POV: Aaravi

I couldn’t wait any longer.

There were many things I was good at—hosting events, running a cafe empire, giving speeches. But patience? Not one of them.

The dinner was two nights ago.

Ashwin had said he needed time.

What did that even mean? Was it a gentle no? A soft delay? Or was he just scared to face me again?

I hated every version.

So I did what I always did when my thoughts spiraled—I acted.

And that meant walking straight into the office I’d grown up around, the empire that once was my playground, and heading to the one man who still made sense when the world didn’t.

Appa.

---

His cabin door was open. As usual.

He hated closed doors.

“Appa?” I knocked anyway.

He looked up from his laptop and smiled. “Aaru, come in.”

I shut the door behind me and took the leather seat across from his.

“You didn’t call. You didn’t even message,” I said, arms folded.

He chuckled. “So now I report to my daughter?”

“Yes. Especially when my entire life is hanging on a man’s single word.”

His smile faded a little.

“So that’s what this is about.”

“What else could it be?”

“I thought you were here to treat your old man to lunch,” he teased.

I gave him a look.

Appa leaned back in his chair, arms folded across his chest, gaze calm.

“Do you think he’ll say yes appa?” I asked, voice low.

He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he sighed and rubbed his temple, the way he always did when handling a sensitive negotiation.

“Honestly?” he said finally.

“Yes.”

“I think he’ll say no.” he shrugged.

My breath caught. “Why? Appa!”

“Because he’s not the kind of man who says yes out of obligation. He’s sharp. Cold, even. He calculates more than he feels. And right now, he’s weighing everything you are against everything he’s holding back.”

I blinked hard, but the tears still gathered.

“But he came running when I said I was sick. He punched a guy who touched me. He stayed.”

“I know, kutty ma. I know he feels something. But whether that’s love or loyalty or pity… I don’t think even he knows.”

My voice cracked. “Then what do we do?”

Appa leaned forward, elbows on the desk.

“We help him decide.”

“How?”

“By making the outcome seem… inevitable.”

I frowned. “That sounds manipulative.”

“No. It’s business. You don’t force someone to sign a deal. You just make the deal too perfect to resist.”

I paused. “So you’ll talk to him?”

“If I have to. And I’ll talk again if needed. But sometimes silence works better.”

I chewed my lip. “Do you want this, Appa? Me marrying him?”

He softened.

“I want what you want da aara kutty. I want you to be loved the way you deserve. If that’s Ashwin—then yes, I want this. If not, we walk away with dignity.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat.

I sat in silence for a moment.

Then the door clicked open.

I didn’t turn immediately.

But I knew.

That walk. That sound. That air that changed whenever he entered a room.

Ashwin.

He walked in, crisp as ever, in black shirt and grey trousers. His expression unreadable. He didn’t pause when he saw me.

He just looked at Appa.

Then at me.

His eyes locked onto mine.

I stood, unsure of what to say.

He walked until he was standing between both of us.

And then he said it.

“I’m ready uncle.”

Silence.

“What?” I whispered.

“I accept the proposal. I’ll marry Aaravi.” he turned and smiled at me. Smiled?

My knees nearly gave out.

Appa blinked. “You’re sure?”

Ashwin nodded once. “Yes, uncle. I’ve thought it through. I know what it means.”

He didn’t look at me again.

He simply turned and walked out.

Leaving his yes echoing in the room louder than any rejection ever could.

---

I stood frozen.

Appa finally broke the silence. “Well… that was quicker than I expected.”

I sank into the chair. “He didn’t even look at me like that ever!.”

“He said yes.”He looked at me gently.“You wanted a fairytale. You’re getting a contract. The difference is… we can still write love into it.”

I smiled faintly.

But deep inside, something told me — this is love.

Or something darker.

And yet… I still wanted to live it.

Even if it wrecked me.