Page 1 of The Unwanted Husband
CHAPTER 1
The elevator doors slid open in a swift move, revealing Ashok Dev in all his commanding presence. At thirty-one, he possessed the kind of effortless magnetism that made boardrooms fall silent and competitors take notice. His tailored charcoal suit fit his athletic frame perfectly, as his broad shoulders tapered to a lean waist, the result of rowing every day, along with checking the market trends as part of his morning routine.
Dark hair, professionally styled for a sports photoshoot, framed angular features that were more suited for magazine covers rather than in a corporate office.
But what set him apart were his eyes. Sharp, intelligently dark, and they could analyze a company’s worth in minutes or soften with genuine warmth when focused on someone he cared about. Right now, those eyes were fixated on his phone screen, scanning the final details of a merger that would shake up the entire tech industry. He was getting ready to meet with San Francisco investors, and it was quite late at night for him.
“Ashok, Sir,” his assistant’s voice cut through his concentration as he strode toward the conference room. “The investors are all in the virtual meeting lobby, waiting for you.”
Ashok paused mid-step, his fingers on the door handle, when his phone buzzed a text notification. The phone screen showed it was Sami who had texted. Samikhya, his youngest sister.
Don’t forget about dinner.
He could practically hear his sister’s voice through the text; that particular message meant he would be in trouble if he missed dinner. It was also timed perfectly, like she knew hewould not have his phone on him after he started the meeting. Plus, he also had other things lined up for the night. He glanced at the conference room door, where a dozen investors waited for a deal that would net his company another billion, and then back at his phone.
Sami knew about the investors’ meeting, and yet she wanted him home for dinner. His best friend and co-founder of the company turned out to be a traitor. The guy who was married to Sami.
Sami, I’m literally about to walk into the most important meeting of the quarter.
The response was instantaneous, like she expected his response.
There’s such a meeting every quarter because investors want to be a part of what you’re doing. I know you’ve done well. Finish your meeting, and we will wait for you.
Ashok swore under his breath and ran a hand through his hair, a gesture that would have horrified the stylist who worked on his look for the photo shoot earlier that day, but it only revealed the man beneath the perfectly polished exterior.
He loved the roughness of the ocean waters and also the wild flow of a river to go rowing or rafting. It was something he grew up doing, and his body was chiseled due to years of rowing. He missed rowing so much that he found a few enthusiasts and founded his own rowing club with various man-made environments.
One of the reasons the sports magazine wanted him on their cover, while rowing his canoe at the club, bare chested. He hated the very idea, but did it because his sister convinced him it was good for business and to garner more interest in the sport for folks who don’t have access to a coastline.
For all the success, for all the companies he’d built from nothing and the empires he and his best friend had taken over, there was one force on earth he’d never learned to resist. His younger sister, Samikhya Varma.
Sami, who was demanding his presence at the dinner, was also the wife of his best friend, who held a substantial share of the company.
“Ravi, how could you do this to me?” he mumbled.
Ashok thought for a moment and looked up at his assistant, who was watching like he knew he would have a role to play.
“Ratan, I need to cut this call short. I need you to come interrupt me after exactly twenty minutes,” he said, adjusting his tie with one hand while typing a message to his sister with the other. “And cancel the rowing event tonight. Tell them we need to push out the qualifying race.”
Ratan’s eyebrows shot up. Ashok had never missed a race and the club was where he pushed the speed limits. His custom kayak had arrived the prior day and he was gearing up to start a new event format. He loved his nighttime rowing events, but that fun had to wait.
Family first.
‘Will leave in 20 minutes. Don’t wait up, I’ll join you as soon as I’m done here.’
‘Maybe I should race with you at the club one of these days. I need no fancy kayaks, I can swim.’
Ashok only smiled as he pushed the conference room door. His sister was his everything. However much she managed to push him, he would never do anything she did not like.
Some things, he’d learned, were worth more than anything in this world. And his family was complicated,demanding, but absolutely irreplaceable was always a priority, no matter what. Even the part of the family that was estranged.
*****
Later that night, Ashok pulled up in front of his sister’s home, practically a second home after his two-level pent house on the tallest building in the city. The suburban home was far from everything he did for his lifestyle. But everything changed when her sister had kids.
The little rascals. The twins!
As he got out of his car, he heard the main door opening. His car was noisy enough to announce his arrival.
