The Proposed Marriage

❥ Prologue

The train came to a standstill and she jerked forward. Her eyes flew open and the blurred images cleared while she rubbed her eyes a little more harshly than normal. Her wrists ached with the sudden movement and her eyes took in the purple bruises hidden under her long-sleeved t-shirt. Being vigilant, she quickly scanned the place to find any onlookers but luckily all were busy pulling their luggage out of the general compartment. The commotion of passengers made her peek out of the window.

'Mumbai'

"This is the last station" She heard a voice and turned towards the girl, whom she was sharing the seat with. She raised a brow incredulously. "This is where you're going right?"

She nodded hesitantly and crunched down to pick up her bag, an old black suitcase with withering edges that her cousin threw towards her to pack abruptly not long before 30 hours. She waited for the girl to walk and she silently followed her out.

"We part here, my silence-loving companion." The girl said dramatically and a small smile cracked on her lips. "I wish we meet again and you'll talk to me for more than a minute and three words at a time."

She nodded. "Bye," she muttered and the girl beamed.

"Bye! Have a great time here." The girl waved and turned to leave but stopped glancing back at her. "Listen."

Mahira looked up to find her watching with something close to care and empathy. 

"Ye Bambayi hain, Meri jaan." She laughed at her poor attempt at mimicry. "Never trust what you see or whom you meet. Everyone here is working for their own benefits."

Mahira frowned at the warning and nodded. "Thank you."

The girl waved and left in her own way.  

The reality of the place sunk into her shoulders and her lips stretched in a tight pout, eyes roaming all around to find a destination in this city which people kept warning her all her life. 

Busy? 

The word wouldn't be enough to describe the crowd of Mumbai Central. A man dressed in a Red uniform kept shouting at his other companions for heisting their potential clients, persuading other passengers to let them help. Others rolled their eyes at his constant complaints and worked their way around as if they knew the place like the back of their hands. The sellers call out for customers, people moving fast bumping, or either avoiding others with utmost precision.

One of the porters saw her, meeting her eyes and she quickly averted her gaze not wanting him to take it as a chance. She rolled her bag towards the stairs where most people were going, following them in the hope of finding the exit.

The humid air made her grimace, she could see taxi drivers flanking the passengers. Not wanting any of their attention she walked sneakily towards a far distance under a shade to avoid the burning sun. The people were crowding around what she could understand was a tea seller, others leisure around the stools set up enjoying their cups of morning elixir. 

She fished her phone out and dialed a number with shaky fingers.

"Why would you call me? Did I not tell you to forget us? Break your SIM and get a new one. Now." The voice gritted as soon as it connected. She flinched at the command "Never contact or think about coming back here. Do you understand?"

"Cherry..."

The line went dead. She stared at her screen, wanting to tell her where she was, wishing for her to ask if she was safe or not, wanting to answer her, but she didn't get a chance.

She contemplated if she should do what she was asked, more like ordered, and she breathed shakily. She looked around to see a mobile shop but found none, thinking of purchasing another one later. She ejected her SIM card and broke it in two, letting it fall to the ground.

The last tie to her was gone and now she held nothing of her previous life, Just her name.

Mahira Bose.

♡❥

With a predatory smirk, he walked inside the boardroom like the king of the world. His shoulders squared and his eyes stared straight into the soul of every man present in the room.

Some sat straight and some stealthily wiped the sweat drops away. They gulped visibly as he ascended his throne. The onyx eyes looked as dark as the devil's, though shielded with black-rimmed glasses that hid the facade of this man.

His hunger for fear and power was present in his eyes which roamed the room and gestured at one particular person who stood at the very second, understanding the unasked question.

This was the circle of his most trusted men, the only ones who knew who he was, and what he looked like. Yet the urge to intimidate them all made him smirk mirthfully. 

"It is done." His second-in-command stated as all the eyes flew to him. The question was dancing naked in other eyes but his. His smirk curved a little more. "They'll be here in the next 15 minutes to hand over the operations officially" The words were delivered to whom it was meant to and received an appreciating nod in response. 

"You deserve a raise, Omani." He stood up from his throne with his face breaking into satisfaction and shot a look at the same man who nodded in understanding. Just like he walked, he left making the four others relax in their seats.

He strode to his cabin door, which clicked open and he stepped inside. His black leather throne waiting for his arrival on the stage. He ascended the stairs and His fingers touched the heavy wooden desk filled with papers, files, and his Laptop.

He doffed his suit jacket and sat down. His fingers reached for the remote which brought the television screen to life.

"Cindy, Another huge takeover by ACME this year."

The news presenter gave him a professional smile and mild surprise. "Thrice in last 6 months. It's all under the leadership of one man.."

Her colleague cut her off with a sarcastic smile "Leadership? You might like to choose another word."

"You can't make vague statements Bob," She said calmly but her eyes shot warning glares. "No one has ever got any proof, So all we know is its intelligence, market understanding, and hard work."

A snarl came and went quickly on his face but he covered it with a nod and a sour face as he read the breaking news. "The billion-dollar Firm, ACME takes over Jones & Co. buying them out at 200% lower than their market value a month ago."

His jaw clenched and he muted the screen, ringing to his secretary, who came rushing inside his office.

She looked at her Boss who sat staring at the muted screen and she heaved a breath before dialing the channel CEO. "Mr. Carter?"

"Yes, You are speaking to Jonathan Carter."

"I am Zara Zaidi, from the ACME group. I am calling on behalf of...." Her words were cut off by a disbelieving gulp.

"The Rajveer Malik?"

Do tell me your views on this part. The story starts soon.