19 - Marriage proposal no one expected(S1)

NEXT DAY, THE WEDDING DAY

"Would you like to take a look?" the makeup artist inquired.

"N...No," Niharika replied.

"No, at least see how pretty you look," the artist insisted.

Niharika'S POV:

"See," the makeup artist said, showing me the mirror.

"I'll come back in sometime; you have your time," she said, and I nodded.

"What are you looking at, Niharika? Your face? Stop looking at this face; it's the reason for your misery and why your life is that way," my subconscious made a cruel comment as I stared at myself adorned in the vibrant red lehenga and heavy jewelry.

"Yes, this face of yours is the reason your life is getting ruined. Destroy it," my subconscious continued its relentless assault.

"No, you will get the best in life; you deserve the best, Niharika. Don't listen to her," my conscious side intervened, offering a glimmer of hope.

"No, it's a lie, a pure lie. How will your life get better after this loveless marriage?" my subconscious side countered, igniting an internal conflict.

"No, stop manipulating her," my conscious side argued back.

They both began fighting, and I couldn't bear the mental turmoil. I covered my ears, saying, "Ple...ase sto..p tal..king, yo..u tw..o. I d..d.on't want to list..en to A-anything," and when I opened my eyes, they were gone.

Now, I found myself looking at my reflection in the mirror again, and I couldn't help but cry. How did I agree to this? I was supposed to go to Hyderabad for my studies. Here I am, sitting in this extravagant attire, questioning my choices. "I ha...te th..is version,,,of my..self," I commented, feeling trapped. But what could I do? Could I stand up for myself, and if I did, would anyone support me?

"Niharika, maybe this is your fate," my subconscious mind commented, this time in agreement with my conscious mind.

"Niharika," a voice interrupted my internal struggle.

Ishita di stood there with a cold expression as I wiped my tears carefully, staring at the floor. I couldn't meet her eyes, feeling pathetic and powerless, unable to fight for myself.

"Niharika, Maa will call for you in some time. Get ready," Di said coldly, then started to leave. I couldn't see her ignoring me anymore. And I gathered the strength to speak, getting up and looking in her direction.

"Di... I k..now yo..u're A-angry w..with me f..or agr..eeing to this m..arriage, but c..c.can you pl..ease lo..ok on..ce at your ba..cchi and S-smile for once?" I pleaded, hoping for forgiveness. I couldn't reveal my true reasons, or she wouldn't have let me go through with it.

"My bacchi was dead for me the moment she agreed to this marriage and started acting like other elders. Now, nothing is left," di replied, her words hitting me like a cold slap on the face.

"Get ready. I'll send Ekta to take you down to the mandap," she added, leaving without looking back at me.

I broke down; I couldn't comprehend why Di, the person I hoped would understand me, was so distant. You are the reason, you lied to her, I'm the cause of her hatred, and she was trying to help me.

Flashback - 1 month ago:

"Dad, Niharika can't marry that guy. If you think you can force her, you are wrong. If you feel she is burdened on you, so, she will come with us—me, Gaurav, and I have no problem with that," Ishita argued.

"Ishita, do you think I'm forcing her? Ask her what she wants. Maybe you're jealous of her fate; Samrat's wealthier than Damdad Ji, and you can't stand that. Forcing her to say no?" Jairaaj countered.

"Bacchi, Bol de dad ko tujhe nahi karni shaadi or tu apni di ke sath ja rahi hai," Ishita continued.

"Niharika, don't be afraid. Speak up," she said, looking into Niharika's eyes.

"Haan Niharika say, what do you want?" Jairaaj said.

"Di, I ag..ree f..for th..is ma..rriage, an..d I'm n..ot a ch..ild," Niharika said, looking down.

"I haven't tak..en th..h.is de..c.cision under a..ny fo..rce, and I want this marriage," Niharika said with a heavy voice.

"Sunn liya, Ishita," Jairaaj said, smiling cunningly.

"No, no," Ishita said in disbelief.

