His temporary wife, his permanent obsession

chapter 74 - Mission Overprotective Mafia Brothers Activated

The office felt empty without her. Aarav sat at his desk, tapping his pen against the table, his mind drifting away from the countless emails and reports in front of him. His thoughts were stuck on her—on the way she had stopped him from trimming his beard, her soft voice calling him beautiful, her lips pressing gentle kisses on his face. He could still feel the ghost of her touch, her admiration lingering in his heart like a warm embrace.

A sigh escaped his lips. "Damn it, Ira. What have you done to me?"

His assistant knocked on the door, snapping him out of his trance. "Sir, the meeting—"

"Cancel it."

"But, sir—"

"I said cancel it." Aarav stood up, buttoning his suit. "Reschedule everything. I’m leaving early."

The assistant blinked in shock but nodded. Aarav grabbed his phone and car keys, already eager to see her. He had barely been away for a few hours, and yet, it felt like eternity.

At Home

Ira, unaware of the chaos she had created in her husband’s heart, was busy packing their bags. She smiled, carefully placing his clothes, but her fingers paused over the waist chain he had given her last night. A blush crept up her cheeks as she remembered how he had helped her wear it, his teeth grazing her skin, sending chills down her spine.

Her heart fluttered.

She quickly shook her head, "Focus, Ira!" She still had to pack, but her mind kept wandering back to him.

Aarav entered the house, his eyes searching for her like a lost man in the desert. His family was sitting in the living room, chatting about random things.

Ira walked in, holding a glass of water. "You’re home early?"

He nodded, taking the glass from her hands, his fingers brushing against hers. "Missed you." He whispered, only for her to hear.

She smiled, but before she could reply, she asked casually, "By the way, when is our flight tomorrow?"

Aarav opened his mouth to answer, but before he could—

"WHAT!?" Rajesh Malhotra, his father, stood up dramatically, pointing a finger at him. "You are taking my bahu on a flight to LA? Shame on you, Aarav!"

Ira’s eyes widened in shock. "Huh?"

Hitesh, Aarav’s uncle, sighed dramatically, shaking his head. "Disappointing. Absolutely disappointing."

Aarav frowned. "What the hell are you both talking about?"

His father crossed his arms. "Have I raised you like this? We have six private jets, and you’re taking my daughter-in-law on a flight with commoners? Unacceptable! If this happens, get out of my house!"

Ira’s jaw dropped. "P-Private jets!?"

Before she could say anything else, Aarav placed his hand over her mouth, chuckling at her shock. "Relax, wifey. We are going on a private jet." He looked at his father. "Happy now?"

His father gave a proud nod. "Good. That’s my son!"

Sunita and Nandini burst into laughter while Ira pulled Aarav’s hand away from her mouth, glaring at him. "You never told me!"

Aarav smirked, leaning closer. "Well, now you know. We leave tomorrow at 11 AM."

She huffed, crossing her arms. "You enjoy teasing me, don’t you?"

He chuckled, wrapping an arm around her waist. "Always."

Later that evening, the entire family gathered for dinner. Aarav, sitting at the head of the table, looked around before frowning.

Aarav looked around as everyone started eating. He frowned. "Where’s Anika?"

His mother replied casually, "She went to a birthday party."

Silence.

Kabir dropped his spoon. "Excuse me?"

Vihaan choked on his water. "Alone?"

Aarav, looking dangerously calm, set down his fork. "Did she mention whose birthday it was?"

Their mother shrugged. "Some friend’s."

Aarav’s jaw clenched. "This… friend… wouldn’t happen to be the same one from earlier, would it?"

Kabir and Vihaan exchanged glances. The Protective Brother Mode had been activated.

Ira nudged Aarav. "Calm down. Maybe it’s just a normal party."

Aarav scoffed. "Yeah, sure. And maybe I’m a fairy princess."

Just then, they heard the sound of a car outside. The three brothers exchanged a look before rushing to the door like a pack of wolves.

The car stopped, and the same guy from earlier stepped out. He walked around to open the door for Anika. She stepped out, smiling and completely unaware of the doom awaiting her.

And then… the guy hugged her.

Anika hugged him back.

BIG. MISTAKE.

Silence.

Three pairs of arms folded. Three pairs of eyes narrowed. Three brothers—looking like mafia bosses deciding someone’s fate—stood there watching.

As the car drove away, Anika turned around, still smiling… and froze.

Aarav. Kabir. Vihaan.

Standing at the door. Arms crossed. Faces unreadable.

She gulped. "Oh… um… hey, brothers…?"

Kabir cracked his knuckles. "So."

Vihaan smirked. "Had fun?"

Aarav stepped forward. "Want to explain?"

Anika took a step back. "Explain what? I went to a party. I came back. Simple."

Kabir raised an eyebrow. "Simple? Looked more like romantic to me."

Vihaan nodded. "Yeah, that hug was real friendly, huh?"

Anika sighed dramatically. "He’s just a friend!"

