Chapter 8 Preparations
The wedding preparations began immediately.
Neither family saw a reason to delay.
The alliance had been finalized.
The wedding date had been fixed.
Everything else was simply a matter of arrangements.
Unfortunately for Aadhira, that meant being surrounded by people she had spent seven years avoiding.
Devraj Mansion buzzed with activity.
Designers arrived daily.
Jewelry consultants occupied entire rooms.
Wedding planners moved through the mansion carrying files and schedules.
The staff barely had time to breathe.
Meanwhile, the bride remained completely uninterested.
Aadhira sat alone in the library.
A book rested in her hands.
The silence was peaceful.
Until it ended.
"Aadhira."
The voice immediately made her look up.
Vedha stood near the doorway.
Arms crossed.
Expression cold.
Neither woman smiled.
Neither greeted the other.
The atmosphere instantly became tense.
At least to anyone watching.
"Nani is looking for you."
Aadhira turned another page.
"I see."
Vedha's expression darkened.
"Then move."
Aadhira calmly closed her book.
Without another word, she stood and walked past her cousin.
The cold exchange was witnessed by two housemaids.
Within an hour, half the staff knew about it.
The story spread exactly as expected.
The cousins still hated each other.
Downstairs, the entire family had gathered.
Fabric samples covered the tables.
Jewelry catalogs were stacked everywhere.
The moment Aadhira entered, several conversations stopped.
Not because anyone was happy to see her.
Because she was the bride.
And they needed her opinion.
Unfortunately.
Kavita pushed several bridal designs toward her.
"Choose."
Aadhira looked down.
Then looked back up.
"Any of them."
Silence.
Again.
Vedha immediately scoffed.
"Of course."
Everyone turned toward her.
"Why ask her? She clearly doesn't care."
The remark made the room uncomfortable.
But nobody corrected her.
Nobody defended Aadhira either.
Aadhira simply picked up another catalog.
As if Vedha hadn't spoken at all.
That somehow irritated Vedha even more.
The next two hours progressed painfully.
Every question received the same answer.
"What color do you want?"
"Any."
"What jewelry design?"
"Any."
"What flowers?"
"Any."
Eventually Meher lost patience.
"Do you have an opinion about anything?"
The room fell silent.
Everyone looked toward Aadhira.
She calmly met Meher's gaze.
"You'll choose whatever you prefer anyway."
Nobody knew how to respond to that.
Because it was true.
Most decisions had already been made.
They weren't asking for her opinion.
They were asking out of obligation.
Across the room, Rajesh lowered his gaze.
The words bothered him more than they should have.
But he said nothing.
Just like everyone else.
Vedha suddenly stood.
"I'm done here."
Nobody stopped her.
She walked toward the staircase before pausing.
Her eyes briefly landed on Aadhira.
Cold.
Sharp.
Unforgiving.
Exactly as everyone expected.
Then she left.
The tension she left behind lingered long after she was gone.
Meanwhile.
Rathore Mansion.
Preparations there were progressing far more smoothly.
Mostly because nobody was emotionally invested in the bride.
To them, the wedding was simply another responsibility.
An important one.
But still a responsibility.
Arjun sat in the living room while his grandmother reviewed wedding arrangements.
He listened for approximately five minutes before deciding he had suffered enough.
"I'm leaving."
Savitri didn't even look up.
"No."
Arjun sighed.
Across the room, Riya burst into laughter.
Twenty minutes later he escaped anyway.
Only to encounter an even greater problem.
His friends.
"You look traumatized."
Rohan immediately announced.
Arjun sat down.
"Wedding preparations."
The room immediately understood.
Dev nodded sympathetically.
"My condolences."
"Thank you."
Siddharth looked amused.
"How bad?"
Arjun stared at him.
"They spent forty minutes discussing invitation paper."
Rohan looked horrified.
"Forty?"
"Minutes."
The room collectively winced.
Eventually the conversation shifted.
As it always did.
Toward the bride.
"So."
Rohan leaned forward.
"Aadhira Devraj."
Arjun looked unimpressed.
"What about her?"
The grin on Rohan's face widened.
"You've still never spoken to her."
"No."
"Seen her?"
"No."
"Looked her up online?"
"No."
Dev laughed.
"I actually believe him."
Everyone did.
Arjun truly seemed uninterested.
At least for now.
Still.
One question remained.
The same question everyone seemed to be asking lately.
Why had she agreed so easily?
The mystery lingered.
Unanswered.
Back at Devraj Mansion.
Night had fallen.
Most of the family had retired to their rooms.
The mansion finally grew quiet.
Aadhira stood alone on her balcony.
The city lights glittered in the distance.
Behind her, the mansion stood silent.
Cold.
Much like the people inside it.
Her phone vibrated.
A message appeared.
Unknown Number.
Another followed immediately.
Aadhira read the messages once.
Then locked her phone.
No smile.
No reaction.
No emotion.
Only silence.
Because while everyone else focused on wedding preparations...
Aadhira was focused on something far more important.
And very soon...
The first move would finally be made.