Chapter 52: chapter 52

Imara paced back and forth, muttering a string of colourful curse words under her breath as her husband emerged from the room, freshly changed. Spotting him, she couldn’t contain herself any longer and nearly exploded, “What was that?”“What was what?” he nonchalantly shrugged, casually strolling past her to grab his suit jacket and toss it into the laundry bag.“It was a deal that you will give me a free pass if I convince your grandfather,” she gritted through her teeth as soon as he came back into her view.His response? A simple nod.“I did,” he said, his hands comfortably tucked into the pockets of his pyjamas as he stood infront of his wife.“And you promised to give me space and not to influence your family,” Imara narrowed her eyes.Again, a nod. “I did.”“Those were the damn rules we set! So get out of this room and stop meddling!” Imara hissed, shooting daggers at him.Adhiraj flashed a cocky grin, closing the distance between them. Leaning in, he locked eyes with her before responding, “The rules just got a makeover—my house, my wife, my rules!”Imara groaned, her hands raised, twitching as if she wanted to fist his hair, but she quickly pulled back. She knew better than to parrot his words. Echoing them would mean acknowledging this as her home, and him as her husband.“You are going to lose…”“This is going to be quite the adventure, Mrs. Shekhawat!” He chuckled as he shook his head in amusement, then stepped back to ring for dinner through the intercom.Imara huffed and spun towards the balcony to get some fresh air. But before she could take a step, she was met with a warning from him, “Step out and you’ll be spending the night in my arms!”She whipped around, eyes blazing, and shot back, “You dare touch me!”Adhiraj, with his eyebrow raised in mock amusement, took a step closer to her. “Are you absolutely sure you want to challenge me, Little Tyke?”Imara glared back, snapping, “Don’t you dare threaten me with my factory’s name!”Adhiraj chuckled, clearly enjoying himself. “I’m not threatening you at all! I simply like calling you ‘Little Tyke.’ After all, you’re petite, delicate, like a child. And let’s not forget your adorable habit of stomping your foot like a naughty little girl. So, ‘Little Tyke’ it is!”Imara fell for it, seethed, and hurled a pillow at him. He dodged, the door swung open, Vandana strolled in, and the pillow landed right at her feet. Adhiraj suppressed a smile while Imara gasped and covered her mouth, then swiftly retreated to the washroom to escape the embarrassment.“What are you up to, Raj?” Vandana whispered as he stooped to retrieve the pillow.“Just trying to distract her,” he chuckled, placing the pillow back on the bed. Vandana couldn’t help but smile at the joy shining on her son’s face.“Why did you ask for everyone in the room for dinner?” Vandana inquired as she helped Adhiraj in tidying up the blankets.Adhiraj, with a hushed tone, responded, “To make her feel at home. She seemed happy last night when everyone came to cheer her up!”Right on cue, Imara emerged from the washroom, her eyes shooting fiery glares at Adhiraj, while her lips attempted a feeble smile as she glanced at Vandana, who asked, “What did he do?”Imara clasped her hands tightly, her eyes focused on the ground as she suppressed a mischievous smirk. With a hushed voice, she whispered, “He threatened to shut down my toy factory!”Adhiraj’s eyes widened in shock, while Vandna’s jaw dropped in disbelief as she exclaimed, “Raj...”“Mom, I didn’t!” Adhiraj quickly defended himself.“He did!” Imara insisted, pointing an accusing finger at her husband.Vandna gave Adhiraj a stern look, to which he vigorously shook his head in denial. Imara smirked, relishing how her mighty husband appeared fearful in front of his mother. Was he the same man who was threatening her a while ago? Well, there was no harm in turning the tables on him, right?“Raj! Mark my words, if I catch you throwing threats at her one more time, you’ll be banished from this room. Are we clear?” scolded Vandana.Adhiraj swallowed hard, fully aware of his mother’s no-nonsense attitude. He raised his hands in surrender, shaking his head. “Mom! I swear I didn’t threaten her. Do you really think I’d do that to her?”“I wouldn’t put it past you to make threats. You have it in you!” Vandana retorted, siding with her daughter-in-law.Imara fought back a smile, biting her cheek, and raised a defiant eyebrow as Adhiraj shot her a withering glare.Vandana laid down the law, “No more threats, Raj! Promise me!”“But Mom!”“Raj…”“Okay! Okay! I promise not to threaten her by her toy factory’s name!” He conceded, narrowing his eyes at Imara, who was standing behind Vandana, showing off her pearly whites.As much as he dreaded his mother’s anger, he couldn’t help but find the whole situation both adorable and amusing.“You better not!” Vandana warned. Turning to Imara, who promptly sealed her lips shut, Vandana added, “If he threatens you again, you come straight to me, Imara. Okay?”Like a child who had just gotten away with something, Imara nodded eagerly, basking in the satisfaction of her little trick.In that very moment, the door swung open and the entire Shekhawat family entered, followed closely by the maids carrying trays of delectable dishes. Imara’s expression turned into one of bewilderment, but Vandana quickly reassured her, saying, “We all would have missed you during dinner!”Imara’s heart fluttered as Vandana’s words ignited a comforting sensation within her, unknowingly pulling her from the void she had grown used to.—————That night, Imara had meticulously built a fortress of cushions on the bed, warning Adhiraj, “If I find you daring to cross this partition, I will kick your ass.”Arching an eyebrow, Adhiraj quipped, “If I see you are running a fever, I won’t bother asking for your permission before dismantling this pillow fortress and pulling you close.”An angry Imara thumped the bed and warned, “Touch me and you’ll regret it!”With a dismissive wave of hand, Adhiraj settled on his side of the bed and retorted, “You really think you can scare me, Little Tyke…”“You…”“Medicine time, Imara!” Adhiraj interjected firmly, locking eyes with her. “Shall I take charge or will you?”.Imara let out a groan, turned away from Adhiraj without even noticing the amusement in his expression, and quickly downed her meds. She knew she had to recover fast and get back to work at the factory before this man drove her insane. Ignoring his whispered, “Good night, Imara,” she snuggled under the blankets with her back turned, ready to slip into dreamland. The medicines kicked in, sending her off to sleep without a care in the world.When Adhiraj felt her steady breaths, he rose from the bed and circled around to her side. Leaning close, he tenderly touched her forehead, cheeks, nose, and neck with the back of his hand. Slipping his hand beneath the covers, he sought out her hands and felt a wave of relief wash over him as he discovered their warmth. With eyes filled with love, he admired his sleeping wife, taking in every detail of her serene form. Leaning in even closer to place a soft kiss on her forehead, he whispered, “You’re not going anywhere, Little Tyke! Never!”