Aarav hummed. "Uh-huh. And I’m just a calm, understanding brother."

Ira giggled from behind them. "Ohhh, this is getting interesting."

Anika sent her a betrayed look. "Bhabhi, PLEASE, help me!"

Ira smiled sweetly. "Oh no, I’m enjoying the drama."

Aarav leaned in. "Name."

Anika held her ground. "No."

Kabir grinned. "Alright, Vihaan, Plan B."

Vihaan pulled out his phone. "Hacking her phone now."

Anika gasped. "YOU WOULDN’T!"

Aarav smirked. "Oh, we would."

Anika shrieked. "I HATE YOU ALL!"

Kabir smiled. "Love you too, baby sister."

Anika, realizing she was in danger, did what any logical person would do.

She ran.

But so did her three psychotic brothers.

Kabir lunged first. "ANIKA, FREEZE!"

Vihaan yelled. "INTERROGATION TIME!"

Aarav, the eldest and supposedly the most mature one, simply folded his arms and smirked. "Don't run. It’ll only make you look guilty."

Anika skidded to a stop. "ARE YOU GUYS COPS OR MAFIA?!"

Kabir, out of breath, wheezed. "Both."

The family thought it's a joke, but only this three brothers know the truth behind there smirks

Vihaan grinned. "Tell us his name, and you may live to see another day."

Aarav tilted his head. "If not… well, let’s just say our underground connections might come in handy."

Anika glared. "HE’S JUST A FRIEND!"

Kabir gasped so loudly it could be heard in the next city. "OH MY GOD, SHE SAID IT!"

Vihaan clutched his heart. "The classic 'just a friend' excuse."

Aarav looked up at the ceiling, pretending to be emotional. "I never thought I'd see the day my baby sister betrayed us like this."

Anika groaned. "I DID NOT BETRAY YOU!"

Kabir nodded dramatically. "You did, and now we must investigate."

Aarav casually pulled out his phone. "Hey, Dad, listen. So, Anika has this friend—"

Anika screamed and threw herself at him. "HANG UP! HANG UP! HANG UPPP!"

Too late.

Their father walked in with a spoon in his hand, eating kheer like he was watching an Indian serial.

"Who is this boy? Where does he live? What’s his family income? His horoscope? His height? DOES HE HAVE A GOVERNMENT JOB?!"

Anika stared at her father in disbelief. "WHY DO YOU SOUND LIKE A STRICT DESI DAD LOOKING FOR A RISHTA?!"

Her father ignored her and turned to his sons. "Find his details."

Kabir saluted. "Already on it, Dad."

Vihaan grinned. "Downloading his biodata now."

Anika grabbed her head. "OH MY GOD, YOU GUYS ARE ACTING LIKE FBI AGENTS!"

Aarav smirked. "We’re worse. We’re Indian big brothers."

Ira, watching this entire circus, was rolling on the floor laughing. "THIS IS BETTER THAN NETFLIX!"

Just then, Vihaan’s phone beeped. He looked at the screen and gasped.

"BOYS, WE HAVE A PROBLEM!"

Kabir and Aarav rushed to see. "WHAT? WHAT HAPPENED? DID HE COMMIT A CRIME?"

Vihaan shook his head. "NO. WORSE."

Kabir’s jaw dropped. "HE’S… GOOD-LOOKING."

The room fell silent.

Aarav blinked. "Wait, wait. Are you telling me he’s… actually handsome?"

Vihaan nodded, looking traumatized. "Muscular. Rich. And guess what? He has a good reputation."

Their father gasped. "A sanskaari boy?!"

Anika groaned. "YES! SEE?! HE’S JUST A FRIEND! LET ME GO TO MY ROOM NOW!"

But the brothers weren’t convinced.

Kabir narrowed his eyes. "He looks too good. Too well-behaved. I don’t trust it."

Vihaan nodded. "Agreed. Something’s fishy. Handsome boys always have a dark past."

Aarav smirked. "Time to test him."

Anika’s eyes widened in horror. "TEST?! WHAT TEST?!"

Her father patted her head. "Don’t worry, beta. We’re just doing this for your safety."

Anika turned to Ira, her last hope. "SAY SOMETHING!"

Ira, wiping tears of laughter, nodded. "Okay, okay… I think—" she paused, then burst out laughing again. "Nope, I’m with them. This is way too fun!"

Anika glared. "TRAITOR!"

Aarav folded his arms. "Fine. Since you’re so confident, we won’t test him."

Anika blinked. "Wait… really?"

Vihaan grinned. "Yeah. We’ll just… keep an eye on him."

Kabir smirked. "A very close eye."

Anika sighed in relief. "Okay, I can live with that—"

Their father added, "I already told our men to track his movements for the next month."

Anika’s soul left her body. "I NEED A NEW FAMILY!"

Her father smiled. "No need, beta. We are your family. Forever. And ever. And ever."

The brothers grinned, "And ever."

Anika let out a scream so loud, the neighbors probably thought a horror movie was being filmed in their house.

_______

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