Arranged marriage was an age-old story that Khushi, the youngest of the infamous Gupta family, who revolutionized and dominated the trading market for generations, knew well.
For it was the only thing she heard growing up.
But that neither prepared...
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- September 2019 -
"Madam, Alok Sir is calling you to the living room."
Khushi looked up startled to hear the butler's message. Three whole months had passed since she resigned from her internship –as the story went anyway– and was under house arrest. Her father had never spoke to her after their showdown in the dining room and neither had she bothered to mend their relationship. The worst of it had come to pass, there was nothing she could say or do to change that.
She could not be more wrong.
As Khushi arrived in the living room, telling herself determinedly to not pick another argument with her father, she noticed Vihaan standing to the side looking anxious.
Wondering why he was so worried, she stopped in front of her father. "You called me Papa?"
Alok looked up from the file he was reading. Seated on the sofa, he appeared very much like the owner of the house and not to mention, their lives.
"I found a match for you."
Khushi didn't follow. "Match...?"
"For your marriage," Alok replied, unperturbed. "I found a suitor for you."
Pin drop silence followed his announcement.
Khushi felt herself transported to another place, looking in on the spectacle unfolding in front of her eyes as an outsider. She vaguely registered her brother holding his breath, waiting for her to burst out in fury. She registered her father watching her, waiting for her to give him one more excuse to punish her. She even registered the servants eavesdropping, waiting to see who will win this new tug of war.
But she, herself, couldn't register the numbing silence her brain was suddenly plunged into.
"The family will be coming to see you tomorrow," Alok continued when she remained mum. "It's customary, so I suggest you present yourself well. My reputation is at stake here. I already consulted with the priests; the wedding will take place in a month from now on."
More silence.
Even if Khushi could will her mouth to move, she wasn't sure what she could say.
"Oh, and one more thing," Alok said, looking back at his file. "They are less tolerant about this medical nonsense than I am. They do not know anything about your internship or education, and you better keep it that way. They want a good, cultured girl as their daughter-in-law and that is exactly what they will get. You may leave."
Khushi watched her father resume his work, ignoring her stunned form in front of him. It was finally Vihaan who spoke.
"Papa," he said timidly. "Maybe this is a wrong time to discuss this. Khushi is not ready for marriage-"
