Chapter 45

“I love you, Sanjana. I will love you forever, my dear wifey,” Aryan said, his voice firm and filled with emotion.

The hall fell into stunned silence.

Everyone stood frozen, eyes wide with shock. Some guests blinked, wondering if they were dreaming. Maya looked completely dazed, unable to register Aryan’s words. Chandrasekar was speaking to her, but his words faded into the background. She stood still, frozen.

Meanwhile, Pavi and Naren squealed in excitement. Pavi rushed to Sanju, hugged her tightly, and kissed her cheek.

Sanju’s eyes remained locked on Aryan, drawn to the man who just proclaimed their love to the world. Aryan looked back at her, eyes soft, and extended his hand. Slowly, she walked towards him, her steps hesitant but sure. She reached him and held his hand. Aryan gently pulled her by the waist, holding her close, and kissed her hairline lovingly.

Even the media buzzed with surprise, whispering among themselves at the sudden revelation and public display of affection.

A reporter stepped forward. “Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Aryan! Sir, can you tell us why you haven’t revealed your marriage to the world before now?”

“Actually, we were in love,” Aryan began, his voice steady. “My father-in-law, Mr. Krishnan, passed away last year. So we didn’t want a grand wedding as we were mourning his death. We had a simple ceremony and registered our marriage immediately. She is both traditionally and legally my wife — for a year now. We needed time to heal from that loss. He was a great inspiration to both me and my wife.”

Another reporter asked, “Can you tell us about Mr. Pradeep? Why have you appointed him as the CEO all of a sudden?”

Aryan responded, “He is my wife’s cousin. He’s a truly wonderful businessman. I’ve always admired his capabilities. For a long time, I’ve been wanting to expand our cosmetics division, and I needed someone dedicated to lead it. Pradeep was my obvious choice.”

There was a brief pause before another voice rose above the crowd.

“We heard rumors that ARC will be partnering with DC Groups. Is it true?”

Maya stepped forward confidently, her voice clear. “Yes, it’s true. Today we are officially signing the partnership between ARC and DC Groups. I’m Maya Chandrasekar, the newly appointed CEO of DC Groups. I’m happy to be part of this collaboration. Thank you, Mr. Chaitanya.”

Chandrasekar and Aryan exchanged looks but gave no response , just a curt nod.

Another reporter directed a question toward Sanju. “Mrs. Aryan, could you say a few words?”

Sanju smiled, her voice warm. “Hello everyone. Thank you so much for being here today. I’m truly happy that you’re all part of this celebration. There’s no greater happiness than having Aryan as my husband. Today is a very special day for us. I have no words to thank God for blessing me with such a caring, loving — and of course — handsome husband. I’m lucky and blessed to have him in my life. I love you, Aryan. I love you to infinity, Mr. Husband.”

“Okay,” Chandrasekar announced, “Let’s proceed to sign the partnership now.”

With applause echoing through the hall, Maya and Pradeep signed the partnership deed. Guests gathered around to congratulate them.

Aryan stepped forward and addressed the crowd. “Thank you all. Please enjoy your dinner and celebrate with us.”

Away from the crowd, Maya pulled her father aside.

“Dad, did you know that he was married already?” she demanded, her voice cold.

Chandrasekar sighed. “Hmmm. I never thought he would announce it today. I wanted to take care of something before he did.”

“Enough, Dad,” Maya snapped. “Now stay out of this. I can handle it.”

With that, she shot a final glare at Aryan and Sanju before storming out of the mansion. She drove herself away, fury burning in her eyes.

Back at the venue, Pavi turned to Sanju with a gasp. “Oh my god, Sanju! You hid such an important thing from me?”

“Pavi, there were a lot of issues that needed to be settled first, so we couldn’t tell anyone. I’m sorry,” Sanju explained softly.

“Hey, I understand,” Pavi said, pulling her into a quick hug. “I’m so happy for you. Happy anniversary to both of you! I’ll give you some space — I’m sure many others want to speak with you.”

As Pavi stepped away, Aryan approached Chandrasekar.

“Smart play, Aryan,” Chandrasekar said, his expression unreadable.

“It’s not a play, sir,” Aryan replied calmly. “I wanted to surprise her. That’s all. I wanted her to be happy — she deserves it.”

Chandrasekar gave a small nod. “Hmmm. Fine. I’m leaving.”

“Thank you, sir,” Aryan said respectfully.

Naren walked up to them, offering a handshake. “Congrats, Aryan. I’m leaving for Canada tomorrow.”

He turned to Sanju with a warm smile. “Congratulations, Sanju.”

Then he joined his father, and the two walked out of the party.

The executives from ARC were still in shock, murmuring among themselves about the biggest revelation of the night.

“Thank god I didn’t mess up anything with Sanjana,” Vinay whispered, wiping imaginary sweat from his forehead.

Manasi, lost in her thoughts, could only hear echoes of Aryan’s words. Oh my god, I should have been sensible when he stabbed the knife into my stomach. Now I know why he did that, she thought.

