CHAPTER 12 #2
Radhika followed her gaze and smiled. “That’s Shagufta Khanna. She and Reyansh were batchmates at Harvard.”
Aanya’s gaze narrowed as she watched Shagufta slip her hand into Reyansh’s, smiling at him and the next second, she even leaned in, her lips grazing the shell of his ear to whisper something only meant for him.
The sight struck a nerve. The ease between them, the silent understanding, the comfortable closeness, it all screamed of a shared history.
Shagufta looked like the perfect match for a man like Reyansh Chopra: poised, impeccably dressed, and every inch a public charmer.
A slow burn coiled in Aanya’s stomach. She loathed the way Shagufta clung to him, claimed him with those subtle, possessive gestures. And wasn’t he the one who said no flirting with anyone else in this charade of a marriage? Who was crossing the line now?
Reyansh smirked as Shagufta withdrew, his expression smug as he subtly gestured for her to move to the bar counter. She nudged him playfully, insisting he come along, but he declined with a smooth excuse and turned to mingle with other guests instead.
He knew.
He knew Aanya had seen everything. And he was letting her stew in it.
“I think I’ll have that drink after all,” she muttered to Radhika who blinked, surprised.
“Are you sure?”
“More than sure.”
Radhika, a bit confused, gave a half-smile. “Fine. Enjoy your drink.”
As Radhika walked off, Aanya’s fingers wrapped around the glass once more. But instead of drinking, she paused. Her lips mere inches from the rim. No. She wouldn’t give in. But she could fake it. Just enough to rattle the man who’d started this game of rules.
A few minutes later, Reyansh’s phone buzzed. He pulled it out and read the message on screen.
“I broke Clause No. 7.” —Aanya.
His eyes snapped up, scanning the room. He spotted her at the bar counter, waving at him with a lazy grin. Her teasing smile and wobbly stance said it all. He stormed toward her.
“Are you drunk?” he asked.
Aanya widened her eyes dramatically, then grinned. “I… I think so,” she slurred. “Why don’t you kiss me and find out?”
His jaw tensed. “I warned you not to touch alcohol.”
She stepped back, giggling. “You’re such a dictator. Maybe Di should know what a control freak you are…”
“Don’t you dare—” he began, just as Radhika appeared at the bar.
“Aanya? Reyansh? What’s going on?” she asked.
Aanya shook his hand off her arm and clutched Radhika’s instead.
“Di! This man is bullying me.”
Radhika tried to stifle her laughter. “Aanya, this man is your husband. Husbands don’t bully; they love.”
“No! He doesn’t love me. He fights with me over the smallest things.”
“She’s drunk, Di,” Reyansh cut in, glaring. “She doesn’t know what she’s saying.”
When he tried to grab Aanya’s wrist, she danced away.
“See? He is so controlling,” she accused. “It’s always his way or no way.”
He closed his eyes briefly, trying to rein in his frustration. If she kept babbling like this, she’d blow their secret. He needed to get her out of there.
“Aanya, come with me,” he commanded.
“Nope. Not until you say sorry.”
“Sorry?” he snapped. “For what? You are the one misbehaving.”
“Reyansh,” Radhika interrupted gently, “she’s drunk. You can’t reason with her right now. Handle her with patience. Take her inside. She hasn’t even eaten yet.”
Aanya gave him a toothy grin.
“Did you hear that, Mr. Arrogant Chopra? Take me inside,” she teased, stretching out her arms dramatically as if expecting him to lift her.
Reyansh muttered something under his breath. “Fine. Di, you look after the guests. I’ll take her.”
“Go ahead,” Radhika smiled. “I’ll handle everything here.”
As Radhika walked off, Reyansh turned to Aanya only to find her gone.
Damn it.
He spun on his heel, searching frantically. He couldn’t afford to let her wander off in this condition. He finally spotted her marching straight back to the bar counter. And worse, she was heading straight toward Shagufta .
Reyansh stormed after her.
Aanya stood a few feet away from the bar counter, her gaze fixed on Shagufta Khanna when Reyansh appeared beside her and caught her hand, halting her in place.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“That lady’s sitting alone,” Aanya slurred dramatically, feigning drunkenness as she pointed a wobbly finger at Shagufta.
“She doesn’t need your company. Come on. We’re going inside.”
He tried to pull her along, but she dug her heels into the floor, resisting with all the strength her petite frame could muster.
“How do you know she doesn’t need me? She’s our guest, and I refuse to let her sit alone. That’s bad manners. I want to be a good host,” she hiccupped for added effect.
He rolled his eyes, exasperated. “You can barely stand upright and you want to host the party? You’re not ruining this, Aanya. You know how much the family’s reputation means to me. Let’s go.”
He reached for her again, but she shook off his hand.
“Party? Oh yes… the mighty Reyansh’s grand party,” she mocked with an exaggerated bow.
As she turned to head toward the bar again, Reyansh stepped in front of her, blocking her way.
“Aanya, stop this now or else—”
“Or else what?” she challenged, her pout mocking his helplessness. “She is your friend, isn’t she? I know. Di told me.”
