Chapter 48

❤️please vote, comment, share and follow to read the next chapters sooner.

I am planning to post my book the frigid bride/ my brother's bride on stck.me, already posted some free chapters upto almost 35 chapters book will be free for my followers there. So if you have not read it, or if you want to read it again. You can read there.

I have already posted up to chapter 92 on GN and also posted more than 80 this (PVL book) on stck.me so if you can't wait to read ahead you can read it there.

🪻🪻🪻🪻🪻🪻🪻🪻🪻🪻🪻🪻🪻

Vihan's POV

I pulled into the driveway, the tires of my car crunching on the gravel as the sleek black BMW parked beside mine came into view. My mood, already on the edge from a long day, took a sharp dive. I wasn’t in the frame of mind to entertain anyone, least of all uninvited guests.

Pushing the door open, I stepped out and walked towards the house, my thoughts swirling. Maybe if I went straight to my room, I could avoid whoever it was. But as soon as I entered, Mom appeared in the foyer, her eyes lighting up at the sight of me.

“Vihan, there you are! Come in, we have guests,” she said with a bright smile, gesturing towards the drawing room.

I peeked in and immediately regretted it. Sitting there, sipping tea, was Mom’s friend Mrs. Chauhan and—oh, no—her daughter. I felt a wave of irritation rise. Not this again.

“Mom, no. Please,” I muttered under my breath, trying to convey the depths of my reluctance with just a look.

“Vihan,” she said firmly, ignoring my protest, “come and meet Mrs. Chauhan and her lovely daughter.”

Lovely? Sure, she was pretty, but that wasn’t the point. I had made it crystal clear to Mom that I wasn’t interested in being set up. Especially not now, not when my mind was consumed by someone else entirely.

“Mom, I told you—”

“Come in and talk to them. Nicely,” she interrupted, her tone leaving no room for argument.

I sighed, running a hand through my hair in frustration before plastering on a polite smile and stepping into the room. The daughter stood up as I approached, her smile warm and expectant. I exchanged the usual pleasantries, shaking hands with both Mrs. Chauhan and her daughter, whose name I vaguely remembered being Palak.

The conversation that followed was standard fare—awkward small talk about work, hobbies, and family. Palak spoke animatedly about her interest in painting, while her mother chimed in with glowing comments about her daughter’s accomplishments. I nodded along, offering polite compliments when required, while silently calculating how soon I could extricate myself from the situation.

As the conversation went on, I saw my chance. Summoning every ounce of tact, I smiled and said, “It’s been wonderful meeting you, Mrs. Chauhan, and Palak. But I must be honest—I’m already interested in someone else. In fact, I’m planning to propose to her very soon.”

My mom was shocked, and she thought that I was lying to come out of the situation, so she glared at me, but I smiled back at her with confidence.

The smile froze on Palak’s face, her eyes widening slightly, but she quickly masked her reaction. Mrs. Chauhan, on the other hand, seemed more intrigued than offended, her eyebrows lifting as if to say, Oh, really?

Thankfully, before the topic could spiral into something more uncomfortable, the sound of familiar footsteps filled the room. My little sister Vidhya, breezed in like a whirlwind, exuding her usual energy. She greeted everyone with a hug, including Mom and me, her enthusiasm infectious as she launched into a lively discussion about her latest fitness venture.

Vidhya’s entrance was a godsend. The attention shifted entirely to her, and I seized the opportunity to slip away.

“Excuse me,” I murmured, making my way out of the room as unobtrusively as possible.

Once I was upstairs, I shut the door to my room and let out a long breath, leaning against the cool wooden frame. The peace and quiet were a relief, but my mind refused to settle.

A girl called me to have a flirty talk. It was the last thing on my mind, so I didn't pick up the call,l, but she kept on calling. So finally, I picked up the call as I wanted to distract myself, but I was annoyed within two minutes and told her that I had something better to do than waste time like that.

I was shocked that I was so rude to a girl like that. I called her again to apologize and told her that I had something on my mind. But I also told her not to call me, I will call her if and when I am free.

That was not me, even if some girl got a bit clingy, I handled her with tact and disillusioned her slowly, reminding her that I had told her well in advance that there was nothing serious between them, that there would not ever be any strings attached. Then why did I behave so bluntly?

Maybe because I didn't want to think about anyone or anything.

Well, except one...

Roohi.

Her name drifted into my thoughts, unbidden yet persistent.  I don't know, but she had been occupying far more space in my head than I cared to admit, especially since Mihir’s wedding day.

At first, I chalked it up to her new look and strange behavior that day—her sharp wit, her banter that veered between playful and downright bizarre. But now, a few days later, it wasn’t just her words I remembered. It was her laugh, her quick smile, the way her eyes sparkled when she was talking about other guys.

She was looking at other guys to get settled with... She never looked at me the way she was checking out Siddh and Parshav.

Why? Was I, not as good-looking and as deserving as them? She said, she liked them because they were good looking, doctors, belonged to her family friends group, so they were eligible. So why the hell didn't she consider me as eligible as well when I fulfilled all those criteria?

Maybe she doesn't think of me more than her friend.

The thought made my chest tighten unexpectedly, and I frowned, annoyed at my own reaction.

What was she doing now? Was she thinking about me too? Has she ever thought of me as a man, an eligible man for her? Or was I just a friend to her as Mihir was to Gauravi?