Arranged marriage was an age-old story that Khushi, the youngest of the infamous Gupta family, who revolutionized and dominated the trading market for generations, knew well.
For it was the only thing she heard growing up.
But that neither prepared...
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– October 2019 –
"Come in," Arnav muttered absentmindedly.
It was a sunny Monday afternoon in Delhi, where Arnav was found locked away in his office, his mind completely occupied with the impending merger with Gupta and Sons. He was personally overlooking every word and every clause written in the agreement. Alok Raj Gupta was not known for his benevolence, and it would be stupidity on his part, if he walked into the deal blind. The deed was scheduled to be signed a week after his marriage with the Gupta heiress.
He tried not to think about that too much.
To his surprise, Ryan –his best friend since boarding school days– walked in.
"Damn," he said, letting out a low whistle and gaping at the glass walls covering three sides of the room, giving them a spectacular view of the city. It was almost as though they were floating in midair.
"This is one hell of an office man," he muttered.
Arnav smiled and stood up, walking around his desk to pull him into a hug. "When did you get back from London?"
"Just this morning," Ryan answered. "And I was greeted at the airport with this."
He pulled out a newspaper clipping from his pocket housing two large pictures of Arnav and his would-be father-in-law. The headline read: The Raizada-Gupta alliance: a desperate cry for help.
Arnav didn't have to look further to know what the article said. The whole city was buzzing about this for the last two weeks, when it was officially announced that he was to become Alok's son-in-law. He didn't understand why the papers were so interested in capturing every little detail of the impending nuptials. True, the Guptas were well-known, their influence was spread far and wide, but that didn't mean everyone suddenly had the right to become personal about his life.
"So?" Ryan asked, impatiently.
Arnav shrugged. "So what?"
"Care to explain?!" Ryan asked, staring at him incredulously. "You are getting married? First of all, where is my invitation? But mostly, why is the bride some Gupta instead of Myra? What happened to your restaurant? And why the hell do you look like you've stepped out of an episode of Suits?"
Arnav took a deep breath, wondering where to even start.
After completing college together, Ryan had departed for London to pursue an MBA, while Arnav stayed in India, determined to follow his own ambitions. Although they kept in touch, especially with Ryan coming down to visit Delhi every few months, Arnav had actively avoided talking about his failing life. What was the point of burdening someone else with his problems?
Deciding to start with the easiest of questions, he said, "Raghav wanted to sell the restaurant."
Ryan frowned. "Wasn't he the one who had the idea to open a restaurant in the first place?"
