Author's POV
Megha sat in the passenger seat of her grandfather's car, staring out the window as he hummed happily. His enthusiasm irritated her. He had told her very little about this meeting-just that they were visiting an old friend of his.
"Dadu, at least tell me who we're meeting," she asked, crossing her arms.
Her grandfather chuckled. "You'll see when we get there. It's a surprise."
Megha sighed. She wasn't in the mood for surprises, especially after the frustrating encounter with Arjun during the project bidding. Just thinking about him made her blood boil, she quietly shrugged her thoughts of and busied herself with checking her emails, ignoring the scenery outside.
After some time, the car came to a stop. Her grandfather stepped out eagerly, his excitement palpable as he hurried inside to meet his old friend. Megha smiled at his enthusiasm before following him out.
As she stepped out of the car, her breath hitched.
The OBEROI MANSION
The sight of it sent a jolt through her, stirring memories she had long buried-memories she wished would stay forgotten.
"How dare you step foot in this house?!"
"You have no right to be here-no status, no place! People like you don't belong in a house like this!"
"Get out, you wretched girl! Before I have you thrown out like the disgrace you are!"
"You disgust me. Thinking you could ever be a part of this family? Know your place, because it sure as hell isn't here."
The thoughts clawed at her heart, each one more painful than the last. She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms as she fought to steady herself. Closing her eyes, she took a slow deep breadth, forcing the tumorial inside her to settle. And then, with squared shoulders and a resolve she barely felt, she stepped inside.
Meanwhile, at the same time, Arjun parked his car outside his house.
Stepping out of the car, Arjun adjusted his watch, slowly walked inside.
Inside the house, the two grandfathers were chatting excitedly, sipping their tea.
"Ah, Megha is such a bright girl," Megha's grandfather praised. "I can't wait for you to meet her."
"And Arjun is a fine young man," Arjun's grandfather responded. "Once they meet, I'm sure they'll get along well."
"Oh, I have no doubt about that," Megha's grandfather agreed.
Little did they know.
A few minutes later, Megha stepped inside the house with her grandfather. She put on a polite smile, ready to greet the 'old friend'- but suddenly her eyes suddenly caught someone else.
Arjun.
Her expression hardened instantly, her jaw clenching as she met his dark, surprised gaze.
Arjun, standing near the living room, was taken aback. The moment he saw Megha walk in, his entire body stiffened. His fingers curled into fists at his sides, and his breath hitched-only for a second before he masked his emotions with a cold, indifferent look.
The air between them crackled with unspoken tension.
"What the hell is she doing here?" Arjun thought, his pulse quickening. His gaze flickered to his grandfather, then to Megha's, realization dawning on him. This wasn't a coincidence.
Megha quickly composed herself, her lips pressing into a tight line. "Dadu," she started cautiously, "who exactly is your best friend?"
Her grandfather chuckled. "Oh, my dear, meet my oldest and dearest friend, Mr. Harshvardhan Oberoi."
She smiled politely and greeted, "Hello, Mr. Oberoi," and bent down to touch his feet as a form of respect .
Arjun's grandfather chuckled warmly, and gave her blessings by patting her head and said "No, no, dear, not so formal. Just call me Dadu."
Megha simply gave a polite nod in response.
Beaming with pride, he continued, "And this is my grandson, Arjun. He's doing wonderfully in business, just like his uncle."
Megha forced a smile, though it felt like her face might crack under the effort. "Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Oberoi," she said, her voice calm and composed.
Arjun exhaled slowly before stepping forward, his tone smooth but distant. "Likewise, Miss Raisinghania," he replied before turning his attention to Megha's grandfather, and he also bent down to touch his feet, barely sparing her a glance.
Their grandfathers continued chatting, oblivious to the silent war happening between their grandchildren.
"I hope you two get along," Megha's grandfather said cheerfully. "You're both brilliant young minds! In fact, I was just telling Harsh that you both should-"
"Dadu," Megha interrupted sharply, shooting him a warning look. She didn't need another push toward Arjun-not after everything.
