The Royal Fling - Part 2

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Chapter 2


“Shut up” Khushi exhaled harshly. “I don’t know where you got this idea that I will be marrying you. Just drop that from your mind before it starts annoying me further”

The smirk on Arnav Singh Raizada’s face disappears. It was evident that she didn’t know anything about the marriage proposal but he didn’t expect her to react so harshly either after knowing he is going to be her groom. Rejections and Arnav Singh Raizada never go well together.

“Shaadi toh hogi” (The marriage is evident) he barks. “Now we just need to see how you take the entire ritual. You want to spoil your family’s image by crying like a fragile sensitive doll like Suhani on our wedding day or embrace it as the best decision of your life”

Khushi grits her teeth.



“Worst decision” she snaps. “Only being Royals is not enough to send marriage proposals. At least not to a woman like me who has a long list of traits jotted down in her mind for her prospective groom. And you seem to have none of those”

He grabs her arm suddenly and pulls her close.

He grins. Khushi feels blood gushing in her body with the way he is watching her.

“Why don’t you hold these thoughts till our Suhaagraat? I am sure the next morning, I will be the only man who matches all the traits mentioned in your long lists”

Khushi fists her fingers and is about to punch him when he grabs her other arm too and pins her to the pillar behind.

“You are very violent Khushi Gupta. And somehow two fiery people can never make a good match. But don’t worry, let the marriage happen. I will tame you”

He waits for a second more to let her absorb his words and then leaves her arms.

“Now get your back in the car” he shouts.
Khushi doesn’t follow his orders.
“You have made a huge mistake. I am Khushi Gupta, not just the daughter of the Governor but I am also a Super Model, I have lakhs of fans and the power of using the media however I want. It wont take me long to get the real face of the Royals before the people here”

She expects him to at least become annoyed if not threatened by her words. But he smirks.

“You are underestimating the Royals then” he replies. “If we have the power to build people’s lives, we also have the strength to snatch them.”

She feels intimidated at least for a minute. To what extent can they go to make sure their orders are obeyed?

“Take my advice” he adds. “Get back home and let the marriage happen peacefully. If you even try to run away from it, I wont mind making you my wife that same instant. And if not much, you at least would know that once a Royal commit to something, he fulfils it by hook or crook”

He gives her one last scorned look and steps down the temple. Khushi fears what has she landed into. Did her father really fix her wedding with the Royals? How can he do this without intimating her? She finally remembers how she came to the temple at the first place. Suhani!!! She turns behind and finds Suhani arguing with her newly wed husband, Angad. She is crying but their fight is unlike what Khushi had expected. Angad wipes her tears and then cups her cheek, conveys Suhani something at which her face glows and she gives him a tight hug. Now that’s what confuses Khushi all the more. She strides to them.

“Will you explain me, whats going on here?” she asks her friend.

Suhani pulls back from the hug and faces Khushi.

“I thought you were disinterested in marrying this Stranger” Khushi asks.
“He is not a stranger, Khushi. We love each other” Suhani answers. “Angad is an Orphan and though he is well educated and earns well too, my father was unwilling to give my hand to him. I broke up with Angad for my family’s wish and agreed to marry the one chosen by my father. If Angad hadn’t taken help from the Royals, I would have lost him forever”

Khushi looks surprised by the whole scenario. She thought Arnav Singh Raizada is the real villain of today’s incident but seems like he was just making two hearts meet forever.

“Arnav Singh Raizada is my friend” Angad adds. “I owe him my life for today”

Khushi presses her eyes and tries to process all this information.

“Well” she opens her eyes again and looks at the couple in love. “Congratulations to you both. Now go lead a happy family”
“Thank you Khushi” Suhani hugs her.
“You are welcome. But what about your father now? He wont be happy to know you still got married to Angad”
“Leave that on the Royals” Angad interrupts. “Since they have personally handled this situation, they will take care of the rest. No one dares to deny their orders here”

That’s not good news for Khushi.

“And by the way” Suhani speaks. “What was he telling? Your father fixed your marriage to him?”
“He seemed very sure of it, so yea. Looks like I will have to speak to my father first”
Suhani pouts.
“Let me know if you need me” she offers some support.
“Nah!!” Khushi chuckles. “I will handle this on my own. You both enjoy your marriage”

After seeing off the newly married couple, Khushi gets inside the car belonging to the Royals. She couldn’t afford to deny using it to get back home. She wont find another ride here. Anger bubbles inside as she recalls how Arnav Singh Raizada behaved and making him her husband is the last thing on earth she wants.

********************

Gupta House 

“Khushi, where were you? And where is Suhani?” Garima rushes to her daughter as she enters the house.

“Suhani is with her husband now. Safe”
“Husband?” Garima is confused. “But the marriage didn’t happen. Your father got a call from Suhani’s father that you both never returned to the venue from the Salon. What happened?”


Khushi doesn’t want to recollect all that but her mother wont let her relax until she hears the whole story. So, she tells her. Shashi Gupta hears it too while getting down the stairs.