Vinay noticed her silence. “What are you thinking, Manasi?”

“Nothing, Vinay,” she replied quickly, masking her emotions.

Meanwhile, Aryan held Sanju’s hand gently as Pradeep approached them with his father Surendhar.

“Aryan, thank you so much for believing in me,” Pradeep said with genuine gratitude.

“I’m ruthless only to people who always act evil and don’t want to change for the better,” Aryan replied firmly. “But you realized your mistakes and were ready to compensate for them. Even if they weren’t easy or small ones to forgive, I still chose to give you a chance because of your father. Mr. Surendhar has genuinely loved Sanju and always wanted her to lead a happy life. He also tried his best to make you understand that. I hope you’ll be wise and use the opportunity at your hands.”

“I will, Aryan. I’ll definitely be your trusted person. I’ll put all my best into the business,” Pradeep promised.

Aryan leaned closer. “As I said already, Maya will be a great barrier, and you need to be cautious around her.”

“Definitely,” Pradeep nodded. Then he turned to Sanjana. “And Sanjana, I’m really sorry for all the troubles I’ve given you. I know it’s difficult for you to forgive me immediately, but I’ll wait for that day. I’m sorry. Happy anniversary to both of you.”

“Thank you, uncle,” Sanju smiled softly.

“Thank you, sir,” Aryan added.

Pradeep and Surendhar moved toward the dinner area as Ranjith approached the couple with a bouquet in hand. Behind him, Bala and Kowsalya followed with their own gifts.

“Happy anniversary, Boss and Boss Madam,” Ranjith beamed.

“Ranjith, thank you, man,” Aryan smiled.

“Bro, call me Sanju,” Sanju said playfully.

“Happy anniversary, Sanju.”

“Thank you, bro,” she grinned, then pouted. “But I’m angry that you made me mad by not wishing me all day.”

“It’s all a surprise planned by sir, Sanju. But worth the surprise, right?”

Sanju huffed, “Hmmm.”

Bala and Kowsalya also wished the couple warmly before the crowd started dispersing for dinner. Aryan and Sanju finally had a moment to themselves. They picked their dinner plates and sat at a cozy table in a corner.

“Aryan, seriously you pissed me off the entire day,” Sanju began, narrowing her eyes at him. “I thought you forgot this day because of your hectic business schedule.”

“Am I mad to forget this day?” Aryan smirked. “I wanted to surprise you and keep Chandrasekar in the dark from my planning. That’s the reason. So tell me, my dear wifey, did you like my surprise?”

“Happy,” she said honestly. “I was extremely angry with you, but not now. What is with you now calling me ‘wifey’?”

“Actually, I wanted to call you that for a long time, but I didn’t want to until I told the whole world that you’re my wife. Since I’ve done that, I now hold the right to call you ‘wifey.'”

“Oh, understood, Mr. Husband,” she teased.

“Sounds sexy when you say it,” Aryan winked.

“Pradeep part… I never expected.”

“He actually is not the old Pradeep anymore, so there’s no good in holding a grudge against him. If people change for good, I believe in forgiving. Hope I didn’t hurt you by appointing him without your concern.”

“I’m happy he changed. And of course, you’re right. We should treat people good when they tend to change.”

“Not only that—he’ll be perfect to handle Maya.”

“Yeah,” Sanju nodded. “She left with too much of anger.”

“Whatever. Let’s not discuss that now,” Aryan said, standing up. “Shall we leave for our personal celebration?”

Aryan informed Ranjith to take care of the guests. Taking Sanju’s hand, he led her back toward the mansion. On their way, Kowsalya stopped them and gently performed a ritual to ward off the evil eye, blessing them both with love and protection.

Meanwhile, Maya drove her car recklessly through the city streets, fury burning in her eyes. Her mind echoed with Aryan’s words over and over. She tried calling her friends, only to find out they were already at the club. When her phone rang again, she saw her father’s name and barked, “Don’t disturb me, dad!” before cutting the call.

Every word Aryan spoke felt like a slap. She was losing her grip. When she reached the club, her friends—Riya, Lekha, and Vivaan—looked at her in shock. Maya looked like she had returned from war.

Without saying a word, she stormed to the bar and started downing shots one after another.

Vivaan exchanged glances with Tina and Lekha, who only shrugged helplessly. They tried asking her what had happened, but Maya didn’t respond for a long time. Finally, with a hollow voice and a bitter smile, she said, “Today is Aryan’s first wedding anniversary.”

Her friends sat frozen, unsure how to respond to that bombshell.

Back at the mansion, Sanju and Aryan walked into their room hand in hand. Sanju paused, letting Aryan step in first.

As Aryan opened the door, he was stunned. He didn’t say a word, overwhelmed.

Sanju closed the door and walked behind him. Wrapping her arms around his waist, she whispered softly , “Did you like it, Mr. Husband?”

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