Simran

******

"I will never, ever marry you. You believe you could make me do whatever you want? Too bad you can't."

If someone had told me a marriage proposal from Kiaan Chauhan would come for me three years ago, I would have been the happiest, would have felt on top of the world, and would have been blushing and giggling like those love-struck girls in romantic movies. But he killed that girl, crushed her feelings. Not only that, but a lot happened in the past few years that had transformed me into someone unrecognizable. I never regret ever having feelings for someone like him, but I feel terrible that I could not save the girl I was when her heart was torn apart like it was not an integral part of me, but rather something insignificant.

Kiaan and I were standing too close, very much to my liking. Even after all he did, the proximity affected me in ways it should not, and I was desperate to leave. He was my first and only crush, the only man for whom I developed feelings. Earlier I was unconscious of the real him, but now I knew who he was. He still looked as handsome as before, even more than before; he still was overprotective of his family; he still possessed all the charms I fell for. Yet, I could never forget the devil in him he had me see, the real him. I could never forget how he mocked the existence of my feelings and my existence, too.

With all the truth already known to me, I could not be with him in the same space; in fact, I did not prefer sharing the same air as him and wanted all the shit to end soon. Hence, I took matters into my own hands and had broken his illusion of me ever accepting the proposal. However, he stayed quiet, like he was calculating his next move.

To leave no room for any misunderstanding and to make my intentions clearer than crystal, I said, "I am going out and will tell your father that I don't agree to this proposal."

Something in me said Uncle would listen to me and would acknowledge it. I might not tell him the truth about his son, about how devious and villainous he was, and how he did not deserve me or any other woman, as a matter of fact, but I was going to make my point of not marrying Kiaan undeniable. It was not negotiable for me, and if needed, I was going to put it bluntly.

Ever since Uncle and Dad left us in the room, I had not once looked at Kiaan, and I did not even intend to. He did not deserve me looking at him as we talked. As I was about to walk out, I heard him say, "Brave of you to even think that you have a choice."

I locked my teeth together in fury. He was doing it again, playing his mind games, displaying his dominance, reminding me how powerful he was and how defenseless I was, just like before. That truth was something that had not been changed yet, not sure if it would ever be. To become as mighty as Kiaan Chauhan, one has to perform unhinged, bloody deeds, and I was not someone who would ever think of doing it. I had blood on my hands accidentally, which I was still regretting, and will bear the burden of it throughout my life. But he bathed in blood daily and willingly. He wore blood on his armor as an honor to scare his opponent.

I felt him come closer, could feel the air shifting, the space of the room turning more compact, and there was not much room for me to breathe.

Though there was still some distance between us, the shadow cast on the floor, illuminated by the moonlight coming in from one of the open windows, portrayed a picture of us glued to each other. It seemed as though we were two interlocking sculptures, molded into each other's curves, unable to pull apart. However, the reality was not as artistic as the shadow seemed.

"Say yes. Give me your consent and we get married in a month." His voice was low, yet it did not lose an inch of authoritativeness.

A month?

I scoffed internally.

I would never agree to marry him in a millennium. He was being delusional to think I would agree to marry him.

But truth be told, I realized instantly that it was me being delusional because my opponent was not some man with sane thoughts and beliefs. Knowing his capability, I knew if I stayed a second longer, he would eventually make me agree to the proposal. To think I would have to marry someone like him had me gulping in fear. I felt my insides clenching in unease. I was not sure what he benefited from this proposal because, as far as his family was concerned, he had greater means to protect them and to silence those hampering their peace. There was no way he, out of everyone, needed an absurd proposal to keep everyone around him safe. All of those realizations only accounted for one conclusion — an ulterior motive. He sure had a hidden, sinister agenda behind it, a scheme which was covered in blood. And I would never go a foot closer to blood, not in my sane mind.

"Don't make things hard for yourself, firefly." His voice grew huskier, but the intent was too cold, just like that of a cold-blooded murderer. Some disturbing images of the past flashed right in front of my eyes, and I shut my eyes instantly, not wanting to remember it at all. My hands curled into fists as I tried to compose myself. Around him, I had to be careful. Even though I hated him, he was still someone too dangerous, too powerful, and I had to be cautious and not jump the gun for my own sake.

"I can choose the hard way too, but you would not like it." His voice was turning into a whisper. The proximity between us was decreasing, and so was the room closing in. It felt like I was in a space smaller than a lift. I knew if I turned to him, there was no way I would not collide with him.

