Chapter 13 #2
Abhay locked eyes with her, unflinching and unbearably tender, and gently tangled his fingers with hers.
‘I’ve loved her quietly, fiercely, and sometimes even selfishly, but always completely with my heart.
She is the only woman I have ever prayed would be mine, in every lifetime.
So, it’s my honour to hold her in my arms and announce to the world that she is my jaan. ’
He’d spoken softly, but it hit her chest with the force of a battering ram.
It was just a word, and it wouldn’t have any power if Siya didn’t let it get to her, but she felt defenceless against that endearment.
The ease with which he seeped in through the cracks she had worked so hard to repair and burrowed deep into her heart frightened her.
The room broke out in applause and whistles, in awe of everything he had declared so fearlessly. With a smile plastered on her face, she desperately began trying to gather her scattered emotions before they slipped past her fragile walls, and she hated how he had undone them with a simple gesture.
Abhay inched closer and pressed his lips lightly to her forehead. He whispered, his voice hard to catch over the chatter in the room. ‘I know the situation is not ideal, but I can’t wait to marry you.’
The sunlight brought out the ring of hazel in his brown eyes, and lost in them, Siya finally allowed herself to lean against him and bask in his woodsy, fresh scent.
Because no matter how hard she tried to resent him, she couldn’t deny the truth.
She wanted to believe him and that scared her the most.
She should have stepped away by now, exactly like she’d rehearsed to do, offering an excuse with a smile. But Abhay tightened his arm around her waist like he had no intention of letting go, and when his thumb stroked softly along the curve of her hip, all thoughts flew out of her head.
The journalists swarmed closer, armed with their phones and cameras. Siya knew the eyes of the room were on them so she mirrored his affectionate expression and tried to relax in his arms to seem natural. The warmth of his hard body beside hers pulsed like a steady drumbeat under her skin.
A young woman from a well-known entertainment blog stepped up, her mic tilted forward. ‘How did you two meet?’
He had done all the heavy lifting to establish their relationship, so Siya lightly squeezed his hand to signal she got this one. ‘Apparently, he met me a long time ago,’ she teased, ‘but I met him four years ago. He was just as charming as he is today, and he stole my heart in a night.’
Abhay laughed softly beside her. His hand flexed against her waist and she knew he saw far more than her rehearsed expression. He spoke in a hushed tone. ‘So romantic.’
Siya nodded at someone who shouted at her to change the pose. She tilted her head back to look up at him so they could snap a candid. Her smile dripped with sugar as she replied, ‘I’m glad you like it. You should thank my father, since he wrote it in the speech script for me.’
‘How about writing the speech yourself next time, even if it’s full of curses and anger? If my heart is destined to break, let it shatter by your hands, not his,’ he requested, nuzzling his lips on her temple.
Siya almost faltered at the honesty in his tone, but before she could dissect the tingling sensation in her lower belly, a sharp voice rang out in the room.
Siya turned to see the journalist with sharp cheekbones, blood-red lips, and an overly smug smile step forward.
Ah, another person in the long list of people she wanted to avoid.
Rajni Acharya, well-known for her sensational headlines and fake rumours. ‘Ms Siya—oops, sorry. Mrs Siya,’ Rajni corrected herself, and though her apology sounded genuine, Siya knew of her tricks.
‘Why did you hide the fact that you’ve been married?’ asked a reporter from the back.
‘Our family history is well-known, and we wanted to get hitched away from the prying eyes. We spent a very happy time in our blissful domestic bubble, and we don’t regret the decision to hide it one bit.’
‘Where did you get married? Did anyone attend?’
Siya nodded, and instantly felt her father’s glaring eyes fixed on her. ‘We got married in a small temple in Shimla, in the presence of our friends and my sister.’
She watched as her father’s gaze hardened with displeasure.
She’d not just gone off the script he’d given her, she’d also publicly announced that she was closer to her sister and friends than her family.
That distinction was bound to make Kartik mad but she refused to lie for this elaborate scheme of a united family front.
Be it a fake wedding or a real one, it wouldn’t happen without Kashvi and their friends.
Rajni asked, her voice dripping with sugar and poison, ‘Siya, there’s a lot of chatter online that this sudden announcement comes because a baby is on the way. Are you pregnant? Is that why you’ve now come forward with this news?’
