“Five years,” she repeated. “Fine. Subject to review once three years are up. If the board stabilizes sooner, if your authority is unquestioned before that, then we’ll review the marriage early. And we can come up with a joint statement announcing it. In fact, all communication in the press with regards to us as a couple throughout the course of our marriage must be mutually agreed upon.”
“Agreed.”
He turned the page, his jaw tightening as he read the next part.
“Post-marriage asset division,” he read aloud. “At the end of the marriage, SEHVA and Sehgal Studios transfer entirely to you. That’s what you’re asking for?”
“Yes,” Shauna said.
Damn, she was clever. She had thought of everything. But the thing was, she’d always underestimated him. And he’d expected her to ask for this too.
“I can’t agree to that. I won’t.”
She sat straighter. “Why?”
“Because you’re asking me to break the business,” he replied without hesitation. “And I won’t do that.”
“Those verticals were built by my grandfather?—”
“And the reason they exist is because of GVN, which was built by mine,” he cut in quietly. “That doesn’t make either of them expendable.”
He tapped the paper lightly. “These verticals don’t exist in isolation. You pull one out, and you weaken the whole structure. I won’t do that.”
“This is non-negotiable, Akash,” Shauna said, her chin lifting in challenge.
He met her gaze without flinching. “It’s non-negotiable for me too. I won’t dismantle Sehgal Media for the sake of this marriage.”
Her eyes flashed. “So I walk away with nothing at the end of it? How is that fair to me?”
“That’s not what I said.” He kept his voice calm as he spoke. “What I am willing to do is give you fifty percent ownership of both SEHVA and the Studios at the end of the marriage.” He paused deliberately. “And if you ever choose to sell your share, I get the first right of refusal.”
“And if I don’t agree to what you’re asking?” she asked quietly. “I could walk away from all of this. You know the risk is greater for you.”
He didn’t hesitate. “Then I let you walk away. I will not, under any circumstances, destabilize this company or my legacy. Not for you. Not for this marriage. I will find another way to convince the board. Marrying you may be the most straightforward solution, Shauna, but it isn’t the only one.”
“You mean marrying Amara,” she stated simply. “I did some thinking, and I know it makes the most sense, considering everything. She’s Suveer Malhotra’s only granddaughter. We both know he’d welcome the idea in a heartbeat because it would give him more control here through her.”
Akash barked out a laugh. “He wishes he could control her.”
“You seem to know her very well,” Shauna said. “I’m surprised you’re sitting here with me and not with her when she seems like the obvious choice, considering your history together.”
In all honesty, he hadn’t even considered it. Amara was a good friend. Yes, he had dated her once, during a time when he’d felt extremely vulnerable. But they’d long since moved pastthat and settled into a trusted friendship. He could ask her. She might even agree to a contract marriage. Marrying her would get him out of this mess. She had the right surname for that, the right business background and the right connections.
But he didn’t want to marry her.
He didn’t want her.
“I won’t marry a woman simply because it’s convenient or easy. I am fully prepared to face the board alone if I have to.”
The words landed between them, heavy and final. For the first time since she’d walked in, something shifted in her expression. She saw then that he wasn’t bluffing. He had thought this through just as carefully as she had.
The silence stretched between them.
Finally, she exhaled. “Fine. I accept your terms. Fifty percent share in SEHVA and the Studios at the end of our marriage. Now about the rest. I want to talk about the final bits… First, the board. What do we tell them?”
“We can ask Janak to spin off an arranged marriage scenario between you and me,” Akash said. “The board is filled with conservative old men and women who will perhaps even applaud us as our marriage is in the best interest of the company. With our marriage, Janak has a personal interest in the company, and they will be pleased with that. They don’t ever need to know about this contract between us. We can present the same story to the press and add that you and I have always been attracted to each another. It’s the best possible scenario.”
She rolled her eyes. “Okay. What about our families?”
