Riya ran like it was the last day of her life. Her vision was getting blurred by each second and finally her feet gave away. She leaned on the wall of a depressing looking Coffee Shop and took shelter under its sunshade. It took sometime to finally calm down. Once she was alright, she entered into the shop and bought a water bottle. Convinced that the coast was clear, she gulped it down while splashing some on her face which slapped her back to reality.
She sighed deeply, regretting the decision of ever coming to the blind date. Being prepared while going out was of paramount importance to her but because of fatigue, she forgot to do so and was now getting punished for it. She decided to get home as soon as possible. It'd really break her if she experienced another panic attack in the middle of the road.
She immediately phoned her driver and was surprised to see the white Benz already on standby in front of her. Wary of whether he observed anything, she got in the car.
The face of that handsome man in black suit flashed before her eyes. So, she immediately texted her father.
'Dad, I will not go on this blind date. You had given me a month's time to get married, I will accept it and find a suitable groom for myself. Please don't bother me until then' - Riya
He was the only person she ever used the words "Please or apologies" with as she revered him.
She shoved her mobile back into the laptop case and slept like a log all the way home. On reaching home, she was so drained and tired. She dropped face first on the bed and slept even before eating or changing.
~~*~~
Dhruv smiled to himself through the reflection in the mirror. The wet dream he had early morning had cheered him up that he replayed it multiple times in his mind. Due to concerns about the Warphed acquisition, thoughts of Tanya filled him and made him have these crazy dreams over the past few days. And he was obviously not against that. He knew it was inappropriate to think about his brother's fiancé that way, but Dhruv liked her first and couldn't really help it even if he wanted.
He was dressed for the occasion in a black suit and was tying the maroon tie gifted by Tanya with a wide smile on his face. He applied the hair gel to smoothen out his straight black hair. After an hour of setting it up to his satisfaction, he threw over the suit coat and left for battling the devil, after all it was the bidding day. Whatever it was, he wanted to satisfy the crazy b**ch and snatch the deal without giving in to marrying her.
He did think over a lot the past few days if he could actually be her husband for awhile. But it was plain creepy. Even being in the same room as her, weirded him out. She was exactly opposite to Tanya in every way humanly possible. He shook his head to come out of that comparison and entered his stylish sleek red Lamborghini.
Soon after reaching, he found her in the board room. Sitting cross legged with her assistant standing nearby like a bodyguard, she sure radiated power. She was wearing a black suit similar to his but striped, over a pure white shirt. Her hair was neatly pulled back into a bun and her curious eyes skimmed over a printed document. He knew exactly what it was. The business proposal. The bidding would start in sometime and once she submits it, he'd never get another chance. He had to do something right now.
He entered inside the room and went straight to her. "We need to talk". She looked at him skeptically for a minute before following him outside. She gestured her assistant to stay in the board room in case of contingencies.
The vast lobby of the building had a rich creamy chocolaty theme filled with innovative furniture and classy paintings. Although Riya preferred everything black and white, she had to give some credit to the architect in this case. Dhruv walked to the creamy brown couch which was shaped as a tree bark and took a seat. He signaled Riya to sit beside him which she obeyed with a roll of eyes. Usually she'd have asked him to buzz off and gone her way but after the spiteful blind date tragedy, she wanted him to accept the deal more than ever. They had known each other for a long time, but he had never once touched her, even during their fights. If he wasn't the right candidate, then who would be?
He turned slightly to her side and crossed his legs. "I can't marry you. Don't you have anything else?"
Disappointed, "No", she replied staring into the vast lobby in front of her.
"Why me? You can have anyone you want. But why me? You still hate me, right?"
She turned her head slowly to face him. Should she reveal the real reason? But what if it backfired? After contemplating for a second, she spoke, "That's why" she pursed her lips and looked at her knotted hands, "I have a problem...", she hesitated and thought maybe he'd ask something but when she made eye contact, his intent grey eyes were just asking her to continue. "I can't marry anyone. I chose you because you are a known devil". She couldn't face him anymore. Although she hadn't explained the entire problem, that much revealing also made her feel exposed.
"I get it. You're scared of losing all your wealth and power to someone." he concluded himself when she just looked perplexed at him. "Isn't it?" he inquired as he was confused of her expression though that was what he thought she meant.
"Yup! That's it. So, yay or nay?"
He sighed with frustration as this was just another time he had to lose to her. But this time it meant something as it was to protect a special someone.