Chapter 16
The bar was dim, all low lighting and polished wood, the kind of place where conversations blurred into a comfortable hum. Akash sat with a drink in his hand, nodding at something his friend Vir was saying. But he wasn’t really listening. His mind kept straying back to her.
Shauna. And how her mouth had undone him.
That kiss had detonated something inside him. It had been no slow burn. Just raw, savage want. Even now, hours later, if he inhaled deeply, he could almost swear he could still catch her scent clinging to his skin. Even now, he ached to have her back in his arms. His hands on her skin…
Fuck. What was wrong with him? Why did this one woman hold the power to undo him in ways no one else ever could?
He sighed. This was ridiculous. He was behaving like a fool.
And yet, like an absolute fool, he’d left work early to do something even more ridiculously impulsive.
The consequence of that decision sat heavy in his pocket, a constant reminder that he was already in far deeper than he’d intended.
He took another sip of his drink, grounding himself. Or trying hard to, at least.
Fingers snapped in front of his face. He blinked and found himself staring at three familiar, curious expressions studying him far too closely. He was out for dinner with three of his closest friends—Dheer, Vir, and Amara.
The Malhotra siblings had been his friends for many years now, and they knew him well enough to notice when his mind went somewhere it had no business being. He studied the three of them.
Vir was all charm and chaos. The middle sibling who’d somehow become one of the most recognizable faces in the country. Movie star. Tabloid favorite. Trouble magnet.
He sat back in his chair, lips curling into a wicked grin as he gave Akash an exaggerated once-over.
“Alright,” Vir said, his voice dripping with mischief. “Who were you undressing in your head just now?”
Akash exhaled, feeling amused. “Sorry. I was just… lost for a second.”
“It was more than that,” Dheer said calmly.
Akash glanced at him.
Dheer Malhotra was three years older and eternally composed. He was watching him with the same sharp focus that had once made him the lead guitarist of the band Rhapsody, back when sold-out arenas and award-winning albums had defined his life.
A few years ago, Dheer had been forced to step away from the band and take over the family’s production house.
A string of bad corporate decisions taken by his grandfather, combined with his grandfather’s heart ailment had left him no choice.
Since then, he had rebuilt the business, turning it into a success greater than it had ever been.
Although Suveer Malhotra had recovered and continued to believe he was running the show, it was Dheer who truly held the reins.
But the past had left its mark on Dheer. These days, he was far too serious for his own good and far too perceptive.
“So, are you going to tell us who you were thinking about?” Dheer asked.
“Yeah,” Amara chimed in, lifting her glass of whiskey with a knowing smile.
Vir leaned forward, his eyes gleaming. “Honestly, you looked like you were yearning.”
Akash shot him a look. “Yearning?”
“For someone,” Dheer added dryly.
Vir straightened abruptly, his eyes widening. “Oh my God.” He pointed at Akash, delighted. “Akash Karia, tell me this isn’t happening. Is there a woman in your life you haven’t told us about?”
Akash’s grip tightened imperceptibly around his glass. Shauna’s face flashed through his mind. Defiant eyes, trembling lips, the way she’d melted into him despite claiming she wouldn’t.
He said nothing. Which, of course, told them everything.
The three of them grinned. They’d known him for far too long. They’d all been at school with him in Dehradun. Dheer had been older, Keya’s age, and honestly, they’d gotten close much later. But Vir, Amara, and he had been friends since school.
Amara was a year younger than Vir and him, but she’d been a constant in his life for as long as he could remember. She’d even followed Vir and him to study in the UK. More recently, he, Dheer, and Vir had become very close to Armaan, Nirvaan, and Rohan as well.
“Who is she?” Vir demanded, pushing his fake glasses up his nose. “I want her name. Now.” He tugged the cap lower over his forehead.
Vir’s face was splashed across TV screens, magazine covers, and billboards throughout the country.
Stepping out with him was always challenging, but they made it work mostly by choosing elite bars and restaurants where people didn’t really bother him even if he was recognized.
And mostly because Vir concealed his identity behind a cap and glasses.
And then there was Amara. She looked relaxed, but Akash knew better.
As Head of Talent and Content Strategy at Malhotra Productions, Amara was rarely off duty.
Casting decisions, creative partnerships, long-term talent grooming—nothing significant in their production house moved forward without her imprint.
She had an instinct for people that was always spot-on.
She didn’t just launch talent; she shaped careers.
She was a force to be reckoned with in India’s film and television industry.
And yet, her grandfather never appreciated her for the powerhouse she was.
The three of them each gave him an amused look. Akash sighed. When Vir had called earlier in the evening asking him to meet them, he’d agreed immediately, knowing he’d have to tell them about his marriage to Shauna and about their grandfather.
He had to tell Keya too. But he was delaying that. Keya wouldn’t take this news easily. And like a coward, he didn’t want to tell her until the moment he absolutely had to.
Exhaling slowly, he set his glass down and rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “I have to tell you all something. It’s very important that you don’t repeat a word of this to anyone else.”
Vir stilled. He shared a glance with his siblings before nodding once.
Akash began to speak. He told them everything. About the board’s ultimatum. About the pressure. About Shauna. About the contract marriage.
What he didn’t tell them was about the kiss and how he’d decided he wanted to make the marriage more than it was supposed to be.
