AllFreeNovel
Share Us
His declaration sends shivers down my spine, his intensity overpowering all my senses. I can see the love in his eyes, but I can’t forget the recent bitterness between us.
“But can Ayaan Shergill ensure blindtrustfor eternity when he loves?” I challenge him, my voice trembling with emotion.
His jaw ticks in annoyance as he leans forward, wanting to touch me, but I instinctively move away, not ready to let him back into my heart so easily. It’s not just Ayaan’s arrogance that rattles me; it’s his demanding attitude that follows.
“Marry me,” he proposes once again. He’s not backing down from his outrageous request.
I look nervously towards Dad, expecting him to be furious. And just as I predicted, Dad is seething with anger.
“Don’t think about what your dad will say,” Ayaan continues, smugness evident in his expression. “I’ve offered him a deal he won’t be able to refuse.”
“Deal? What deal?” I try to comprehend, my mind racing to make sense of the situation.
“A deal about the damage control of your father’s reputation in his political career in exchange for marrying you.”
I’m shocked at Ayaan’s words and his smug expression. My frustration increases. I can’t believe Ayaan is resorting to this. I can’t let him get away with such manipulation.
“Ayaan Shergill, how dare you even think of something like this?” I snap, my eyes blazing with fury. “Using my father’s reputation as a bargaining chip for our marriage is unacceptable! You can’t play with people’s lives like this, Ayaan. It’s not a chess game you love so much, where you can manipulate and move the pieces at your whim!”
“I know it’s not a game; it is the reality,” Ayaan counters. “In the world of politics, lives are traded for power, emotions for ambition and family ties for political alliances. Your father’s political image is now inmyhands, Meher. The media is already having a field day tarnishing his image and waiting for that one clue proving his involvement in my dad’s accident. It won’t take me a minute to provide them with that evidence.”
What evidence?I want to ask him, but words choke in my throat.
“Your father’s missing Audi car has been found. And guess what?” he clenches his jaw, glaring at Dad. “The investigation team has confirmed it’s the same car that rammed my father’s vehicle and caused the accident.”
I freeze as I process his words. I think my heart is going to explode. Dad’s missing car is responsible for Kailash uncle’s accident?
“So what if it is the same car,” Dad interrupts, his voice echoing in the room. “That still doesn’t prove I’m guilty.”
“But that doesn’t make you innocent either in the eyes of the nation, does it?” Ayaan mocks. “Negative publicity spreads like wildfire, fuelling suspicion and doubt with ease. A whisper of doubt can cast a long shadow on one’s reputation. And I’m desperate enough to flame that wildfire that will burn your entire political career into ashes. Make no mistake, Pratap Walia. My team can swiftly submit the investigation reports to the media and the concerned police authority. This one piece of evidence is enough to bring you crashing down from your Deputy CM position. All dreams of climbing the political ladder to become CM or contesting future elections will vanish into thin air. You’ll be ousted from your own party before you know it.”
“Ayaan,” I yell in shock, unable to believe he is threatening Dad like this before me. But he doesn’t care.
“There’s only one person who holds the power to prevent this chaos—me,” he warns, his voice cold. “And there’s just one way to erase the damage done to his career—for you to marry me, Meher. No other way. Never without it.”
That’s it. I’m done with his arrogance and manipulations. I’m done with the rollercoaster of emotions he puts me through every f*cking time.
“No, Ayaan. I won’t be a part of this deal. I won’t let you use my father’s career to manipulate me into marrying you,” I declare firmly, my voice unwavering.
Ayaan stares at me in annoyance, and I can see his expressions turning stern again.
“Think again, Meher. You know what I’m capable of,” he declares with a wicked glint in his eyes. “I would love to do all this and ensure your father’s name is wiped off from the history of politics forever. But I won’t do that as my father prefers not to escalate this matter any further. That’s why I have offered him this deal to do damage control. Here’s the deal—I’ll not do anything that can further affect your father’s reputation and political career, but only on the condition that you marry me.This month.”
Ayaan’s marriage proposal feels like a cruel and twisted manipulation, as if he’s playing a heartless game with my emotions. How can he expect me to agree to this after he’s threatened to ruin my father’s career? I had hoped he would show remorse for his actions; instead, he seems determined to cause more trouble and provoke my father to the brink of his temper.
I look at my dad again, hoping to find some answers in his eyes, but all I see is the controlled fury he’s trying so hard to suppress. I know Dad is also worried about losing everything he has built so far, but I don’t think it’s easy for him to bend to Ayaan’s demands. I won’t let Ayaan use me or my family as pawns in his manipulation games. I know I have to make a difficult decision. One that will shape not only my future but the fate of everyone involved. And I hope that I make the right decision amidst this turmoil.
CHAPTER 19
AYAAN
The only choice my Queen has is to surrender to the King and let him lead this battle from now on.
I watch Meher, her expression suddenly blank as she takes in everything I’ve just threatened her with. I know she must be furious at my bold proposal, especially when it involved her father’s political career. But I had no other option. Meher wasn’t even willing to give our love a second chance, let alone consider marriage and a life together. And since Dad had tied my hands by not letting me expose Pratap Walia, this was the only way I could take control of the situation and tilt the game in my favour. This is also a test for Pratap Walia, where whatever he chooses, he will still be at a loss.
I’m blocking every exit he might think he has to avoid my proposed deal. He knows that rejecting it will force me to reveal all the evidence connecting him to my father’s accident, inevitably toppling him from his political career. And even if he agrees to save his career and accepts my deal to marry Meher, he’ll still have to bear me as his son-in-law for life. I’ll never let him be at peace or have a moment of respite.
My determination to have Meher back knows no bounds, and I’ll use every card at my disposal to win the heart of the woman I love, no matter the cost.