“Oh.. so she got married to that Angad?” Shashi angrily asks.

Khushi’s blood boils meeting her father. There was never a connection between them. He always wanted a son but settled for 2 daughters instead. And only because Garima couldn’t bore more children further, he had to stopped hoping. But her poor mother even gave him the liberty to re-marry but somehow he didn’t wish to take a chance. Was that the love for his wife or the fear that if his second wife also gives birth to a girl, it will crush his manly ego, she doesn’t want to know. During her early childhood, she always wanted to spend more time with her father. They say fathers love their girls more than boys. But there was nothing of that sort in their home. She always saw her father pinpointing their mistakes, shouting and screaming at them for almost everything.

“You girls have no choice” Shashi continues to bicker. “Always chose the wrong side. If Suhani had married the man her father chose, she would roll in money today”
“Money is not everything” Khushi interrupts.
“It is everything. And at least you don’t negate that Khushi. Didn’t you chose that filthy modelling career for earning money?”

Khushi fists her hand.

“That was my dream and I wanted to stand on my own feet. It is not a cheap profession”
“I don’t see it that way” he barks.
“Well then don’t see it. Just ignore like you have always done to every wishes of your  daughters”
“Khushi” Garima grips her arm. “Please, don’t fight you both”
“Mom wait” Khushi shrugs her hand and steps towards her father.

“You fixed my marriage to the Royals?”

Garima is stunned to hear that. Shashi is glad she got to know it from outside. He had no patience explaining why he did this.

“Yes”
“Why?”
“What do you mean Why? You are grown up. I cannot wait for you to elope with some stranger like your elder sister did.”
“Don’t lie Father” she snaps. “I know you are very conscious of your name and fame at this place but its hard to believe you agreed to get me married to a Royal. You hate them don’t you?”
“I do” he nods. “But they put this proposal and want to end the enmity between us. We all need to put behind our pasts”

Khushi doesn’t get convinced.

“Put your past behind but don’t make me sacrifice for that. I am not going to marry that man”
“Why?” he shouts.
“He is a goon; you didn’t find anyone else for your daughter?” she snaps.
“He belongs to the Royals, don’t talk so low about him”
“Royals?” she scoffs. “The same family whom you never liked? Who always gave you competition your whole life and finally took over the throne, leaving you hopeless?”

Shashi Gupta stares at his daughter with frustration in his eyes.

“You don’t have manners to talk to your father” he shouts. “I am not giving you a choice Khushi. This is my order. Next week is your wedding with Arnav Singh Raizada and that’s final. Don’t even try to step out of this house until then”

Khushi’s jaw drops at the sudden threat from her father. He is behaving like a Jailer. But doesn’t matter how much her father pins her for this marriage, she knows how she has to deny it. She will herself visit the Royals tomorrow and cut this alliance.

*****************

Shantivan – The Royal Palace 

Arnav Singh Raizada gets down the car and heads inside. All the guards and servants bow their heads as a gesture of giving respect to the Royal son of this family. He doesn’t care. He stops at the living room where his grandmother is enjoying her evening tea. Subhadra Raizada, the present head of this family doesn’t get along with her grandson because of his high headedness but he being the only one now to take their generation forward makes her be cordial to him.

“Angad ki shaadi hogai?” (Did Angad’s wedding take place?)
“When I take a task in my hand, nothing can stop it from succeeding” he replies.
“I still don’t understand why you had to help him? He is a commoner Arnav. Anyone else from this palace would have done this work for him. You are a Royal, you have more responsibilities than abducting some bride and getting him married to your best friend”

Arnav’s eyes blaze with anger. There is no point in arguing with this old lady. She will never realize what he shares with Angad. His Daadi’s inclination is more towards the side where money rolls. He wonders how she agreed to fix his marriage to a Governor’s daughter rather than some Royal suitor. Probably she was short of options. He has rejected some 26 Royal family girls whose proposal he was offered. None of them had that charm to attract him. Some of the girls were no less than fake dolls who only look good to be flaunted while the others were too docile and passive to capture his attention. But the one he met today, Khushi Gupta, his present suitor is totally unlike the rest. She made his heart skip a beat the moment he saw her. But he is still not convinced by her temper and nature of arguing. He should be controlling her before she breaks in into his zone and alters his routines.

“I heard Gupta’s daughter is back” Subhadra adds. “We shall do the Roka tomorrow”

He doesn’t care. He is about to make his way upstairs but she stops him.

“You will need to accompany me to Guptas tomorrow”
“I don’t have time for this nonsense” he growls.
“It is called Roka. Not Nonsense” she snaps.
“Same for me”

He walks away. Subhadra sips the tea again. If he succeeded in giving justice to his friend’s love life, why is he still irritated? Did something happen in the temple?


To be Continued


NEXT PART


To Read THE ROYAL FLING from start. Click HERE


Note: Short Part but lots of other work. Anyways, will post the precap for Badtameez by evening

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