Silence engulfed the room, no one dared to utter a single word. There were no sounds coming from the room that the men currently occupied, you could hear a pin drop. The gentlemen that were sat in their designer suits shared a non-verbal exchange, mutually agreeing that it'd be in their best interest to not get involved. However, the extreme quiet that plagued the room isn't something that anyone deciphered as a good sign, chaos was bound to transpire.
Harsh stared at his son in an unaffected manner, almost challenging him to go ballistic.
The tranquility in Aditya's eyes led anyone to believe that his composure remained intact, it seemed as if he were just grappling with the situation.
That is until he violently slammed his hand against the desk in front of him, abruptly getting up with pure venom laced in his eyes. "Bullshit! What kind of sick joke is this, huh? You'll force me to get married, just like that? In case you've forgotten Mr Hooda, I'm an adult. By law I get to make my own decisions, you don't have that right anymore. Understood?!"
Harsh never took disrespect lightly so for the men that were surrounding him to glance at him as if his son suddenly obtained far more sovereignty than him, annoyed him to his core. "And let me remind you that I am still the boss, your boss, dammit! I decide what happens to this company, you are nothing compared to me, son. If you wish to continue your role as the performing CEO of Hooda Industries then you will agree to this marriage. Otherwise, pack your things and get lost."
Aditya scoffed, expecting anything less than his father's response would've been insane. "How can you just get me married to some random girl and that too, over a business deal?"
One of the men that was situated across from Aditya cleared his throat, "Sorry to interrupt Sir.... but the board's purpose is to ensure the company's prosperity and to direct the company's affairs which you already know includes meeting the appropriate interests of its shareholders and business partners."
Arjun knew his brother well enough to see that he was going to explode on the innocent man so he placed a comforting hand on his brother's shoulder and asked the question that troubled both the siblings, "Yes we get that. Although, what we can't pinpoint is why do we need this merger? Our business revenue is better than anyone else's and each of our deals have been successful to this date. Mergers only happen when companies are on the verge of bankruptcy, we aren't. Diamond Enterprises sure as hell isn't either. What is this nonsense then?"
The man nodded, "That is true, however; it is not always the case. Companies seek mergers to gain access to a larger market and customer base. Diamond Enterprises are quite popular and have a huge following of committed supporters. This will reduce competition and bring in lots of profit, considering the fact that the two biggest companies in the world are going to be conjoined."
Aditya chuckled bitterly, "Where does this goddamn marriage come in then if our focus is the companies?"
Harsh drew in a breath, "Was I not clear when I said that Mr Siddiqui and I decided on the matter to solidify the deal and to showcase to the world that this isn't just a merger for profit, we truly are unifying our families."
He angrily ran a hand through his hair, not believing the dramatic turn his life took out of nowhere.
Even after witnessing this, his father continued, adding more fuel to the fire that ignited inside his son. "Correct me if I'm wrong but aren't you the one who loves to say that you'd do anything for this business? I've been told that you crafted it into your own empire after I stepped down, is that all a lie? Because here you are, backing down when push comes to shove. I always feared that you wouldn't care about this company as much as I did. I'm truly disappointed in you, son."
Arjun furrowed his eyebrows at Harsh's words. He witnessed firsthand the multiple hours Aditya put in to work on perfecting details for meetings, producing proposals that left fellow business tycoons in a state of admiration and jealousy for not thinking about it first, the numerous sleepless nights, and so on. This company may have been started by his father but it reached milestones and unbelievable accomplishments because of Aditya Hooda.
"Dad, Bhai is the soul of this company, wh-"
His father cut him off, "Then why is he hell-bent on becoming the reason for its destruction?"
"What do you mean? If he refuses to marry Mr Siddiqui's daughter, how will that do anything? The merger will still happen, won't it?" Arjun inquired.
Harsh shook his head, "I've given him my word and when you don't keep your word, you lose your credibility. Staying true to what you've promised is the most important thing in the world. Mr Siddiqui has put his trust in me and I will not let him down."
Aditya was well aware that being a man of your word was essential but to hear his father — the most hypocritical man on this planet — state that phrase, made him want to laugh at the irony of this whole situation. "Mr Hooda, it'd be better if you don't speak about a man and his vows."
"Aditya, you and your rubbish!" Harsh replied. "Will you treat your wife like this?"
In all of this nonsense, he completely forgot about the woman in question. Nonetheless, hearing his father refer to her as his wife caused his blood to boil. "She's not my freaking wife."
Harsh nodded, "Ah, yes. Although she may not be your wife at this exact moment, it is only a matter of time."
"Has she said yes?" Arjun asked, awry over his father's confidence.
Harsh threw his leg on top of the other, leaning back into his chair as if they weren't having a serious conversation. "Not all parents have disobedient kids, Waseem will convince her, I'm sure of it. And let's be real here my children, it's not like she has a choice. We will do what's best for the business."
"So it is settled, " Harsh continued. "End this meeting."
The men scurried out in record breaking speed, trying their hardest to avoid Aditya's wrath who watched his father leave the office with a mocking and satisfied grin on his face.
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Zoya tapped the pen against her desk in a rhythmic pattern as she skimmed through the words on the document sitting in front of her.
