Chapter 13 #2
Shauna blinked at last. “Excuse me?”
Janak didn’t flinch. “You and Akash marry. It ties him to the Sehgal name. It gives the board the reassurance it needs and the faith that I will stand firmly behind both of you. That the whole family is standing behind you. And it protects the company from internal sabotage.”
Shauna let out a short, skeptical laugh. “This is a joke, right? Tell me this is a joke.”
Akash’s voice was flat. “Do I look like I’m laughing? I told you—you didn’t want to know.”
Shauna’s gaze landed on Janak. “You want me to marry him so the board feels comfortable.”
“Yes,” Janak said simply.
“Absolutely not,” she replied. She turned to Akash. “I won’t marry you. Never.”
“Does it look like I want to marry you?” Heat rose in his chest. “This is the worst idea ever.”
“Enough, both of you,” Janak cut in “This is not a romantic proposal. It’s a practical one. A contract. One that will benefit both of you.”
Shauna’s eyes narrowed. “A contract marriage?”
Akash looked at Janak in disbelief. “You can’t be serious.”
Janak’s expression was unwavering. “I am.”
“No,” Shauna repeated, her gaze fixed on Janak. “I can’t believe you’re even suggesting that we enter into a loveless contract marriage, when you are the reason my brothers and cousins all found love and built real marriages.”
“For once, I agree with her,” Akash said.
He’d seen firsthand how Janak had quietly and deliberately played a role in guiding every one of his grandchildren toward love. This proposal made no sense to him.
Janak waved a dismissive hand. “All my other grandchildren were already drawn to their partners. I merely nudged them in the right direction.” His gaze sharpened as it moved between them.
“In your case, neither of you is involved with anyone else, which makes a contract marriage not only possible, but practical. And beneficial to you both. Besides, a contract marriage is not forever. It’s for whatever duration you both decide.
There’s always time to fall in love later. ”
Akash couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He shook his head. “How do you know I’m not involved with anyone?”
Janak rolled his eyes. “Please. That girl doesn’t count.”
Shauna’s brows knit together. “What girl?”
“None of your business,” Akash shot back.
She turned to him slowly, her eyes glinting. “It becomes my business if I’m expected to marry you.”
His gaze snapped to hers. “Are you actually considering this proposal?”
“No,” she said without hesitation. “But the question is still valid. If I’m even expected to consider something like this, I need to know exactly who I’d be tying myself to. So, who is she?”
“She is irrelevant to you,” Akash said.
She pointed at Janak. “Is she? Then why does he know about her?”
“I never should have confided in you,” Akash told Janak.
Shauna crossed her arms. “Who?”
“Amara Malhotra.” The older man grinned, as if he were thoroughly enjoying himself.
“What?” Shauna gasped.
Janak tilted his head at Shauna. “You know her?”
“Well, I know he was dating her for a short time while he was studying in London.”
Akash chuckled. “So you were keeping tabs on me back then.”
“I wasn’t.” Her eyes flared. “Are you back with her? If so, then why the fuck am I here?”
Akash faced Shauna. “Amara and I dated years ago. It’s been long over.”
“Then why did my grandfather bring her up?”
“We remained friends even after we broke up. You know, she’s Vir’s sister.”
Shauna made a face. “As if I’d forget that.”
He frowned at the venom in her voice. It made no sense.
Vir had studied with Akash in college and had met Shauna a few times in London in the months after Sheena’s wedding, back when he and Shauna had begun to grow close.
Back when he’d thought they might become something more, before everything between them had gone wrong.
Now, Vir was a famous movie star, one of the most recognizable faces in the country. Quite literally unforgettable.
Akash clucked his tongue. “She and her brothers are very close to me. That’s it.”
Shauna studied him, searching his face. The truth was that he had dated Amara at a time when he’d been vulnerable. She was already a friend. It had been easy. Safe. His heart hadn’t truly been involved, and that was precisely why it hadn’t lasted. Amara was not—
“She is Suveer Malhotra’s granddaughter,” Shauna surmised. She faced her grandfather. “Why haven’t you suggested that Akash marry her? Especially if they were involved at one time? It makes the most sense.”
