& Then They Wed (Ampersand Love #2)

31. An Uninvited Guest

31

An Uninvited Guest

Aditi

R ian would know how to fix this mess , Aditi thought, staring desolately at the roti she’d tried to roll out.

She held it up straight in her line of vision, lips twisted as she mused how to make it better. The oddly distributed weight pulled the flattened dough down, contorting itself to look like the mask from the Scream movies. She tried to replicate the same scary face, grimacing when it plopped onto the counter, leaving her clasping two scraggly pieces in her hands instead of one beautiful flatbread.

Her medical prowess had not extended into the kitchen, much to her consternation.

No matter where they were in the world, every Indian household boasted one thing in common.

The cleaning cloth that once began as someone’s shirt.

Once deemed not nice enough to wear outside, it would become a pyjama top. At the first sign of a hole or a tear, instead of being thrown out, it would be used for wiping down surfaces around the house.

Finally, after months of abuse, those scruffy pieces would get demoted to cleaning the floor or the toilets.

Her roti, regrettably, looked exactly like a cleaning cloth in its last stage of life.

When the bell to the apartment door rang, Aditi almost cried in relief.

She washed her hands, scraping the drying dough off her fingers before wiping her hands on her apron, too much in a hurry to care about using a towel.

Dinner today was a big deal and she’d already destroyed Rian’s kitchen in an attempt to make a kickass meal that would win Nanamma over when she returned.

The plan, as she’d explained to an amused Rian, was to lull Nanamma into a food-induced stupor, and gently inform her that they were together and wanting to get married. She’d be too happy because of the good meal to have any concerns, she had supposed.

Despite Rian assuring her that Nanamma would be ecstatic with the news, Aditi’s nerves had gotten the best of her. Thirteen failed matrimonial matches had not bothered her quite this much. This date, however, was more important than all of them combined. She needed Chitra Shetty’s unconditional approval. Family was far too important a piece of her personality to take this casually.

Even the tiniest possibility that Nanamma might not want Aditi as her family terrified her.

Which is why, when she’d begun to have a meltdown because they didn’t have enough yoghurt for curd rice (and let’s be honest, the way to a South Indian’s heart is tempered curd rice), Rian had crushed her to him, ordering her to breathe and calm down. At her attempt to argue, he’d given her a smouldering kiss, leading to a frantic interlude on their couch that melted her entire system and rendered her incapable of organised thought. He’d left shortly after, promising to return before their grandmother came home with all the extra yoghurt she’d demanded.

She gulped, trying not to jog to the front door like an overly dramatic heroine from an old Bollywood movie about to be reunited with her saviour hero. He was back, dinner would be fixed. And then, she’d show him how appreciative she really was.

She wrenched the door open. “Bugs, you’re. . .”

She trailed off, the smile on her face dimming to a polite, confused one.

“Sorry, may I help you?” Aditi’s gaze swept over the older lady standing there, who looked very much like she’d come to the wrong side of town. She belongs in one of those fancy country clubs, Aditi thought, taking in the obviously expensive clothing, the branded bag, and the air of wealth that emanated from her. “Are you lost, perhaps?”

Manicured nails curved over the edge of oversized sunglasses as the lady slowly slipped them off.

“I’m not lost. Where is Rian?”

Aditi peered into the unfamiliar face, shocked when the lady shoved past her and into the apartment.

“Excuse me, who are you? How dare you enter without asking?” She ran ahead of the lady and stood in her way, arms outstretched.

“Who am I? I am Leela Shetty, you stupid girl!”

Aditi's arms fell to the side with a whack.

“You’re the girl from that party, aren’t you?” the older lady barked.

Aditi’s brows furrowed, unsure which party Leela was referring to.

“What are you doing in Rian’s house?” Leela demanded, looking like she’d decided she would dislike Aditi irrespective of the answer.

“I live here. ”

Oddly enough, the response caused Leela’s lips to twist cruelly. “You moved fast. How long have you lived with him? How did you convince him?”

“I. . .Nanamma brought me here.”

“That bitch. I should have known she’d meddle in my plans for him. I don’t care. You need to pack up and leave. I order it.”

Aditi blinked, slowly recovering from the shock of realising who it was she was speaking to. She’d thought Leela was a sophisticated and beautiful lady when she’d first opened the door. A few minutes of staring into the eyes of someone she’d never wanted to meet, combined with the knowledge of the terrible things she’d done to Rian, and Aditi saw clearly that the elegance was just skin deep. The unblemished face that glared at her, though wiped of wrinkles, was also wiped of humanity. There was no graciousness in her tone, no distinction in her bearing.

Aditi couldn’t help but compare her to Nanamma, whose intelligent grey eyes and kind personality, so much like her grandson, spoke of a strength that belied her age.

The woman in front of her was cruel. And cruelty was a crutch for the weak.

“Did you hear me or are you deaf?” Leela snarked, snapping her fingers rudely in Aditi’s face. “I said I order you to leave my son. Immediately.”

“You order me?” Aditi huffed out a sarcastic laugh.

Leela, having said her part, had already stopped paying attention. Clearly, she did not believe in extending the courtesy of listening to the opposite party. Aditi saw her rake a critical gaze over the apartment, stilling at the sight of the mess in the kitchen.

She scoffed. “I see what he is doing.”

“And what is that?”

Leela turned to her, a superior look on her face. “Rian always does this to get my attention. Act out in extremes. Pick unsuitable women and unworthy pursuits just to make me angry.” She pointed to Aditi before letting out a single, derisive ha. “I will not allow the two of you to be together. Do you think you can live easily without my approval? He will listen to me in the end. Because he craves my acceptance.”

