Aaradhana Verma!

When the meeting wrapped up and the contract was signed, I felt an odd mixture of excitement and dread. Excitement because everything was going as planned, dread because it meant leaving the building—and Harshad—behind. 

That wasn’t acceptable. Not after meeting him again. Not after seeing how annoyingly perfect he looked, from his crisp suit to the way his hair fell just right.

I couldn’t just walk away.

Dad shook hands with the Oberois to close the deal, and I followed suit, my heart pounding as I approached him. When my turn came, I stared into his deep, chocolate-brown eyes. Harshad Oberoi. Perfection personified.

He offered me a handshake, his expression unreadable, but when I gripped his hand, I didn’t let go.

"Can I have your phone number?" I asked with a bright, hopeful smile.

"No." His brows furrowed, and his lips pressed into a thin line. 

"Okay, then, how about you accept my message request on your social media account?" I tightened my grip.

"No." His tone was clipped, but I wasn’t deterred.

"Will you marry me?" I beamed at him and boldly asked.

His eyes widened in what I could only describe as horror, and a collective gasp echoed around the room. Was I too direct? Who cares!

"What the hell—are you crazy?" He exclaimed, pulling his hand away as if I had electrocuted him.

Before I could respond, Papa grabbed my wrist and muttered apologies to everyone. 

"I am sorry, gentlemen. Aaradhana has a habit of pranking people. This is just that." he said, dragging me toward the door.

"I am not leaving without Harshad's number!" I protested, yanking my hand free as soon as we stepped out of the conference room, away from their earshot. 

“Aaru, behave!” Papa said in an admonishing tone.

"Papa, you know his parents, right? Just talk to them! Arrange our marriage. Please!" I begged him.

"Aaradhana..," Papa snapped at me. "We are leaving, and that’s final." He stepped into the elevator, leaving me standing there with my arms crossed.

Only when he is angry would he call me by my full name. And it is very rare for him to get angry at me. But I wasn’t deterred by his anger. I want Harshad Oberoi. Period!

"I am not coming home with you!" I declared, stomping my foot.

"Uncle, can I talk to Aaradhana for a minute? Alone?" We were interrupted by Preeti’s voice. 

Papa hesitated, glancing between us, but eventually sighed. 

"Fine. Just don’t let her cause any more trouble." With that, he stepped into the elevator, leaving me with Preeti. He obviously didn’t want to. But he knows how stubborn I can be.

"Thank you for saving me," I said, relieved.

“I have heard that Samar Verma is a very strict business man. You must be close to the family.” Preeti said and I shot a bright smile at him.

“He has known me since I was a baby..” I said. Only the truth. After all, I am his only daughter. 

"So, you are interested in my brother, huh?" Preeti chuckled. 

"The word interested would be an understatement. I am in love..," I said with a dreamy sigh.

“Oh wow! I have never seen anyone making such a bold move on him. He is pretty scary..” Preeti said in a hushed tone.

“That is making him all the more attractive, Preeti. That scary dangerous aura around him. I can’t wait to make him sick with love for me.” I said and Preeti looked at me with wide surprised eyes.

“Are you seriously going to pursue him?” Preeti asked.

“Oh definitely! You can start planning your brother’s wedding. The minute he says yes, we are gonna get married. Now don’t tell me I didn’t give you enough time to plan your beloved brother’s wedding.” I said cheekily.

“Oh girl! I am so loving you!” Preeti said.

“Good to hear that. Expecting all the help from my future sister in law.” I said, batting my eyelashes.

“You want his number?” Preeti asked and my eyes lit up. 

"Yes!"

Before I could squeal in excitement, Harshad’s voice boomed behind us. 

"Preeti, don’t you f*cking dare."

I turned to see him stalking toward us, glaring.

"Harsh bhai! Perfect timing!" Preeti teased, crossing her arms.

"Don’t encourage her," he snapped, pointing at me. "You are not giving her my number."

"Why not?" I chimed in, stepping closer. "What are you so scared of, Mr. Oberoi?"

"Scared? Of you?" He scoffed, rolling his eyes. "You are simply not worth my time.”

The words stung, but I hid it behind a pout. 

"Well, too bad for you. I always get what I want."

“Oh really? Like you got an internship at Verma Inc without breaking a sweat? I don’t like social climbers who look for shortcuts. And I definitely have no intention of being your social climbing ladder.” Harshad said. 

Oh f*ck! He is literally calling me a gold digger! Ah ha! This is interesting. I can’t wait to see his face when he realises that I am actually the Verma heiress.

“Bhai, now you are being mean.” Preeti said, glaring at her brother.

"Preeti, we are leaving," Harshad growled, grabbing his sister’s wrist, but Vansh intercepted.

"Hey, let her have some fun. Why are you being such a buzzkill, Harsh?" Vansh said, smirking.

"She is trouble. It’s written all over her face." Harshad muttered, looking at me like I was Satan personified.

"Trouble can be fun," Mihir added, strolling in with his wife Jeevika. "Speaking of fun, we are throwing a party this Saturday. Aaradhana, you should come."

"Really?" My heart leapt. 

"Absolutely," Mihir confirmed.

"You didn’t just invite her!" Harshad groaned.

"Oh yeah, he did. And guess what? She can be your date," Preeti added with a mischievous grin.

"You are all crazy." Harshad looked ready to explode. But I just smiled sweetly at him. 

"See you at the party, Mr. Oberoi. Oh, and I’ll get your number before then. Count on it."

He glared, muttered something under his breath, and stomped away.

Challenge accepted.

A/N

Sorry guys! I had sat down to edit this chapter in the morning to update and then got distracted by something else. I was under the misconception that I already updated it this morning... Just now, I realised I hadn't updated...

Please do like and comment...

Love,

SF