A satisfied smile broke across her grandmother's face, soft but filled with a rare contentment.
"Find a man for me, Grandma. I trust you. You'll only choose the best for me," Vivian said with a sigh, as if the weight of her decision was lighter simply because she wasn't the one making it. In the most important decision of her life, she was handing over the reins to the only person she could truly trust—her grandmother.
Her grandmother's eyes sparkled at the prospect. Despite being weakened by her illness, excitement danced in her gaze. "I'll choose one from the blind dates you've had."
Vivian gave a small nod. She had been on eleven blind dates, all of which ended in different ways. Still, it was better than enduring her grandmother's endless nagging about marriage and being worried about her health.
"Okay, but there's one condition," Vivian began carefully. "You can pick anyone except Alvin Thakkur, my recent blind date. I'll marry anyone but him."
Her grandmother's brow furrowed for a moment. "Alvin Thakkur," she repeated softly. Out of everything Vivian said, the only thing that stuck in her mind was his name.
"And it'll be a court marriage," Vivian continued, setting more terms. "Nothing extravagant. We can throw a reception later to announce the marriage publicly, but that's it. No over-the-top wedding ceremonies too." The thought of a grand, traditional wedding made her shudder. She'd never liked the idea of public spectacles, especially when it came to such personal matters.
Vivian's grandmother nodded, though her focus remained on the name Alvin. "Why not him?" she began to ask, but before she could press the matter further, the door to the private hospital room swung open, and Sanvi entered.
Sanvi paused in the doorway, a large bag clutched in her hand. For a second, her eyes filled with overwhelming emotion, and the bag slipped from her fingers, hitting the floor with a soft thud. She rushed forward and hugged her mother in a tightly, her tears breaking through despite her attempts to hold them back.
"You're finally awake. I was so afraid!" Sanvi cried, her voice breaking with emotion as she buried her face in her mother's shoulder.
Her mother smiled gently, stroking Sanvi's head. "I'm fine, dear. Everything is okay now." Her voice was soft, but there was a warmth in it, a reassurance only a mother could give.
The chairwoman glanced between her daughters, feeling the intense love and worry radiating from them both.
It took Sanvi a few moments to calm down, and she reluctantly let go of her mother, wiping away her tears as she sat down in a spare chair beside the bed.
Vivian, watching quietly, picked up the bag Sanvi had dropped and placed it on the couch. "Sanvi brought all your essentials," she said, turning back to her grandmother. "We'll come to visit you once a day. Promise."
Her grandmother chuckled softly. "I understand. You don't need to worry so much."
"We'll be leaving now, Grandma," Vivian said, giving her grandmother a final wave before stepping out of the private room. Sanvi followed, her steps were slower, still shaken from the emotional weight of the moment.
As they made their way back to the company, Sanvi kept glancing at Vivian, her brows furrowed in confusion. The last time the chairwoman had faked an illness, she hadn't spoken with Vivian for months, all because of the marriage topic. It seemed impossible that now, after a real heart attack, she would say nothing at all to her granddaughter. Then how come everything was so calm inside?
There was no way the stubborn chairwoman she knew would have given up on her pursuit for Vivian to settle down. Something felt off. By any chance, had Vivian agreed to get married? Sanvi couldn't quite understand the situation and could no longer ignore it.
"Did you agree to get married or something? The chairwoman didn't mention it. Strange." Sanvi finally broke the silence. She had tried to hold back the question, thinking maybe she should give Vivian space, but curiosity won over. She couldn't let it go.
"Yes, I agreed" Vivian responded, not even looking up from her laptop. The tapping of her fingers on the keys filled the car as she typed, seemingly unbothered by Sanvi's blunt question.
Sanvi blinked in disbelief. "Who are you marrying?" she asked, still processing the fact that Vivian had agreed at all.
"I don't know," Vivian replied, her answer sounded like a bluff, and her tone sounded empty, as if it were the most nominal thing in the world. She continued typing, her attention fully on her work as if the conversation wasn't important.
"What?" Sanvi asked, her voice rising slightly. "You don't know who you're going to marry?" she was completely stunned.
"That's right," Vivian said, finishing whatever she had been working on and finally closing her laptop as they pulled into the parking lot of their company building.
Sanvi's mind raced. "You do not know the man you're going to marry?" she repeated, still trying to make a sense out of Vivian's answer.
"No! Stop asking the same question," Vivian said, clearly growing irritated as she stepped out of the car.
Sanvi hurried to catch up with her. "What the hell do you mean by that?"
Vivian sighed, her patience wearing thin. "Well, since Grandma wants me to get married so badly, I'm letting her choose. She can pick any man she likes from the ten blind dates I've been on."
Sanvi's jaw dropped. "What about the eleventh one?" she asked quickly, remembering how Vivian's mood had completely changed after meeting that guy.
"Not him. I just hate that man," Vivian said coldly, quickening her pace toward the office entrance.
"Why?" Sanvi pressed, knowing something was off. She had known Vivian long enough to recognize when her friend was hiding something.
Vivian didn't answer, her expression hardening as she ignored the question.
Sanvi frowned. "You're hiding something from me," she accused, matching Vivian's pace.
"Nothing is going on, Sanvi," Vivian replied while pressing the elevator button.
"Vivian!" Sanvi called, grabbing her friend's arm and spinning her around. "Tell me what's going on," she demanded, her concern deepening with each passing second.
Vivian's face remained blank, unreadable. Then, her expression shifted, growing cold as she gave Sanvi a harsh reality check. "Nothing, Mrs. Ahuja," she said, emphasizing Sanvi's married name to remind her that in the office, she wasn't her friend, but an employee.
Sanvi recoiled, her heart sinking at the formal address. Vivian never called her like that, not in that tone. Normally, even at work, to her, they were just Vivian and Sanvi—friends above all else. Why was she being so cold now?
Stung by the sudden shift, Sanvi swallowed her questions and forced herself to respond, "Yes, Ma'am." Her voice was tight, and she could feel her anger rising. Hurt and confused, she made a decision that she would come to regret later; that she wouldn't ask Vivian anything relating to her wedding.