"Nihu, Bacchi, jhut kyu bol rahi hai. I said I will support you—" Ishita began, coming forward.

Jairaaj slapped her, silencing her.

"Bass karo, Ishita," he said.

Niharika closed her eyes tightly, the sound of the slap echoing through the room.

"Damdadji, isse lekar jayo," Jairaaj ordered. Ishita looked at Niharika in disbelief, and she was clutching her dress tightly, looking down.

Flashback ends.

" Ye.s Yo..u are th..e rea..son, Nih..arika," I muttered to myself. She always treated you better, fought for you, but you made her the subject of ridicule. "Yo..u are s-selfish, Niha..rika," I scolded myself, tears streaming down.

"Yo..u des..erve ev..e.ery in..ch of ha..t.te yo..u are ge..tting right now," I cried silently, knees together up to my stomach, hands clutching them tightly.

"Arrey! Arrey! you've ruined your whole makeup," the makeup artist said, interrupting my moment of despair. I looked up, wiped my tears, and sobbed a little.

***

"Come quick," Anamika said, sneaking outside. After ensuring no one was watching, she closed the doors.

"You guys want me dead, huh?" Anamika said,Coming inside.

"What did we do? We already knew your sister's wedding would be boring; that's why we brought this to have some fun," one of the guy friends said, taking out beer cans and a wine bottle.

"I got it, Aarush, but why were you taking them outside? What if someone from my family caught us with alcohol?" Anu said, sounding angry.

"Oh, please, Anu, stop sounding old-fashioned," Aarush said, side-hugging her.

"We're all here for you to give company," he added, looking at the other friends.

"Okay, let's celebrate," Anu announced.

"Anu, by the way, don't you think your sister was way too smart?" Aarush said.

"Yeah, she's just cunning. See, marrying a rich man," another friend commented.

"Remember how she used to portray innocent and victimized, making us look evil?" Aarush said.

"Guys, please stop badmouthing my little sister. She's nothing like you think," Anu said, defending her sister.

"I'm already feeling bad for her," she added.

"But," Aarush started, pointing his beer towards her.

"No 'buts.' I will not tolerate any ill talk about her. You don't know anything about her," Anu said, pointing at Aarush.

"And Aarush, you, please stop," she added.

"Yeah, sure," Aarush said.

"Wait, there are no glasses. I'll just go and come in a minute," Anu said and went outside.

"Yeah, sure," her friends commented.

Once Anu left the room, one of her female friends said, "Guys, don't you think this whole wedding is so boring? No fun, nothing, just plain."

"Don't worry about that. There will be fun starting very soon," Aarush commented with a cunning smile.

"What do you mean, babe?" one of the girls asked.

"I mean, there will not be any wedding," he said.

"What? Are you kidding me, dude?" his friend said.

"What are you saying, Aarush? You motherfucker, losing your balls. Were you in love with that stammering girl?"

"No, but I hate that girl. She's just so irritating, and Anu is now defending her; soon, she will be hating her," he said.

"What, Aarush? Explain to us," one of the friends said excitedly.

"Wait, guys, you will see for yourself in some time," he said.

***

IN THE HALL

"Mom, everyone is waiting for the groom. Where is your groom? It's almost 2 pm—" Ishita said but stopped as she saw everyone present in the hall, looking extremely serious.

"There is no groom coming. I'm not letting this marriage happen," the groom's father, Mr. Rishi, said.

"Mr. Rishi, please understand," Jairaaj said.

"No, Mr. Jairaaj Jamwal, I don't want to talk about anything, and my son will not marry your daughter. I'm calling him; he was on his way, but now he doesn't need to come," Rishi, the groom's father, said.

"And it's you deceiving us," he added.

"Dad, what's happening here? What's going on?" Ishita asked, looking at her father.

"Can't you hear? I'm canceling this marriage," he said.

"Dad? This is getting out of hand. Maa, do you know what this means? You're all making a fool out of Niharika. She's just waiting to be called for the varmala," she said.

