Page 29 of One Hellish Wedlock
“Reyansh, how long were you planning to keep dragging it?” Nani demanded. “You’re wasting your life. Why cling toa relationship that’s already hollow? End it before it swallows more of your years. And don’t tell me you intend to live like a bachelor while still being legally tied to a woman who neither fits you nor understands you. Our family needs an heir...someone to carry the legacy forward. You need a partner, Reyansh. A true companion who’ll stand by you in your rise and fall. Aanya is not that woman. She never was. She’s simply not your kind.”
The words echoed in his mind for long.
He remained silent for a long moment, the ache in his temples matching the pressure building in his chest.
“Alright,” he finally muttered, his voice tight. “I’ll think about it.”
That one line was enough for Nani. She saw the flicker of hope she needed and said nothing more.
Reyansh returned to his breakfast in silence again, pushing down the turmoil her words had stirred. Once done, he rose from the table and left for the office.
The moment he reached his office he called out to Sunny.
“Find the best disco in town.”
Sunny blinked in confusion but didn’t dare ask questions. Within minutes, he brought forward a curated list. Reyansh scanned the options, selected one without hesitation, and typed out a message on his phone.
“See you at 07:00 p.m.”
He hit send.
Aanya burst into laughter the moment she read his message.
“Disco starts after 10:00 p.m. Shame you didn’t know!!”
She texted it back with wicked delight.
Reyansh felt like someone had taken a direct shot at his ego. His fingers moved fast on the screen.
“I have better things to do than memorize disco timings. I can pick you up at 09:45 if you want.”
Aanya arched a brow and replied:
“I prefer a drop back. I might be too drunk to find a ride later.”
Reyansh, who had momentarily shifted his focus back to the meeting, clenched his jaw. The words on the projector screen blurred as his attention diverted once more. With one hand under the table, he quickly typed a reply, ignoring the curious glances from the people around.
“NO DRINKS TONIGHT.”
Another message followed almost immediately.
“I want a healthy, uninterrupted conversation. You need to be sober to understand my terms and conditions. I don’t want your hand trembling while signing the contract.”
He stared at his phone, waiting. When no reply came within a minute, he jabbed out another message.
“???”
Still no response. His patience thinned. He typed again, this time firmer.
“AANYA, REPLY, DAMMIT.”
Finally, her reply landed with a ping.
“I had gone to pee!! Just saw your desperate little thread of messages. OMG, are you serious? No drinks?? A dry disco?? Not my scene. And didn’t I explicitly tell you not to bring your lawyers or legal paperwork there? Whatever I have to sign, I’ll do it in your office tomorrow. TONIGHT IS OUR NIGHT. No paperwork! Can we please reconsider the no-drinks rule? I’M POUTING!!”
Reyansh coughed lightly at the first line. No woman had ever dared be this unfiltered with him. Maybe only a wife could pull that off. His lips twitched as he texted back, careful not to attract more attention.
“We’ll decide that when we meet.
