Rathores- The Royal Saga

Parshawan | Chapter 5

Chapter 5 | Safe heaven
•|Abhiraaj Singh Rathore|•

The sound of clock ticking echoed in the background as I had my eyes trailed at the raven beauty sitting in front of me. Her eyes were wide open, trying to figure out if I was joking or this was some kind of prank. It was not. But if tables turn and anything negative pops up, I am surely going to pretend that I was pranking her. That's the most cowardly crooked way to save yourself from embarrassment from time to time, but it works.

"You're serious, aren't you?" Afreen leaned forward. I nodded my head in positive. "Damn serious." I nodded again.

She heaved a huge sigh and leaned back onto the large comfy chair. She kept analysing my features to figure of anything is lame inside my most vital organ, my brain.

"I want nothing more than to leak this piece of news to the media. Abhiraaj Singh Rathore, my latest client who had arrived at my office a few hours ago with his famous supermodel fiancee to discuss his wedding arrangements, asked me out on a date. Imagine the money I would make." She made a snark remark. My lips curled up into a lazy smirk.

"That's what the NDA was for. The words we share in this cabin, remains in this cabin. Or you'll get sued upto an amount that would probably suck up your entire life's income." I shrugged. She raised her eyebrows in amusement. She was enjoying this game as much as I was.

"You know, Mr. Rathore, had we met under different circumstances..." She trailed off while analysing her nails.

"... circumstances that did not involve you walking into my cabin, being all chivalrous with your little fiancee out there.." she clarified.

"... I would have definitely agreed. Who would miss out a chance with the hot demanded bachelor, a romantic, a poet, a novelist on top of that." She pointed out.

A bachelor. A romantic. A poet. A novelist.

And not, a royal. A billionaire. A publishing house's owner. A textile company owner's brother. The Chauhan Textile owner's brother in law.

That's the little difference I wanted women to figure out. All those women I have been on a date ow two with, always focused on the later. This minor difference was something that made me reject Neha Sharma on the first place.

"But the fact that paparazzis followed you upto my work place and uploaded pictures of you and  Ms. Sharma walking into my office with headlines 'The supermodel and the royal getting hitched? Wedding planner by the Suhaags?' now makes a huge difference." She stated.

"If I go on a date with you now, my business would be doomed, Mr. Rathore. No families would trust me enough with their grooms even in the safe and vigilant environment of my office. The negative publicity your little date would bring me would probably cost me everything I have built up in the past six years, Mr. Rathore." She explained.

"So, no, Mr. Rathore. I cannot do the honours to come on a date with you. I can't manage for public to witness our appearance together." She breathed out.

"In public, you deny. What if I manage to plan something out in private? Away from all the prying eyes?" I asked her.

"Like where, your bathroom? Or a graveyard?" She snarled out.

I rolled my eyes at her sarcastic sense of humour.

"That's something for me to worry and you to find out." I reassured. "If you agree, sit in the white Fortuner I'll be sending you tomorrow by seven in the evening. If not, let the driver wait  until eight. He'll depart on his own." I rambled on before getting up with the folder I initially brought in with me.

Walking out of the office, I walked towards my car in the basement. True to Afreen's words, the office was surrounded by paparazzi. I sped up to make sure they don't get even a single photo of us without the picture being blurred to no end.

"You should slow down, Abhiraaj! Let them atleast take a few candids for the wedding!" She screeched out. I initially chose not to reply but then she'll scramble off to complain to her mother dearest.

"Please learn to respect my privacy. I don't like people clicking and shattering around me when I eat, sleep and yawn." I snarled. She rolled her eyes before muttering how I was just jealous about not being a picturesque person, like herself.

Neha Sharma would be the last person on this earth I'll be jealous of.  

"And how about we talk about your subtle looks at the wedding planner?" She gritted through her teeth.

"Or we rather talk about how the wedding planner knows me better than my own betrothal?" I asked her in the same tone.

"I know enough about you!" She yelled. Mommy's princess is so easily agitated! Point out her mistakes and she'll resort to yelling.

"With that temperament, I doubt you are worthy of being a royal." I remarked. That seemed to do the job. She was flaring but quite for the entire ride. While I stopped infront of the mansion, she banged her way out of my car. Neither in the afternoon with a good mood, nor in the evening with a worse mood, she had the audacity to ask if I want to come in or have a glass of water.

I drove off to my penthouse for I had no intentions of dealing with my mother's questions about the day or my father's persistence about signing the contract where I guarantee him that I'll get married to Neha Sharma to get my company financed.

Rathore Publications. I started this house with the money my parents used to put into my account for my MBA programme. Rather than spending ample on a reputed university's certificate, I spent a part of it to get online courses. The rest of the amount was used to set up the publication house.

I made Ved, my twin sister Ruhani's husband, my co-owner and my attorney. Though, Ved and my family has a haywire relationship, he's on good terms with me. He has enough people to remind him of his past and give him a cold shoulder. I didn't wanted to be another person to add onto his miseries.

Unlocking my penthouse, I crashed on my couch. This penthouse was my bachelor's pad. With furniture ranging from little to none, it had enough commodities to support me for month if I wanted to escape.

Except for Arunaditya bhai, no body knew about my safe heaven. The house was booked under my pen name and the legalities were done under mine. The builder being one of my college friends helped me to keep this place away from media as well as my family members.

This is where I was planning my date with Afreen. I wasn't going to ask her to get married to me absurdly just because my father agreed to cancel my matrimonial alliance with Neha Sharma only and only if I had another woman in my life. I wanted to give Afreen an honest chance. To date. To envision a future. Anything and everything.

The next chapter is going to be a complete haywire!

How about we hit 60 comments before 8 am and I post the chapter by tomorrow?