Pari and Ishaan looked at Varun with amused calm; for a moment they’d been shocked by his threats, and then they both burst out laughing. Varun ground his teeth as Ishaan pulled a chair and sat down beside Pari.
For the first time since he’d entered the room, Varun noticed the rings on both their fingers — Pari no longer wore his engagement ring. They looked as if they had plotted this together long before he was summoned to confront them.
Pari had changed. She no longer appeared the calm, innocent girl who would swallow his words without question. Standing before him now was someone who belonged to the empire- composed, sharp, and quietly authoritative. An air of confidence clung to her, something Varun had never seen before.
“Pari, we were supposed to be equals,” Varun began, forcing himself to be measured. “Let’s work this out. I’ll come clean if you do the same. Let’s pretend Meghna and Ishaan never happened. We’ll restart everything. Your family will be hurt by the rumors, people will talk. Men will only come forward for money. I’ve been your friend, I’ll take care of you. I know you can’t give birth to children, and I’m okay with that, we can adopt. Marry me, Pari.” He spoke fast, pleading and calculating at once.
Ishaan’s jaw tightened. He kicked the chair aside and stood up, fury written across his face. “Say one more word,” he warned, “and you will never leave this building. Let me remind you where you stand, we build empires overnight, and I can erase you in minutes.” His voice was low, hard as steel.
Pari reached out and patted Ishaan’s back, he turned and pulled her into his chest protectively.
Ishaan fished his phone from his pocket, tapped a few messages, and set it back on the table. He smiled down at Pari as she looked up at him, nestled against his chest. Varun moved toward the door and twisted the knob but the door didn’t open.
“You don’t get to decide whether you leave, I will decide your fate today.” Ishaan said quietly and he sat back down, this time with Pari on his lap. They leaned into each other, whispering and smiling, utterly absorbed in one another.
Varun watched as Ishaan murmured something in Pari’s ear. She flushed and buried her face in his neck, and whatever remained of Varun’s composure crumbled.
Thirty minutes later Ishaan’s phone pinged. He glanced at the message, replied, and gave Pari a quick nod. The door opened and Reyansh, Mithun, Ayaan and several other men entered the room. Pari rushed forward to hug Mithun and Reyansh, then returned to sit beside Ishaan.
The men placed a file on the table before Ishaan and Pari. They exchanged smiles as they read through the papers, then signed the documents one by one. Reyansh and Mithun followed suit. Varun watched, curious, scared and terrified all at once; he had no idea what was happening and clenched his fists both in fear and frustration.
Once everyone had signed, Ishaan thanked them and they left, leaving Ishaan, Pari and Varun alone again.
“I know you must be wondering what just happened,” Ishaan said and Varun grit his teeth. With a smirk Ishaan turned towards the screen and played the video of their London wedding.
“That was our legal team with the sub-registrar. They were here to register our marriage officially. Good news, isn’t it?” Ishaan said wounding his hand around Pari’s waist giving her a wink.
Varun’s face drained of color when he saw footage of Ishaan and Pari married with the whole family present. Ishaan switched off the display and turned his full attention to Varun.
“Now let’s have a little talk,” he continued. “Pari is aware of all your dirty games. Pari is perfectly capable of bearing a child and what you saw at the hospital was a drama Pari staged to flush out the woman behind everything who happens to be your grandma Mrs. Giridharan, the one my Appa and Mamu let go years ago.”
Varun staggered back at Ishaan’s words and stumbled against the door, eyes wide.
“You thought we didn’t know you? We knew everything. We’ve been putting you in your place—both in business and in your personal life while every time you tried one of your stunts against Pari. If you’re wondering why we did this, the answer is simple, I wanted Pari to see the real you, and, more importantly, I wanted her to rekindle the love she buried for me. Now that we are married, you’re no longer needed. You’re a useless bastard.” Ishaan clicked his tongue nonchalantly, picked up a water bottle and offered it to Pari first before taking a sip himself from the spot where she drank. Pari blushed and shook her head.
“Every day is special with my Pari, but today is even more special, we just got our marriage registered. I don’t want blood on my hands on my wedding day, so I’m giving you a chance. You get to leave alive today, but I make no promises for the future. You don’t have to hide that bitch as your cousin anymore. You have exactly five minutes to be off this premises. A single second longer and there are people here who won’t hesitate to tear you apart. ” Ishaan warned waving his hand.
Varun fumbled the doorknob with trembling hands, this time it turned. He bolted from the room, saw the elevator at the ground floor and didn’t wait for it and he ran down the stairs, gasping for air. Once outside the building he hunched over, palms on his knees, trying to catch his breath.
Back in the conference room, Pari reached for Ishaan’s tie and pulled him close, looking at him with a puzzled, affectionate smile.
“Ishu, what did you mean when you said he didn’t have to hide that woman as his cousin anymore? Who is she?” Pari asked, curious.
“She isn’t related to him at all, she’s the only daughter of a businessman, one of the business partner to his father. They were once allied to get married, but then they got caught up in their sick game of revenge and greed. She abandoned her family and pretended to be his cousin., Ishaan replied firmly.