Arjun smirked, catching the hint of panic in her voice. "Yes, we already know each other quite well," he said, voice laced with sarcasm. "Very well, actually."
Megha shot him a glare. The way he said it, like he was mocking their past, made her blood boil.
Their grandfathers, still unaware of the tension, simply laughed.
"Really? I mean, I know both of you are in the business world, but as far as I remember, our companies have never worked on a project together," Harshvardhan remarked, curiosity lacing his tone.
Arjun leaned back slightly, a smirk playing on his lips. "Yes, Dadu, we haven't-until now. Just this afternoon, we signed a collaboration. Right, Miss Raisinghania?" His voice dripped with sarcasm as he glanced at Megha.
"Really? That's perfect, then. We don't have much planning to do, right, Harsh?" Vikram, Megha's grandfather, chimed in cheerfully.
Both Megha and Arjun exchanged puzzled looks before speaking in unison. "Planning? What planning? What are you talking about?"
Harshvardhan shot a quick glare at his friend before covering up smoothly. "The planning for our golf game this Sunday, of course. What else?"
"Oh... okay," they both said, though suspicion lingered in their eyes.
Megha and Arjun exchanged one last glare before looking away. This was going to be one hell of an evening.
♡
After dinner, everyone gathered in the hall, engaged in quiet conversation. Mostly, it was the two grandfathers talking, occasionally drawing Megha and Arjun into the discussion.
Suddenly, both elders cleared their throats—a subtle yet deliberate sound that demanded attention.
Sensing the sudden shift in the atmosphere, Megha and Arjun tensed, their instincts kicking in as they grew wary of what was coming next.
"So..." Vikram drawled, "we've decided something. We want to..."
"Want to what, Dadu? What have you decided? Say it clearly," Arjun said impatiently.
Vikram sent a pleading glance at his best friend, gesturing for him to continue the conversation.
"Actually, we have decided that you both should get married—but not right away. First, you should get engaged, and then we can talk about everything else," Harshvardhan said.
"What the hell...!" they both shouted in unison, standing up at once.
"What nonsense is this? How can you even think like that?" Megha exclaimed.
"Exactly! What kind of ridiculous idea is this? Get married? And to her? Are you serious?" Arjun said, pointing at Megha.
Megha gasped, her eyes blazing with fury. "How dare you?" she snapped, taking a step closer to him.
Arjun scoffed, arms crossed over his chest. "Oh, come on, Megha. Don't act so shocked. You think I'd actually want to be stuck with someone like you?"
Megha let out a humorless laugh. "Trust me, the feeling is mutual. I'd rather stay single forever than marry you."
Vikram and Harshvardhan exchanged amused glances, clearly unfazed by the heated exchange.
"Good, now that you've both gotten that out of your system," Harshvardhan said, leaning back in his chair, "we can move on to the real discussion."
Megha and Arjun turned to the elders, incredulous.
"There is no discussion!" Megha said through gritted teeth.
"Exactly!" Arjun added. "This is never happening!"
Vikram smiled knowingly. "We'll see about that."
Megha and Arjun exchanged a sharp look before turning back to their grandfathers, their expressions filled with disbelief.
"You can say whatever you want, but the answer is still no," Megha said firmly, arms crossed.
"Exactly," Arjun agreed. "You can't just decide our lives for us."
Harshvardhan sighed, shaking his head. "We're not forcing you. We just want you to think about it with an open mind."
Vikram nodded. "Look, you both are successful, independent, and strong-willed. That's exactly why this match makes sense. You challenge each other, you push each other to be better."
Megha scoffed. "Or maybe we just drive each other insane."
"That too," Vikram admitted with a chuckle. "But tell me something—don't you think a marriage should be built on mutual understanding and respect?"
Arjun said "and that exactly what we don't have."
"Not yet," Harshvardhan said wisely. "But you will not say the same when you get to know each other.
