{COMPLETE} THE DEAL OF FREEDOM

Of Lila and Vikram

Hello everyone. Are you on Instagram?
I will FOLLOW BACK there.

Just follow me there and DM me that you are from Wattpad. Let's get to know each other better.
My Id is @miss.ashika

Edited by @KateHP go follow her :)

Chapter 1

Gardening always made me feel good. Worrying about the type of fertilizer to use was better than worrying about the drama in my life, which was no less than a soap opera.

My hands were covered with wet soil., I was trying to sow seeds in my little haven. I bought them yesterday when I ran away to the market away from the clutches of my aunt. Not that she was evil with me but I had to feel free! It was the first time I was allowed to leave home after 3 long weeks.

But... what happened was no one's mistake. Not mine, my family or even his.

No! Don't think about it. I scolded myself as I sprinkled more water onto the soil. I felt my phone vibrate and I picked up the call. It was Siddhi, my former classmate. We weren't best buddies, but she was super nice to me.

"Hey Siddhi," I said.

"Hey! Where were you yesterday? Why didn't you come to my birthday party?" She sounded sad.

"I couldn't leave the house. I'm grounded."

"Why? What did you do Lila?"

"I did nothing; it wasn't my fault. But please don't tell anyone what I am about to tell you," I pleaded. I didn't want any rumors going on about me.

"Of course."

"You know Tushar from my class? He came to my place with red roses, which I absolutely hate and said 'I love you, Lila' in front of my entire family."

"Oh, shit. But do you feel the same?" She sounded genuinely concerned.

"No, I don't even like at him that way and now my family thinks I am in some sort of relationship with him."

"Now that's double shit. Don't worry, Lila, everything will be fine. If you need anything please call, okay?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Bye."

"Buh-bye," she said, before hanging up.

I had one dream, just one. To be a successful writer. The writing was the one thing that made me happy. My mother was a writer too;, at least that's what they told me.

I don't remember her face; I just have a blurred picture of her and my father in my closet. People say I look like her. Maybe that's why writing made me feel close to her.

But being a successful writer would be a dream. My fate was not in my hands, but my family's.

They will bind me to someone to strengthen their business relationships. It's not cruel but this is how all arranged marriages work.

"Didi Didi, come on, Ajji is back." My 5-year-old cousin Karan came running from the house and told me.

A/N: (Didi meant Elder sister, Ajji meant Grandmother)

Here come another 3 weeks of suffering for the stunt I pulled yesterday in the market.

I wasn't bored; that's the perk of living with 32 people under one roof, but I felt suffocated. I lived in a joint family with 32 other people and one more member was expected to join in about 20 weeks. Ajji was 72 and the matriarch of our family.

I quickly washed my hands and walked towards Ajji's room. Entering the room I scanned it. She was sitting on her bed silently listening to what Uncle Harish was telling her. She gave me a sudden glance and her brows furrowed. Ajji gave me a hard look as I entered the room and quickly touched her feet as a sign of respect. She didn't respond.

After some time she said, "Where did you go yesterday?"

"To buy seeds for the garden," I said, keeping my voice low. I knew she wouldn't believe me. She never did.

"Do you think I am a fool? You went to meet that wretched boy who came that day," she said, her voice filled with disgust.

"No, Ajji, I did not, please believe me." I knew it was no use but I had to try. She was always hell bent on proving me wrong. It was always like this.

"I know you did; just like your father, marrying a beggar and bringing her to my house... My house! Good riddance they died years ago. But they left you at my doorstep," she spat.

I felt numb. The tears betrayed me and started falling down. How could she talk to me like this? Day after day, year after year, I thought things would change. I hoped for them to change. But they never did.

I don't remember my parents;, they died when I was just two. I don't think they did anything so wrong to deserve this. For me to deserve this.

"Maa, let it be, take it easy on her. I found out that she is not in a relationship with this boy. She just knows him by name and nothing else," Uncle Harish said, giving me an apologetic look.

I knew he meant well. He was nice to me but he kept his distance. He never badmouthed me, but never talked to me unless it was necessary.

"Still, it means she is attracting unwanted attention from men. Next thing we know she is running off with one of them. I can't tolerate one more blow to my family name," Ajji said.

"What should we do then?"

"Find a boy and marry her off as quickly as possible," she said, with a grin of satisfaction.

She was talking as if I was not there in the room. That's the way I was treated all my life by her. The rest of my family was nice, excluding my cousin Mita, who lived in Delhi.

"Come on, Lila, let's leave," Harish Kaka said calmly.

Ajji was having her snacks. I know what I was thinking was bad, but I hoped that she choked on her samosa and died. Having a satisfactory grin of my own on my face, I left her room.

I was walking next to Harish Kaka. He was the eldest of Ajji's son and my legal guardian on paper till I was 18. He was also the father of my best friend and cousin Deepti.

He told me that it was best that I leave and go to sleep.

.....................

LA, 4 DAYS AGO

There was a knock on the door and Vikram Joshi looked up from his files. He was currently in his office working on a major merger that he had to get right. He said in a crisply, "Come in."

"Sir, there is a young woman named Sandra White waiting for you in the lobby. She doesn't have an appointment, but she says she knows you," Greta said.

"Give her a box and handle her."

He uttered only six words, but Vikram's 55-year-old PA knew what she had to do. She has done it several times before. The box consisted of a wide range of cosmetics and gifts that any girl would love to have. And it was satisfactory to the women who Vikram slept with. He did not date them. He never chased women. They came and he got what he wanted.

There were a few who got clingy, mostly after discovering his net worth. But whenever he got any clue about this happening he would let Greta buy the box and deliver it.

He was focused, determined and would never let a bimbo get in his way.

Vikram was a man of few words. Greta was the only one who understood his needs. He was grateful that she was his employee. He didn't appreciate it with words, but the fact that he opened a trust fund for her grandchildren was proof enough.

He was disturbed again from his work when his phone began to ring. He sighed and was going to ignore it when he took a look at the caller ID.

This was the first chapter. I hope you liked it. I know it was not that good but it was just an introduction of both main characters. I promise it gets better in the next chapter.