Chapter 9: chapter 9

Imara fixed a piercing gaze on Virender and retorted, “Adhiraj? Your grandson! Why in the world would I even consider being his bride? Seriously, Mr. Shekhawat, are you high on steroids?”“Apologise!” Adhiraj thundered at Imara, refusing to let her get away with her disrespectful comment towards his grandfather. Nobody speaks to his grandfather like that.Unaware that the person blocking her way was none other than Adhiraj himself, Imara glared back at him, placed her hands on her hips, and snapped, “Apologise, my foot! Who the fucking hell you think you are, shouting at me like that?”“I am Adhiraj Singh Shekhawat!” He bellowed, trembling with rage.Imara’s nostrils flared even wider than before. She stood her ground and fired right back, “Mr. Adhiraj Singh Shekhawat, in case you had trouble understanding it the first time, I will say it again, MOVE!”“Not before you apologise to my grandfather.”“I won’t!”“You will! No one talks to him like that.”“Well, I just did.” Imara raised a brow, infuriating him even more.Adhiraj took a step forward, causing Imara to instinctively retreat. While still glaring at her, he demanded, “Apologise...”Imara briefly felt intimidated but defiantly replied, “I won’t!”“Raj...” Jaidev intervened before the situation escalated further. “Step aside, let her leave. She is...”“Rude, uncultured, disrespectful...” Adhiraj concluded, causing Imara to flinch.“Raj...” Virender interjected, stepping forward and placing a hand on Imara’s head, leaving everyone, including Imara, surprised. She instinctively moved back, unaccustomed to such warmth anymore.“I simply expressed my wish for you to become my grandson’s wife,” Virender clarified, leaving a puzzled Sanjay to speak, “Uncle...”Virender raised his hand to silence him and continued to gaze at Imara, emphasising, “I would be honoured to have you as my granddaughter-in-law.”Imara stepped back, glancing at her father before boldly exclaiming, “This is absolutely absurd, completely ridiculous! You planned to bring me here because of him...?” She pointed an accusatory finger at Adhiraj.Sanjay rubbed his nape, clearly helpless. He shook his head, ready to clarify, but Virender beat him to it yet again and threw a curveball, “Sanjay! The other two weddings will only happen if she agrees.”“Papa..”“Dadu..”Jaidev and Adhiraj turned their heads towards Virender who left everyone dumbfounded by his declaration. Virender had already foreseen such a reaction. He looked at Sanjay, who looked more shocked than anyone else. Imara, too, looked at Virender, who had a no nonsense look on his face.Sanjay spoke up, expressing his disapproval, “Uncle...this is unfair. We cannot force a wedding upon her against her wishes.”If Imara was taken aback by her father’s support, she concealed it proficiently and responded to her father with a sarcastic smirk, saying, “How kind of you...” She then turned to Virender and firmly declared, “Absolutely not!”Attempting to interject, Adhiraj called out, “Dadu…”“Raj...” Virender raised his hand, glancing at Adhiraj. He shook his head while insisting, “You have always listened to me. Have faith in me this time as well.”Imara, still seeking an exit from the room, manoeuvred around Adhiraj to finally step outside. Just then, Virender warned, “Imara... Anika and Tarushi’s wedding will not take place today if you leave this room without agreeing to it.”Imara came to a halt, and the others turned to stare at Virender in shock. They couldn’t understand why he was so insistent. However, Virender had learned from past experiences and knew how to navigate situations where he could potentially lose. He was just biding time until the news hit the media.With an air of defiance, Imara spun around and snapped, “I don’t care...”Virender nodded decisively, responding, “Very well then... What more is there to say?” His eyes shifted towards Jaidev, as he asserted, “Jai, instruct Vandana to prepare for our departure. There shall be no wedding today.”He then directed his gaze towards Imara, witnessing the fury etched on her face. It was evident that beneath her claims of indifference; she did possess concern for her sisters. The pain she had endured in the past still haunted her. She couldn’t bear the thought of exposing them to the same pain.Yet, her anger got the better of her. “If my sisters are to be married into a family that could abandon them like this... then it’s best to call off the wedding,” she concluded.