Page 38 of One Hellish Wedlock
Her jaw dropped. Sunny, wisely, excused himself from the room.
“I’ll wait outside.”
Thank God,Aanya thought. One more second and Sunny might have fainted from second-hand scandal.
“You can’t say such personal things in front of your staff!” she hissed.
“I didn’t disclose anything scandalous. I made a statement,” he replied with irritating calm. “Nothing that should embarrass you.”
“Whatever,” she huffed, slamming her bag onto the table and crossing her arms. “So? What exactly did I do that night that makes you think I need etiquette lessons?”
He sighed. “Let’s not get into that now.”
“Oh, here we go again. That’s what Ihateabout you. You’re secretive. Self-centred. You point fingers, but when it’s time to explain, you conveniently walk away.”
“Because we’re atmyoffice and I have work.”
“Is your work right now more important thanme?”
The words escaped before she could stop them. Her heart thudded. Why did she say that?
Even Reyansh seemed thrown off. She quickly twisted her statement.
“I mean more important than thisdealbetween us?”
He recovered quickly, his gaze darkening as he took a step toward her.
“You have no idea how much this deal matters to me. And just so we’re clear—I’m the one in charge. You’ll follow every condition I set. No questions, no pushback. Got it?”
Aanya clenched her fists. Every nerve screamed for her to hit him. But she swallowed her fury.
“Crystal clear,” she gritted out, grabbing her purse and storming out of Sunny’s cabin.
Once the door shut behind her, Reyansh leaned back against the desk, releasing a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. He knew he’d come across too harshly. But he also knew that tokeep this farce under control, every string had to stay firmly in his grip. One loose thread and everything would unravel.
Later that day
Aanya sat alone in the wide conference room, sipping her second black coffee and staring at the empty chair across from her. She waited for Sunny to arrive and begin what Reyansh so diplomatically termed as her “etiquette sessions.” The whole idea grated on her nerves. She wasn’t opposed to learning. But this wasn’t learning. This was acting. Pretending to be a well-mannered daughter-in-law when the truth was, she didn’t belong in their polished little world.
The idea that she needed grooming to be considered acceptable by his family left a bitter taste far worse than her black coffee.
“Apologies for the delay, Ma’am,” Sunny finally entered.
“That’s fine. I didn’t exactly have other thrilling plans,” she said with a wry smile. “And please, can you drop the ‘Ma’am’? Just call me Aanya. That title feels like it belongs to someone with a crown and a kingdom.”
Sunny chuckled. “Are you buttering me up so I go easy on you during the training?”
She laughed. “Not at all. Just that I’ve done nothing so extraordinary to earn such high designations.”
“But you’re Reyansh Sir’s wife,” he pointed out. “And he’s a powerful man in this city. That alone is enough to demand respect.”
Aanya’s expression darkened. She hated when people reduced her identity to just being someone’s daughter or someone’s wife. Anand Malhotra’s daughter. Reyansh Chopra’s wife. Those labels clung to her like dead weight. But outside Delhi, away from the gilded cages of expectation, she was justAanya. And people had respected her without needing those tags.
Sunny snapped his fingers, bringing her out of her brooding thoughts.
“Hey… all okay?”
“Yeah. Let’s begin,” she muttered.
