He groaned, his discomfort filtering through the line. “When I asked for the wedding in Goa, I wanted a simple wedding followed by a reception. Not this whole three-day affair you insisted upon. What happened to ‘I want a small wedding’?”
“That was before, when we were having a contract marriage,” she said. “Now that we’re marrying for love, I want the whole jazz.”
The day after Akash and she had admitted their love for each other, she’d insisted they tear up the contracts, and he’d done it without hesitation. Watching those papers fall apart had filled her with a quiet, fierce joy. She was marrying for love, just as she’d always wanted, not for a business deal. Yes, Sehgal Media still mattered to her, but it paled beside him and her love for him.
He clucked his tongue. “You and Janak both, apparently.”
“You gave in because you can never say no to him,” she said as the car merged into traffic once again. “He’s just so damn excited about us getting married.”
“He was the one who proposed our marriage. He got us together,” Akash said. “I’ll forever be grateful to him for that. Of course, I couldn’t say no when he insisted on a grand wedding.”
She chuckled. Her grandfather was really very excited about their wedding. They hadn’t told anyone yet that they were in love with one another. For now, they were happy living in a bubble, away from the outside world, spending time either at work or at Akash’s apartment. The only time they met anyone else was when they got pulled into wedding preparations, and that time they were too surrounded by people for anyone to notice how much in love they really were.
“But,” he added, frustration slipping into his tone, “that doesn’t mean I have to enjoy every part of it.”
“You’re not sounding very happy right now,” she scolded.
“I am happy about the rest of it,” he said. “I’m so excited about marrying you on that beach where I first saw you.”
Joy spread through her. In one week, she would be marrying him at the same place in Goa where they had first met.
“Just a week more,” she said.
“One more week,” he repeated. “So, we’re in agreement then. I won’t perform at the sangeet, but we will have our first dance at the reception as a married couple.”
She sighed. “Let’s table this discussion for later, after you come fetch me,” she said. “I’m just reaching our new home.”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t come with you,” he said. “But with the marriage and our honeymoon post that, I have a lot of things to wrap up at work.”
“Hey, it’s fine. Just be on time to pick me up,” she said.
“Love you,” he said. “See you soon.”
He disconnected the line.
God, she’d never get tired of hearing him say he loved her. Some days, she still couldn’t believe that Akash loved her. That he always had. Just like she had always loved him. It felt like everything that had happened in the past had led her to this, to the only man she had ever loved. Three weeks had passed since that night, since they had finally laid everything bare and cleared years of misunderstanding. And still, her heart hadn’t quite settled.
Two days after that, they had stood before the board and announced their engagement. To her surprise, every member had welcomed the news warmly and assured them of their support. Even Suveer Malhotra. Furthermore, there had been no talk of replacing Akash or putting checks in place to rein him in. The board had shown their complete confidence and trust in them to take the company to even greater heights. The reliefshe’d felt after the meeting had been immense. Even Akash had looked lighter, more at ease than she’d seen him in a long time.
The news of their engagement had spread like wildfire. Every newspaper and magazine was talking about the powerful merging of the Mishra and Sehgal legacies—two empires once built by the late Dhiraj Mishra and Janak Sehgal, now bound together through their grandchildren.
Her smile lingered as the car turned onto the familiar road leading to her new home, her thoughts still wrapped in quiet happiness. As they pulled into the driveway, she spotted Aaliya’s assistant, Tejal, already waiting for her near the entrance.
The house was buzzing with activity as she walked inside, staff moving in and out, the low hum of work filling the space. AC units were being fitted in the living room, while upstairs, curtains were being put up in the bedrooms, and potted plants were being placed in the sunroom.
It was close to nine by the time she wrapped up her meeting with Tejal, and the house was finally quiet now that the staff had all left for the day.
Over the past week, she’d been coming here daily. Sometimes alone, while most of the time with Akash, finalizing details, making decisions, watching it all come together piece by piece. And it had. Beautifully.
She checked the time on her watch. Akash would be reaching any minute now. She walked slowly through the living room, a quiet excitement building within her. After the wedding, he was flying her to the Seychelles for a week-long honeymoon. And when they came back, they’d be moving in here.
A faint sound broke through the silence.
Shauna stilled. Her brows drew together as she turned toward the sunroom at the far end of the house. She hurried toward it and found one of the workers inside. He was holding a spade, looking out toward the lawns.
“You can leave now,” she said. “Everyone else has already left.”
The man didn’t respond immediately. He turned, and her blood froze as she recognized who it was.