“It’s you who are putting us through this,” Virender declared, striding towards Imara. “Adhiraj, my eldest grandson, was supposed to marry Namita Thakur. But the girl ran away. I won’t allow the younger ones to get married until he does.”Imara shook her head, her gaze lingering on Adhiraj as she pondered his state of mind after being abandoned at the wedding altar. However, with a hint of sarcasm, she shot back, “Then why don’t you put your wealthy grandson up for auction...”“I’ll give you ten minutes,” Virender interrupted Imara’s sarcastic retort, turning his attention to Sanjay and demanding, “Convince her, or we are leaving...”Leaving a confused and bewildered crowd behind, Virender strutted away with a sense of purpose. Imara stood there, blinking in disbelief, contemplating whom to unleash her frustration on by pulling their hair out. Just then, her phone buzzed. It was Isha calling. She hastily picked up the call, only to put the phone aside for a second because of Isha’s sudden outburst, and finally brought it back to her ear, asking, “Ish...seriously, what’s all the fuss about?”“Where the hell are you, Imara? When did this happen? Why didn’t you tell me?” Isha asked, her voice dripping with concern.“What the heck happened?” Imara questioned, caught off guard.“You are marrying Adhiraj Singh Shekhawat!” Isha exclaimed, rendering Imara utterly speechless. She shifted her gaze towards her family and then locked eyes with Adhiraj. Her anger soared to unfathomable heights, and without a filter, she lashed out, “Just shut the fuck up, Isha! Who fed you that lie? I am definitely not marrying that asshole!”“It’s all over the news, Imara!” Isha replied.Meanwhile, Adhiraj narrowed his eyes at Imara, but before he could respond, Imara abruptly ended the call and fired back, “Is your family so desperate, Mr. Shekhawat?”Adhiraj’s jaw clenched, and Sanjay admonished, “Imara…you need to hold your tongue…”Imara snapped back, “Yeah, right! I need to hold everything back. Just check the news.”Shaurya pulled out his phone and his eyes nearly popped out as he read the inundating messages in his inbox. He exclaimed in disbelief, “What on earth?”Finally finding her voice, Suvika asked, “What’s going on?”Neel glanced at Shaurya’s phone and read the news aloud, “Adhiraj Singh Shekhawat is going to marry Imara Rathore after Namita Thakur abandoned her own wedding.”“How is that even possible?” Dilip and Jaidev uttered simultaneously.“We literally just discussed this...” Sanjay whispered.“Dadu...” Adhiraj gritted his teeth, his frustration evident as he stormed out of the room to confront his grandfather.Imara, seeking an escape from the unnecessary drama, decided to leave. However, Sanjay interjected, his tone urgent, “Imara, stop right there. The media are likely already here...”But Imara, determined and heedless, pressed on despite her father’s pleas. And before long, she found herself marching through the open space towards her car with hurried steps. The desperation to escape this very situation consumed her. What in the world possessed her to land in this mess in the first place?“Imu, stop...” Neel chased after her, catching her arm and turning her around.“I am not some object to satisfy their craving for reputation... just leave me alone!” she snapped, her eyes glistening with tears. Neel’s heart ached. If only his sister knew how much she meant to each and every one of them. Still, they couldn’t undo the pain caused to her because of their actions.“The media are here... they will swarm you. It’s not wise to go out right now,” Neel insisted, tugging a reluctant Imara back inside. If the circumstances were different, he would have been thrilled to have Adhiraj as his sister’s partner. There couldn’t have been anyone better suited for Imara than him.“Ugh, just leave me…” Imara persisted, but Neel refused to budge, dragging her along, with a patronising remark, “Stop acting like a little child, Imu.”“Don’t you dare call me that,” she spat, her frustration evident.“Imu...Imu...Imu...” Neel teased, and Imara’s eyes welled up with tears. She had thought she could handle that word, but it was digging its claws into her emotions.As painful memories flooded her mind, Imara angrily distanced herself from Neel and bitterly remarked, “Dead people don’t come back to life.”Neel froze, noticing the anguish on Imara’s face. He knew better than to push her any further, fearing she might bolt again. So, he simply nodded, turned the doorknob, swung open the door, and gestured for her to step inside.Imara reluctantly accepted her lack of options, stomping her foot in frustration as she stormed back into Sanjay’s room. Neel smirked triumphantly, feeling the warmth of reconnection as he followed his sister inside, just how much he had missed her.