Chapter 32: chapter 32

After a gruelling day, Imara finally arrived at the Shekhawat Mansion in Babli, despite it sticking out like a sore thumb among the fleet of luxury cars. Her goal was crystal clear: Mission Virender!Feeling victorious, she patted Babli and turned around, only to collide with something as solid as a rock. A warm, familiar hand quickly wrapped around her waist, preventing her from toppling over.Imara groaned as she looked up into a pair of deep, captivating chestnut eyes.With narrowed eyes, she instinctively took a step back from him. Adhiraj gave a smile tinged with amusement at her predicament, and gently patted Babli as if it were his beloved pet, inquiring, “Is this the Reva e2o 2015 model? How much did you buy it for?”Imara side-eyed Adhiraj’s hand, chilling on her car like it owned the place. She debated giving it a shove, but decided to keep it classy. “Hands off!” she snapped, shooting him a death glare.Adhiraj, wearing a bemused expression, gave the car one more loving pat before stepping aside to make way for Imara.“So, how much did you pay for this beauty?” he inquired as they walked together.“None of your nosy business,” Imara replied, puzzled by his sudden interest in Babli.“We’ve got a couple of car showrooms, so it’s only natural that I have a bit of curiosity,” Adhiraj quipped, raising a brow as Imara shot him a sharp look that clearly screamed, ‘Buzz off!’“Then you should have a pretty good idea of how much that car costs!” Imara retorted as she entered the house.“When did you buy it?” Adhiraj asked.With a determined stance, Imara stopped in her tracks, turned to face Adhiraj, and folded her arms protectively across her chest, inquiring, “Why the sudden interest in Babli?”“She is part of the car family now,” Adhiraj replied casually.“Not for long...” Imara scoffed as she rolled her eyes and made her way up the stairs to her room.Meanwhile, Adhiraj made a beeline towards Virender’s room, noticing that he was completely absorbed in gazing at Devyani’s photo."Oh, look who's here," Virender teased with a mischievous grin, "the new protective husband."Adhiraj's brows knitted together in confusion, but Virender simply shrugged and clarified, "Sanjay called Jaidev!"Adhiraj's expression turned grave, and he chose a chair next to Virender, responding with resolve, "It was necessary to set some expectations, Dadu!"With a chuckle, Virender playfully remarked, "You scared them!"Adhiraj tilted his head, the fire of his anger towards Imara’s brothers still ablaze, despite Virender’s amused expressions. “They should have called me,” he stated firmly. “That’s all I made clear. I hope in the future they will keep me informed about her whereabouts, should the need arise.”With those words lingering in the air, Adhiraj left Virender’s room and made his way to his temporary room.However, as soon as he entered inside, he was greeted with an unexpected surprise.“Mom!” He called out when he saw Vandana instructing the maids to tidy up the room.Vandana raised her eyebrow and sent the maids away before turning to Adhiraj with a concerned look.“Is there something I should know?” She asked, unsure of the sudden changes happening within their household.Adhiraj wrapped Vandana in a hug, trying to ease her worries about his new living arrangement with Imara. He softly spoke, “I’m doing my best to make it work, Mom.”"By staying in a separate room," Vandana said, her voice filled with warmth as she broke away from his hug, giving her son’s arms a loving rub.With a nod, he softly added, “Mom, please understand. It’s too sudden of a change for her, for me.”With a curious gaze, Vandana whispered to her son, “But it seems that the change named Imara is too pleasant for you…”Adhiraj shook his head, choosing to keep his thoughts to himself for now. “This change,” he said, gesturing around the room with a wave of his hand, “A separate room is a pleasant change. At least now I won’t have to worry about getting hit with flying objects while I sleep...”Vandana couldn’t contain her laughter, prompting Adhiraj to chuckle along. She jokingly nudged his arm, teasing, “You brat! It’s too plain, Raj. You like her.”“I am just trying to make it work...” he lied, a hint of desperation in his voice, before strutting away to fetch his clothes. The truth? He was determined as heck to make it work. Imara was like a crossword puzzle to him, with each clue slowly revealing itself. And let's just say, he had developed a newfound fascination with solving crosswords.—————“How was your day, Imara?” Vandana inquired the moment Imara joined the dinner table, with everyone except the two newlywed couples, as Atharv and Samrat were at Rathore Mansion to fetch Anika and Tarushi.“Good!” Imara replied, helping herself to some rice and dal. Adhiraj glanced at her with amusement, finding her decision to sit opposite him today quite intriguing. Little did she realise, her determined face while plotting her exit from the house was a real heart-pounding joyride for him!“I noticed your car, Imara,” Jaidev mentioned, catching her off guard. She looked back at him, a hint of confusion in her eyes.“It might break down in the middle of the road. Should we put it under repair?” Jaidev proposed, raising a valid concern.Imara carefully observed everyone, with a special focus on Virender, before responding to Jaidev, “I do get its service done every month. It’s just the noise that bothers, but otherwise, the car runs smoothly. I’m confident it won’t break down.”There was a noticeable lack of warmth in her expression as she spoke, and her defensive posture hinted at her attachment to her car. Jaidev couldn’t help but frown at her blunt reply, glancing at Vandana before deciding to drop the subject.Meanwhile, Adhiraj picked up on the tone of Imara’s words, leading him to believe that she was very protective of her car and things she held dear. This insight also suggested that she is likely just as possessive about the people she cared for, especially those she adored.Virender quietly observed Adhiraj’s reaction to Imara’s response to Jaidev, his curiosity piqued. However, before he could delve deeper into his thoughts, Jaidev spoke up, “Raj...Sanjay called!”Imara’s ears perked up, while Adhiraj gave a nonchalant nod, his taste buds dancing with delight from the scrumptious dinner.“What did you tell him? He sounded so worried and sorry,” Jaidev asked, his voice tinged with concern. He couldn’t shake off the worry that Adhiraj’s changed behavior since Imara came into his life might cost him his son. He was fully aware of Imara’s history, and it surprised him that despite Virender telling Adhiraj everything, the latter still agreed to the wedding. If not for Virender’s persistence and Adhiraj’s consent, he wouldn’t have welcomed Imara into their home at all.“I simply set some expectations, Dad,” Adhiraj mentioned, causing Vandana to feel a sense of concern and prompting her to inquire, “Jai, what happened?”“He...” Jaidev’s voice faltered as Adhiraj jumped in, his tone sharp. “I told him I should have been informed about Imara’s decision of not going to Rathore Mansion. She was Shaurya’s responsibility until I brought her back here today.”When he caught sight of Imara’s shocked face, he saw the disbelief etched in her features. He then shifted his gaze to his mother, who seemed at a loss for words. Undeterred, he carried on, “But he conveniently dismissed the idea of informing me that my wife chose to stay in her apartment. Instead, they informed Dadu. It’s not that I mind, but why involve Dadu when I should have been the first to know about anything concerning her?”Imara could only stare and blink in disbelief at Adhiraj’s unexpected words, her dinner sitting untouched on the table. With each word he said, her heart raced, his tone conveying an overwhelming sense of possessiveness towards her. She felt a flutter in her chest, her breath catching unexpectedly, though she couldn’t pinpoint the reason. Without a second thought, she hastily excused herself and left the dinner as it was.Meanwhile, Vandana and Jaidev shared a knowing glance, understanding Adhiraj’s possessive nature when it came to those he cared about. While Jaidev’s concern grew, Vandana’s eyes sparkled with delight, witnessing how seamlessly Adhiraj had embraced his role in looking after Imara. Virender, too, wore a wide grin, impossible to miss, and he cast a quick glance at Jaidev, who had a firm, determined look on his face.