He said something about giving me a choice to choose the easy way. I would have laughed at his statement if his velvety voice and his inescapable presence were not doing weird things to me, causing the deeply buried emotions to feel alive again. He was reviving something I would never be ready for. Kiaan's ways were always the hardest for others and never easy, so him giving me an easy pass did not settle well with me. For someone who loved creating a ruckus, he sounded too calm.

Why was he doing it?

What did he want?

I could have asked, but Kiaan Chauhan never answered questions that gave too much of his truth away. He always made sure he had the leverage, while the others did not. There was no way he simply agreed to this weird proposal and did not have any leverage against the woman trying to harm his and his family's reputation.

I felt his presence closing in again this time. The fabric of his smooth blazer brushed over my bare back, causing me to shiver and stay still in my place. I felt the bow knot of my dress moving on its own. The more it moved, the more shivers ran all around my body, causing goosebumps to awaken. My heartbeats drummed faster, harder, my heart preparing to explode any moment.

"Stop it." I gritted my teeth. As I tried to move, he pushed a chair in front of me with his right leg, trapping me between his front and now that chair.

The bow continued to glide on my bare waist, and I realized it was not moving; he was tracing the edges of the bow, causing its movements. The only barrier between his finger and my skin was the bow.

He was acting differently for someone who had made my life hell till now, for someone who abhorred my existence.

"You hate me, remember?" My voice sounded like a whisper. It was ridiculous to believe it could have sounded like a moan if I had not lowered my pitch. He was tormenting me, awakening what I had burnt three years ago because of him. I was not going to let him do it.

"My hate has nothing to do with this marriage." His lips hovered over my hair. That was when I lost it and pushed the chair for it to fall with a thud before walking ahead and creating a huge gap between us. He was trying to use my deep, dead feelings for him to make me agree with him. The thought that he could stoop to that level to hurt me clouded my eyes, yet I did not turn to him. I was not going to give him the leverage to look at the vulnerable me and feel triumphant. If needed, I was ready to scream.

"You are being ridiculous."

"Say yes." He sounded angry. Of course, he would be. Kiaan Chauhan hates it when things don't go his way. And at that moment, the ball was not in his court.

"No...I will never marry you, not now, not even in my craziest nightmares, and... I am telling the same to both of our fathers." With that resolute, assertive statement, I walked to the closed door. I held the handle and was about to twist it down when all it took was two words to freeze me in place, to erupt a chaos inside of me I was not prepared for.

"Byrol Paine..."

My lips parted in a gasp at the name. A few days ago, I received Byrol's bloodied tie from my stalker, and the beast knew something about Byrol.

What if he knew I went after him at his party?

Does he know I was at his party?

I knew something terrible had happened with Byrol after I received the tie, but what if the beast knew it too and would frame me for it?

Kiaan stayed silent after he awakened chaos so big this time that I had no idea how to calm it down. I was deep-rooted in my place, with my back turned to him, and I felt he was there where I had left him. But he chose not to say anything about Byrol anymore, about what he knew and what he did not. For those who would have never met him before, they would surely think he was only baiting me using Byrol's name. But someone who had his heart broken by this man, soul crushed because of him, knew when it came to power plays, there was no level he had not crossed or explored.

I was entirely at the mercy of the beast.

"There is no if, or other alternative for this, firefly." He broke the silence, fear causing my senses to flicker and my body to tremble slightly.

"We are getting married with or without your consent. I am simply giving you a choice of whether you will proceed with consent or without it. Any which way, it's happening, and whether you choose an easy path or the hard one is up to you. Time is of the essence. The sooner you agree, the better."

If I said yes, it meant losing my freedom, and if I simply walked out of the room, he would use it as an opportunity to tarnish my already targeted image. This time, it would be worse. Who would have thought catching feelings for a beast would cost me everything—my heart, soul, and this time, my freedom, too?

******

Kiaan

******

I was at my most hated place, my family home that belonged to my maternal grandfather, Dharmesh Kapoor. He lived there with my parents, Ashok Chauhan and Smita Chauhan. To say I did not prefer being around them would be a lie. The truth was, I counted the black beads of the bracelet tied around my right wrist thousands of times to keep my cool and not go berserk at the mere sight of them.

The only reason I was there was because of the facade I was still wearing because of Dhriti, my cousin, and Saavi, who was my sister-in-law, and wife of Dhruv, Dhriti's twin brother. But this facade was wearing off, melting away because of the acid-like smiling faces of my parents and my grandfather.

We were all seated around the dining table, already diving into the dessert after finishing the dinner Saavi had prepared for us. Once in a while, we all have a joint dinner at our family home. Generally, it would be my mother or Dhruv who prepared dinner, but this time, Saavi insisted she wanted to. I called Saavi Cupcake as an endearment and also to tease Dhruv. I did not plan on attending the dinner, to be honest. A beast could only wear the facade for so long, and it was time I pulled it off, but then it would hamper my plan in fruition; the plan which required trapping a firefly in the cage where she would not light up for the world anymore.

