Yuvraaj Singh Chauhan

Sara is ignoring me.

Did that come as a surprise? Not at all. After what happened between us at the hospital, I expected her to pack up and move out of the country, texting me that she cannot go through with the wedding. Not responding to my calls or messages is a lot tamer than every outcome I imagined. That doesn't mean I'm happy about it though. So I plan to drop her a surprise to wherever she's at the moment. Would she appreciate it? Of course not. As long as I don't get added to the long list of her victims, I'm going to risk it.

"I don't understand why we cannot collaborate with them." Radhika speaks despondently. "You're getting married too, aren't you? It's not just King Yuvraaj Singh Chauhan weds Sara Rajawat. It's also Chief Editor of Icon weds Deputy Chief Editor of Muse."

"True," someone else grumbles. I forgot the young man's name. Now I just call him mate or beckon him over like a puppy. That usually does the trick. I don't want to admit in front of Radhika that I'm slowly forgetting their names again. For a lady of a short stature, she packs enough fury to melt an iceberg. Reminds me of Taranya. Actually, all the young, confident, slightly quirky girls remind me of my baby sister. Keeps me entertained.

And it's not that I've lost interest in Icon now that I've Sara, it's just that they're finally doing everything on their own. They're getting deals, they're bringing sponsors on board, bagging celebrities for photoshoots and interviews, and they don't need me as their crutch anymore. Icon is self-reliant now.

"Honestly speaking, we've an edge above our competitor. We're doing so much better than them." Radhika states. I eye her grimly. She clears her throat. "Not in terms of sales of course, that's not what I was talking about, I meant the progress graph. We're taking leaps. So why can't we collaborate with them?"

"Because they're more successful, Radhika," our deputy chief editor reprimands the grumpy young woman and the rest of the gloomy looking team. "They get to call the shots. And it's not that we're running in losses or something. We're doing absolutely great on our own. So just focus on getting Mrs. Parker onboard, and let's not grill our boss for his personal choices. I don't know about you but we want to attend the royal wedding," she looks at me playfully. "You're going to invite us, aren't you?" I nod, chuckling softly.

"Fine," Radhika leans in, ready to address the meeting's agenda. "Did she respond to the mail?"

"Her secretary did,"

I tune out of their discussion upon receiving a call from my secretary. "Please continue without me. I've to take this," getting up from the chair, I walk out of the room and let the door fall close after me, answering the call as I exit the department to go to my office.

Zoya waits for me at my desk side.

"How serious is it?" I fling my suit jacket off the chair. Zoya helps me put it on, being extremely careful of my injured shoulder. "Is the worker okay?"

"It wasn't a fatal accident. But it looks like he crushed his leg under the slab that collapsed."

I release a sigh. "Any signs of media at the site yet?"

"Nope." She shakes her head.

"Where's he taken?"

"To the government hospital," she replies.

I shake my head as I aim for the elevator. She follows me in a jiffy. "Shift him to Mankind Medicare. VIP ward. Let his family know we'll take care of the expenses and after-care. And schedule my visit to the hospital as soon as he wakes up." I press on the key fob, the headlights of my white Maserati blink. Tossing the keys to her, I get into the backseat and close the door. My long time chauffeur retired before the New York trip. I suggested the possibility of it to him since he wasn't as active as he was in the past. Which is understandable given that the man is in his late sixties. Now the wheel is permanently in my hands. I don't wish to hire anyone else, and any day I'm not in the position to drive myself around, like today, my secretary is always there. That reminds me, "How's your son? Is he settling well with you?"

She glances at me through the rear view mirror. "It's been a week now. Aren't you too late to ask that?"

I give her a look of deadpan. "Well, pardon me for not having the leisure to have a nice chit chat with you over a cup of tea," I lift my arm attached to the injured shoulder to prove my point. "You were the one leaving me with that ne'er-do-well secretary of Arush. Geez, the woman was more restless than a squirrel, couldn't stay still for one damn second!" I say irritatedly. "I wonder how he gets any work done with that woman."

"Sounds like you finally know my worth. Are we reconsidering that increment -"

"Stop yapping and keep your eyes on the road."

She scoffs, focusing ahead. "Because you asked, no, he's not settling well with me. He hates it with me. And he reminds me of that every second of the day. Teenagers are so mean! I feel like I'm in a one-sided, toxic relationship with someone who takes me for granted."

That brings a smile on my face inspite of the situation we're in at work. "Yeah, teenagers make you feel like that."

"I made a feast for him for breakfast this morning. He didn't even glance at it. Just snatched a slice of bread and jam from the pantry and slammed his door shut on me. Rude!"

"Alright, I get it." I shut her up. I may not know a mother's love, but her whining? Don't get me started. I still get nightmares.

The car slows once entering the gravel driveway of Rajawat palace. I see the engineers and workers huddled in groups around the property, sipping tea from the paper cups. As I approach the scene, catching everyone's attention, they all look at me with depressingly dull and bleak faces. Leigh pulls through the crowd, the senior engineer meandering along with her.