“Yes, she is my friend. So what?”
“So nothing,” Aanya giggled. “I just want to know how you were in college. She seems like the type who would spill all your secrets.”
Aanya was enjoying every second of this. Reyansh couldn’t raise his voice, couldn’t drag her away, and certainly couldn’t let the guests or media catch on to the drama. For once, he was at her mercy.
“Reyansh,” Shagufta joined them with a sultry smile.
Great. Now he had to juggle two women, one of them playing drunk and the other genuinely throwing herself at him.
“Shagufta Khanna,” Aanya muttered, pretending to recognize her.
Shagufta smiled stiffly. “Hi, I’m Reyansh’s close friend,” she said, with just enough arrogance to earn a reaction.
“And I’m his wife ,” Aanya replied sweetly, practically gluing herself to Reyansh’s side. He steadied her, just in time to stop her from toppling over.
“Yes, I know. Aanya Malhotra, right?” Shagufta raised a brow.
“Aanya Reyansh Chopra ,” Aanya corrected with a smug grin.
“Okay now,” Reyansh intervened sharply. “We need to go inside. Excuse us, Shagufta.”
“Of course,” she stepped aside, clearly ruffled.
“Bye, Shagufta,” Aanya added with a sugary smile. “We should totally catch up sometime.”
“We will.”
Before Aanya could cause more of a scene, Reyansh scooped her into his arms. He’d had enough. She shouldn’t have touched alcohol.
Aanya stiffened slightly in his arms. She wasn’t expecting him to carry her, but since she was already too deep into her charade, she let it slide. Actions had consequences. She had irritated him enough; now she had to brace herself for the aftermath.
Reyansh kicked open their bedroom door and marched inside, tossing her onto the bed.
“Ouch,” she whined, rubbing her back.
“Don’t you dare step out of this room again,” he barked.
For a moment, she kept quiet. Maybe she had taken it too far.
“I should’ve known,” he snapped. “You’re not serious about anything, least of all this deal. What is wrong with you, Aanya? Why can’t you treat life with some goddamn seriousness? I’m done with this attitude of yours.”
Aanya stood and faced him. It was time to end this.
“Stop yelling,” she said.
Reyansh froze. Her tone had shifted. Her expressions, her posture, everything screamed like she wasn’t drunk at all. She was sober.
“You were acting?” he asked, stunned. “This entire thing was fake?”
“Yes,” she admitted unapologetically. “And now that you know, you should be thanking me. I didn’t actually drink. I didn’t break your stupid clause.”
He strode to her, gripping her forearm and yanking her closer.
“Thank you?” he seethed. “You want me to applaud your acting skills? Do you have any idea how worried I was watching you pretend to be drunk?”
“Relax,” she shrugged him off. “No one noticed except Di and your jealous friend Shagufta.”
“She wasn’t jealous. You were. That’s what this was all about, wasn’t it?”
Aanya crossed her arms, unflinching. “Wouldn’t you be, if I whispered into some man’s ear and tried to drag him away for a drink? Wouldn’t you be furious if I flirted with someone the way she did with you?”
Reyansh was speechless.
“Rules should be the same for us, Reyansh,” she continued. “I know it’s not your fault she threw herself at you, but someone had to remind her where she stands and where I do.”
His gaze darkened. “Where do you stand in my life, Aanya?” he asked. “Do you even know where you stand in your own life? Who are you, Aanya? Just an overpampered child of a wealthy father? Or a wife-for-hire to a rich businessman? What are you really?”
His words pierced her heart.
“You don’t know, do you?” he continued. “So, here’s some free advice: don’t go around putting people in their place when you haven’t even found your own. Because if you try, you’ll lose whatever respect you’ve got left. ”
Tears welled in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. Only when he saw them did Reyansh finally fall silent. But the damage was done.
A soft knock sounded on the door. “Reyansh?” Radhika’s voice called.
Without a word, Aanya bolted into the bathroom and locked herself inside. She couldn’t face anyone, not now.
Reyansh clenched his fists. He hadn’t meant to go so far, but she had pushed him. He opened the door for his sister.
“Is Aanya alright?” Radhika asked, concerned.
“Yeah… she’s resting,” he lied quickly. “She’s just tired.”
He stepped out with her, locking the door behind them.
“Did she eat?” Radhika asked.
“I’ll have the chefs send something in,” he assured her.
Radhika agreed and walked off, unaware of the firestorm that had just blown through the room.
Inside the bathroom, Aanya sat curled in the empty tub, sobbing quietly. She hadn’t meant for it to spiral like this. She was just trying to have a little fun… to ruffle him, tease him. Instead, he’d shown her an ugly and painfully honest mirror.
He wasn’t wrong.
She had no direction. No purpose. Just a string of wasted years behind her, rebelling against a father who remarried and letting her grief justify every mistake since.
Partying, drinking, spending without limits, that was all she’d ever done.
Even this marriage, this deal, was about money. A transaction.
She had nothing. She was nothing.
And now, she knew it.