Confrence room

Sandhya corrected herself quickly, "No! Sorry, I meant ex-girlfriend Natasha Sharma. They broke up two months after his accident."

Ishan's expression softened slightly, and he took a deep breath to calm himself down.

"Then why didn't you start with that?" he asked, his voice still tinged with annoyance.

Sandhya's facial expressions changed as she gritted her teeth awkwardly, her eyes darting around the lift.

"It was kind of a hot topic in the office for a long time," she said, leaning into his ears whispering it slowly "I was the one who spread the news."

Ishan's eyes widened in surprise.

"So that's why he was so rude to you at our first meeting!" he exclaimed, his voice rising again, but still maintaining a feminine pitch.

"Yeah, I guess I deserved that.", Sandhya nodded sheepishly.

Ishan's curiosity got the better of him.

"But why did you do it?" he asked, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Sandhya's expression turned innocent, and she batted her eyelashes.

"Well, because I wanted my crush to be single," she said, a mischievous glint in her eye.

"So you had a crush on Aryan, huh?" he asked, his eyes widening in surprise.

"Not Aryan, but Natasha," Sandhya chuckled, a sly smile spreading across her face. "I told you, bi, I like girls and guys."

"Oh yeah, I kinda forgot," he said, remembering the conversation they had in the car on his wedding day, "I don't really know much about how this bi-sexuality stuff works."

"You of all people should know how it works," she said, teasing him. "Didn't you just get jealous of her?"

Ishan's face turned an even deeper shade of red as he quickly tried to correct her.

"No, I wasn't jealous, it's just that—" he shrugged his shoulders, his jhumka earrings waving at his ears. "I am with this guy for a month, and he didn't mention her at all."

Sandhya winked at him. "You must be a good wife then," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"You- !",

Ishan wanted to argue, but the lift door opened before he could say anything, revealing the office of the top heads of the company.

The room was filled with multiple cabins for the CEOs, CFOs, and managing directors. Ishan's eyes scanned the room, taking in the familiar faces in the crowd of many people.

There was Aryan, his pretend husband, sitting on his wheelchair by the window. Next to him stood Harivansh Raichand, Ishan's father-in-law, a stern expression on his face.

And then there was another man, with a big body and a grey beard, wearing a mustard-colored business suit that seemed to be straining at the seams.A diamond watch glinted on his wrist, looking like it could cost a million dollars.

As the men were moving towards the conference room, Aryan saw Ishan and Sandhya coming out of the lift. "What are you doing here?" Aryan said, raising his eyebrows.

"Sorry, sir...", Sandhya's demeanor changed drastically as she eyed the ground, fear in her voice. " I couldn't stop Radhika ma'am."

Harivansh joined the conversation, Atul Oberoi also looked behind, checking out Ishan's feminine body. His face betrayed a look of lust.

"Oh Radhika beta, what a pleasant surprise!" Harivansh said with a wide smile. "Aryan, why didn't you tell me about it?"

"It's okay, Papa... I just wanted to visit the office to check how it all works," Ishan said smiling, his voice soft and calm.

Atul, the man in his late 50s, checked Ishan out again, his eyes scanning his butt, stomach, and then rested on his cleavage, giving him a sly smile.

"Oh... curious mind, I like that in women. They're always so... intuitive," he said, his tone dripping with condescension.

'What a fucking creep.' Ishan corrected his saree pallu, covering his cleavage.

"Papa, I wanted to ask if I can join the meeting today," Ishan said bluntly.

"But what would you do in the meeting?", Aryan raised his voice. "You don't know anything about business."

Atul chimed in, his voice dripping with misogyny.

"Well, Aryan, you don't seem to share any ideas in the meeting. Maybe your wife's... feminine perspective could give us some... insight. After all, women are known for their intuition, aren't they?"

'A creep and an asshole, perfect mixture'

"Radhika, you are part of the family and, by extension, part of the Raichand business venture as well", Harivansh intervened, his face filled with a big, genuine smile. "You are always welcome here."

'Sometimes I wonder if the old man forgot that I am a guy who is getting paid to be his son's wife.'

As the door to the conference room swung open, Ishan, Aryan, and Harivansh entered, commanding the attention of the gathered board members.

Every eye in the room focused on Ishan, his anklet tingling with every step he took in his high heels. The soft clinking of the anklet seemed to echo through the room, drawing the gaze of the men seated around the long, oval-shaped table.

The 12-14 men, all dressed in formal attire, sat with their eyes fixed on Ishan, their expressions a mix of curiosity and surprise.

Harivansh took his seat at one end of the table, Sandhya standing discreetly behind him. Atul, resplendent in his mustard-colored suit, sat at the opposite end of the table, a sly smile spreading across his face as he gazed at Ishan.

Aryan took his seat alongside the other board members, leaving Ishan to sit beside him. Ishan crossed his legs in a feminine stance, the pallu of his saree draped elegantly over his lap.

He smiled sweetly, his eyes scanning the room as he awaited the start of the meeting.

Atul's voice boomed through the room, "Gentlemen!", he said out loud, starting the conversation. His eyes locked onto Ishan, and he added, with a hint of condescension, "and ladies, shall we start?"