"Okay, for a second, leave that. Megha, come here," Vikram said, patting the space beside him on the sofa.
Megha reluctantly walked over and sat down.
Vikram gently took both her hands in his and turned her toward himself.
On the other hand, Harshvardhan called Arjun to his side and held his hand. Then, both of them asked together,
"I've been meaning to ask you for a long time—are you perhaps not interested in girls... or boys?"
Megha and Arjun stared at their grandfathers, utterly dumbfounded.
"What the hell are you even saying?" Megha sputtered, her face a mix of shock and exasperation.
Arjun ran a hand through his hair, glaring at them. "Seriously, Dadu? This is the angle you're going with now?"
Vikram and Harshvardhan exchanged amused glances, their expressions far too innocent for the chaos they had just unleashed.
"What? We're just saying that if you're so against marrying each other, maybe it's because you're not interested in the opposite gender," Vikram said with a shrug.
Harshvardhan nodded. "Exactly. And if that's the case, we support you completely! But we still want to see you happily settled, so just bring your partner home—boy or girl."
Megha threw her hands up. "Oh my God! I like men, Dadu!"
"Same here!" Arjun snapped. "I like women!"
Vikram and Harshvardhan sighed in relief, leaning back in their seats.
"Good, then that's settled," Harshvardhan said cheerfully.
Megha narrowed her eyes. "Settled? What exactly is settled?"
Vikram grinned. "Well, now that we know there's no real reason for you two to avoid this engagement, you should at least give it a chance."
Arjun's jaw clenched. "Unbelievable. You tricked us into admitting that just to push your point."
Harshvardhan smirked. "Well, you weren't listening before. We had to get creative."
Megha groaned, burying her face in her hands. "I can't believe we share DNA."
Vikram patted her shoulder. "Oh, come now, Megha beta, don't be so dramatic. Just think about it, hmm?"
Megha let out an irritated sigh and turned away, refusing to engage any further. Arjun, on the other hand, pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to calm his rising frustration.
"You two are unbelievable," Megha muttered, shaking her head.
Harshvardhan smiled, completely unfazed. "Beta, we just want what's best for you. And trust us, this is it."
Arjun scoffed. "Oh really? And what makes you think this is what's best for us? We just met today."
Vikram leaned back with a knowing look. "Exactly! You met today, and look at you both—arguing like an old married couple already."
Megha narrowed her eyes. "That is not a good thing, Dadu."
Harshvardhan chuckled. "It means you're not indifferent to each other. You have chemistry, whether you realize it or not."
Arjun crossed his arms. "Chemistry? This is called annoyance."
Megha huffed. "Exactly! He's insufferable."
Vikram and Harshvardhan exchanged an amused glance. "See? That's passion," Vikram said lightly.
Megha groaned. "Dadu, stop reading too much into things! We don't even know each other."
Harshvardhan shrugged. "Then get to know each other. That's what an engagement period is for, isn't it?"
Arjun clenched his jaw. "You really planned all this, didn't you?"
Vikram grinned. "Of course. You're both at the perfect age to settle down, and we couldn't think of a better match."
Megha took a deep breath, pressing her fingers to her temples. "This is pointless. No matter how much you try to twist things, I am not agreeing to this."
Arjun nodded firmly. "For once, I actually agree with her. This is never going to happen."
Harshvardhan sighed, shaking his head in disappointment, while Vikram simply sighed and said "Alright, alright. No need to decide today. Just think about it."
"There is nothing to think about," Megha snapped, standing up. She turned to her grandfather. "Dadu, we're leaving."
Vikram stood up as well, letting out a dramatic sigh. "Fine, beta, if that's what you want."
Megha didn't wait for another word. She spun around and strode toward the door, her grandfather following behind.
As she reached the entrance, she glanced back—only to find Arjun already looking at her. Their eyes met for the briefest moment, tension crackling between them. But before either could say anything, Megha turned away and walked out, leaving the conversation, the proposal, and Arjun behind.
For now.
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