𝑆𝑎𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑆𝑦𝑚𝑝ℎ𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑒𝑠

CHAPTER 6

Manveer's POV

As today is Sunday, we're off to meet the girl my grandmother and aunt have chosen for me. Honestly, when I saw her photo, I was spellbound. She looked so innocent, her almond-shaped eyes enchanting. However, it turns out she's not as innocent as she looks. She's the most feared criminal lawyer in the country, handling high-profile cases as well as those of economically weaker people. Her parents passed away when she was 9, and her relatives didn't want to take responsibility for her. My private investigator did an impressive job, I must say.

"Manuuuu, chal late ho raha hai, mumma called." (Let's go, it's getting late.)

With that, we left for her house, curious about what destiny had in store for us. After half an hour, we arrived, and an old lady welcomed us—her Amma. I don't mind background checks; it's essential, and I'm sure she's done the same.

As we settled inside, a boy came running with a cute puppy, pleading to keep it. "Granny, can we please keep this puppy, pretty please?" he said, making a cute face.

"I don't know, ask your mother. You know she'll scold both of us if you get sick because of this puppy. For now, go and play with him in the garden and try to convince your mother. I have no problem with him." She said

The boy darted away without even noticing us. "I apologize on his behalf; he's just like this," her Amma said.

"It's okay, but who is he, and why does he call you granny? As far as we know, you only have one child, Vanya," my mother asked.

"He is my son," a calm yet fierce voice spoke from behind us. As we turned around, I was stunned to see her. Dressed in her formals , she looked cute yet like someone who would kill you without any remorse.

Sehej's POV
Uff, today is Sunday, and a family is coming to see me. Let's see if they stay or leave like others. Well, don't get me wrong; most people in society have a problem with me for two things: first, I'm an orphan, and second, I have a son, though adopted. But do I care? No. For me, my son, Amma, and the orphanage kids are enough. I don't even like the idea of marriage, but what can I say? My Amma has better convincing powers than me.

I quickly get ready as I have an important meeting in the office. Rushing to the breakfast table, I grab an apple and notice both Amma and Aditya staring at me with narrowed eyes.

"Sorry, guys, it's an important meeting," I say.

"But Mumma, at least have your breakfast properly," Aditya insists.

"No, bacha, I don't have time. I will eat something in the office today. And both of you, please be ready. After meeting the family, we will go out and enjoy the evening."

With that, I rush towards my car and head to my office. As the meeting ends, I see it's already 12. The family will be coming around 2, so I decide to do some work. I inquire about the family; they seem quite well-off—money, power, status—but that doesn't concern me. My main concern is whether they will accept Aditya. If not, they can leave as they came.

Manveer, the presumed groom, is a psychiatrist and owns chains of hospitals. His elder brother is a general surgeon, while two younger brothers are in the family business. After completing my work, I rush towards my car; it's already 1:55. I'm going to get scoldings today, that's for sure. Around 20 minutes later, I reach home and see Aditya playing in the garden with a puppy.

"Aditya!" I call out.

He comes running with the little puppy beside him. "Whose puppy is this, bacha?"

"Mumma, I found him in our garden. Can we please keep him? He's so little and cute. I promise I will take proper care of him and myself too," he says with a cute face, and the puppy copies his actions.

Looks like they're both attached to each other. "Okay, you can keep him, and we will take him to the vet today and bring all necessary things for him."

"Yayayay!" Aditya shouts, and the puppy barks happily.

"Now you both go and play. I need to see who has come to get rejected," I say, making a face.

"Mumma, I know you don't want to get married, but please give it a chance," Aditya says.

Well, he's more mature than his age. With that, I go inside and see a lady gently questioning Amma about Aditya.

"He is my son," I say in a calm yet dangerous voice.

With that, they turn around, and my eyes meet honey brown eyes staring at me. We both hold eye contact for a long time until Amma decides to break the silence.

"Sehej , first go and get freshened up. Then you can talk, okay?" she says.

"Ji, Amma."
After freshening up, I came down and greeted everyone. I'm aware of a gaze on me, but I'm ignoring it. "So, let's directly come to the conversation where we left off, right?" I said.

Amma tried to interrupt, but I firmly said, "No, Amma. First, I want to talk with them, and you promised me that you won't interrupt me."

"So, I am Sehej, yeah, just Sehej. My parents died when I was 9, and since then, Amma raised me. Secondly, I have a 12-year-old son whom you may have seen. I don't have any problem with the alliance if you accept Aditya. But if you can't, let's just not waste each other's time, and we can end it here only."

"We don't have any problem with that," an elderly lady spoke, seeming to be of Amma's age. Both the ladies agreed with her; I think one is the mother, and the second is his aunt.

"We will be delighted to have two members in our family and one more in our boys' team," his grandpa said, and his father and chachu had smiles on their faces, showing how genuinely they accepted him.

"Oh, yes! We will have one more member to play!" Twins  exclaimed.

I looked towards Manveer, and it seemed like he was deeply thinking about something. "I would like to talk to you alone if you're comfortable," he said.

"Yeah, sure. I don't have a problem," I replied.

With that, we both moved towards the terrace.