"My son can't marry her," he said again.

"What did you say?" Ishita exclaimed.

"Now what will you say, Dad? Are you happy? He said his son will not marry our Niharika. Where did all those promises go? You said his son would take care of her and all," Ishita said.

"Ishita," Jairaj said.

"Keep your sister to yourself. Woh toh bhala ho us ladke ka, who mistakenly told us that your daughter can't even properly talk. Warna tum sab ne milkar toh mere aur beta ka mazaak bana kr rakh diya tha," Rishi said.

"Dad, just look at how you succeeded once again in breaking Niharika's heart," she said."

Ishita, stop now. This marriage will happen. You stand quiet." Jairaaj said.

***

"Sir, you are here," the driver said.

Amar and Abhi came out, but Prithvi was still inside. "Oh, come on, Prithvi, come out. Why are you behaving so differently from last night? I swear, I will never ask you to join me anywhere again. This is the last time you do a favor," Abhi said.

Prithvi came out and said, "Okay, then keep your promise."

"Yeah, but please? Fix your mood. You look like you're attending a funeral," Abhi said. They started moving, but Prithvi's phone rang. "Now this," Abhi said.

Prithvi commented, "You go inside. I'll just join you after picking up this call." They nodded.

"Hello," Prithvi commented, but the noise was too much. "Am I audible?" He started looking for a quiet place and moved towards a hall off to the wedding location. "Yes, Mr. Prithvi, now I can hear you."

"Mr. Rishi, you can't take the baraat back. Now it's about my reputation," Jairaaj tried to convince him.

Rishi said, "No, Mr. Jairaaj Jamwal," then continued,

"You were getting rid of your good-for-nothing daughter to us. I know her reality now. When my son finds out, he will also say no."

"Mr. Rishi, you are smart. What do you think if we could resolve this misunderstanding after discussing it in private?" Jairaaj said.

"Yes, Mr. Rishi, think wisely," Chacha Ji said, coming forward. "Your business reputation will also be ruined."

Rishi was determined, and he had made plans to prevent his son from marrying Niharika. "I gave you my final answer. I'm not letting this marriage happen," he declared.

"Dad, what's wrong with you? Now you want to get rid of Bacchi with these types of people? Didn't you just see how he is talking about her? How will his son behave with Nihu after marriage?" Ishita said, the only rational person present there.

"Ishita, chup ikdam or kharab mat karo cheejo ko," Jairaaj said to her.

"Mr. Jamwal, that's how your house girls behave with elders," Rishi remarked.

"Well, Ladki, I will see who will marry your worthless sister now."

"I'll marry her," a strong and authoritative voice echoed, and everyone turned to see Prithvi standing there.

"Mr. Prithvi, what are you doing here?" Veer questioned, stepping forward.

"I think it's not important what I am doing here right now. What's important is what I just said," Prithvi declared.

"I'll marry her," he announced firmly.

"How can you? No, you can't. She is not of the same status as yours," Veer tried to reason.

"I don't like to repeat," Prithvi responded with determination.

"Mr. Prithvi, this is our family matter. Please stay out of it. Do not make fun of us or of our situation," Jairaaj spoke with a stern tone.

"I don't make jokes, Mr. Jamwal," Prithvi responded, coming forward.

There was a brief pause.

"You might be forgetting that I am the king of Rajasthan," he declared, taking his seat near a chair and tapping his fingers.

The whole family looked shocked at the revelation.

"King?" Veer said in shock, as even he never knew it. However, Jairaaj wasn't shocked by the revelation, as if he already knew it.

"Our ways might have changed to rule, but we still hold power. In my one word, your world will turn upside down, and I don't think you want that, do you?" Prithvi said.

"Mr. Prithvi, but she is not a good match for you," Jairaaj argued.

"Then she is a good match for my son. You are degrading my son, Mr. Jairaaj," Rishi responded with anger and defiance.

The tension in the room escalated.

