A month later

Aira:

Control - that's what I have finally grasped this past month. It's not much, but enough to get a rise out of him. And if there is one thing I have learned, it's that he hates losing control.

The slightest ripple of power slipping from his hands, and I can see it in his eyes, the irritation, the anger simmering just beneath the surface.

Good. Let him hate it.

He wouldn't let me go, so I got his family on my side. They are way too sweet, too kind...

Well not entirely kind since I had somewhat a glance of what they are capapble of when Adi bhaiya dealt with Viraj - Varya's supposed groom and no one in the family even attempted to stop him.

But atleast they are way better than that arrogant asshole.

I think that bothers him most. He watches me connect with them, and I know it burns him. But there is something genuine in the way his family has embraced me. That connection isn't just for show, but getting him all worked up over it? Definitely a bonus.

Tara and Varya, especially - they are the best part of everything that happened to me. This whole family is, except for him.

Varya is officially an Oberoi now. It happened so fast that sometimes I still can't believe it. She was supposed to marry Viraj, something-or-other, I never cared to remember his name. But what did Adi bhai do? He kidnapped her on her wedding day. The repetition of marriage drama here, but then again, nothing surprises me with this family anymore.

I remember the chaos of that day. The frantic planning, the last-minute escape. Hell, I helped him - we helped him. I, Tara, the jerkface himself, and Rishaan Rai Singhania - Varya's brother.

It wasn't hard to convince the Oberois to support it. Even Varya's father didn't want her to get married with that guy.

It was better than her ruining her life just to get married to intact her reputation.

That girl is obsessed with her name, I don't know whether that is good or bad. She is just very much carrier oriented and she may make all those strong and tough decisions to get the situation turn to her side but beneath all that fierce exterior is a cute sweet girl that I have come to recognize and she deserves all the happiness in the world.

Tara Oberoi is a whole different level. A supermodel - yes the rich classy bitch, only she has a good heart. While Varya could be really mean sometime Tara and I are her pacifiers.

I got alog with Rishaan very well, even though he is Varya's brother and they both should atleast have had a little problem with me after all that happened but damn they are too cool.

The girls told me that there was actually nothing between them - no childhood sweetheart or anything, Arsh and Varya were practically getting into a marriage of convenience.

God - has he ever felt love in his entire life?

I glance across the room, where his family sits in the living room, laughter bubbling up from some inside joke I missed. Tara throws her head back, laughing loudly, while Varya smirks beside her, sipping tea as she plays with Adira's hairs.

Geet ma told me that these three - Tara, Varya and Adira have always been the heart of this house, and now, I have become a part of that too.

Her words definitely made me feel home but it also made me miss my family.

My family? Well Dad is still not talking to me. Mom does though and Arman, well he is mad at me but not completely indifferent.

I want to visit them soon but Mr. Oberoi will again hand me the gun so I am better off until I come up with some sort of plan to get rid of him.

I can feel his gaze on me, sharp, unrelenting. He is watching. Always watching.

I turn my attention back to Varya and Tara. Adi bhai enters the room, dropping beside Varya with that effortless ease of the one who holds the authority.

She rolls her eyes, pretending to be annoyed, but it was clearly more than just pretence.

Adira shifts off Varya's lap, wriggling over to Adi Bhaiya's side, pulling Varya closer to him by the hand.

"So, Chachi, what are you wearing tomorrow?" Adira asks with wide eyes.

I let out a chuckle. "Probably whatever you choose for me among the shortlisted dresses, Ira."

Adira gaspas in delight. "Pinky promise?"

She offers me a cute pout which I resemble, "Pinky promise."

Adira grins at my response and I give her a nod, "So tell me, what are you wearing princess?"

She looked up, making a cute face to let us know she was wondering, "Hmm... maybe a dress that makes me look like a princess. Or a fairy."

My smile widens at her cuteness. "Oh! You are gonna look the prettiest!"

"Chachi is absolutely right, Ira but what about Daddy and Mumma? What are they wearing?" Tara matches oue enthusiasm.

"I got them matching outfits," Adira declares proudly. "Mumma and Papa will wear matching clothes with mine."

Varya raises an eyebrow, looking amused. "Matching clothes, huh?"

