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“What about your would-be-husband? Will he also be there?”
“No. Mr Seth said he wants to have a word with me alone.”
“You want me to come with you?”
I shake my head. “No.”
She starts to say something, but I hold my hand up, stopping her. There is no use discussing this any further. “I am meeting him today, and there is nothing that will make me change my mind.”
She huffs as she crosses her arms across her chest. “If that’s what you want, but let me tell you that you are making a huge mistake.”
Disregarding her, I say instead, “Can you please grab me a cup of coffee from the café next door?” I rub my forehead, which is splitting by now. Also, I don’t want to give her a chance to change my mind. Hell, she might do it if I continue the conversation with her even a minute more.
“Sure.” She rises to her feet and leaves my office.
I lean back in my chair, pulling the document back out of my desk. I have no doubt at all that I am making the right decision. But then, a tiny voice wriggles its way into my mind.Are you?
???
My heart pumps in my chest as I gape at the huge black metal gate. Chewing my bottom lip, I consider why am I here. To be honest, I am still quite dubious that I’m choosing this option. Not that I really had any other alternative. There is no choice. Not in the slightest when it comes to my parents. I would go to any extent to help them. Period.
The butterflies in my stomach go out of control as the gate begins to open. Pausing for a moment, I blow deeply through my nose and try to pull myself together. Why am I even procrastinating? There is no backing out at this point. Taking a deep breath, I pull forward and begin to drive down the driveway.
After parking the car in the parking lot adjoining the mansion, I step out of my car, taking it all in. I am walking in a daze towards the main entrance. It’s hard to wrap my head around the fact that I’m here to talk about my marriage. I gulp down the emotions which are pushing up my throat. I will be marrying a stranger, about whom I know nothing. I rub my hands on my jeans, to smoothen out the nervous quiver I can’t seem to shake off. I am gazing into oblivion, lost in the consequences of what I am about to do.
Just as I muster up the courage to ring the doorbell, the enormous door swings open, revealing a short, plump man who is dressed in a uniform.
“Good afternoon, Ma’am,” he greets me. His pleasant smile plays a huge role in winding me down a bit. “Mr Seth did inform me about your arrival. I’m Arun, the in-charge here.”
“Nice to meet you.” I greet him back with a smile.
“Please follow me to the study. Mr Seth will join you shortly.”
I nod, and then follow him as he leads me through the overwhelming house. I can’t help but move my eyes around as I hear the sounds of our footsteps. The home shouts out of nothing less than a lap of luxury, from the shining white marble flooring to the huge crystal chandelier. The longer we walk, the more incongruous I feel.
We then walk through an oversized double door and I look around the warm room, instantly bringing a smile to my face while my tense shoulders relax a bit. The metallic wallpaper’s sheen oozes out opulence yet brings life to the room. The room is well-lit with soft yellow lights, making the space incredibly inviting. Though the room has a calming vibe, it fails to keep my worries at bay for long. Once again, I can’t figure out why Mr Seth wants me to marry his grandson. I’m sure there is likely to be a long queue of women willing to marry him. Then why me? The innumerable unanswered questions are threatening to drown me in anxiety. I swallow a lump down my throat, clueless about what this marriage would be like.
“Would you like to have some tea or coffee?”
His question makes me realise his presence. I zoned out, as usual. Looking at him, I shake my head. “I am good.” I don’t think I would be able to swallow past the nervous lump in my throat.
“Please make yourself comfortable. I’ll inform Mr Seth about your arrival.”
Before I can respond, he exits, leaving me standing near the entrance of the room. Eventually, I walk over to the couch, sink onto the soft leather, and lean back. All the while, my feet tap restlessly while my eyes roam around, trying not to feel overwhelmed by the overpowering luxurious ambience. It’s reeking of money, making me a tad bit nervous.
I don’t have to wait for long when I hear footsteps that startle me, causing me to sit straight up.
“Good afternoon, Alisha. I’m sorry. Did I keep you waiting for long?” Mr Seth greets me in an apologetic tone.
I rise to my feet and move forward to shake his hands. “No, you didn’t. It’s hardly been ten minutes since I came, Mr Seth.”
“Now, let’s get the formality out of the way. Call me Grandpa, please,” he looks at me with a charming smile as he holds out his hand. His sophisticated voice is as impressive as his impeccable three-piece suit.
I am taken aback at his request, clueless about how to react. Though I have no intention of being impolite, I am uncomfortable calling him Grandpa. But how do I voice that? When I find him looking at me expectantly, I shake his hand and shift on my feet. “Ah… okay,” I finally give in to his plea.
“Now, let’s sit down and have our chat for which you have come.”
He tells me to sit back down on the sofa, which I quickly do, grateful to be off my shaky legs. He takes the chair opposite me and then trains his light brown eyes on my face. Even with his white hair, he looks quite handsome for a man who must be at least in his seventies.