"I didn't mean that. It's just that your son is divorced and accused of being violent. But he has a clean reputation," Jairaj tried to explain.

"Mr. Jairaaj Jamwal," Prithvi said, getting up and buttoning his coat. He now looked extremely dangerous and hell serious.

"Follow my order, and I don't like to brag. If you defy me once more, I warn you both. In my one opinion, both of your businesses can face boycotts in India. And I don't think Mr. Rishi wants a bad reputation as an investor, and you, Mr. Jamwal, as a businessman."

Now both of them fell silent.

"Start the marriage preparations again. This marriage will happen today or tonight in any way," Prithvi commanded and left the hall. The entire family was left in shock, trying to process what had just happened.

***

"Are you kidding me?" one of the girls commented, and they all started laughing.

Suddenly, the door swings opened, and Anamika, looking furiously angry, entered.

Aarush commented, "Now the fun starts," to his friends.

"What happened, babe?" one of her friends asked, coming forward.

"You were right, Aarush. She's a cunning fox," Anamika said.

"Wait, what happened?" he said, acting worried.

"She's now getting married to Mr. Prithvi, the business tycoon, the person I liked. I was feeling pity and bad for her , but Dad, he was right all the time," she said in anger.

"She played with all of us, all together," she continued, starting to cry.

The other friends looked in shock, and Arush hugged her, saying, "Anu, don't cry for her. I told you from the very start she's here a big card. In the end, she played with you too."

"Aarush, I fucking liked him. I hate her," she cried and sobbed.

"Don't worry, babe. You can't let this happen, okay?" he said, patting her.

"You need to stop her. I have a plan," he said.

"Really? Can we?" she asked.

***

SOMETIMES LATER,

"Abhi, I need to tell you something." Prithvi said

Abhi said casually, "Okay."

"What I'm going to tell you can shock you, so please sit down first." Prithvi responded with a warning.

"What? Aise kya hai?" Abhi said, laughing.

"I'm getting married today to the youngest daughter of Jairaaj Jamwal," Prithvi said.

Abhi laughed and said, "What? You're getting married? Cool, congratulations! Why were you looking so serious for that, dude?"

While Amar was shocked and said, "Abhi bhai,"

"Boss said they are getting married," Amar informed Abhi.

"Yeah, I heard, Amar. He's getting married," and laughed, then looked at Amar, realizing. "What?" he said in shock. Prithvi wearily shrugged his shoulders. As if he knew what was going to happen next.

"Prithvi, are you losing your mind?" Abhi said.

"How can you marry someone you barely know, boss?" Amar commented.

"Wait, wait," Abhi said. "Prithvi, why did you agree to the marriage? It's not even anything to do with you."

"It has everything to do with me."

"What?" Amar said.

"Wait, Prithvi, now I remember. That girl, where I saw her, she was the girl whom you were eyeing the whole wedding last time," Abhi commented. "By any chance, are you in love with her?"

Before Prithvi could respond, they were interrupted by Anamika, who barged in with urgency.

"Excuse me, can you spare a minute for me?" Anamika said.

"We're kind of in the middle of something," Abhi replied.

"Mr. Prithvi, I want to talk with you for a minute," Anamika insisted.

"I don't want to talk to any member of your family," Prithvi said.

"Mr. Prithvi, it's important. I want to show you something. Please spare a minute," Anamika pleaded.

After a short pause,Prithvi replied, "Say whatever you want."

"You need to know the truth," Anamika said with a sense of urgency.

As Anamika explained her side, emotions intensified. Prithvi's face showed a mix of anger and shock, while Abhi and Amar exchanged shocking glances.

"She's not good for you, Mr. Prithvi. She's just using you. Consider me your well-wisher, " Anamika concluded.

Just as the trio was absorbing this revelation, Veer entered the scene with more shocking news. "Mr. Prithvi, the bride – my sister – ran away from the wedding."

" what? " prithvi said in shock.

Veer looked down and muttered, "I'm sorry, Mr. Prithvi, but woh bhag gayi."