CHAPTER 7 #2
“She won’t be here by then. She’ll return to California for the last few months, under the care of top doctors. Once the baby is born, Reyansh plans to tell her the truth…that it didn’t work between you two. That you’ve gone your separate ways.”
Aanya leaned back, trying to process that.
“You think just because the baby is out of her body, she’ll be immune to stress? Postpartum is the most emotionally fragile time. And if she finds out then... she’ll be devastated.”
Sunny hesitated, then said, “Reyansh Sir will handle it.”
Aanya scoffed. “He’d better, or his sister will be the one paying the price for all of this.”
Suddenly, her gaze flicked up to the small surveillance camera mounted on the wall. A red light blinked steadily. Her eyes narrowed.
“Wait… am I being watched?” she asked sharply, rising to her feet.
Sunny stood quickly. “Aanya, please calm down. It’s Reyansh. He’s just monitoring—”
“ Monitoring ?” she snapped. “Are you kidding me? It’s day one of this ridiculous ‘Family Etiquette 101’ and I’m already being spied on?”
“I’ll talk to him,” Sunny promised.
“You’d better,” she said through gritted teeth. Then she looked directly at the camera, her glare unflinching. “From now on, sessions happen at my location. Not at this set up here.”
Reyansh, who was watching everything on his laptop from the quiet of his cabin, leaned back and let a smirk tug at his lips. Her fury practically crackled through the screen. So, she thought she could set the rules now? Not happening!
He had switched on the feed not to spy, but to study her, to observe how seriously she was taking this arrangement. He wanted to see how deeply she’d understood the emotional weight behind Radhika’s fragile condition.
And to his surprise, Aanya hadn’t disappointed. In fact, she’d picked up on concerns he hadn’t even considered. She wasn’t just listening. She was caring.
This reaffirmed what he’d suspected since last night. He had made the right decision. Aanya might be a firestorm, difficult and chaotic, but when it came to Radhika, her heart was in the right place.
And that... mattered more than he’d expected.
Malhotra Mansion – Evening
Aanya steered the car through the towering gates of the Malhotra Mansion, her mind brimming with the news she was eager to share. Reyansh had agreed to sign the joint venture with her father. Her father would be thrilled. He’d probably consider it a victory, and maybe, just maybe, her redemption.
She wasn’t exactly pleased with how the day had gone, especially after discovering Reyansh had been watching her etiquette session with Sunny through a live feed like she was some experiment under observation.
What was he playing at? If he thought she’d tolerate being monitored like a reality show contestant, he was dead wrong.
She couldn’t back out of the sessions now, but from here on, the venue would be her decision.
Smirking to herself, she parked the car and stepped into the house.
The moment she entered the grand living room, her smile faltered. A group of overdressed socialites were gathered like birds around Kyle Malhotra, sipping tea and gossiping over designer handbags and imported snacks. Definitely not the ideal time to drop by.
Kyle straightened the moment she saw her.
“Aanya?” she said, rising from the couch, clearly startled.
“Where’s Dad?” Aanya asked, wasting no time.
“He’s not home yet,” Kyle replied stiffly.
One of the women, perched on the edge of the velvet sofa with exaggerated curiosity, chimed in. “Kyle, isn’t she your stepdaughter? I thought she ran off. What’s she doing back here?”
“Malti, please,” Kyle cut in sharply, surprising even Aanya.
Malti rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to the plate of chips, pretending disinterest.
Aanya narrowed her gaze at Kyle. “You don’t need to defend me.”
“I wasn’t defending you,” Kyle retorted coolly. “You’re Anand’s daughter. I simply refuse to let anyone humiliate this family under my roof.”
Aanya crossed her arms. “I came to see Dad. I’ve got a message for him.”
Kyle led her away from the guests into the hallway, where prying ears couldn’t follow.
“What message?” Kyle asked.
“Why should I tell you?” Aanya countered.
Kyle’s frown deepened. “What is this attitude, Aanya? After everything you’ve done, how do you still act like the victim here?”
“I am not the victim,” she snapped. “And I’m not suffering either. I’m stronger than you people think. You’re the one acting high and mighty, as if this house isn’t mine too.”
The sharpness in her voice seemed to jolt Kyle. But she folded her arms calmly, her expression unreadable.
“If you believe this is your home, then stay here. Why continue to parade around like a martyr, living with your best friend instead of under your father’s roof?”
Aanya plucked an apple from the nearby fruit bowl and took a confident bite.
“You’re right,” she said nonchalantly. “But I won’t need to stay here much longer anyway. In two weeks, I’ll be living somewhere I have a legal right to be.”
Kyle’s eyes narrowed. “Where?”
Aanya grinned, biting into the apple again. “Chopra Mansion,” she said with a wink.
Kyle let out a short, scornful laugh. “Don’t bluff.”
“I’m not bluffing,” Aanya replied coolly. “And I know you won’t believe it until you see me there. But don’t worry. I’ll invite you and Dad for lunch once I’m settled in.”
Kyle’s amusement faded instantly, replaced by suspicion. Before she could dig for answers, Anand’s voice rang out from the main hall.
“Aanya?” he called, stepping into view.
Aanya turned toward him, a flicker of warmth lighting up her face. “Hey, Dad. Thank God you are home.”
She paused, then delivered the news. “I’ve got something to tell you. Reyansh has agreed to the joint venture. Someone from his office will contact you soon.”
Anand’s eyes lit up with pride and relief. But even through his joy, concern flickered in his expression.
“What did you do to make it happen?”
The smile on her face faltered for a second. She couldn’t tell him the truth. She had signed a confidential contract with Reyansh, and one of its clauses was explicit: no one was to know about their arrangement. Not even her own family.
“Oh, please,” she said with forced laughter. “I’m his wife. Why wouldn’t he listen to me? A little charm and sweet talk, that’s all it took.”
“That’s a lie,” Kyle cut in sharply. “Reyansh doesn’t bend for charm. He’s strategic and manipulative. He never agrees to anything unless it profits him.”
Aanya felt her throat tighten. Were they going to pressure her into revealing the truth? That couldn’t happen.
“You know,” she said icily, “it’s funny how you both criticize him now, when you’re the ones who married me off to that man.”
Her words stung, and she could see it in their faces.
“Aanya,” Anand said carefully. “I just want to understand what’s happening between you and Reyansh. Are you really moving in with him?”
She nodded. “One hundred percent.”
His face lit up again. He stepped forward and pulled her into a hug. “I’m glad you’re doing the right thing this time.”
Aanya returned the hug, her expression softening. No matter how many times her father had failed her, intentionally or otherwise, he was still her father. The only one she had. Whether he saw her the same way or not, she had stopped caring.
She pulled away. “I have to go. I’ve got a lot to prepare before I move in with Reyansh. Bye.”
Anand tried to stop her, but she was already turning, already walking away like a gust of wind, determined not to slow down.
Kyle turned to Anand the moment Aanya disappeared through the doorway. “Preparations? What the hell does that mean?”
Anand dismissed her suspicions with a chuckle. “Come on, Kyle. She’s never lived with him. She’ll need to shop—clothes, maybe gifts. Did you forget everything you did when we got married?”
Kyle blushed. “And I still try to impress you, don’t I?”
Anand kissed her forehead gently. “Go enjoy your party. I’ll be upstairs.”
“You’re not meeting them?”
“Not today. I’m not in the mood for their shallow jokes.”
He smiled and turned away, leaving Kyle to return to the cackling guests, while his thoughts remained tangled around the daughter who always seemed just out of reach.