasn't ready to feel.
Upstairs, in a glass-walled conference room...
Aryan took his seat.
Dev Khan appeared on the screen.
Smiling.
Which was never a good sign.
Dev leaned back.
"Let's discuss your wife."
***************
The conference room maintained a perfect decorum.
Dev Khan leaned back in his chair.
A knowing grin played on his lips.
Across the table, Neil already looked irritated. Aryan looked bored, which was usually a bad sign.
"What about my wife?" Aryan asked.
Dev's smile widened.
"Oh, it's your wife now?"
Neil groaned instantly.
"We're starting with bullshit. Interesting."
Dev paid no attention to him.
"I'm just surprised."
Aryan didn't respond .
"It didn't seem like you were ever going to get married".
The room remained quiet.
Dev continued.
"Actually, scratch that....You've spent decades avoiding commitments."
Neil nearly choked. Decades? Try forever.
Aryan slowly looked at him. Neil immediately sat up straighter. "I didn't say anything."
"You were thinking it out loud, right? "
Dev laughed.
Then his attention returned to Aryan.
"Which is why people are curious."
Aryan's expression didn't change.
"People?"
Dev smiled.
"The board."
Ah.
Now they were getting somewhere.
Dev folded his hands.
"They want to be sure "
"Of?"
"Your personal life will mix with business."
The room went quiet.
Aryan stared at him for a moment.
"No."
One word.
Final.
Dev wasn't finished.
"What about your wife?"
Aryan's jaw tightened slightly.
"What about her?"
Dev tapped a pen against the table.
"Does she understand what it means to be married to you? And every other thing that comes with it?".
That was actually a reasonable question.
Unfortunately, Dev's face made it sound annoying.
Neil leaned back.
"But for real...."
Everybody looked at him. Including Aryan.
Neil shrugged.
"What?"
"She's definitely having a tough time around here"
Even Nahida looked like she agreed.
Aryan sighed. Then stood.
The meeting was over.
Everyone in the room knew it.
Dev frowned.
"That's it?"
Aryan buttoned his jacket.
"That's it."
"You're not even going to answer the question?"
Aryan picked up his phone.
Finally looking directly at Dev.
And for the first time all meeting...
A faint smirk appeared.
Dangerous.
Very Aryan.
"No."
Dev's smile disappeared.
Aryan continued.
"My marriage is none of your business....Neither is my wife."
Then he ended the meeting.
Just like that. The screen went blank.
The room went silent. Neil immediately pointed at the screen.
"Oh he's definitely pissed"
Nahida nodded.
"Very."
Aryan ignored both of them.
But as he looked out the glass wall...
His thoughts drifted somewhere unexpected
Not to the company.
Not to the board.
Not to the deal.
To Ananya.
Alone in his house.
Probably annoyed.
Plotting against him.
Refusing to admit she'd accepted breakfast.
And despite himself...
The thought almost made him smile.
- Writer
