Page 48 of The Unwanted Husband
“Welcome, Mr. and Mrs. Dev. We are so glad to host you for the evening.” The older man was elated.
Isha was confused. She thought they were having dinner at a restaurant. She stayed quiet as they were led down a long corridor and at the end of it stood a security guard. She looked around and the building did not look like anyone’s home.
She was about to ask Ashok what the stop was as he had mentioned when he leaned closer to her. “Hope you like something here.”
What was he talking about?
The door opened to a brightly lit store and the entrance they used seemed to be a service one. They were in a jewelry store, filled with all kinds of precious and intrinsic wearables. It took her another moment to process the fact that everyone present were all staff in matching uniforms and there were no other customers in the store.
“Mrs. Dev, Sir mentioned that you’d like to see some rings, bracelets and earrings. What would you like to look at first?”
Isha was stumped to deny the idea or say anything else. She looked at Ashok rather blankly. Ashok nodded at her and said, “Maybe an engagement ring first?”
“This way, ma’am,” one of the women led her and Ashok toward where all the rings were on display. “Any preference for stone, ma’am?”
Still reeling from the shock, she didn’t respond immediately. She had never been the girl who visited a jewelry store to even look at stuff. The only time she had stepped foot in one was when her cousin’s husband asked for her help to buy a ring for Chandini before he proposed to her.
She had never thought about marriage let alone what she wanted for an engagement ring. She didn’t care for such things but something about the process was endearing. Even if it was all for show, she thought it was smart of Ashok to think of getting her a ring.
But, why not get one for her just like he made the marriage certificate happen?
As if she wanted an answer, she looked up at Ashok and found him looking at her. Her heart skipped a beat and hermouth went dry. What was it about the way the guy looked at her, made her react that way?
Like he sensed her apprehension, he walked over to where she sat, a dozen rings on display in front of her. He kept his eyes trained on her and like she had to decipher the look in his eyes, she held his gaze.
Ashok stopped a foot away and before she could say anything, he knelt in front of her chair and that made her heart somersault. He leaned close to her, filling her lungs with his musky cologne. “Pick a ring. It’s needed.”
She pressed her lips together and nodded. “Help me pick the ring.”
Ashok held her gaze for one more moment before looking away to talk to the staff. “My wife likes Rubies.”
The words made her stomach drop. She remembered her mother’s ruby ring she always wore. It was beautiful. She could still remember the ring’s unique design. Like she found a new interest in jewelry she smiled at the staff member. “Do you have any antique rings?”
Isha’s sudden interest in the item, sparked enthusiasm in everyone in the store. “Let’s show Mrs. Dev the antique Ruby collections,” the older man who escorted them from the parking lot said, looking rather happy.
An hour later, Isha was lost in hearing the stories about each and every one of the items, especially the vintage ones. Jewelry pieces that have been collected from all over the world and uniquely curated to be part of one set.
“Get all of them,” Ashok said, pointing to a seven-piece jewelry set with a ring, bracelet, earrings, two necklaces and a waist chain.
Shockingly for her, the idea of wearing them excited her but her realistic side kicked in. “Ashok, no that’s a lot and–”
He interrupted. “Give us a moment.”
With those words the staff that was helping them scurried away to give them the space as Ashok had asked.
Ashok looked at her for a long moment. “Just go with the flow.”
Isha wasn’t in agreement. “Why would I need all of these? I don’t wear jewelry and it would be such a waste of money.”
“You are not paying for this.” His tone was flat.
She shook her head. “Even if you are paying for it, it is wasteful.”
He took a step close to her and just like he had earlier, went down on his knee in front of her. He reached for the beautiful Ruby ring that was set on the table. “The family that is going to welcome you as their daughter-in-law is going to pay for this. It is part of the tradition that this happens.”
He slipped the ring on her finger and she could not take her eyes off the ring and something about that moment was striking. Him kneeling in front of her, the beautiful ring on her finger. Their eyes met and she froze when she felt a shudder pass through her.
Ashok held her hand and was moving closer.Was he going to kiss her?
