CHAPTER 1 #2
“Phone calls,” she muttered, her tone vague, but her expression said more than she intended. Anand picked up on it immediately and excused them from the group, leading her aside.
“Everything okay?” he asked, noticing how firmly she still held onto his arm.
“Your daughter has managed to drain every one of her accounts again, before the month is even over,” Kyle grumbled.
Anand’s brows rose, but he shook his head as if this didn’t surprise him. “That girl,” he murmured. “She used to be so brilliant in school. I don’t know what happened. I’ve failed her somehow.”
“She’s not yours to handle anymore,” Kyle said pointedly. “She has a husband now. Let him deal with her.”
But Anand wasn’t convinced. Guilt weighed on his expression. Marrying Kyle without Aanya’s input… and then pushing her into that marriage with Reyansh—he questioned both decisions more often than he admitted.
Kyle read the thoughts on his face and reached up to caress his cheek. “Sweetheart, don’t dig up the past. I just want to see you smile. Always.” She leaned in to hug him, and he embraced her without hesitation.
“She’ll need more money to survive until her next allowance,” he said under his breath.
Kyle pulled back just enough to meet his eyes, her voice hardening. “Don’t even think about sending more. She’s never going to learn the value of money if you keep rescuing her.”
Anand’s face darkened. “Kyle, Aanya is my daughter. I can’t let her go hungry.”
“She’s not going hungry,” Kyle said, folding her arms. “That’s already been taken care of.”
Anand’s expression tightened. “What do you mean?”
Kyle looked away briefly, then said, “She apparently called Reyansh this time.”
“What?” Anand barked, clearly stunned.
Kyle raised a hand to quiet him.
“Darling… there are people around,” Kyle murmured with a forced smile, throwing a glance toward Mr. and Mrs. Ahuja, who were now staring at Anand Malhotra with wide eyes, visibly horrified by the way he had just yelled.
Kyle quickly masked the tension with social grace and gently steered Anand away from the gathering. As they distanced themselves from the curious crowd, Anand’s urgency returned.
“She… she actually called him? Really?” he asked again, needing confirmation.
Kyle stopped and faced him. “Don’t get your hopes up, Anand,” she said flatly. “She was drunk. You know what people are like when they’re in that state. She didn’t call him out of will.”
“But still… Kyle, that’s some kind of progress, isn’t it?” Anand pressed.
Kyle let out a dry, sarcastic laugh. “Progress? Reyansh is furious. He called me. He wanted to know why Aanya was contacting him for money, and that too, before the end of the month.”
Anand sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair. “Did he say anything else?”
“He said nothing beyond venting his frustration about your daughter,” Kyle replied. “But… he does want to meet us.”
“Meet us? Why?” Anand asked, his brow furrowed.
“I have no idea,” she admitted. “I just hope it doesn’t land us in more trouble. I’ve already asked your manager to prepare the charter plane. We’re flying back to India tomorrow. Reyansh is flying in from Tokyo too for this meeting.”
Anand gave a stiff nod ready to face whatever his son-in-law had called them for.
Next Day – Paris
“Get away from me,” Aanya mumbled in her sleep, pushing a pillow off the bed. Navya, who was casually scrolling through her phone at the side table, shook her head in disbelief.
“That’s just a pillow,” Navya called out, amused.
Aanya’s eyes fluttered open, slowly scanning the room. She was in her hotel bed. No one was around to bother her, just the lingering remnants of a night she couldn’t fully recall. A sharp pain stabbed her forehead.
“Ouch,” she hissed, pressing her temples hard.
Navya stood up, picked up a glass from the nightstand, and handed it to her. “Your hangover cure. Take it before your mood completely self-destructs.”
Aanya downed it in one gulp and set the glass aside. “Thanks, Navya. Seriously… what would I do without you?”
Navya plopped down beside her with a weary sigh. “Glad you asked, because last night I practically dragged your dead weight out of that damn casino. You better remember that.”
“Casino?” Aanya repeated, confused. Her brow furrowed as she tried to piece together fragments of the night before. “What did I even do there?”
“Better to ask what you didn’t do,” Navya muttered. “You had zero control over your drinks. You gambled every last penny in your account and lost like a pro. We were one step away from total disaster. Thank your husband for sending money, or God knows where we’d be this morning.”
Aanya’s eyes snapped wide open. “Wait, wait, wait! How did he even know I needed money?”
Navya blinked. “Wow. So, you remember nothing , huh?” She rolled her eyes. “Never mind. It’s taken care of. Just let it go.”
As Navya began to rise, Aanya grabbed her wrist and yanked her back down. “Not happening. You’re going to tell me everything right now, or I’ll curse you every single day for the rest of my life.”
“Curse me?” Navya arched a brow. “Babes, if we hadn’t taken his help, we’d have been stranded or worse. You were so out of it, you didn’t even remember his number!”
Aanya’s face paled but she stared at her best friend in horror.
“Aanya?” Navya said, frowning. “What happened? Are you okay?”
Aanya didn’t respond. Her mind was spinning. Navya clicked her fingers in front of her face, trying to snap her out of it. Still nothing. Finally, she grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her.
“Come on, Aanya! Speak!”
“Shit!” Aanya finally cried, leaping out of bed and frantically searching around the room.
Navya looked at her like she’d grown two heads. “That’s it? Shit? I was expecting a heartfelt ‘Thank you,’ you know!”
Aanya ignored her, scouring the room like a woman possessed.
“Thank you, my foot!” she snapped. “You don’t even realize what we did by informing him, Navya. I’m screwed ! Completely screwed!”
“Screwed? How? He’s your husband . Why can’t he lend you money?” Navya asked, confused.
Aanya finally found what she was looking for—her mobile. She snatched it up with an exasperated groan. “Exactly. He doesn’t give money. He lends it. And thanks to you, I’m in his debt now. You have no idea what that means.”
Navya smirked, catching her drift. “Oh, I can imagine what he might ask in return. Not such a bad idea, is it? You are his wife, after all.” She winked.
Aanya gritted her teeth and shoved her away. “Shut up! I need to speak to Dad first.”
With that, she marched toward the bathroom, already dialling Anand Malhotra’s number.