Adi Bhaiya groans, rubbing his temples. "Why? Why do we need to match?"

Adira grins mischievously. "Amd why not?"

Varya shrugs at Adira.

Adi Bhaiya fianlly sighs. "Fine."

Adira claps her hands in victory. "Yes!"

As Adira continues her chatter, Tara leans forward, eyeing me with a mischievous grin. "Speaking of tomorrow, are you excited?"

I freeze for a moment, feeling the weight of the upcoming reception settle on my shoulders again. It's our reception, the one that was postponed by a month at my insistence. I needed time. Time to process, time to adjust, and time to introduce myself as his wife.

And tomorrow is Adi bhaiya and Varya's reception as well and although I could feel some tension between them, it was way better than us.

Shut up, there is not us!

I glance at Arsh across the room. He is talking to Rishaan about something but his eyes fixed on me, unwavering. He hasn't said anything about the delay. In fact, he left the decisions to me.

"I think, I am okay," I say slowly, trying to smile. "I mean, I have to get it over with anyways so why not."

Tara smirks knowingly. "You do realize it's tomorrow, right? Not weeks from now?"

"I know, I know!" I laugh softly, hoping to diffuse the tension I can feel building.

Arsh and I were still living in separate room and no one had any problem with the face but the jerk has demanded that we will move in a room after our reception. That's when I regretted asking for just a month's time for our reception.

Ugh! I should have asked for atleast 10 years.

No way Aira, you need to fund a way out, not stay here for a whole decade. Shut up bitch!

But atleast I had the others supporting me and they told him that it will be upto me, however, it's not because asshole threatened me to say yes. Again.

"Woww, tommorow will be so perfect." Adira almost squeals as she points at something on Adhikrit bhaiya's phone who gives her a genuine smile.

"It will be." Varya assures her, giving her a smile.

"Perfect for the tabloids, or perfect for you two?" Tara interrupts, her tone teasing as she reaches out to me and Varya and we both shake our head at her.

Perfect for me. I don't care about the glitz or glamour of it, not really. It's more about the significance of the day, the weight it carries.

But, it means nothing because this relationship is purely being forced on me.

"We will have find out, I guess," I finally answer.

Adira gets up from Adhikrit bhaiya's lap with his phone in her hand as she runs over to Dadu and Dadi to show them something.

Varya glares at Adhikrit who raises his eyebrows at her as she voices out. "I am not sure perfect is something that can be achieved with everything that has happened."

Adhikrit studies her quietly for a moment. "And look who is talking, the girl who only cares about hee picture on the front page."

Varya scoffs, turning away from him while Tara gets up shaking her head at the duo and excuses herself to the kitchen.

Varya attempts to follow her too only for Adhikrti to gently hold her hand and force her back on the couch as Adira runs back to them and the three indulge themselves in another conversation.

I feel the pressure of Arsh's stare intensify, and I finally meet his gaze. He is leaning casually against the wall, but his expression is anything but casual. His dark eyes are unreadable, but I can sense his frustration simmering beneath the surface.

He hates waiting. He hates that I have managed to keep him away, avoid him for so long or more like he let's me be.

Sometimes I think it's the later but then again delusion is the solution.

He finally speaks for the first time, his voice low, but it commands the attention of everyone in the room. "You don't seem excited for the reception? Should we delay it a bit longer?"

His tone is controlled, but there is a hint of edge there, a taunt - the familiar tug-of-war we have been in since this whole ordeal started. I look at him, meeting his challenge with my own quiet resolve.

"Yeah, like you had prolosed me in front of the whole crowd to marry you," I say, my voice calm. "That I will rising with excitement to show you off to the girls who droov over you tomorrow."

His lips twitch slightly, almost like a smirk. "Lame comebacks."

I could almost feel the amusement of everyone shining as they witness us bantering for the nth them and when he is being all sarcastic with me even I seem to sometimes forget that he is the same person who shot a man without hesitating in front of me just a few days ago.

Well, atleast I was rescued.

Basically, I had gone out with Tara and while she was ordering us food, someone tried to kidnap me but Arsh came on time.

Or more like bro ruined it. I could have atleast escaped from him!

But seriously kidnap me?

