It was evening when Anirudh returned home. As he stepped into the living room, he noticed his family quickly hiding something behind their hands.

For a second, he thought they might have found his Polaroid picture or camera, but he dismissed the idea immediately—he had just seen them on his car’s dashboard before coming inside.

"What are you all hiding?" he asked, setting his bag on the couch before sinking into an armchair. A maid handed him a glass of water, which he accepted with a nod. "Thank you."

"Bhai, Papa got a rishta for you. She's cute!" Tara chirped excitedly, rushing toward him with pictures in her hand. She held them up, but Anirudh, still drinking water, leaned back without looking.

"I already—"

"At least see!" Tara insisted, shoving the pictures in front of his eyes.

His jaw dropped slightly as he narrowed his eyes at the pictures. He didn't expect this.

"Chahat?"

"Ohooo, he already knows her name!" his mother teased.

Anirudh groaned, rubbing his temples. "Oh, please! He's better as a client. I don’t want that man as my father-in-law. He didn’t even let me eat in peace. I will never!"

"But he spoke to me! He’s nice, Anirudh—"

"No, no, no," Anirudh cut her off, pushing himself up from the armchair and walking toward the staircase, shaking his head. He waved a hand dismissively. "Drop it. Don’t create scenarios."

His father called after him, "I have another proposal!"

"Yes, Bhai! She’s not a Princess, but she’s really good—"

Anirudh stopped mid-step. Turning around, he saw them all waiting for his reaction.

Smirking slightly, he found the way to stop them. He crossed his arms. "Actually, I changed my mind. Now, I want a royal wife."

Instead of disappointment, his family practically jumped in excitement.

"Perfect! She is a Princess!"

Anirudh blinked. That backfired.

He exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. "What’s with this sudden excitement for my wedding? I was living a peaceful life."

"Okay, okay, we’re not forcing you," Tara said, placing the pictures back on the table.

Anirudh’s gaze flickered to them. "Princess? Of where?" he asked, almost murmuring.

"Jodhpur," Tara replied, grinning widely.

Anirudh's expression hardened as he cleared his throat. "...No."

And without another word, he walked upstairs.

Anirudh

I went into my room, removed my blazer, and loosened my tie before sitting at the edge of the bed. As I checked my phone, I noticed a missed call that I had ignored while talking to my family.

Weird. It was from Uncle Sudesh—my father’s friend.

Frowning, I called him back.

"Hello?"

"Oh, hi, Anirudh! How are you doing?" he greeted cheerfully before I could even apologize for missing his call. He's always warm and humble.

"All good, Uncle. What about you and your family?" I asked.

"Everything is fine, beta. Actually… your father spoke to me. He asked me to look for a rishta for you. I thought I should tell you in case you weren’t aware of it," he explained.

I sighed. "You know what, Uncle? Next time my mother or father ask you about this, just tell them you don’t know anything," I said firmly.

Uncle Sudesh chuckled. "Anirudh, actually, your new client reached out to me—for a rishta. He wants an alliance for his only daughter."

I blinked. I was surprised. Had he gone mad? I mean, we just met yesterday and— 'Wait… what? What’s going on all of a sudden?'"

Ever since I returned from Udaipur, everyone had been acting strangely. My family, my father’s friends, even my client now? What were they all expecting me to do?

🎀

“Areyyy, I don't want too much money. I'm happy with my ten LPA salary—that’s enough for me,” Sanaya said to her grandparents, who were sitting in their room.

“Listen to me, Dadi. A few makeup products, some skincare, café visits, and restaurants—that’s all I need. I have enough—”

“That new haveli will be yours, and that’s final,” her grandmother declared firmly.

“No, no, no. See… Kunal loves it, and Aunty always complains that you don’t love her children enough. So you can give it to Kunal or Kritika,” Sanaya said, raising her hands as if closing the discussion.

“Sanaya, chahti kya tum?” her grandfather asked, sounding slightly frustrated as he playfully glared at her. She glared back.

“This might sound strange, but I’m satisfied with whatever I have. And you don’t need to give me a piece of property just to prove your love,” she said, her voice losing its usual playfulness. Her expression turned serious as she added, “There’s only one thing I truly want, and even that… is out of my hands.”

“What is it?” her grandfather asked.

Sanaya shook her head and got up from their bed.

“Well, good night! And remember—say ‘I love you’ to each other before sleeping,” she teased, winking playfully.

Her grandmother’s jaw dropped slightly, dramatically.

Before they could say anything, Sanaya laughed and quickly walked out of the room.

🎀

As the night passed, Sunday arrived, and Anirudh was in the study room, working on some office tasks.

“Bhai, are you coming or not?” Tara asked as she opened the door, holding a small pan in her hand. She gave him a glare but quickly straightened her face the moment he raised his gaze from his laptop to her and pulled her hand down.

“I mean, Bhai, please spend some time with us. It’s the weekend,” she said, blinking twice.

Anirudh sighed and got up from his chair. As he shut down his laptop, he spoke. “Don’t you dare blink like that,” he warned, straightening his back.