"These men hijacked my dinner," Cupcake complained, pointing at me, Dhruv, who was sitting beside her, and my father. I shook my head at her innocent antics while everybody laughed, causing her to frown. She wanted to bear the burden of doing everything alone, which was to prepare dinner for everyone and serve them all alone without any help. Too bad, neither of us let her do that alone. While Dhruv made sure to help her in the kitchen, even after receiving several sweet threats from her, my father and I made sure she was hydrated the entire time she was cooking. And the ones who served dinner were not her, but the three of us, making her sulk like a child.

Namit and Dhriti had arrived late, citing that Namit had a meeting that caused their delay; otherwise, they would have joined hands with us, too. Namit had lied, though. I knew the reason behind the delay was not any meeting, but his stubbornness to let his wife rest a bit more before they could come here. Even when I knew what it was all about, I chose to stay silent, for that's what my sister wanted too.

"Come on, guys, let's finish the dessert fast. This better not take two weeks."

My father, the embodiment of kindness for others, spoke up. Ashok Chauhan was a great man, a decent human being, and an inspiring leader, but he could not become an available parent. He put in efforts to achieve unachievable goals and fulfilled every need of others except for that of his son. While he pretended to forget the past because of the facade I was wearing, I knew it kept him alive some nights while he remembered about his failure, his shortcomings, and the reason that made him so overprotective of Dhriti and Saavi.

"What's in two weeks?" Dhriti, as expected, picked up my father's words before everyone else, raising curiosity in others, too.

My father, as he told me, eventually brought up the discussion that was needed. Now that he did, it was better to get it over with soon. He was going to drop the news of the wedding in front of everyone, and my attention was on my phone, expecting a text from her, the little timid, silly fireball who thought she ever stood a chance to win against me.

Yesterday night, after she left the room, she agreed to the wedding but did not consent to me. She did give her consent but to my father and not me. If she thought she could rebel as she wished, she was wrong. She needed to be taught a lesson, and I had tons of time and even permission for it now. Not that not having a permit would have stopped me from teaching her a life-changing lesson, anyway.

"Your brother's wedding is in two weeks. We have a lot to prepare." My father said jubilantly. His happiness was not a lie. He sincerely wanted me to get hitched, thinking it would lessen the effect of what he did. But nothing would ever reverse it or lessen the impact of it. I had to carry the weight of it on my shoulders throughout my life, and I was going to make sure everyone involved got to know about it, starting with her, the woman whose pulse I needed to control.

"Does he even know that?"

"Stop bluffing."

"I wish this was true."

Namit asked a ridiculous question while Dhruv told my father not to bluff, and Cupcake, on the other hand, felt upset and wondered if it was true. Those reactions were expected from the three. My sister stayed silent though, her eyes trained on me now. I knew she would do that. She wanted to judge my expression. Though no one could read it, I was going to give the truth away from my expression just this one time for her happiness.

"Ashok, do you expect us to believe you? For a moment, I can believe aliens have invaded Earth, but not this." My mother stated. My mother, the woman who gave me birth, the woman everyone adored in the family and at her workplace, was not someone everyone saw. I preferred neither giving her space in my thoughts nor being with her alone. Because if I did, that would be the day my facade would burn entirely. I wanted to pull the mask willingly, not after being influenced by a woman who should never have given birth to me. It was not because I did not deserve to love but only because she did not deserve to be called a mother.

"Okay. How about you ask him? I am sure you guys will believe when he says that."

Everyone curiously stared at me now. I did not want to deal with all of that. But to make things seamlessly easy for me, I had to give one more act. The camouflage I wore in front of my family had been up for far too long, and the time to remove it was coming fast. Two weeks more.

"Your dad is lying, isn't he?" my mother asked. A humorous smile graced her features, yet she seemed hopeful. It kind of reminded me of the hope she crushed under her feet once, and butchered with her own hands. I might be evil, but every evil has its origin, and the roots of mine stemmed from my family. I had held together this act for far too long, and not to burst out like a beast, I had to keep reminding myself, Two fucking weeks more.

"I am not lying, Smita." My father reasoned with my mother.

"If not, where is it happening?" Another man responsible for my doom questioned. My grandfather, the unbeatable king Dharmesh Kapoor, was looking at my father, expecting a response. From his expression, I could tell he was considering his words a bluff only. Out of everyone, he could never think I would ever get married. Dharmesh Kapoor, the king who was respected too much more than he deserved, would use anyone for his benefit to achieve his goal. He could put anyone on the sacrificial post as long as his goals were getting fulfilled. I was no one to judge, as I was a beast. But he was the king whose actions resembled those of a beast, yet he pretended otherwise. He had been fooling everyone for years, yet failed to fool me.

