Chapter 7 The Groom
Rathore Group Headquarters
Mumbai
Arjun Rathore stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling glass windows of his office.
The city stretched endlessly below.
Busy.
Powerful.
Predictable.
Unlike his current situation.
His engagement.
A situation he had never wanted.
Marriage had never interested him.
Not because he disliked the idea.
Simply because he had other priorities.
Business.
Expansion.
Responsibility.
Marriage had always been something he planned to deal with later.
Apparently, his family disagreed.
A knock interrupted his thoughts.
"Come in."
The office door opened.
Rohan Singhania walked inside first.
Naturally.
Without permission.
Without manners.
Without shame.
Directly behind him entered Siddharth Khanna and Dev Oberoi.
Arjun didn't even look surprised.
His friends treated his office like their own property.
"Congratulations, groom."
Rohan dropped dramatically onto the sofa.
Arjun sighed.
"No."
Rohan grinned.
"Denial already?"
Siddharth sat beside him.
Unlike Rohan, he looked genuinely curious.
"So it's finalized?"
Arjun nodded.
"Yes."
Dev raised an eyebrow.
"The bride changed."
Not a question.
A statement.
Arjun nodded again.
The information had reached most major business circles by now.
Originally the alliance had been arranged with Vedha Devraj.
Now it was Aadhira Devraj.
Rohan whistled.
"I still can't believe it."
Arjun leaned against his desk.
"Believe what?"
"The fact that you're getting married."
Dev smirked slightly.
"That's not what he means."
Rohan pointed dramatically.
"Exactly."
Then he leaned forward.
"The bride."
Arjun remained silent.
For a moment nobody spoke.
Then Siddharth asked the obvious question.
"What do you know about her?"
Arjun's expression remained neutral.
"Nothing important."
That wasn't entirely true.
He knew the rumors.
Everyone did.
The kidnapping accusation.
The scandal.
The family fallout.
Years of gossip.
Business circles never forgot anything.
Dev folded his arms.
"And yet you're marrying her."
"It isn't my decision alone."
Arjun replied calmly.
The answer was honest.
His family respected his opinions.
But they also believed some alliances benefited everyone.
This happened to be one of them.
Rohan looked thoughtful.
Which was unusual.
Dangerous, even.
"Something doesn't make sense."
Arjun raised an eyebrow.
Rohan continued.
"If the stories about her are true..."
He paused.
"Why agree so easily?"
The room became quiet.
Because all of them had asked themselves the same question.
According to Rajveer, Aadhira accepted immediately.
No hesitation.
No questions.
No conditions.
Nothing.
Dev nodded slowly.
"That part is strange."
Siddharth agreed.
"Very strange."
Most people wanted something.
Security.
Money.
Power.
Status.
But from everything they heard, Aadhira sounded completely indifferent.
Almost detached.
As if the marriage itself held no importance.
Arjun looked toward the city again.
That detail bothered him more than he cared to admit.
Not because he was interested in her.
He wasn't.
But people fascinated him.
And Aadhira's behavior didn't fit the image everyone described.
The contradiction was difficult to ignore.
Rohan suddenly stood.
A dangerous grin appeared on his face.
"Oh, this is excellent."
Nobody liked that grin.
Especially Arjun.
"What now?"
Rohan looked delighted.
"You've never met her."
"No."
"She accepted immediately."
"Yes."
"The entire business community thinks she's mysterious."
Arjun narrowed his eyes.
"Get to the point."
Rohan's grin widened.
"I think your future wife is more interesting than you."
Dev laughed.
Even Siddharth smiled slightly.
Arjun simply stared.
Unimpressed.
"Leave."
"That wasn't a denial."
"Leave."
"Definitely not a denial."
"Rohan."
"I'm leaving."
The three friends eventually stood.
Still laughing.
Still teasing him.
Still entirely annoying.
As they reached the door, Siddharth paused.
His expression becoming serious.
"For what it's worth..."
Arjun looked at him.
"Don't judge her before meeting her."
The room fell quiet.
Arjun didn't immediately answer.
Finally he nodded once.
Siddharth seemed satisfied.
The three men left.
Once the office became silent again, Arjun returned to his desk.
His laptop screen illuminated the room.
Several documents waited for his attention.
Important meetings.
International projects.
Investment reports.
Normally he would have focused immediately.
Today he didn't.
Instead, his thoughts drifted back to one question.
Why had Aadhira Devraj agreed so easily?
Not because he cared.
Not because he was interested.
Simply because it didn't make sense.
And Arjun Rathore disliked things that didn't make sense.
Meanwhile
Devraj Mansion
Aadhira sat in her room.
A book rested open on her lap.
The pages remained untouched.
Her phone vibrated.
One new message.
Unknown Number.
A single sentence appeared.
Everything is moving according to plan.
For a brief second, her eyes lingered on the screen.
Then she locked the phone.
Placed it aside.
And returned to the book.
Completely calm.
Completely unreadable.
Unaware that miles away...
Her future husband was asking questions.
And very soon...
Those questions would begin leading him toward answers.
Answers that neither family was prepared to face.
To Be Continued...