Why? Mere pass to na khairat ke paste hai na main kisi ke ghr ka darwaja peeta aur meri to kisi se bhi dushmani bhi nhi hai.

Shadi ho gai meri ab to ladko ko mere peeche bhejna band kro yrr bhagwan ji.

I ignore him again, and I could feel his glare making holes through me.

"Stop arguing you two," Geet ma says, shaking her head. "It's going to be fun."

Dadu shrugs, adding, "hm, just make sire you both don't kill each other beofre that."

I let out a soft laugh, though I can't shake the feeling of being watched under Arsh's scrutiny. As the conversation turns lighter, I stand to grab some water from the nearby table. The air feels heavy between me and him, and I need a moment to breathe.

As I walk toward the kitchen, something catches my eye in the hallway. Tara and Rishaan stand close, locked in a conversation that feels anything but casual. Even from this distance, I can sense the tension crackling between them.

Rishaan is standing over her, his jaw tight, eyes dark with something dangerous. Tara's back is pressed against the wall, her arms crossed defensively, but she holds her chin high, staring him down with that same fiery resistance I have come to expect from her.

I hesitate, torn between my instinct to give them privacy and the nagging curiosity that pulls me deeper into their interaction.

I knew something is going on between the two but what exactly?

"What the hell do you think you are doing?" Rishaan's voice is low, but the anger simmering underneath it is impossible to miss.

Tara straightens, her eyes narrowing as she meets his gaze. "Living my life. Something you seem to have a problem with."

He steps closer, his hands clenched at his sides like he is barely holding himself together. "Don't start something you won't be able to handle between us."

"Us?" she scoffs, tilting her head defiantly. "Is that what you think this is? Because from where I am standing, it looks like you are just trying to control me."

Rishaan steps forward, pinning her in place with his body. His hand slams against the wall beside her head, and I hear his anger, but Tara's smirk doesn't wave

She doesn't flinch. Instead, she tilts her head, eyes gleaming with defiance. "Mjhse door rhoge ya bhai ko bulau?"

"You think that threat is going to work on me?" he growls, his voice almost shaking with intensity.

"Is it?" Tara breathes, her voice steady, mocking. "And here I thought you were interested in your girlfriend."

Rishaan's eyes narrow, his nostrils flaring as his gaze sweeps over her face, as if searching for a crack in her calm, anything to show that he has some hold over her. But Tara just watches him, a challenge written all over her face, daring him to lose his composure.

"I told you to stop," Rishaan's voice is dangerous now, but there is something else too, something raw and furious beneath the surface. "Stop testing me."

Tara leans forward just slightly, her lips barely brushing the air between them as she whispers, "And what if I don't?"

Rishaan's eyes darken, and in one swift movement, his hand grabs her wrist, yanking her closer to him. The action is rough, intense, but not enough to hurt her, hopefully. "Don't push me, Tara. You are crossing a line."

"I crossed it a long time ago," Tara snaps back, her voice like ice. "And guess what, Rishaan? I am still here."

He lets out a harsh laugh, his grip on her tightening. "Go hide behind your brothers."

She doesn't back down, her eyes blazing with fury now. "Go sleep in your girlfriend's bed."

I almost let out an amused chuckle at her comeback but it disappears almost instantly noticing the tension rise even more.

His face hardens, and for a split second, I see something dangerous flash in his eyes. "When I am in your bed, there is everything but sleeping involved." he bites out, his voice low and lethal. "And yet you keep coming back."

I gasp clearly catching on the meaning behind his words and struggle to keep my mouth shut as I turn around and walk over to the kitchen.

Doosro ki baate sunna is a sin Aira, paap lagega paap.

Whatever is going on between them, it's more than just a simple argument.

Yha to sbka hi kuch na kuch chl rha hai, sb ek se ek pagal hai yaha par.

Should I talk yo Tara? But it didn't look like he was harming her.

Oh god, Aira you clearly need therapy.

I pour myself a glass of water and walk back to the hall and rejoin the group. Tara was already back and so was Rishaan, Tara chatting with Adira or pretending to while Rihshaan kept his gaze fixed on her.

Same is the case with Arsh cause I could feel the shudder in my spine as I take my seat and try to distract myself by chiming in Adira's school gossips. The girl is a whole mood.