Chapter 10: chapter 10

"Dadu...did you pull off this media stunt?" Adhiraj inquired as he strolled into Virender's room.With an affirmative nod and a sip of his aromatic lemon tea, Virender motioned for Adhiraj to take a seat on the single seater couch placed across him. He also pointed towards another cup of lemon tea, sure that Adhiraj would follow him to his room.Adhiraj couldn't help but groan at his grandfather's nonchalant demeanour. The wedding was supposed to commence within the next hour, yet this man seemed perfectly content delaying the entire affair until that stubborn girl, Imara, finally agreed to marry Adhiraj. The opinion of the groom in question? Well, let's just say it mattered as much as the colour of his socks in this grand scheme of things.However, Adhiraj knew Virender well enough to deduce there had to be a logical reason behind his schemes involving the media to corner Imara and her family into submission. The puzzling part was why? Even though Virender witnessed firsthand how Imara treated everyone around her, he remained steadfast in his decision."Why would you pull such a stunt? Seriously, you're dragging me into this wedding?" complained Adhiraj, gulping down his tea as if it held the secrets to his sanity."All along, I had envisioned Imara to be the perfect match for you. Unfortunately, Jai couldn't see past her strained relationship with her family. But now, it seems like fate has brought you both together, just as I had believed," Virender explained, holding back from reminding Adhiraj of the incident that occurred on the day Imara was born. He also held back from revealing that years later Devyani had decided on Imara as well, and how he had made a promise to his late wife. He kept his silence about how he had turned a deaf ear to Namita's schemes, and skillfully orchestrated Imara's last-minute arrival.However, this revelation caused Adhiraj's hand to freeze in mid-air, the cup of tea still grasped tightly.Reaching out for his phone, Virender continued, "About the media? It is to make sure the girl doesn't slip away." And he dialled the PR department, loudly stating, "Get the news rolling on international level too as an official statement from the Shekhawat family."To Adhiraj, Virender's current demeanour resembled that of a focused businessman, driven to achieve his desired outcome in the deal, no matter what it takes. Consequently, Adhiraj placed his cup down and locked eyes with his grandfather before expressing his confusion, "I'm struggling to understand this. You're forcing me into marrying a girl I've just met today. A girl I know very little about. A girl who doesn't even respect her own family, and she even disrespected you. And yet, you expect me to make her my wife, a Shekhawat, and allow her to disrespect all of us every single day for the rest of our lives. Why?”"I am your father's father, Raj!" Virender's expression now exuded an undeniable sense of authority. "Your brothers may believe that I foolishly fell for a matrimonial proposal meant for the Rathore twins." Adhiraj's gaze shifted, tacitly acknowledging that he was also aware of this."A year ago, we put forth a proposal for you and Imara. Your horoscopes were a perfect match." Virender stated, leaving Adhiraj utterly confused. He questioned, "What? Why do I not know about this?”Virender took a moment to reflect, carefully considering his options. Ultimately, he decided to omit the details when he first saw a grown-up Imara. The impact she had on him was incredibly profound, making him simply unwilling to let her slip away. If he had the ability, he would have immediately fulfilled Devyani's desire for Imara to become Adhiraj's wife by arranging their marriage the very next day."But things didn't work out as Sanjay informed me that Imara had refused to get married then. After that the gossip lingered that she has been…she has cut off all ties with her family. So Jai never accepted my suggestion to reach out to Sanjay once again when we fixed your brothers’ wedding." Virender shared.After a brief pause, sensing Adhiraj's inquisitive gaze, he continued, "Even if the horoscopes of Anika & Atharv and Tarushi & Samrat weren't to my satisfaction, the wedding would still be happening, despite me being aware that my grandsons tried to outsmart me. Because I have seen life, Raj. I know how to judge a person. And those two girls are perfect for Atharv and Samrat. But now that there's an opportunity to welcome Imara into our home, I won't let go of that precious gem.”Adhiraj facepalmed in frustration. Imara's face, her snappy remarks, her enigmatic yet empty gaze that sneakily stuck in his brain, and