Frozen Desires-An Arshi FF- Chapter 13 Updated - ON HOLD

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"Khushiji, aap theek hai?"

Khushi opened her eyes to the sound of a familiar voice only to witness a dozen eyes surrounding her.

"Anjali ji, hum...aah" she tried getting up, but a shooting pain at the back of her head prevented her from making any movement.

"She will be fine now. Give her these medicines on time and ensure she takes her meals properly." The doctor smiled at her saying, "And please let her rest now."

"Sure doctor", then turning towards her brother, she said "Chote, tum Khushiji ka..."

"Don't worry di." he said, cutting her words in the middle.

Everyone cleared their room, leaving Khushi lying alone on the bed. She chided herself thinking of everything that just happened.

Samrat! Hey devi maiya. What he must be thinking. I need to call him and explain everything. Where is my mobile! I hadn't even packed any of my clothes. Uff...as if I knew I will get married so soon.

"Looking for something?" she turned to find Arnav leaning against the door in his coolly maintained posture, with his arms crossed across his chest.

"YOU! All this is happening is because of you, Mr. Raizada!" she accused him, fury ablaze in her eyes, "why did you pick me? Didn't you know I am a taken woman? That I belong to someone else!"

"Yes you are taken", he said with his famous smirk playing on his lips, "taken by me ... waise bhi, agar tumhe itna aetraaj tha, then why did you agree? Bolo, answer me"

"I did it for my amma-babuji" She said, pointing her finger towards him, "and that's not the answer to my question"

"Really Khushi?" he chuckled, walking closer towards her, "Samrat brought a shame to my family by helping Tanya run away from the marriage." He entangled her raised finger into his, "This is my answer to him, what better than depriving him of the most precious person in his life"

He kept moving closer to her and Khushi kept moving backwards, until she was completely cornered by him on the wall near the dressing table of their room.

"You see, it was a tit for tat. Do you understand it now?" he asked raising his one eye-brow, his breath fanning over her forehead

"Nahi Arnavji, I don't understand. Samjhaiye hamein. Why am I being sandwiched between two friends? And besides my Samrat would never do such a thing. Even if he did, I am sure he had his reasons." She said confidently.

"And I had mine. Discussion over"

"This is not your office Arnavji. You think marriage is a game?" she raised her voice, "So be it, I don't care either. Tomorrow morning I am meeting Samrat and we are going to find a solution to this arrangement of ours"

"To hell with your loverboy! And I don't intend to keep you with me forever either. We will file for a divorce tomorrow itself and you will be free from this marriage after six months. Nobody knows about Samrat here and don't you dare do anything for the next six months"

"Try me!" She barked. "Like I said, you are in for a surprise Mr. Raizada"

"Don't sound so confident Khushi. You will do no such thing. You are my wife and you will behave like one in front of my family.

"I refuse to listen to the person who uses his wife as a scapegoat..."

A mystic smile spread on his lips. "So you consider yourself as my wife haan?"

"And I hate people who overplay my words" she said in an audible whisper, as she tried to dash outside their room, just when Arnav caught her by her arm.

"Where do you think you are going Khushi Kumari Gupta?"

"...Singh Raizada" she jerked her arm free from his grip while pointing towards the mangalsutra adorning her neck, "I need to take my medicines Arnavji" she said as she rushed towards the door, stopping just for a fraction of second to take a quick look at her husband, "Besides I can't stay in your room for a minute longer." She exclaimed, making her way out.

"What the" Arnav muttered to himself, as he went behind Khushi.

As expected Mrs Khushi Kumari Gupta Singh Raizada went to the kitchen and started making jalebi's for herself. Nani and Anjali who were talking in the living room, were surprised to see her in the kitchen so late in the night.

"Arre Khushi bitiya, aap aise jalebi..? Itni raat ko?" Nani looked at her in concern.

Just then they spotted Arnav coming down the stairs.

"Khushiji , sab theek to hai na? Chote ne kuch kaha aapse?" Anjali asked her raising an eye towards her brother.

"Nahi nahi Anjaliji, wo aapke chote ne hame apne aur Lavanya ki pyaar bhari daastaan suna kar dukhi kar diya na. That's why I wanted to have jalebi's. Nothing else" she said, flashing her sarcastic smile to Arnav, who was trying to suppress a grin.

"Khushi, take your medicine and come to my room"

"My nahi chote, it's her room also now. Or did you forget that you got married to her today?" Anjali giggled at him. She always liked Khushi and wanted her as his brother's bride.

"Whatever di" he said, and went back to his room.

