LIFE AS WE KNEW IT

SHOT 9

"Nilima, are the gifts ready?" Charan asked as he looked at his watch. He was hurrying everyone since morning.

Charan Acharya wasted no time in getting expensive gifts: jewels, fruits, chocolates, and whatever else took his fancy, to be taken to the Kashyap House to ask for their daughter's hand in marriage.

From what little he had heard from Ishaan Kashyap, he understood they were not after the Acharya fortune, unlike Priyanka's in-laws. That made their daughter a good bride for his precious son.

"Yes. But aren't we going a little overboard, Charan? We are just going to ask for their daughter's hand in marriage, not to plan the wedding. What if they reject the proposal?" Nilima asked, unsure about taking all the gifts along. Charan was overdoing it. He is simply going to make himself a fool at this rate.

"Reject? Why would they reject the Acharya heir? Could they find a better son-in-law than our son, Nilima? He is handsome, responsible, well-settled, humble, and compassionate, unlike some spoiled brats in our social circle. Above all that, he is not a bloody playboy. What more could they ask for in a groom for their daughter? He is perfect," Charan asked in disbelief.

Sathvik walked into the living room and stopped dead in his tracks, seeing the amount of gifts arranged in front of him.

"Dad? Mom?" He looked at his parents in absolute horror.

"Everything is set, Sathvik. Let's go," Charan said.

"Dad! Are you crazy? They would definitely think we are crazy if we walk into their home with all these," Sathvik said in horror.

"What is wrong with you two? Why would they think such a thing? This has been a tradition in Acharya marriage proposals for centuries, Sathvik. We are not going to change that now," Charan said, waving his hand and dismissing his wife's and son's worries as if they were silly things.

"But we are just going to ask for their daughter's hand in marriage. We are not going to plan the wedding," Sathvik said, trying to put some sense into his father's head.

"I don't believe in wasting time, Sathvik. As soon as they agree, we can proceed further. We can conduct the shagun ceremony rightaway" Charan said with a casual shrug of his shoulders.

"Dad, listen—" Sathvik tried to speak, but Charan wasn't having any of it.

"No, you listen, Sathvik. Let's not waste time. Come on, let's go," Charan said and walked out, instructing the maids to carry the gifts to the car.

Sathvik and Nilima shared a helpless look with each other.

"Sathee?" Came the sweet voice.

Sathvik looked down to see Muskaan grinning at him, holding something tightly in both her chubby little fists.

He picked her up in his arms and tickled her, making her a giggling mess.

"What have you got there?" He asked, looking at her tightly held fists.

Muskaan grinned and hid her hands behind her, making Sathvik more curious.

"Hiding from Mamu? Show me what it is!" Sathvik said and took her small hands in his.

He pried open her fists and saw a Hershey's Kiss chocolate in one fist and a dried fruit in the other.

"Where did you get this from?" He asked, chuckling.

"Mussy," she said adamantly, telling him that it's hers.

"Okay, but where did you get them from?" he asked again, and then it clicked.

"You bad girl. You stole it from the gifts," Sathvik said teasingly.

"Mussy no bad," she said adamantly, with an adorable angry pout on her face.

"Mussy bad. Mussy stole chocolates," Sathvik said in a baby voice, enjoying riling up the toddler.

Muskaan's lips curled down in an angry pout.

Sathvik chuckled as he took the chocolate from her hand and peeled open the aluminium foil.

"Who wants to eat chocolate?" Sathvik asked loudly, looking around.

"Mussy," Muskaan screamed, wanting to get her uncle's attention back on her.

"Aww, Mussy wants chocolate? Then give mamu a kissie," Sathvik asked, pointing to his cheeks.

Muskaan planted a loud, slobbery kiss on his stubbled cheeks and giggled as his whiskers tickled her skin.

Sathvik rubbed his cheeks against hers, earning another bout of giggles.

"Okay, open your mouth," Sathvik ordered, and Muskaan followed.

"Now let's go meet Devangana," Sathvik said cheerily.

"Debaa??" Muskaan asked with a squeal.

"Yes. Let's go meet your Debaa."

****

"We have to get the child," Kalki Malik seethed at her elder son.

"Priyanka specified in her will that the child should be looked after by the Acharyas, Mom," Raghuveer Malik said.

He was tired of his mother's machinations and manipulations. She had ruined his brother's life, and if he let her, she would ruin his life too.

What was the point of making an enemy out of the rich and powerful Acharyas? He was far out of their league, and even if he wanted to, he wouldn't be able to fight them.

"The Acharyas never once visited Priyanka or her child during the last three years. They don't deserve to raise her," Kalki argued.

"Mom, I think it is better to let the child grow up with her maternal family," Nirupa, Raghuveer's wife, said.

"You don't get to decide that," Kalki snapped at her daughter-in-law and angrily walked out of Raghuveer's house.

Raghuveer let out a sigh and sat next to Nirupa.

"Your mother is going to ruin everything. She ruined Rajveer's and Priyanka's life. If she hadn't interfered, manipulating Rajveer at every point in his life, they would have had a happy life," Nirupa said.

"What's the point in worrying about it now?" Raghuveer said.

"If I had even a slight idea of what your mother is like, I wouldn't have married you and come into this family," Nirupa said.

"Niru—"

"I am scared for our kids, Raghuveer. I am scared that she will ruin them. By making enemies out of the Acharyas, she will ruin our life too," Nirupa said.

"We won't let her ruin our life. Let's move away from here," Raghuveer said, and Nirupa was only too happy to get away from her evil mother-in-law.

A/N

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SF❤️