"Was it avoidable?"

She shakes her head. "It was unexpected. We didn't expect it to collapse."

"Can I say something?" One of the workers steps forward. I nod at the man. "We knew what risk we were taking when we agreed to work on the restoration of this palace but now that we almost lost one of our own, we'll need some time to come to a decision whether we can really go through with it."

While instant panic engulfs me from the inside, I mask my face to appear calm. "Take a day off." I command.

"Thank you, your majesty," the men take off in their trucks and bikes, emptying the premises in less than ten minutes. As the gates shut close, I look back at Leigh and the engineers. "They'll ask for a raise in their daily wages, won't they?"

Leigh hums. "That's a huge possibility. Legally, they're tied in a contract with Rudra's company so they can't drop the work, but that doesn't mean they won't try to postpone it to get their demands heard."

"I'm already paying them triple the times they usually get!" I huff out exasperatedly.

"Well, this is a golden opportunity for them." She shrugs. "I told you, Yuvraaj, this," she points behind her shoulder at the palace, "is not an easy work. You're going to face many obstacles while trying to put it back on its feet. So if you aren't up for it, give up now."

I shake my head. "That's not happening. I never quit my responsibilities. Let's wait a day and see if they agree to resume work without making non-viable demands or I always have my ways to make people obey me. You guys can go home for today. See you the day after tomorrow."  Putting on my sunglasses, I go back to my car. Zoya occupies the seat behind the wheels, asking me where to next. "Legacy Academy,"

She nods and pulls the car out of the driveway.

Recently, Sara took the position of vice-chairperson at Legacy Academy, and ever since then, she spends her mornings at the school before heading to her workplace. It's still eleven in the morning so I'll be able to catch her there. I need to tell her about the latest roadblock we're facing with the restoration process of Rajawat palace before she finds out through television or newspaper.

Also, did I mention we're getting engaged tomorrow? That's right, it's finally happening. I can't wait for it anymore. I'm planning to wrap up the hospital visit in the morning so I can focus on the first big day of my life. I said first because there are many more to come. At least, that's what I'm hoping for.

"We're here,"

I barely exit my car before the school's principal is on my face with his cheery greetings and clownish smiles. I'm not sure what Abhay means, but it should be recoined to mean a bootlicker. Because that's what Abhay Menon is. And it's so infuritating.

"Good morning, Mr. Menon, I'm sorry for troubling you on a busy day." I say politely. "I'm just here to meet my fiancee."

"Yeah, of course, Manish will show you the way." He motions towards his secretary. "And if time allows, please stop by my office for a cup of coffee. I'd be happy to host you for a couple of minutes." He smiles widely, showing me his pearly white teeth like he's in some sort of toothpaste commercial.

"Sure," I say awkwardly and sidestep him. "Excuse me," I quickly stride upstairs.

Wasting my fiancee's time to get rid of that buffoon feels like an insult now. I just need a word of approval from her and I'll make him disappear in a blink of an eye. A nod will do too.

Knocking on her door, I don't wait for her permission and step in.

"That's bad manners-" she stops realising it's me and not some rebellious kid.

"I'm sorry, are you going to punish me?" I smirk.

She inhales deeply. "What are you doing here?" And deliberately looks away to avoid meeting my eyes.

"Someone got injured at the site so I had to rush there immediately," I pull myself a chair across her desk. Her gaze snaps towards me in shock. "Don't worry, it's a minor accident. I'm just afraid the labourers will try to use that as an opportunity to get an increase in their daily wages."

"Aren't you paying them three times the market price already?"

I hum.

Her face falls. "So? Are you stopping the work-"

"Of course not, little rebel," I lean in, my voice genuine. "I just wanted to let you know about it myself. I'm not abandoning the Rajawat palace. I've promised to hand it over to you in it's original condition and that's what I'll do."

Relief shows on her face. "What else are you here for?"

"You were ignoring me." I answer.

She feigns innocence. "No, I wasn't."

"Yes, you are. You've been ignoring me after that kiss in the hospital."

She barks out a scoffing laugh. "Ridiculous!"

"No, it's true."

"I- I wasn't ignoring you. I'm just busy."

"When I arrived, you were arranging CVs according to their alphabetical order." I point out.

She opens her mouth to counter, is saved by the knock on the door. "Come in, Aisha,"

I glance at the young girl who walks in timidly, clutching a document holder to her chest. "The consent forms, Ma'am," she hands it to her.

Sara opens the holder and takes them out, flipping through the forms as if searching for one in particular. "Did you get your mother's signature on the form?"

She nods.

Sara takes a single form out. "Is this yours?"

Anxiety clouds the teenager's face. I frown. "Yes, ma'am,"

"This is not your mother's signature," Sara shows her the form.

Aisha pales. "It- it is."

"No, it's not." Sara smiles mirthlessly. "I had to go through everyone's reports from when you were middle schoolers because your guidance counselor needs them, and this is not your mother's signature." She places the form on the desk. "You copied her signature, didn't you?"

