Instrumental music played on as the lights flickered. Numerous glass bottles stood on the racks as a young bartender poured a drink to a lady in red and generously smiled back when she thanked him.
"Arjun, I'm so sorry I am late!" the man in an unbuttoned shirt said as he shook his hands with Arjun, already sitting there swiveling a hollow wide glass as another man entered.
"No problem ya mehul, you have a love life to take care of" Arjun said with a faint smile
"one scotch on the rocks please" Mehul explained to the bartended and enthusiastically continued while rolling his sleeves, "My love life? bhai teri toh shaadi ho gayi! aur kaisa chal raha hai? bhabhi and all"
"Lambi Kahani hai, sunega?" Arjun said taking the last sip of his drink and gesturing the bartender for more
_
"oh. my. god" Mehul said still in shock , his eyes unwavering and his mouth almost open
"you sound like natasha right now?" Arjun said amused as he took another sip
"You sound like a fucking fiction writer!" mehul said putting his hand on his head.
Arjun chuckled, "If i come out sane out of all this then I'll definitely write a book"
"I dont know about sanity but you're gonna have to hope that you don't come out of this broke!" Mehul said, shaking his head in disapproval.
"What? broke? are you stupid? We did all this for our merger and our stock prices! I mean the wedding news was skyrocketing them as of now !" Arjun said realizing that he couldn't comprehend all this before Diya told him, another branch of self doubt popped out, after all he was an MBA!
"I think there is more to this Arjun, I mean if she can marry you just for the stock prices and the money that she invested, then, uhh how do I explain it, you said she refused an annulment right?"
"yeah?"
"And you guys didn't sign a prenup also before the wedding right?"
"right?"
"She did mention divorce right?"
"yeah but what are you trying to say?!"
"Arjun! ALIMONY! divorce and alimony ruins big big people! She's waiting for it Arjun, for you mess up so she can apply for divorce on those grounds and then get a huge sum!"
Arjun did consider it for a moment but it somehow didn't feel right, "no no dude, she comes from a good family and she has a company of her ow-"
"Are you comparing her company to Goenka's? Arjun this girl can bring you on the roads overnight on any baseless grounds! if she can marry you for share prices then she can definitely divorce you at the cost of your house!!"
Just then Mehul's phone rung and he went out to get it leaving arjun in an alocoholic haze. Arjun was the reason she had a wound, could she ever use it against him? Would her parents intervene if she robs him of his wealth? What about his parents, his siblings, where would they go? His state of mental confusion was interrupted as Mehul decided to leave owing to some emergency.
"Listen, you still have 2 months, convince her for an annulment or make her sign a prenup" mehul had advised him
He walked to his car , he yawned as he took out his car keys when he suddenly felt like something had slipped. It was Diya's letter. The envelope somewhere and the letter somewhere else. He bent his neck behind in exhaustion and went to fetch the envelope and then the letter.
As he slowly scraped the little bit of dust on the letter, his eyes fell on the words
Dear Diya,
My wish was fulfilled, our plan was successful and we're very happy. I know you're going to handle every one and everything there. I know that the financial arrangements can only be made by my corporate sister and I'm leaving it upon you.
thanks for everything, i couldn't do this without you
lots of love
Meeta
Arjun was stunned.
our plan was successful , our plan? but Diya said she knew nothing about them thanks for everything, i couldn't do this without you that means Diya knew! I know that the financial arrangements can only be made by my corporate sister what financial arrangements can Meeta be talking about? Diya said that she wasn't even in touch with her, unless it was all a plan! - he thought to himself, suddenly Mehul's words rung in his head,
'divorce and alimony ruins big big people'
'if she can marry you for share prices then she can definitely divorce you at the cost of your house!!'
'She's waiting for it Arjun, for you mess up so she can apply for divorce on those grounds and then get a huge sum!'
He was suddenly in the state of mental chaos. he turned on the car and sped away hoping to not find any cops on the way.
-
"Mummyji I'm fine now look" Diya said as she sat on one of the chairs and rotated her foot. She had warmed up to her mother - in - law by now, but she couldn't give her the place of her mother so she resorted to calling her Mummyji. Diya was obviously alien to this bond of saas bahu, it was only something she had a peek at as a child when the ladies of her house watched them.
Arjun's mother nodded in disapproval, "No Diya beta, a week means a week, don't go around running about the house or out of the house" She said while pouring herself some water.
Things in the Goenka house were finally reaching to normalcy with the newest member, especially with Diya staying at home for the past 4 days and not having any escapade except for making conversation with the family members.
She had more to talk to her father in law other than the stock market and she had more people to talk to other than her father in law, even if she never wanted it, she did get the constant care and attention of her in laws, she wondered if it were because they were guilty of the fact that their son had intentionally or unintentionally caused the wound!
The door slammed as Arjun entered the house and placed his keys on the key holder next to the door, his mother noticed him. She was well aware of the distance between her son and his wife but had began to look for ways in which she could get them to converse even if it meant a fun banter!
"Arjun, look at what Diya is saying, she thinks she is fine-"
Arjun heard this yet walked away up the stairs straight to his room without responding to his mother. Diya smelled it, a faint almost indistinct smell of alcohol, after all she had a rather immemorial relationship with alcohol and her eye brows rose up.
"Arrey, what happened to him today? Arjun, Arjun" His mother called out.
Diya remembered the time Arjun had saved her ass, she did owe him one even as her brain pointed out the scores had been settled with her foot but she somehow ended up intervening.
"He must've had a tired day, mummyji" she said but felt uneasy almost immediately
Sumitra was happy that Diya had answerd for him, maybe they were trying to build an understanding. She decided to give them their space and asked Diya to go ahead and check on him. Diya complied even tho she didn't know what to check on, her grown adult son was just a little drunk, she didn't think there was any more to that. Yet with that bandaged foot of hers, she walked up normally, her foot was beginning to feel healed.