"India." My father replied.

"India?"

"Who is the bride?"

"You really convinced him?"

Namit, Saavi, and Dhruv bombarded him with their questions, eager to get a response, with a hopeful expression. I on the other hand was not getting more furious as I had not received a text yet which I should have received by now. But I could not display my anger because my sister's eyes had not moved from me for even a second. I doubt she had even blinked.

"You all were looking in the wrong direction, going after girls he would avoid in the blink of an eye, instead of someone he was always around. It's not exactly a love marriage but arranged, and they seem to get along quite well." My father eventually let on the half-truth to everyone.

"He is not lying." My sister eventually spoke. Her eyes glittered as she realized, studying my face, that my father was not bluffing at all. A small smile appeared on her face as she looked intensely happy.

Ever since Enzo got me the medical reports for my sister the day after the masquerade ball, I had been extra cautious and alert. My prankster, my sister, whom I had bonded with in such a short time, was pregnant. She was carrying a tiny one inside of her, perhaps her replica. She had not told anyone except her husband, and I had not made things uncomfortable or worse by making it obvious that I knew. She needed her time for whatever reason, and I was making sure she was protected by hiring men to look after her from afar. Though I knew Namit had his men watch her all the time.

Dhriti eventually faced my father and whined, "Come on, Uncle. Stop making it suspenseful about who the girl is. I am dying of anxiety here."

"It's Simran." Dad dropped the bombshell.

"Simran as in Simran?" Saavi asked, her shock ignorable.

"Our Simran?" Dhriti whispered, her eyes wide as saucers, as she took turns looking at me and then at my father.

"I can't believe it." Dhruv shook his head.

"This is a prank." Namit speculated.

"This is not a prank. It was me who proposed this idea to Arvind a few weeks ago." My father told everyone, making them confused and more curious than ever.

"What's happening, Ashok? This is so sudden and in two weeks?" My mother perhaps sensed there was a reason behind this sudden announcement and my agreement on top of that. I had avoided the topic of marriage like the plague for quite a long time, so it was obvious they needed a well-curated story to believe it. Hence, I had everything prepared already, which was going to be delivered by my father only.

My father sighed after hearing my mother and started with, "With the chaos still not quieting down from the incident of three years ago..." he paused as he took a gander at Dhriti. Namit had his arm wrapped around her shoulder, rubbing her arm with his free hand, and lay a kiss on top of her hair as the mention of the incident was still a sore topic for her. Rina Kashyap might not have been her real mother, but she had grown up knowing her as her only mother. Dhriti's face turned somber as she leaned into Namit.

My father continued now, "... Arvind was looking for an alliance for Simran and... To be honest, I became selfish here. I like that little girl. She is free-spirited, brave, and a fighter. I did not want anyone to take advantage of this opportunity and use it against that beautiful soul. Hence, I talked to Kiaan first, convinced him, and after that only had a discussion with Arvind."

Simran Kashyap, the brave and fighter girl for everyone, wore a facade too, just like me. In reality, she was another sinner, who ruined a life, broke someone, and burnt someone's soul. It was my time to avenge. My father might have the idea that it was all his plan, his doing, his idea, but it never was. It was all mine to begin with. I simply planted everything and everyone in the right place for him to act on it. How would he have known Arvind Kashyap was about to get Simran hitched to some fucker, if not for my intel? I made it appear like my father got to know it from his friend who was working for Arvind Kashyap. And this so-called friend was told by my source only. The little flicker of light with wings who was right now testing my patience by not sending me the text was stubborn, but not stupid. I had waited three years to lay a perfect pitch for her before I trapped her and chopped off her wings. There was scope for any mistake and I made sure everything went smoothly, making everyone believe that the idea for this proposal came from Ashok Chauhan.

"She agreed?" My mother asked, her worries and suspicions palpable.

"She did. But she always has the choice of backing out, be it now, be it the wedding day."

Sure fuck she does not. The only way she could back out would be if she died. But that's not gonna happen, for she had to reap the seeds of what she had sown. I paid my price for what I did not commit, and now she needed to pay for her sins, the ones she thought she would take to her grave with her. Getting reminded of it, I clenched my phone in my palm.

As everyone at the table cheered and began greeting me with their silly congratulatory messages, my phone lit up. I let them bask in their celebration while I excused myself. A text had arrived from an expected person.