She drops her head. Sniffles softly. "I'm sorry, ma'am. I- I told my grandma but she didn't allow me so-"

"Yuvraaj, can you step out for a minute." She cuts the girl off, requesting me with her eyes.

"Sure," I get up from the chair and exit the office. The peon offers me to take a seat in the waiting area. I glance at the sofa where Zoya sits, patting the empty space next to her for me. Walking over, I settle down.

Fifteen minutes later, I see Aisha, the young student walk out of her office before the peon politely informs me to go back in. "Get the car ready," I instruct my secretary.

"All good?" I ask, re-entering her office without bothering to knock.

Sara looks at me from the monitor. "Yeah, of course. I'm heading to Muse directly from here, so if you've nothing else -"

"We've to go pick up our rings. Our engagement's tomorrow."

"I remember." She sighs. "Wait for me outside, I need to wrap up a few things here."

"Not for long, please."

She looks at me straight-faced. "Unless you've the memory of a gold fish, you made me wait for four hours the day we were supposed to go pick our rings. Then you had the audacity to come and tell me you forgot."

"Speaking of our past, you shot me-"

"Five minutes!" Splaying five fingers aggressively, she shoots me an annoyed glare. "Give me five minutes."

Suppressing a smile, I close the door and take out my phone, briefing Rudra about the unfortunate accident and the deplorable situation at hand. He texts back almost immediately, informing me about the meeting he had Rachel set up with the trade union this evening. I thank him for his quick work. He replies promptly again, telling me to focus on my engagement and nothing else. In times like these, I don't mind having a brother-in-law.

Sara comes out the moment I shove my phone back in my pocket. "Shall we?"

She hums, following me downstairs to where my car is waiting for us. Transferring her keys to Zoya, who'll be driving her car to Muse, I take us to pick up the rings. The store had been emptied out for us, so we have everyone's attention as we try the fitting of our own rings. "How is it?" I ask her.

She rolls the ring around her finger. "It's good. Not too loose, nor too tight. Fits perfectly."

"Mine too," we look satisfactorily at the store manager.

He grins, looking accomplished.

I pay the balance amount and leave the store, then I drop her at her office before driving back to mine. Zoya meets me in the lobby, ready with the remaining things I'm scheduled to do for the rest of the day.

Clocking out at seven, I make it back home in time for dinner. Taranya updates me about the progress on wedding arrangements, Rudra recounts the meeting shortly, Agastya tells us about his life in London. Everyone else, along with me, only listens.

Departing to our respective rooms, I take a long, slightly torturous shower, because God damn it's a struggle to prevent the wound from getting wet. After a tedious attempt to put on my clothes, I'm on my way to the ensuite study when someone chooses that time to pay me a visit with a knock. Changing the direction last minute, I attend the door to reveal my brother standing on the other side.

While Sara was avoiding me, I was avoiding Vivaan. His words got into my head and I was afraid he'll catch onto my reality. In the hindsight, maybe I should have reacted differently, tried to show myself more confident. Because avoiding him might just give him more conviction.

"Hey, come in," I open the door wider.

"Thanks," he steps in.

I drape the towel over the hanger before turning around to face him. "If you've something to say, take a seat," I offer as I settle down on the end of my bed. He nods, occupying the right end of the couch near the door. "So, what is it?"

"I wanted to apologise,"

My brows shoot up in surprise. "Apologise?"

He nods. "Yeah. I'm sorry, Bhai. For everything I said to you in the hospital. I know I must have come off as blunt and pretentious but trust me, I was only looking out for you. After what happened with Taranya, you can say I got a little paranoid. I just felt like nothing was adding up. I mean, you two couldn't stand each other not long ago, and now you want to get married. I know it must have been a progress for you, but it just felt too abrupt to me. Which, of course, does not give me any right to draw a judgement on your relationship. So, I'm sorry."

"Why- why the change of heart?"

"Well, I saw something at the hospital that I shouldn't have, but it opened my eyes. So if you're happy, I'm happy."

It was him.

When I heard the door open and close, it was him. Wow, that's pretty embarrassing.

"Thanks," I whisper. "And don't fret yourself over it, I understand why you did that. You've always looked out for everyone in the family and I appreciate that."

He smiles. "Yeah, I'm kind of used to being the mother of the group."

I chuckle. "That's true, actually. The kids always treated me as one treats their father. Like an outsider."

"Not their fault," he defends, typical mother. "You were the one always acting so cold and aloof. You had the kids terrified."

"I wanted to teach them discipline."

He snorts. "Kids also need love."

"But despite all that, we didn't fail them. I think we did a good job."

"We did." He says, mirroring my smile. "They turned out to become the best version of themselves, didn't they?"

"Too much," I shake my head.

"Yeah, I realised that as soon as I said it." He nods. "Let's just say they turned out fine."

I simper. "Yeah, they turned out fine."

"Alright, Bhai, get your beauty sleep. It's a big day tomorrow." I curb the grin on my face hearing his words.

"See you tomorrow. Good night." I close the door after he leaves.

It's indeed a big day tomorrow.

I hope nothing ruins it.