The Indian Tycoon's Marriage Deal by Adite Banerjie Read Free Book Online Page B

evening they traded plausible situations for their oh-so-romantic meeting and falling-madly-in-love storyline and came up with something that would hold up under the scrutiny of his suspicious relatives. Maya squirmed at the fact that her new life was starting on a foundation of lies and deceit. But then, this was not about her. It was about Papa, whom the Devs had ruined in their lust for power and money. And to get to the truth she would lie till she went blue in the face!
    After brainstorming several alternatives, Krish was finally satisfied with the story they had put together. His phone buzzed. Krish listened for a moment, before he instructed, ‘Come up to suite number 103.’ Within a couple of minutes, Rohan was at the door. ‘Maya, meet Rohan Shetty, who works for me. Rohan, this is my fiancée.’
    Rohan’s handshake was polite and his smile genuine. ‘Pleased to meet you, ma’am, and congratulations.’ Maya smiled stiffly.
    Krish turned to Rohan. ‘Have you brought the stuff that I asked you to?’
    â€˜Yes, sir.’ He placed a leather case on the coffee table. ‘It’s in there…’
    Krish instructed Rohan to pick up Maya from her house the next morning before dismissing him. And then, as Maya looked on curiously, he took out a little jewel box from the case. An exquisite diamond ring sat inside—a delicate cluster of sparkling diamonds encased in a platinum band.
    Krish slipped it on her ring finger. A little fazed, a little overwhelmed, Maya looked into Krish’s face and caught something soft, something warm in his deep, dark eyes.
    â€˜This belonged to my mother.’ His voice was husky with emotion and he looked at Maya with warm, fuzzy eyes. But within seconds the warmth disappeared, replaced by a determined look. ‘I expect you to honour this ring and the lady who wore this before you.’
    The ring felt strange on her finger. For the last two days, the preparations for her new life had an unreal, almost dreamy quality about them. It was almost as if it were happening to somebody else and she was just a bystander who was swept away in the craziness of wedding preparations. After the awe came the shock—there was nothing fairy-tale-like about her situation. The cold clasp of the ring quickly brought her back to reality.
    As he took his hand away from hers, she felt the loss of his warmth. He was again his usual self. ‘Time to go home,’ he suggested. ‘Tomorrow is a big day. You’d better get your beauty sleep.’ Maya rose from the sofa, suddenly feeling tired. The day’s events had wrung out her emotions and she longed to lie down in her own bed, disconnect from the world and fall into a deep, dreamless sleep.
    Krish suddenly pulled her towards him, close. Too close for comfort. ‘I hope you’re not having second thoughts about going through with this, Maya.’
    She could feel the blood coursing through her veins, pumping energy into every tired cell in her body. She pulled away and her voice was cold as she waved her ringed finger at him insolently. ‘The deal is done and I have this as a reminder, do I not?’
    â€˜Make sure you don’t forget it. Let’s go then, my lady of illusions.’
    On the ride back home, Maya pondered over the irony of Krish’s words. Lady of illusions he’d called her. She definitely had none. The time for second thoughts too had passed. During the last four years she’d dreamt up different scenarios about how she would avenge her father but never had she imagined that her life would take such a strange turn. In less than eight hours she would enter the home of her enemy as his daughter-in-law! She’d made her choice and there was no looking back. There were bound to be consequences for the path that she’d chosen but now was not the time to think about them.
    Krish cut the engine outside her house and turned to her. ‘Rohan