Her job was to look for any loopholes in contracts that were given to them by other companies, oversee the terms and conditions, handle lawsuits, file cases against firms that have failed to uphold their parts of the deal, and simply just utilize her legal skills.
She studied Criminology and Legal Studies in University because there was a part of her that had been intrigued by the many layers of law and she saw herself fighting for people's rights, bringing them justice along with a new reason to live. Anyone who knew Zoya knew that she loved helping anyone she could, her selflessness is what separated her from most.
However, after she completed her studies, her father thought her abilities would be better deployed at his company and she agreed without any hesitation since it was her Abbu that asked and she could never disappoint him.
He trusted her to run the Legal Department all on her own and she did her job with perfection, never leaving any room for complaints.
"Ma'am," her assistant, Aakansha, called out, bringing her back to reality.
Zoya directed her attention towards the woman in front of her, motioning her to continue.
She held up a light blue file in her hands, "Mr Siddiqui's office is locked. I've been told by the secretary that he went home already since he had no meetings for the remainder of the day. This file had been left at the front office by someone and they strictly stated that it was confidential and must be given to the boss only."
She nodded, wondering what kind of secrecy the file contained that it had to be delivered to her father's hands, no one else's. "You can place it on my desk, I will give it to him when I'm home. Thank you."
With that, the cheerful and bubbly woman bid her goodbye as she left the office, excitedly returning to the plate of gulab jamun that eagerly awaited her on her own desk.
Zoya chuckled at her antics and stared at the file. Surely her father wouldn't mind if she took a look. Usually all the files ended up making their way to her office anyway to be thoroughly analyzed, she might as well get a headstart.
Reaching over, she grabbed the file and flipped through it. The first few lines were standard information of the policies that each company incorporated into their documents but the further she skimmed, the more puzzled she became.
These papers weren't centralized for a normal business deal which is why nothing made sense until she went to the next page.
Six bold letters stared back at her causing Zoya to furrow her eyebrows in confusion.
"Merger?" She whispered to herself.
Her father never mentioned a merger to her so what was this all about? She convinced herself that this file must've been delivered to the wrong firm, things like this unfortunately were a normal occurrence.
She was about to call for Aakansha to take it away but stopped herself. Maybe she should ask her father herself, instead of jumping to conclusions or throwing the file out. Only he knew whether or not the words within the folder held merit or were fallacious.
──────────
She reached home feeling nervous, she didn't know what had gotten into her. Her father knew best and if the news about the merger were indeed true, he must've given it deep thought before reaching that decision.
"Zoya, you're finally home! Beta, you work too much, I've been waiting for you to come home since 8 pm and it's already midnight. I was worried sick, you know I can't handle stress at this old age," Her mom pulled her into a hug, "Waseem, stop giving her so much to do!" She turned to glare at her husband who watched the women in front of him with admiration.
"Ammi, this isn't Abbu's fault, I choose to take on this much workload and I've told you to stop worrying about me, I'm always fine. And who says you're old, Ammi? You're as young as the day Abbu married you." Zoya laughed, grabbing her mother's shoulders to direct her attention towards the photo of her parent's wedding day that hung in the living room.
Waseem laughed, "See how knowledgeable my Zoya is, Allah has given me such a wonderful daughter."
They heard a gasp behind them, "Abbu! This isn't fair, am I not your favourite?" Noor, Zoya's younger sister, asked, whining.
Their mother laughed, "Look what you've gotten yourself into."
Waseem shook his head smiling, "When did I say that? You're both my pride and joy. I am beyond lucky to be blessed with daughters who have a heart of gold. The two of you are my diamonds, why do you think the company is named that? Hmm." He asked.
"Abbu, my name is Kohinoor. I'm already a diamond but Aapi isn't." She joked, sticking her tongue out at Zoya.
"Haw, now I definitely won't spare you Noor!" Zoya said, getting up to attack her younger sister when her mother stopped them.
"You two will always be children by heart." She laughed.
──────────
Zoya heard her parents discussing what seemed like an important topic, they were visibly concerned over a matter. The closer she got to her father's study, the clearer the muffled voices became.
She doesn't condone snooping but when her curiosity gets the best of her, she cannot help it. Zoya pressed her ear to the door, listening.
"Roshnaq, this deal won't just benefit Diamond Enterprises. Our Zoya will get married to a respectable young man who will keep her happy, Harsh and I have given each other our word. I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't trust him." Her father said.
Marriage? What the hell.
"Are you sure Waseem? This is a big decision." Roshnaq worridely asked, not wanting to jeopardize her daughter's happiness.
"I am more than sure, Zoya will marry him and our companies will be one. It's a match ma-"
He was interrupted by the door opening, revealing a distraught and upset Zoya.
"Abbu... what are you talking about?!" She exclaimed, hoping she heard it all wrong. The questions relating to the merger in her mind began to dissolve into the sound of her heart breaking.
————
A/N: I'm not sure if anyone is even reading this story but I'm not going to abandon it. There's a lot I have planned and I'm excited to keep on updating. Zoya has made an appearance and even learnt the truth! Let's see how she reacts to this entire situation and what Aditya will do after that meeting with his father. Please comment, vote, and share your thoughts.
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