Ashnoor paced in her small bedroom, gripping her phone tightly as her twin sister, Shalvi, spoke on the other end. Her sister's voice was calm—too calm, considering the madness she was proposing.
"You want me to do what?" Ashnoor nearly shrieked.
Shalvi sighed. "I need you to take my place in a contract marriage."
Ashnoor gaped at the mirror, unable to believe what she was hearing. A contract marriage? With a stranger?
"Listen, Ash," Shalvi continued, her voice softer now. "It's just for a while. Our parents… they need this. And you know I can't do it."
Ashnoor scoffed. Of course, she can't. Shalvi had never been the responsible one. Always chasing adventure, always running from anything that tied her down. And now, she wanted Ashnoor to clean up the mess she had made.
"Who is he?" Ashnoor asked finally, her voice tight.
There was a pause before Shalvi answered. "Arav Suthar."
Ashnoor felt a chill run down her spine. She knew that name. The ruthless businessman. The cold-hearted CEO. A man so powerful that people in the corporate world feared him.
"And why, exactly, does he want to marry you?" Ashnoor demanded.
"It's not about me—it's about his grandmother," Shalvi admitted. "She's sick, and she wants to see him married. He agreed to this marriage for her sake. And I agreed for ours."
Ashnoor sank onto her bed, pressing her fingers against her temples. Their parents' business had been struggling for months. If this deal didn't go through, they would lose everything.
"But Shalvi," she whispered, "this is crazy."
"I know," Shalvi said, a little desperately. "But I can't do this. I don't want to live that life, Ash. You know me. But you… you can pull this off."
Ashnoor let out a shaky breath. Could she really do this? Step into Shalvi's life? Pretend to be her?
Shalvi took her silence as agreement. "Please, Ashnoor. Just until the time is right."
Ashnoor closed her eyes. For the family. Just for a little while.
"Fine," she whispered. "I'll do it."