When he was done, three sets of eyes stared at him in stunned silence.
“I can’t believe our grandfather instigated this,” Amara said angrily. “He’s really crossed a line this time. Why didn’t you tell us sooner?”
“And what could any of you have done?” Akash asked. “It’s not like he listens to you all.”
“Unfortunately, you’re right,” Dheer said. “Grandfather will never listen when he has his mind set on something. But we could have tried to talk to him.”
“The damage is already done. He’s already convinced the board that Janak putting me in charge was too premature and that I don’t have the experience to back up the position I’m in.”
“Have you told Nirvaan, Rohan, and Armaan?” Dheer asked.
“Not yet, but I will. Nirvaan and Rohan will find out soon enough anyway. You know how close their women are to Shauna. I’ll call Armaan on the way back home and tell him.”
Vir leaned forward slightly, his brows drawn together. “So you’ve decided to marry Shauna?”
“Yes.”
“I thought she hated you,” Amara said.
“I thought you didn’t like her,” Dheer added.
“Oh, please,” Vir said, grinning. “He’s always liked her.”
Akash shot him a look. “That’s not—”
“—yes, it is,” Vir cut in, putting his forearms on the table. His grin was gone now, replaced by something knowing. “You have just never gotten over her. All that rivalry at work, all the verbal bickering… it was all to hide the underlying attraction, wasn’t it? And then there was—”
Akash kicked him under the table, which made Vir shut up instantly. Vir was the only person Akash had confided in about that night in Singapore, and now he was regretting it.
“Wait. Never gotten over her?” Dheer queried. “Why do I not know about this?”
Akash threw Vir a glare before addressing Dheer. “He’s talking nonsense. Don’t listen to him.”
Amara’s lips curved. “Is he? If remember correctly, you and I never could get serious because your heart was never really in it.”
“If I remember correctly, neither was yours,” Akash chuckled.
“Well, I’m not the one getting married, so we’re not talking about me.”
“And I always told you that dating him was a bad idea,” Vir told his sister. “You never listened.”
“Worst thing you both ever did,” Dheer agreed.
Amara glared at her brothers. “I did not bring up the past to listen to you both patronize us over something we realized was a mistake a long time ago.”
She turned to face Akash. “Even then, I felt there was someone else you wanted more. Over the years, I’ve heard you complain often enough about how Shauna gets under your skin.
And now you’re telling us you’re agreeing to a contract marriage with her.
That makes me believe she may have been the woman who held your heart all those years ago. ”
Amara had never even met Shauna. She hadn’t even been able to make it to Keya’s wedding. Hence, she knew Shauna only through his words, through years of irritation and contempt. And yet, somehow, she’d seen through it all.
Once, he had felt something more for Shauna.
And then he’d realized that he could never have her.
Dating Amara had been his way of keeping his distance from Shauna, of putting a buffer between them.
That was all it had ever been. His heart had never truly been involved with Shauna, back then. Of course not.
However, now, in some strange twist of fate, he was being forced to marry her.
Suddenly, all those feelings he’d suppressed over the years were rushing back to the surface.
And perhaps that was why the idea of marrying her for real, of making it more than a contract, felt like something he needed to do. Yet he couldn’t admit it out loud.
“It’s nothing like that,” Akash said. “Marrying her makes the most sense.”
Dheer raised a brow, unimpressed. “Are you convincing us or yourself?”
“Definitely himself,” Vir snorted.
Akash shot them both a look. “I’m serious.”
“Dead serious about her. I know that,” Vir said, grinning as he stood. “And that’s what’s worrying me. Nonetheless, I’m going to thoroughly enjoy your arranged contract arrangement with Shauna Sehgal. It’s going to be entertaining as hell.”
Akash narrowed his eyes. “Do you know how fucking annoying you are?”
“It’s my job as your best friend to keep you on your toes, buddy,” Vir said. “It’s not my fault you’re running from the truth.”
“I am not,” Akash protested.
“You so are.”
“Fucker.”
“Asshole.”
“Bloody hell,” Dheer cursed. “You both still fight like kids.”
Amara laughed. “On that note, it’s time to leave.”
They made their way out of the bar together. Near the entrance, Dheer and Vir were intercepted by an acquaintance and pulled into conversation with him. Akash gave them a quick wave and walked ahead with Amara.
She slowed, then stopped. He turned to face her.
“Are you sure about marrying her?” she asked quietly.
“Yes,” he said without hesitation.
The certainty surprised even him. Marrying Shauna was right. He knew that in his bones.
Amara studied him for a moment, then sighed. “I don’t want you to get hurt. And somehow, I know she has the power to hurt you.”
He smiled, reached out, and cupped her cheek. Then he kissed her forehead. “Thank you for caring.”
She hugged him tightly. “Just… be careful, okay?”
Her phone buzzed. She glanced at the screen and groaned. “It’s work. I need to get to the studio. Something’s come up. I’ll text my brothers that I left.”
Akash watched her leave, his smile lingering. As he turned to look for Dheer and Vir, sudden awareness prickled along his nape. He slowly turned again. And found Shauna standing at the side of the entrance.
Her eyes burned into his, fury flashing hot and unmistakable in their brown depths. He replayed the last few moments with Amara and realized, with sinking clarity, how they must have looked to her.
He shut his eyes. Bloody hell.
This just got a whole lot more complicated.