his grandfather's words were all mercilessly replaying in his head. If it were any other girl standing in Namita's shoes, he wouldn't have given it a second thought. But Imara seemed to be the whole package of danger, like a hurricane, a force that guarantees to flip his life topsy-turvy.He slouched against the couch, shaking his head gently. With heartfelt words, he expressed, "You and Dadi have raised me with such strong values that I understand the sanctity of marriage. You must know, I could never imagine being with a girl without envisioning her as the perfect daughter-in-law for our family. Whoever I marry will not only be my life partner but also the pillar responsible for our entire family. I have always longed for someone resembling Dadi and Mom, who would cherish her new home wholeheartedly. And I truly hope you understand that once I am committed to marriage, I will pour my heart and soul into making it work. However, when it comes to Imara, I cannot see her as my life partner. Dadu, I'm unsure what impression she has made on you, but what I know is that choosing her as my wife could potentially jeopardise our family, our reputation, and even our business.”"Raj…""Dadu, I understand the gravity of Namita's decision and the impact it has on our family's reputation. I realise the importance of upholding our social standing, which is why I am willing to marry someone else today, so that our credibility remains intact. But her, Imara, no Dadu. To me, she is no less than Namita.” Adhiraj opened up his heart, desperately hoping that his grandfather would consider his feelings as well.Virender, too, leaned back on the couch, observing his grandson with a contemplative gaze and pondering on how to convince him. After a brief silence, Virender spoke gently, “You are making the same mistake Jai did. Always look beneath the surface. There can be no one better than Imara for our family Raj, for you. One day you will thank me for forcing you into this wedding.”The room fell into an intense silence as Adhiraj fixed his gaze on Virender, who, in turn, remained silent to allow Adhiraj to absorb his words. Virender understood his grandson well enough. He knew he possessed the ability to say things that could sway Adhiraj's judgement. He also knew how deeply Adhiraj respected his opinions, and with the grace of the higher power, none of his previous decisions had ever led to negative consequences.Taking a moment to collect himself, Adhiraj took a calming breath and closed his eyes, desperately searching for even more compelling words that could possibly change his grandfather's opinion. Just then, Virender spoke once more, injecting a new perspective into the conversation. "Just so you know, the girl is a self-made entrepreneur. She has never taken a single penny from her family since she moved away."Adhiraj's eyes shot open, surprised by this revelation, and Virender couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction within. He continued, "Raj, she has built her own success from the ground up. The negative rumours surrounding her have been nothing but mere gossip. I understand that her behaviour did justify those rumours. But it is also to be noted that you formed your opinion about her even before getting to know her.”Adhiraj dropped his gaze, deeply pondering the weight of Virender's words. They had triggered a profound questioning of his own thought process about Imara."Consider this, Raj," Virender remarked, "If Imara were a smooth talker, someone who pretended to be nice, would you have agreed to marry her? But she is simply being herself, isn't she?" This conclusion from Virender prompted Adhiraj's thoughts to take a different course. He realised two things: first, once Virender made up his mind, nothing could sway him; second, deep down, Adhiraj knew that Virender never really approved of Namita. Witnessing Namita's actions that justified Virender's disapproval and now his consistent support for Imara compelled Adhiraj to think if he should trust Virender's judgement as he had done every time.Adhiraj, caught up in the heat of the moment, blurted out something without thinking. "Dadu, if she happens to agree, I would be by her side at the altar because I have always respected your decisions. But, in this particular situation, I'm unsure if I can truly honour this relationship. And I hope you don't lose your grandson in the haste of gaining Imara Rathore.” With those words, Adhiraj left Virender's room, leaving him with a victorious smile. Unbeknownst to Adhiraj, he inadvertently gave his consent to the marriage, and Virender was eagerly awaiting Imara's forthcoming approval.