Chapter 15 #2
“And I’m not interested in a timeline that collapses the moment it becomes inconvenient,” he countered. “Two years won’t establish my credibility. It won’t silence the board. It won’t stop people from questioning whether I truly belong here, especially if I can’t even hold on to a marriage.”
She studied him, weighing his words.
“I need time,” he continued. “Time to settle into this role so completely that even if we do go our separate ways, no one can question my authority or the legitimacy of how I got here.”
“And how much time do you think that takes?” she asked coolly.
“Five years,” he said without hesitation.
Her breath hitched. “Five years?”
“Yes,” he replied.
Silence stretched between them.
“That’s too long,” she said finally.
“It’s realistic,” he countered calmly. “And it’s the only duration I’m willing to agree to.”
She leaned back, her eyes sharp as she studied him carefully.
“Five years,” she repeated. “Fine. Subject to review once three years are up. If the board stabilizes sooner, if your authority is unquestioned before that, then we’ll review the marriage early.
And we can come up with a joint statement announcing it.
In fact, all communication in the press with regards to us as a couple throughout the course of our marriage must be mutually agreed upon. ”
“Agreed.”
He turned the page, his jaw tightening as he read the next part.
“Post-marriage asset division,” he read aloud. “At the end of the marriage, SEHVA and Sehgal Studios transfer entirely to you. That’s what you’re asking for?”
“Yes,” Shauna said.
Damn, she was clever. She had thought of everything. But the thing was, she’d always underestimated him. And he’d expected her to ask for this too.
“I can’t agree to that. I won’t.”
She sat straighter. “Why?”
“Because you’re asking me to break the business,” he replied without hesitation. “And I won’t do that.”
“Those verticals were built by my grandfather—”
“And the reason they exist is because of GVN, which was built by mine,” he cut in quietly. “That doesn’t make either of them expendable.”
He tapped the paper lightly. “These verticals don’t exist in isolation. You pull one out, and you weaken the whole structure. I won’t do that.”
“This is non-negotiable, Akash,” Shauna said, her chin lifting in challenge.
He met her gaze without flinching. “It’s non-negotiable for me too. I won’t dismantle Sehgal Media for the sake of this marriage.”
Her eyes flashed. “So I walk away with nothing at the end of it? How is that fair to me?”
“That’s not what I said.” He kept his voice calm as he spoke. “What I am willing to do is give you fifty percent ownership of both SEHVA and the Studios at the end of the marriage.” He paused deliberately. “And if you ever choose to sell your share, I get the first right of refusal.”
“And if I don’t agree to what you’re asking?” she asked quietly. “I could walk away from all of this. You know the risk is greater for you.”
He didn’t hesitate. “Then I let you walk away. I will not, under any circumstances, destabilize this company or my legacy. Not for you. Not for this marriage. I will find another way to convince the board. Marrying you may be the most straightforward solution, Shauna, but it isn’t the only one.”
“You mean marrying Amara,” she stated simply. “I did some thinking, and I know it makes the most sense, considering everything. She’s Suveer Malhotra’s only granddaughter. We both know he’d welcome the idea in a heartbeat because it would give him more control here through her.”
Akash barked out a laugh. “He wishes he could control her.”
“You seem to know her very well,” Shauna said. “I’m surprised you’re sitting here with me and not with her when she seems like the obvious choice, considering your history together.”
In all honesty, he hadn’t even considered it.
Amara was a good friend. Yes, he had dated her once, during a time when he’d felt extremely vulnerable.
But they’d long since moved past that and settled into a trusted friendship.
He could ask her. She might even agree to a contract marriage.
Marrying her would get him out of this mess.
She had the right surname for that, the right business background and the right connections.
But he didn’t want to marry her.
He didn’t want her.
“I won’t marry a woman simply because it’s convenient or easy. I am fully prepared to face the board alone if I have to.”
The words landed between them, heavy and final. For the first time since she’d walked in, something shifted in her expression. She saw then that he wasn’t bluffing. He had thought this through just as carefully as she had.
The silence stretched between them.
Finally, she exhaled. “Fine. I accept your terms. Fifty percent share in SEHVA and the Studios at the end of our marriage. Now about the rest. I want to talk about the final bits… First, the board. What do we tell them?”