Janak shrugged, unperturbed. “Because you are my granddaughter, and I want this marriage to benefit you. Besides, you love this company as deeply as he does, and I won’t overlook that for the sake of convenience.”
“This is ridiculous,” Akash told Janak. “I can convince the board. I don’t need to marry anyone to do so.”
God, how had his life narrowed to this? In the space of a few moments, he had not one but two prospective brides laid out before him, neither of whom he had ever considered marrying, when he was perfectly content being single.
“Wait,” Shauna cut in, her eyes going to Janak. “I want to know why you think this marriage would benefit me?”
Akash looked heavenward. Why was she behaving as if she were considering this option when he was the last man she’d want to be tied down to in a contract marriage?
“He owns Sehgal Media,” Janak said simply. “And you’ve always wanted it. The most effective solution for everyone involved is for the two of you to run it together.”
Her gaze sharpened. “He’s already offered me complete autonomy as Creative Director.”
Janak looked genuinely taken aback. “He has?”
“Yes,” she said coolly. “So why would I need to marry him? How is that more beneficial for me?”
Janak studied her for a moment, then gave a small, thoughtful shrug.
“There could be something bigger that your heart desires.” He threw his hands in the air.
“This is something the two of you would need to figure out if you agree to it. I’m certain you can arrive at terms that protect both your interests and make you both happy. It is a contract marriage, after all.”
Shauna sat very still, her eyes fixed on Akash. Akash could practically hear the wheels in her mind turning. His own heartbeat quickened. Was she actually considering this? And worse, was he?
Could he tie himself down to her? It would be the easiest solution. The board would be appeased, the unrest silenced, and he could focus on running the company without the board trying to undermine him. But marrying Shauna… Fuck. How had his reality shifted so quickly? So suddenly?
Janak rose slowly. “I’ll leave you both to talk this through,” he said, already moving toward the door. “Try not to kill each other.”
The door closed behind him. Silence fell between them, thick and loaded.
Then Shauna lifted her chin, breaking the quiet. “I’m not saying yes. But I’ll consider it.”
Akash went still.
“Why?” he finally asked. “Why would you even think about marrying a man you so clearly resent?”
She stood and closed the distance between them. When she placed a hand against his chest, his heart slammed hard.
“In the end, it boils down to choosing between power and pride,” she said quietly. “And as you know, I’ve always wanted the power. Marrying you will give me that.”
For a moment, he was too stunned to respond. Then he forced himself to speak. “And if I don’t agree?”
She let out a soft laugh. “As of now, you need the marriage more than I do. No matter how capable you are or how noble your intentions may be, the board is not convinced. We both know Suveer Malhotra will eventually get everyone on his side.”
Her hand remained on his chest. “So, from where I stand, marrying me is your strongest move. The real question is whether you can tie yourself to me knowing I’ll demand equal authority and an equal voice—more than what you’ve currently offered me as Creative Director.
Significantly more. Because that,” she said calmly, “will be the first of my terms.”
Disbelief flickered through him. Fuck. She was actually considering this.
She looked at Akash one last time before turning away. Her hand had just closed around the doorknob when he said, “You may want power at Sehgal Media, Shauna. But I’ll want power in your life.”
She froze.
“I won’t be a footnote in your life. I will not disappear into a corner,” he continued. “I won’t be treated as expendable or as an afterthought. And I won’t exist at your convenience.”
His gaze held hers, steady and uncompromising.
“If this happens,” he said quietly, “it will be a partnership inside the company and outside it. That will be the first of my terms. So you’d better think it through too.”
Her expression wavered for the briefest moment before she turned and walked out.
Akash stood rooted where he was, the air in the room altered, charged.
Fuck. What the hell was he doing, and why?
Marrying Shauna for the sake of the company made no sense.
And yet, in some warped, undeniable way, it made perfect sense for both of them.
Now all that remained was to think it through carefully.
Because if he was going to enter into this arrangement, he’d make damn sure the contract benefited him just as much as it did her. A cold certainty settled in his chest. For sure, whatever came next, there would be no going back.