A large room…
A girl was sitting on her knees, crying. Between sobs, she pleaded,
“Please let me go… please… What have I ever done to you? Why have you locked me here? Please, just let me go…”
One of the two bodyguards standing at the door scoffed,
“Hey girl! Don’t talk too much. Sit quietly or you won’t like the consequences!”
Wiping her tears, the girl responded,
“But what have I done? At least tell me that. What did I do to deserve this? Why am I imprisoned here?”
Both bodyguards burst into laughter. One of them smirked,
“What you did or didn’t do… our boss will explain that. Until then, stay quiet, or else…”
The guard went silent, and fresh tears began streaming down the girl's cheeks. In her mind, she thought,
“What have I done to these people? Why am I locked up? And who is their boss?”
As she pondered this, she lay down on the floor. A few minutes later, the door creaked open, and in the dim light, a man appeared in the doorway. When the girl looked up, her eyes widened in fear. The man was nearly 7 feet tall, muscular, and dressed in a striking three-piece suit. He wore dark sunglasses, which he removed as he walked towards her.
Kneeling before her, the man grabbed her jaw roughly and said,
“Making too much noise, aren’t you? Can’t you stay silent? You’ve got a sharp tongue… Let me show you how I cut that tongue right off.”
Terrified, the girl stammered,
“W-who are you? Why have you locked me here? What have I done to you?”
The man let out a chilling laugh.
“You haven’t done anything, my dear… It’s me who's ruined because of you. And now this ruined man—Vedang Walia—will ruin your life.”
Vedang continued laughing maniacally. The girl swallowed nervously, staring at his monstrous face—there was no trace of humanity in his eyes. She went silent, sensing the danger.
Vedang stood, grabbed her by the arm, and dragged her outside the room. She struggled, but her efforts were futile against his strength. She flailed like a fish out of water.
The girl was young, around 18 or 19, beautiful and innocent. Her long, black hair was loose. As soon as Vedang pulled her outside, she saw a decorated wedding mandap, where a priest was chanting mantras. Her eyes widened in horror. She looked at the mandap, then at Vedang.
Vedang smirked,
“What are you looking at, Angel? Today, I’m marrying you right here. Aren’t you happy to become the wife of the world’s most famous business tycoon?”
The girl shouted, struggling,
“Let me go! I don’t want to marry you! I don’t want to be your wife! Let me go!”
Vedang’s face turned red with anger. He growled,
“Enough of your nonsense! I’m Vedang Walia. The world fears me. I’ll end your life, and you won’t even realize it. Now come quietly and sit in the mandap. It’s your fate to become my wife.”
He dragged her and forcefully seated her in the mandap beside him. Looking at the priest, he ordered,
“Start chanting. Now!”
The priest, visibly scared, began reciting mantras. A while later, he asked them to stand for the wedding rounds. Vedang stood up quickly, but the girl remained seated. Furious, Vedang grabbed her arm and shouted,
“Get up now, or I’ll make you!”
Terrified, the girl stood. The priest asked them to begin the rounds. Vedang led the way, but the girl didn’t move. Annoyed, Vedang scoffed,
“Too much pride in you, huh? Let me fix that!”
He lifted her in his arms and said,
“After marriage, I’ll deal with this attitude of yours. I’ll make sure you don’t even dare speak against me again.”
He took all seven vows carrying her, then placed her down. The priest handed him a mangalsutra.
Vedang tied it around her neck, then took vermillion and filled her hair parting. As he did, the girl’s eyes overflowed with tears.
One hour later…
Outside a grand royal palace, three to four Rolls Royce cars pulled up. In the center white Rolls Royce, Vedang stepped out holding the girl’s hand.
The palace was breathtaking, with a garden that added to its majestic beauty. Vedang dragged the girl inside. She continued trying to free herself, but he was too strong.
At the door, he pushed her inside. She fell to the ground. Regaining her posture, she looked up—Vedang stood there with a devilish grin.
Trembling, the girl pleaded again,
“Please let me go… I just want to go home…”
Vedang laughed loudly,
“Don’t you know about Hindu culture? After marriage, a girl goes to her in-laws' home—not back to her parents.”
The girl shouted,
“This isn’t a home—it’s hell disguised as a palace!”
Furious, Vedang grabbed her again,
“I brought you to this luxurious palace, and you dare call it hell? What is heaven to you then? That 2BHK dump you lived in for 10 years?”
She gave a faint smile and said,
“Maybe it wasn’t lavish, but it was filled with happiness. This palace is just bricks without a soul. There’s no joy here.”
Enraged, Vedang dragged her to the kitchen and shoved her inside.
“There! Here’s your heaven. Girls like you belong in the kitchen. This is both your heaven and hell. Welcome to your new world, my lovely wife, Aratrika… or should I say Atri.”
Laughing cruelly, he walked away. Aratrika looked at the dirty, chaotic kitchen and mumbled,
“A palace this grand… and no servants to clean this mess?”
Suddenly Vedang’s voice echoed,
“There were servants… but when they heard that the new head maid—Aratrika—was arriving, they left. Or you could say I sent them away.”
He laughed again and climbed the stairs. Aratrika stared blankly at the kitchen.
Meanwhile, in his study, Vedang sat working on his laptop. His phone buzzed. He answered.
“Boss, your ticket to Australia is confirmed. Shall I book a ticket for Madam Aratrika too?”
Vedang clenched his teeth,
“Did I ask you to book her ticket?”
“N-no boss! I was just asking…”
“Do as you're told,” Vedang snapped and cut the call.
A few minutes later, he received a message from Karan with his ticket. He glanced at it and returned to work.
Back in the kitchen, Aratrika began cleaning. After hours of scrubbing, she slumped into a chair, exhausted.
“What kind of animals lived here before? Everything was a mess!”
After catching her breath, she began preparing dinner.
10 PM…
Vedang sat in the living room, one leg crossed, working on his laptop. Aratrika stood silently before him with her head lowered.
Without looking up, Vedang said,
“Tomorrow, many members of this family are coming. You’ll do all the work—cleaning, cooking, everything. After all, you're the head maid of this house now.”
Aratrika fumed inside but said nothing. She looked at Vedang once, then lowered her gaze again.
What is Vedang planning for Aratrika?
Why is he going to Australia?
Who is arriving tomorrow at the Walia House?
Stay tuned…
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