The question landed like a slap. Siya blinked, stunned for a heartbeat. She felt Abhay tense beside her and clench his jaw. He took a step forward, his eyes lethal, but Siya gently touched his wrist.
Meeting Rajni’s intrusive gaze head on, Siya responded, ‘That is an outrageously inappropriate question to ask, especially woman to woman, but I’ll humour you. No, I’m not pregnant.’
The journalist smiled widely, happy that she’d gotten a reaction out of the bride. She said, ‘You must admit the timeline—’
‘I don’t have to admit anything. And frankly, the fact that you think that’s an acceptable question to ask says more about you than it does about me.’
‘This is happening so suddenly, Siya, that I can’t help but wonder if this is a desperate attempt to legitimise your wedlock child so it can become an Agrawal heir,’ Rajni said with a sneer.
Siya was just about to rip into her when a hush fell upon the crowd.
Heads turned toward the entrance, and a palpable wave of admiration swept through the room as Neena Agrawal walked in.
Dressed in a chiffon pastel blue saree full of floral embroidery, she looked effortlessly graceful.
Her pepper grey hair was pinned back into a half-open hairdo, and her ears glinted with pearl studs.
Neena didn’t glance at anyone. With her head held high, she walked straight up to stand beside Siya. Her brown eyes burned with anger as she turned to Rajni and pinned her with a glare.
‘Ms Acharya,’ Neena said, her tone polite but her words scathing. ‘I would have expected far more professional conduct from a journalist covering a wedding of this scale, especially one as historic as the union of the Kashyaps and the Agrawals.’
A soft murmur rippled through the crowd. People who had been gossiping and relishing the scrutiny Siya was facing had sympathetic expressions plastered on their faces. No one would dare to upset the driving force behind one of the biggest jewellery empires in the world.
Rajni blinked rapidly, trying to process how to get out of the mess she’d created.
But Neena didn’t give her a moment to recover.
She gestured to the flute of champagne Siya held and said, ‘Given that Siya is currently enjoying a drink, perhaps you might consider the… medical ramifications of your theory. Or do you mean to suggest that my daughter-in-law would be negligent enough to drink while pregnant?’
Rajni turned toward her producer behind the cameras, who now wore a very visible frown, and pressed her lips together, though defiance was etched in her features. She weakly tried to interject, ‘It was just a question. I didn’t mean to—’
‘You didn’t mean to insult the woman whose home you stand in and whose wedding you’re covering?’ Neena cut in.
Abhay snorted and didn’t even bother to hide his amusement. Siya hated the journalist who had no moral compass, but she felt a pang of sympathy for the woman. She wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of a hard stare from Neena.
‘I—of course. It was an inappropriate line of question. I apologise, Mrs Agrawal.’
Neena shook her head. ‘If you really wish to apologise, do it to Siya. You owe her that courtesy.’
‘I apologise for my question, Siya,’ Rajni said through gritted teeth, and ducked behind the group of journalists, out of sight.
Abhay drew lazy circles on her waist with his thumb, and the steady rhythm of it calmed her, making Siya wonder when his presence started feeling like safety. The warmth of his hard body beside hers pulsed like a silent drumbeat under her skin.
As the crowd murmured, Neena looked around and spoke loud enough for her voice to ring throughout the room.
‘And for the record, this wedding may be entertainment for the public, but our kids’ lives are not.
A woman doesn’t need to be carrying a child to choose marriage, and I urge people to enjoy it while maintaining civility. ’
With all the elegance in the world, Neena dipped her head toward the cameras, and excused herself. With her arm wrapped around her shoulders, she gently nudged Siya away from the crowd and toward the balcony. ‘Let’s get you away from these wolves, shall we?’
Once the murmurs and clink of glasses faded behind them, Siya allowed herself a breath of relief. She then turned to see Abhay pull Neena into a warm, familiar hug. ‘Maa, I’m so glad you’re home. How was Seattle?’
Neena pulled back and gently patted his cheek with affection. ‘The fundraiser went beautifully, though I had to miss the closing ceremony because my son decided to throw a nationwide engagement announcement without warning.’
The smile playing on his lips softened the hard lines around his mouth and sparked a boyish glint in his eyes. ‘What can I say, Maa? I live to make your life adventurous.’