Khushi cowered against the door, wishing that it would open and save her from the fury advancing steadily towards her. 'What have I done now …', had barely slipped out of her lips, when she felt his vice-like punishing grip on her forearm. With one swift motion he dragged her across to the desk where the dossier lay open at her parents photograph.
'Yeh …' Khushi began asking what her parents photograph was doing on her desk, when his roar shut her up completely.
'WHAT IS THIS?' he thundered pointing at the picture.
'Wahi toh hum bhi pooch rahen…'
'ENOUGH', he cut her short again, 'answer me, dammit' he squeezed her forearm tighter making her wince.
'Yeh amma babuji aur Shya…'
'HOW DO YOU KNOW HIM?' with each word he pressed her arm harder, till Khushi felt her blood flow stop, and her arm go numb.
'Shyamji?' she asked looking up into Arav's eyes, thoroughly perplexed.
'ANSWER ME'… as the pressure increasing again, Khushi felt tears well up in her eyes.
'Why are you shouting?' she asked with apprehension.
"KHUSHI KUMARI GUPTA … you are getting married to this man?' Arnav ground out through clenched teeth, his tolerance running low.
'Hum???' Khushi looked from him to the picture again, wondering where he got that bizarre idea from.
'Why is my family's photograph with you?' she questioned suspiciously, a bit of her feisty attitude returning. 'What are you doing?' she added anxiously, not trusting him a bit. He was a ruthless businessman and she had see he had complete disregard for anyone and anything. Was he harming her family in any way?
'And you are hurting me,' she added spiritedly, trying to jerk herself free from his hold.
It was probably the tears that were his undoing. And he slackened his hold on her arm; staring at the bruises his fingers had left there.
'SIT', he ordered her in a dangerously low voice. She was dumped unceremoniously on his chair behind the desk. She put out her hands on the desk to steady herself, and her eyes fell on the text below the picture.
Suddenly Khushi decided that she preferred the shouting ASR to this quiet deadly one. At least she could shout back and stand up to that one. She had no idea how to deal with this one.
'But… I …' she looked unclear what to say to him. And why was he getting so worked up! Her marriage plans, to whomever, had nothing to with him, she thought rudely.
'This man here…' his finger poked the image of Shyam in the photograph, 'is living in your house in Lucknow, and is going to marry you …' he was again speaking to her as if she was a two year old.
'Haan… I just saw that … but what I want to know is what you are doing with photos and information about my family!' Khushi stated firmly, not letting him intimidate her. He had done enough already, and she was not going to let him get away with it this time.
'ANSWER ME, DAMMIT'… he barked
Khushi sank deeper into the chair muttering 'haan … toh?' with false bravado.
Arnav slammed his clenched fist on the table next to where she sat, making Khushi jump in the chair.
'This … man … is … my … brother-in-law,' he barely whispered softly, 'Di's husband'.
'Huh?' Khushi yelped, looking at him, as if she had heard wrong. 'Anjaliji…?' she started
'Now tell me … what is he doing in Lucknow in your house?
It took Khushi a few minutes to understand and register what he was saying. But how was that possible, she wondered, her mind ticking as it tried to remember all the instances that Shyamji had been there at Buaji's house …
'KHUSHI …' the low warning, brought Khushi's wandering thoughts back to him.
She blurted out how he had come to save her from the mobs after the news of her and Arnav had been leaked to the press, and ended with how he was now living as a paying guest with her parents.
'Where was he during Payal's wedding?' Arnav asked quietly, already knowing the answer to that.
'He had work and was traveling', Khushi told him, watching various emotions flitter across Arnav's face.
'And, your informant is wrong, I am not marrying him.' Khushi added defensively.
Arnav started at her for a few seconds, before turning and striding towards the windows where he stood with his back to her, staring out into the poolside. Something told Khushi that he was not admiring the scenic beauty of the place.
She waited, her apprehension mounting, and she went back to quietly flipping through the pages of the dossier in front of her. 'What was he doing with all that information about her and her family,' Khushi wondered, her fear mounting. 'And what was this about Shyamji being Anjaliji's husband?' Khushi rubbed her forearms as a chill passed through her. She silently called out to her devi mayyiya to protect them all.
Between anger at him from setting a detective behind them, to fear that he was going to harm her family in some way, it was finally the worry that Arnav was hurting that won, and Khushi slowly closed the file and got up to timidly walk towards him and offer some sort of solace.
She had barely made is around the desk, when he suddenly turned and glared at her.
'First, YOU have to be removed from the scene,' he told her accusingly. 'Then I will deal with that cheating son-of-a…'
'Removed…' Khushi squeaked, 'what do you mean, removed?' Hey devi mayyiya, now what?
'You will marry me.' He stated firmly as if he had worked out some sort of solution to the problem at hand … 'tomorrow, itself.'
Khushi could only stare at him with her mouth open as he walked across to the desk and slammed the offending dossier shut. He then gently made upright Di's fallen photo frame on the table, promising her that he would ensure that all would be well.
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
Geet - Hui Sabse Parayee
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