“We can ask Janak to spin off an arranged marriage scenario between you and me,” Akash said.
“The board is filled with conservative old men and women who will perhaps even applaud us as our marriage is in the best interest of the company. With our marriage, Janak has a personal interest in the company, and they will be pleased with that. They don’t ever need to know about this contract between us.
We can present the same story to the press and add that you and I have always been attracted to each another. It’s the best possible scenario.”
She rolled her eyes. “Okay. What about our families?”
“We tell them the truth,” Akash said simply.
“I won’t lie to Keya and Kabier. Not that they’d believe me if I told them that you and I suddenly fell in love and decided to get married.
I don’t want our loved ones forming opinions about either of us because of this. They need to know why we’re doing it.”
“Fair,” Shauna concurred. “That’s what I want as well.”
He looked her squarely in the eyes. “But to the rest of the world, we act like we’re a real couple. Always. Once we do this, we cannot in any way show the world that we are at odds with each other.”
She nodded. “Alright.”
“And with that, we come to the final point on your list: intimacy and personal boundaries.”
Her cheeks reddened prettily, and he smiled. This was the part neither of them could treat like a business discussion, no matter how hard they tried.
She swallowed, looking away from him for a moment before meeting his eyes again. “I want separate bedrooms.”
“For how long?” Akash asked.
Her cheeks darkened even more.
“This is a contract marriage, Akash,” she finally said.
“I’m aware,” he replied. “But I want more. At least I want to try for more.”
A small breath escaped her lips. “What does that mean?”
He set the sheet down and looked at her.
“We’ve been at odds for a long time, Shauna,” he said quietly. “Too long. I want a clean slate with you. A new start. I want a chance to rewrite whatever flawed past we have and build something better.”
She immediately stiffened.
“This marriage,” he continued, “means we’ll live together. We’ll show up together. To the world, we’ll have to portray the image of a happily married couple.” He paused. “Instead of trying to fake that for years, we can at least try to make it real.”
Her mouth opened and closed, but she didn’t say a word.
“I’m not asking for promises,” he added. “Or feelings you don’t have. I’m asking for effort. For honesty. I want to give this marriage a genuine shot. I’m also not saying we jump into bed immediately. I’m saying we enter this with a clear commitment to try to make it work.”
She shook her head.
“No,” Shauna said too quickly. “I can’t do it.”
“Why?” He rose from his chair. “Marriage is supposed to mean commitment. Not just on paper. For real. So why can’t you make a real commitment to me? Do you hate me that much?”
“Yes,” she snapped, pushing to her feet. He saw the nervous tremble in her fingers as she ran them through her hair. The way her eyes refused to meet his.
“Look at me,” he ordered.
When her dark eyes finally met his, he moved a step closer.
“You’re far too sensible not to see that me inheriting all this wasn’t my fault.
Isn’t that one of the reasons you agreed to this marriage?
To me, that already means you don’t hate me.
Because if you did, you wouldn’t be here negotiating the terms of a marriage with me. ”
“No,” she said. “That’s not true.”
He tilted his head, his lips curving. “Or is it that you want to hate me because you’re afraid to feel more for me? That if you remain close to me, I’ll make you feel everything you keep running from.”
Her breath caught.
“No,” she said, but her tone lacked conviction.
“Alright, then tell me how many men you’ve been with since Singapore? Have you even gone out on a date with anyone else?”
“I’ve gone out on several dates,” she said.
“Really? And did you let any of them touch you? Did any of them make you feel the way I make you feel?”
She looked away. “Why are we talking about this? It’s none of your concern.”
“You’re going to be marrying me soon. Of course it’s my concern.”
She clucked her tongue. “This is going nowhere.”
“On the contrary, we are finally getting somewhere,” he said, moving closer to her. “Do you know I haven’t been able to look at another woman since Singapore?”
She shook her head, her eyes darkening.
He continued, “Do you know that I haven’t been able to bed another woman since you? I tried. God, I tried. But I couldn’t, because none of them were you. You ruined me for everyone else.”
“Even Amara?”
She sounded jealous, and he liked that… very much.
“I already told you Amara is just a friend,” he said. “She’s not the one I want. You are.”
Her eyes darkened.
“Singapore was a mistake,” she whispered.
He chuckled. “And what about Maldives?”