But the text only made me sneer. It was a statement wrapped in a challenge, and I loved those.

'I will never consent to you.'

She was testing the waters, playing the moves of the game she wandered in. But she had no clue she could not get out of it unharmed.

'You will say yes, firefly, right in front of everyone.' I decided.

If she thought she knew me well, she was not prepared for my next move, which would turn her world upside down.

I put my phone inside my pocket as I stared at the dining table where everyone seemed too happy, sharing plans about what they would do and whatnot for the wedding. Everyone there looked how I expected, but one person was missing from there. Suddenly, I felt a presence beside me, and I internally smirked, for I was expecting it.

"You think I don't know what bluffing is?" I heard my grandfather ask me. I put both my hands in my pocket as I kept looking at my cheerful family members. He still could not believe the news to be true.

"Of course you do. So much so, you could probably bluff your way out of anything."

"What game is it this time?" He was agitated, and angry, just like I wanted. Dharmesh Kapoor does not lose his cool easily, not until he is put in a predicament he has not seen approaching him.

"This is no game, Grandpa. I am getting married for real. Aren't you happy for your grandson?" I replied nonchalantly, looking at him. A scornful smile graced my lips, which only infuriated him more.

"I will make sure this wedding does not take place," he said. His resoluteness was quite evident, but he would be a fool if he did something like that.

"And I dare you to try Dharmesh Kapoor. The moment you try to control me or people around me, that will be the same moment I will fucking drop this facade you gave me once. Or should I say, plead with me to wear it?" He was taken aback by what I said, utterly shocked. Not because I addressed him by his name and dropped the honorifics, but because I never threatened him with taking off the mask he wanted me to wear throughout my life.

"You might have forced me into wearing this, but it is staying on with my will. Always remember that. Besides, you know the catastrophe it will bring when reality comes out, don't you?" An expression of horror passed over his features as he stood in shock, not ready for that yet. He took a look at his daughter, who was smiling and happy. I knew he never wanted that to happen and would do anything in his power to stop me. But there is a threshold to everybody's patience and mine had been crossed way long back.

"It's time you take a step back now. If you have any spine, then it might hurt because of watching me crush everything you have built." I was not going to take everything behind his back, but right in front of him. I was going to take what belonged to him as a token of what I suffered because of that man and her daughter. I was going to claim his throne because I was the rightful owner of it and not him.

The flashes of fear, worry, and astuteness all crossed through his demeanor one by one. I noticed Dhriti noticing us and then coming towards us, alerting us to act decently in front of her. She was not going to get a whiff of this old rift, not when she was at a stage where she needed care and love the most.

"So, my wish is finally coming true...." Dhriti came closer, almost sprinting towards me. My overprotective instincts kicked in instantly for her, and I grasped her arm, making sure she did not fall. She side-hugged me, smiling like I had gifted her a gift of her choice by deciding to get married.

"Aren't you upset I didn't tell you sooner?"

"What? No. I am the happiest."

Her smile radiated, and her face glowed like never before. My wedding news was not the actual reason for that glow; rather, it was the baby inside of her. I was already protective of her, and now it had escalated to a level unmatched—not only for her but for a child who was yet to be born.

"My two favorite people are getting married to each other," she all of a sudden sniffled. "God, I am such an emotional mess right now." She tried blinking the tears away, and I could have hugged her completely, but then she would have noticed my overprotectiveness crossing limits and would have doubted that I knew about her pregnancy. I could not ruin the happiest phase of her life by being predictable. So I simply acted the usual as I mocked her playfully, "Yeah, you look horrible, D.K."

"Same goes for you, Kina." She pinched my arm, frowning, and then began sharing her excitement through her words.

"Shit! I have a hell of a lot to plan. You know I've been buying dresses for your wedding for a year. I am super excited to wear them all now."

"You didn't even know if my wedding would happen," I said.

"Call it a sister's hunch." She shrugged. In disbelief, I shook my head and then she gave both me and Grandpa one of her suspicious looks.

"What were you guys talking about in private? Keeping secrets from me?"

"Just telling Grandpa to watch his back. You know, he's getting old, and he should look after himself more now." My words were wrapped in a threat, which was surely delivered to my grandfather as his jaw tightened, but he smiled for Dhriti's sake.

"I have been trying to tell him to relax a bit more, too. He just doesn't listen," my sister nagged.

"Sorry, Pumpkin. Of course, I will listen to you," He said, relieving her of any stress and giving me his hard glare, making sure Dhriti did not see it.

My facade was Dharmesh Kapoor's weakness. But I knew he would not sit idle and watch the wedding happen turbulence-free. If he thought he could rampage it in any way, he did not know what would come his way.