She giggled and waited for him to join her. They walked downstairs together.

“Bhai, I baked a cake for you,” Preeti said, holding a plate with a freshly baked cake.

“Oh wow, but is it my birthday or something?” he asked curiously as he sat on the couch.

“We don’t need a special occasion to cook for our brother,” Tara said dramatically.

“I get it. You both want something. What is it?” he chuckled.

“We want a new team member,” Preeti said.

“Team member?” He frowned in confusion.

“They mean they want their duo to become a trio—they want you to get married so your wife can join their team,” their grandmother explained as she settled into an armchair.

“Well, Anirudh, I got a new rishta for you,” his father said, lowering his newspaper and looking at him through his spectacles.

“No.”

“Bhai, at least give it a chance,” Tara tapped his arm.

“You wanted a girl from a royal family, didn’t you? She’s the Princess of Udaipur—Sanaya Kushan.”

Anirudh’s eyes flickered. He stared at his father for a moment before shaking his head, his gaze dropping to the cake on the table.

“She’ll be perfect for you. Here’s her picture,” his mother said, sliding the photos in front of him.

His eyes briefly shifted to the photos before he looked away.

The entire family began listing all the good things about Sanaya and how this marriage would be beneficial. He simply got up and started making his way to the stairs, heading back to his study room.

“Bhai, at least listen to us,” Tara pleaded, but he continued ignoring them.

Seeing their persistence, he sighed and finally said, “Chalo, tum log itni zid kar hi rahe ho toh thik hai.”

He tried to keep a straight face, but he failed, and a small smile curved on his lips.

The whole family erupted in excitement. They hugged each other, and Tara and Preeti ran to embrace him.

He chuckled at their enthusiasm as he hugged them back.

“I have a lot of work. First, you all figure out how to send the proposal,” he said before quickly climbing the stairs.

Once inside his study room, he pulled out his phone and called Uncle Sudesh.

“You’re too quick, Uncle,” he laughed.

“Haha, am I? Well, for the first time, you asked for help—how could I refuse?” Uncle Sudesh chuckled.

“And never, ever tell anyone about this.” “Promise.”

Flashback – This Morning

“I don’t think I can stop them anymore. So… would you like to help me a little?” Anirudh called Uncle Sudesh.

“Of course! Tell me.”

“My father has been asking for your suggestions. Do you know about the Princess of Udaipur? I mean—” He hesitated. “I hope you get it.”

“No, I don’t get it. Tell me clearly,” Sudesh teased.

Anirudh sighed to himself, taking a deep breath before speaking.

“I want you to bring up the discussion of Princess of Udaipur to my father… for my rishta. And don’t tell them I asked you to. It’s just… I can’t stop them anymore, so this is my suggestion. Don’t think too much about it, Uncle.”

Sudesh burst into laughter at Anirudh’s last remark.

“Okay, okay! As you said.”

Flashback end

Remembering my own plan, I chuckled to myself. I never expected such cheating from my side.

I could have talked to my father directly, but those two girls in my life would start teasing me and never let me live in peace. It’s better if they think it was Uncle Sudesh’s suggestion.

The truth is, I can’t stop them anymore, and it feels like some kind of injustice to keep resisting. They’ve been circling around me, asking nonstop. And if I have to get married anyway, then why not to someone I can actually spend time with beyond just professional interactions?

I wish I had some teleportation superpower—just so I could see her face when she receives the wedding proposal from my family.

🎀

It was evening when Kunal ran into Sanaya’s room, where she and Kritika were busy talking to Kritika’s boyfriend. The moment he barged in—without knocking—they immediately hung up the call, shooting him a glare.

"Have you lost your manners, Kunal? We girls need to discuss personal stuff at times. At least you could've knocked—"

"I have tea," he interrupted, still panting, his hands resting on his hips.

"Huh? What?" Their irritation vanished in an instant, completely abandoning the previous topic. Because tea was always more important.

"Spill it already!" Sanaya urged.

"I'm telling you, Sanaya di, run away! I'll help you. This family has gone mad. Rudraksh bhai is right, and I think you should talk to him—"

"What happened?" Kritika cut him off, rolling her eyes at his usual dramatics.

"You got a rishta! And guess what? Nana and Nani are already on board, but Bhai and Mami aren’t agreeing yet," he said, plopping down at the edge of the bed.

"Ugh, another rishta? God's swear—"

"Ani... Aniket... nahi... Anirudh! Yeah!" Kunal murmured to himself, making both their eyes widen in shock. They instantly turned to each other, then back at Kunal.

"What? What? WHAT did you just say?" they both blurted out, moving closer to him.

Kunal blinked, confused by their exaggerated reactions, raising his eyebrows.

"Are you—?"

"Name! Tell us the name again!" Kritika interrupted, impatiently shaking his arm.

"Ugh, that Prince of Jaipur... Anirudh Harsana."

Sanaya's eyes practically popped out of their sockets. Kritika looked no less stunned.

Before she could react, Sanaya slapped herself—hard—snapping her back to reality. Realizing she was already in the reality.

To be continued.........