After taking her own sweet time, Khushi had her medicines & took a handful of jalebi's and headed towards her bedroom, silently hoping that her laad governor should be sleeping by now. On reaching the room, she found only a bedside lamp glowing and Arnav was dozing off on one side of the king-size bed.

But sleep was the last thing on Khushi's mind. She made her way towards the poolside and sat at the edge, dunking her feet into the warm water. The beautiful star-studded sky seemed to be celebrating her wedding night. She sighed, as she looked up to the two brightest stars she had come to address as her ma-babuji. If only they were alive! She thought to herself, allowing he mind to drift back to the proceedings of the day.

Flashback

"Khushi, I cannot find Lavanya. Please go to her room and check whether she is ready or not. The priest is summoning for the bride"

"Yes Chachi, don't worry. Hum fatafat Lavanya ko lekar aate hai" She smiled in her chirpy voice, as she made her way upstairs to the bride's room.

"Preeto, have you seen Lavanya?"

"No Khushi," Preeto fumbled looking for words, "I tried calling her. Even her mobile is here on the bed."

"What? But I was with her sometime back" Khushi gasped as she realized the gravity of the situation. Everyone was waiting downstairs. Her relatives, Tanya's parents...

The news of the missing bride is surely not gonna go down smoothly. We will have to do so much of damage control. But where the hell is Lavanya. Hey Devi Maiya, please take care of her. I hope she is fine.

***

As the situation came to light, Anjali was the first to come back to her senses.

"What happened has happened Chote. We cannot let this news reach the guests."

"Di, stop fretting. Mujhe mehmaano ki nahi aapki chinta hai! Waise bhi you know I don't believe in marriage. And what has happened has firmed this belief..." A phone ring interrupted Arnav and he gladly excused himself away from the family drama going on.

"You are right Anjali bitiya. It's a question of our prestige. Hum pahle hi kahat rahe hai, ee middle class family mein Arnav bitwa ka rishta mut karo. Par hamri sunta kaun hai. Hello hi bye bye" Mami scorned, despising the fact that her neighbor Savita would taunt on her in their next kitty party.

"Ma, I agree that this will bring a bad name for our family. Especially the media will not leave any stone unturned in showing AR Designs in an ugly light. But what can we do about it? We do not have enough time to search Lavanya now." Said Akash, wondering.

"Nahi Akash. That girl has ditched us. But yes, we need Chote to get married right now, in this very mandap" exclaimed Anjali, knowing fully well, that if not now, then her dream of seeing her Chotte married, will remain a dream.

"Manormaji, we are really ashamed..." Lavanya's father came forward to them, "We never imagined such a situation to happen. Please forgive us" he exclaimed, joining his hands in front of them.

"Uncle, we cannot undo what has happened. But we have decided the marriage is not gonna stop. We need a wife for our Chote and you are going to help us in that." Anjali came forward.

"As you wish Anjali Bitiya! I will call all the marriageable girls in my relations. You can choose whoever you want for your brother" He then nudged his wife to arrange for the same and went from there.

***

"Khushi, go call all your friends and cousins." The news of a new bride-hunt soon spread amongst the girl's side like fire in forest. Everyone wanted their daughter to become the bahu of the wealthy Raizada family.

"Ji amma...but what is going on?" asked Khushi, oblivious of her surroundings.

"The groom is going to select his bride from amongst Tanya's friends and cousins"

"You are kidding right?" Khushi chuckled, "Huh, so we have to put up a swayamvar for the royal prince?" she laughed at her own words, but quickly became quiet seeing the forlorn faces of her family members.

"But di, this is blind unreason. I don't think Bhai will ever agree to this." Akash raised his concern on the whole situation, while they were walking towards the hall where Tanya's father had summoned them.

"Khushi Kumari Gupta" the voice alone was enough to hush everyone in the hall "Get ready for your wedding"

"Chotte..., is this the way to ask a girl's consent...?" But before she could say anything, Arnav cut her.

"Please di. She would be doing a mental dance after knowing that I have picked her. The richness and glamor that comes with being ASR's wife, she could never have it even in her dreams."

Flashback ends

Yes, Arnavji was right. She reminisced. I agreed to get married to him; because at that moment, my love appeared miniscule in front of the hapless parents of Tanya, who were just ready to do anything to save their reputation. I was too benumbed to react.

But that doesn't mean I am going to put up with this laad governor's tantrums. It is gonna take two to play the game. I will show him the real Khushi Kumari Gupta Singh Raizada. Brace yourself for the next six months of your life Mr. Raizada.

With these thoughts interplaying in her mind, she got up from the poolside munching the last piece of jalebi as her face shone with a hint of determination.

Click here for Chapter 2

Guys, let me know. Should I continue??? 😲