“If it makes you happy to think so, you’re welcome.” She shrugged, conceding to the older lady’s delusion if that meant she would leave soon. Leela Shetty was a narcissist. Her behaviour confirmed it. There would be no point in Aditi engaging in a war of words with this woman.

“I don’t just think so,” Leela said, eyes narrowed. “I know him.” She pulled out her phone, flicking it open.

Aditi peered at the picture of a model that was presented to her, unsure what the purpose of this was. Tall, with immaculate makeup and wearing a skintight dress that required the kind of perfect body Aditi had once dreamed of, she was forced to accept that whoever this lady was, she was stunning. There was not a hair out of place, not an additional ounce of fat on her hips. Her bearing and looks screamed money and confidence, clearly not misplaced.

“This is Sonia Dasavi,” Leela announced. “She is the only daughter of the CEO of Dasavi Constructions. Sonia is the perfect choice to be my daughter-in-law. Beautiful, educated, with a family that matches ours in status. You don’t compare.”

Lips firm, Aditi crossed her arms, trying to stave off her irritation from the continued insults. “I’m not in competition with whoever this Sonia is.”

“Are you sure?” Leela swiped to the next picture, one that Aditi was unprepared for.

In the cosy setting of a restaurant she only recognized all too well was Sonia, bodily draped over a handsome man.

Her handsome man.

Rian and Sonia resembled a pair of Greek gods when together. The power of their combined physicality was staggering and Aditi, to her chagrin, found that she was not immune .

“This picture,” Leela continued, “is from when the two families met to discuss Sonia and Rian’s engagement.”

Aditi's stomach flipped, anxiety gurgling within her. The three cups of coffee she'd consumed threatened to make a reappearance. Her eyes fell on the expensive shoes Leela had not bothered to remove at the door, the flash of red on its underside—a dead giveaway for the brand. If she was going to upchuck the contents of her stomach, those shoes were precisely where she would aim.

“If you don’t believe me,” Leela added slyly, her shrewd eyes locking in on Aditi’s wan face. “You can ask Rian.”

“I don’t have to. Pictures don’t always show everything. If what you said is true, Rian would have told me.”

His mother’s clear annoyance at her response confirmed Aditi’s suspicion. It didn’t take much for her to understand that Leela was deriving some sort of sick pleasure from hurting her. Which was why, despite the absolute misery of seeing Rian with a woman she would never measure against, she was not foolish enough to believe this terrible woman. She may only have known Rian for a few months, but she knew him well. He was not a liar. He was not a dishonest man. She would bet her life on it.

“You must be an idiot,” Leela snidely remarked. “Or desperate. Do you really think he’d pick you when he could have someone like her?”

Done with being demeaned, Aditi wiped all traces of emotion from her face. She squared her shoulders and looked the older lady straight in the eye. “Whether or not you like it,” she bit out, the chill in her tone matched only by the expression she maintained, “he has picked me.”

“For how long?”

“Forever. And now, you need to leave.”

Leela’s face turned purple. “How dare you say that to me? This is my son’s house! "

“Then come back when your son is in residence,” Aditi shot back, thoroughly fed up. “Right now, you’re annoying me and I have no wish to put up with your presence.”

“How disrespectful!” Leela screeched, her claws gripping her leather bag like she was about to throw it at Aditi.

She pinned Mrs. Shetty with a warning look, knowing that she was prone to physical violence.

“You have done nothing to earn my respect.”

“This attitude doesn’t befit you,” Leela spat, her face contorting in fury. “You are pretending to be a good, well-cultured girl, aren’t you? Do you think I don’t know what happens with a young man and woman in the same house? Spreading your legs to entrap a rich boy is an old trick. What next? An unplanned pregnancy?”

“Mind your tongue!”

“That hickey on your neck tells me I am right.”

“What I do with my private life is none of your concern,” Aditi calmly replied, refusing to be shamed by a woman she didn’t know.

“You’re sleeping with my son to trap him!” Leela agitatedly shouted.

“Leave before I call security.”

“Class always shows,” she hissed. “Rian will realise he’s making a mistake with you. Once the novelty in the bedroom wears off, you will be discarded just like his other girlfriends.”

Before Aditi could respond, a familiar voice cut in, shocking both ladies into turning around.

“Years have gone by, Leela,” Chitra began, dropping her bag on the ground next to her as she walked toward them both. “But your tongue remains as venomous as the most destructive poison. You drove my son away from me, and now you try to drive Aditi away from Rian.”

She reached out for Aditi’s hand, patting it reassuringly.

Leela turned to Chitra, her anger now finding a new target.

“I should have known you would be here too. Have you no shame, living off the money my son makes?”

“Have you no shame, calling him your son when you have not been a mother at all?”

“You have always driven a wedge between us!” Leela cried. “That’s why he doesn’t listen to me.”

Aditi glanced towards Nanamma, wondering if such an accusation hurt her. To her surprise, Chitra seemed borderline bored. As if she’d witnessed this drama in the past and had judged it subpar.

“Rian is an adult,” Nanamma snapped. “If he listens to me, it is because he wants to. Not because I forced him.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“I don’t care if you do. You have always seen problems and conspiracies where there have been none. You are a sad and dissatisfied person, Leela. Your soul is rotten,” Chitra declared, making no attempt to hide her distaste for her daughter-in-law. “You think everyone is like you. When you are not happy, you make sure no one else is. But my Rian? He is happy with this girl here. I will not let you take that from him.”

“Hah, the threats of an old, powerless woman are meant to scare me?”

“No,” Aditi cut in, her patience at an end. “But the right hook of an angry doctor who knows which bone to break should terrify you. Now leave!”