Pari shook her head, realizing how cunning Varun had been and how foolish she had once been to trust him.
She sighed and only then noticed that she wasn’t holding Ishaan’s tie anymore, instead, he had tied her hands with it.
“Ishaan, why did you tie my hands? Let me go now, Mr. Husband,” she demanded, pouting.
Ishaan only shook his head, mischief glinting in his eyes. With ease, he lifted her and placed her on the table, stepping closer to stand between her legs.
“We just got married for the second time, don’t you think it’s time for a celebration? Our honeymoon hasn’t even started yet, baby… so let me give you a trailer of what’s waiting for us.” he whispered huskily.
He gently pushed her back to lay on the table, raising her tied hands above her head.
He untucked her shirt and pressed soft kisses along her abdomen, his palm groping her cloth-clad bosoms before slipping beneath the fabric to feel the lace beneath. She was a mess, her shirt open, lace torn, and the cold air grazing her bare skin. Her legs were draped over his shoulders while he worked on her with his fingers and tongue. He felt her thighs tremble from the ecstasy.
Pari shut her eyes, moaning and crying out as she reached her peak. Ishaan finally stood, still holding her legs, his hands gently massaging her trembling thighs. His hair was tousled, and he released her hands with a satisfied smile.
Pari twisted her wrists free and sat up, taking deep breaths to steady herself before beckoning him closer. As Ishaan leaned toward her, she pressed a kiss to his cheek before their lips met in a searing kiss. Her hands fumbled with his belt, and Ishaan unbuckled it, unhooking his pants for her. She pushed them down along with his boxers, and he let out a grunt when she stroked him. Their lips never parted, every sound of his pleasure muffled against her mouth until he spilled onto her palm and thighs.
He quickly grabbed tissues, gently cleaning her before adjusting both their clothes. Together, they left the conference room, heading straight to the elevator. Desire still heavy between them, they could barely wait to tear each other’s clothes off. Ishaan opened the car door for her, then slipped behind the wheel. The moment they reached his penthouse, he hauled her over his shoulder and carried her straight into the bedroom.
The rest of the day they spent exploring each other, lost in the depths of intimacy.
Ishaan sent a message to their parents, letting them know they would be staying at his penthouse for a while to celebrate their honeymoon.
Three blissful days passed, with the world around them fading into the background except for each other and the occasional calls from family.
On the fourth night, Ishaan was in the kitchen preparing dinner while Pari relaxed in a warm bath. His phone pinged with a notification from his father. He quickly replied before returning to his cooking.
Pari soon emerged, dressed in a silk shirt and shorts. Ishaan smiled, kissed her forehead, and together they sat down for dinner. Afterward, they cuddled on a mattress in the balcony, Pari curled against Ishaan’s chest, tracing lazy circles on his shirt. He smiled, brushing his lips over her hair.
“Do you remember the garden back at your grandfather’s estate?” he asked suddenly.
Pari lifted her head, curious. “Which one? The one in Delhi or the one in London?”
“The Delhi one,” Ishaan replied with a grin. “That garden was bigger than most people’s neighborhoods. You had swans in the pond, imported roses from France, and those ridiculous golden benches.”
Pari laughed softly. “Yes and the hedge maze… I always got lost in it.”
“You never got lost, you just pretended so that I would come looking for you.” Ishaan teased pinching her waist.
Pari’s cheeks warmed. “Well, maybe… I liked the way you held my hand and dragged me out like a knight rescuing a princess.”
Ishaan chuckled. “Princess? You were more like a little tyrant. Remember when you made me host tea parties under that giant banyan tree? You’d order the staff to bring out porcelain cups, cakes from the kitchen, even silk cushions. And if I didn’t sit properly, you’d threaten to complain to appa and mamu. You wouldn’t let anyone other then me in your tea party”
Pari giggled, hiding her face against his chest. “And you still showed up every time.”
“Of course I did, because after the tea party, we’d sneak behind the fountains and play with the sprinklers. The gardeners hated us for ruining the flower beds, but those were the best evenings.” Ishaan said, voice softening.
Pari’s eyes grew misty. “I can still hear our laughter echoing in that garden. Everyone else saw it as a palace ground… but for me, it was our secret world.”
Ishaan brushed his thumb across her cheek, before a mischievous smile curved his lips. “Do you also remember climbing that old mango tree near the stables? The guards nearly had a heart attack every time we did it. You’d sit on the branch like a queen and order me to pluck mangoes for you.”
Pari burst out laughing. “And you’d fall every single time, covered in mud. But you always came back with at least one mango for me.”
“And sometimes, I would crush the petals from the rose bushes and make you a flower crown. Once I ruined it, and you cried so much I had to steal ten fresh bouquets from the house and leave them in your room as an apology.” Ishaan added, lowering his voice.
Pari looked at him, her smile trembling. “Ishu… you always spoiled me.”
“Of course,” Ishaan whispered, kissing her hair. “You have always been mine, my queen.”
Pari’s throat tightened, and she pulled him closer, burying herself in the warmth of his embrace.
************************************
A/N:
This story will end with 40 chapters.
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