One Step Closer (IPKKND FF | Complete)

Chapter Five

There was an awkward silence amongst the guests and family as they noticed the groom's brother was absent from the wedding.

Perhaps it was a language comprehension issue, but NK was the only one who failed to grasp the situation.

"You have to put the garland on Payal-jee, not Nannav!"

The words sent a ripple of laughter through the room, but Khushi felt the knot of anxiety tighten again.

Akash-ji will not go through the ceremony if his brother is not present, and now Arnav-ji has gone missing, and Jiji is looking worried... oh no... It's all my fault... Without realising, Khushi started biting on her thumbnail as she always did when a situation got tense.

At that very minute, Arnav Singh Raizada appeared at the top of the stairs.

Immaculate as always, the very picture of a dashing businessman, he quickly descended the steps and took his place amongst the Raizada family, smoothly defusing the situation before it turned into anything more than a brief interlude.

"Bhai, sincere apologies I'm late, I had an urgent business call. Please, don't delay on my behalf, carry on," Arnav said in a low voice and gave Akash a brotherly pat on the shoulder, encouraging him to receive his garland and proceed with the ceremony.

Immensely relieved, Khushi stole a glance at the man whose efficient entrance had sent a murmur through the crowd, eliciting a few sighs from many of the ladies, unmarried and married alike.

No, he would not wear traditional clothing even on this occasion, Khushi noticed. But he had at least changed into a light linen suit, much more appropriate for the festivities than the black three-piece from earlier in the day.

And his bronzed skin looked distractingly good against the steely grey shirt... Khushi gulped and mentally berated herself, what was she even thinking!

Then her gaze immediately returned to his rugged face - his stern, familiar, handsome face, with those dark eyes that--

Just then Arnav-ji also looked at her, those dark eyes piercing right into her own.

Struck with a sudden bout of shyness given what she'd just been thinking, Khushi immediately lowered her gaze.

But Arnav kept staring, transfixed.

Khushi looked more beautiful than he could ever remember, locks of black hair cascading down her shoulders and framing her sweet face, with heavy kajal perfectly lining her almond eyes.

He swallowed hard, just catching a glimpse, a suggestion of the curve of her waist, barely visible through the layers of rich blue fabric. He wished he could be closer to her, to gently slide his fingers under the fabric, across that waist - tease out a shiver, maybe a sigh...

"Nannav, mere bhai! First you're late, and now you're stuck staring into space, come on bro!" NK's voice snapped Arnav back into the present moment.

"Are you thinking about work?" NK asked, shaking his head and clicking his tongue in exaggerated disapproval.

"Huh...? No, NK... I mean... oh nevermind," Arnav cast down his gaze, as his mind started racing again.

Taking in Khushi's presence had been like a breath of much-needed fresh air - it briefly soothed him, momentarily distracting from the shattering news he'd learned just minutes before rushing down to join the ceremony.

Now the immensity of the disaster Arnav Singh Raizada was facing came rushing back, slamming him with full force.

It had not been a business call.

Arnav was delayed from the ceremony because he'd received the requested bank statement reports from his ever-efficient Aman. The reports from one of Anjali's savings accounts that showed a long series of unusually large cash withdrawals over the past six months.

All in Shyam's name, so naturally the accountant would not have thought anything was amiss. But Shyam always said he never needed anything from Di, would never take anything. Orphaned from a young age, he wasn't wealthy, and that had never been an issue for the Raizada family when this charming man had started courting Anjali, swiftly winning over the hearts of everyone in the household.

Shyam wasn't poor, either - a respectable job as a lawyer had gained him enough to buy a perfectly decent house in one of Delhi's innumerable suburbs. It was no Shantivan, but Anjali had been over the moon to start her new household, although after a year there, Shyam's increasingly pressing work travels meant she spent so much time alone that Arnav eventually persuaded her to return home, "at least for a while".

Nothing he knew of their entire relationship, nothing he knew about his brother-in-law could explain why Shyam was slowly siphoning away Anjali's cash without anyone's knowledge. It was unlikely she would even notice, given the veritable wealth generated by her 50-percent share in AR, the design firm Arnav had named after the most important person in his life. Anjali Raizada.

Nothing would have explained this, but it fell perfectly in line with the devastating accusations from Khushi. He had hoped so much that Aman's report would reveal nothing, that it all would turn out to be just a crazy story... misunderstanding... somehow... that his sister's life would not be so devastatingly, irrefutably ruined.

Feeling sick to his stomach, Arnav watched his brother-in-law standing amongst the rest of his family just a few paces away. Standing right next to his beloved sister. To the woman this traitor had been lying to, pretending to worship.

Had he indeed never loved her? Was it all just an act? For money? Where did he really go when he made the excuse of work trips? Even if Khushi's entire story was true, where had Shyam been disappearing the years before?

It took all of Arnav's willpower to not grab Shyam by the collar and shake the truth out of him, right then and there.

Willpower and the silent promise he'd made to Khushi in response to her urgent plea just an hour earlier.

The wedding had to go smoothly. Everything else has to wait.

Arnav clenched his fists and tried to steady his breathing as his eyes went bloodshot from the searing hot anger he felt looking at Shyam's face.

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Thank you so much for reading!

Update schedule: one new chapter every Thursday.

Please, please vote & comment if you enjoy this journey! I'm always so excited to read your feedback!

Also, please kindly note that 'update soon' or 'too short' type comments won't result in any more updates than just one new chapter every Thursday - as much as I love writing this story, I do have a very busy day job.

Credits: The idea that AR is named after Anjali Raizada comes from the amazing phatisari, you can read about it here:  http://phati-sari.tumblr.com/post/158713486974/ar-stands-for-whose-name-arnav-raizada-or-anjali