Chapter 7

"Miss Ruhi Bakul, I believe this is a forced marriage on top of being a secret contract one?" Eddy Emhoff smirked at Ruhi.

"Yes??" She raised her eyebrow at him. Rafael's lawyer friend appeared pretty sarcastic and mean to her.

"Why would it matter if the wedding happens in San Francisco or Siberia? It's fake."

"It's still a wedding, and my first one. I even know the color of the saree I want to wear. In my mind, I have planned it many, many years ago. Also, there is this sacred banyan tree in my hometown that every newly married couple visits for blessings. I have to take my husband there too, fake or real. I made a promise."

"You made a promise to the tree?" Eddy mocked her and looked at Rafael with a 'She's a nutcase' expression.

"Yes, I did. Don't make fun of the tree."

Rafael couldn't believe his ears. He took the paperweight from the loosely stacked contract papers, aimed it at her head, and did a mock throw when she wasn't looking. 

"So, what did you promise the tree exactly? I'm just curious." Eddy asked while pushing the papers toward Rafael in resignation. It was not the lawyer's problem to convince her to sign.

"I asked for a rich, handsome, intelligent, and strong man as my husb---" Her voice faltered when she realized what she had prayed for all these years.

Even after she met Dhruv, she never rephrased her prayer lines. She had been saying them for years without thinking. Her sister also said the same lines. Growing up watching all those toxic fairy tales and with a mom and aunts who made her believe that a husband comes before everything else, it was impossible to think differently when she was a naive teen. But what was wrong with her now? She looked at Rafael's taunting face and got pissed.

"I don't want a man with any of those qualities. I rather have a kind, sensible person who puts me and my needs above everything else and lets me do the same for him. Not a jerk driving a fancy car and counting every patronizing minute he spends---"

"Excuse me?" Rafael cut her off. "Do you have any idea how much you babble and waste time? It took me almost two hours to pick you up, put you in the car, and get here. And instead of thanking me for the ride and for taking care of the paperwork, you throw some royal tantrums and tell me about a banyan tree?"

"Rafael, buddy, you are supposed to convince her, not add fuel to the fire." Eddy looked at his watch and got up to put on his jacket.

"Pfft, please don't leave me with her. I don't want to listen to her tree, toad, and whatnot stories." Rafael pleaded desperately while Ruhi glared at him, clutching the pen in a tight grip.

"Okay, let me try this one last time and I'm out after that. I'm taking Irene for an early dinner. Ruhi, look. Consider this a reality show, a challenge. You know this wedding doesn't count. Save all your fantasies for your real husband. You just have to appear in a bridal gown only for once and enjoy all the perks that come with being the wife of one of the most successful under 30, top 10 hottest men in North America, and oh, here," he laid a copy of Cars Bay Area magazine in front of her, "Top 10 tech innovators of the year. A rich, intelligent, and handsome man is yours for a year, and you are worried about missing out on a visit to the tree?"

"It's not just me. Even my parents won't agree to this. They are very orthodox and will not allow a wedding in the church. Second, they are very stingy and take the cheapest flight in the Economy class. If I tell them to fly here in a week, my dad might get a heart attack."

Rafael chuckled at the last point she made, "I thought it's only you who deserves a place in the Museum of Rare Pieces. It runs in the family, apparently."

Ruhi snapped at him, "You need to grow up, Rafael. And be a little more broad-minded and learn to respect other people's lifestyle and sentiments."  

"What?? Look who's talking---"

"Rafael, no fueling the fire." Eddy gritted his teeth.

Rafael grabbed hold of the chair that Ruhi was sitting on and dragged it closer to him. She froze when she thought he was going to pull her into his lap next. That was how Dhruv apologized to her after ogling at random women every time, and it worked very well.  

"All right, see you then." Eddy tapped on Rafael's back and walked out of the office. Ruhi's pulse quickened when Rafael's arm brushed against her. Her brain stopped functioning because of the closeness. She looked into those mesmerizing eyes and got lost for a while.  

"Ahem..." Rafael broke the silence and her cheeks grew hot in embarrassment. The door flung open with Eddy running back in, panting.

"Your dad, he's here." He told Rafael.

"Oh fuck, clear the desk!"

Both the men collected all the unstapled sheets of paper and shoved them into the desk drawer. Eddy removed his jacket and sat down again, acting calm.

"Would you like some coffee or juice? I'll ring Emma." He asked Ruhi politely.

"Ruhi!! What a surprise..." A deep baritone voice boomed through the suite as Rafael's dad entered the office. "I heard from Emma that you were here."

While Rafael radiated charm and confidence, his dad exuded power. There was an aura around him that made people go weak at their knees and compelled them to obey him.

"Um... H-hello ---" Ruhi stuttered.

He took the hand she extended into both his hands and tapped it warmly and said, "Call me dad. What brings you here? Is he forcing you to sign papers without my knowledge?"

Rafael wrapped his arm around Ruhi's shoulder and pulled her close before she could respond. "I asked her out for coffee, dad. And she said something about her work visa status. So we wanted to consult with Eddy."

"Really? Well, the wedding is in nine days and you don't have to worry about any of the immigration paperwork. I talked to Sam already. Your parents will be here in a week."

"Er... So they already know the wedding date? I just found out now." Ruhi was confused.

"Oh, Rafael didn't tell you. I know you two only met last night, but I expect you to get to know each other and discuss these things." He threw a stern glare at Rafael.

"He says that I talk too much and waste his time. I'm trying to get to know him, but he's downright rude to me."

Rafael was astonished by how quickly she passed all the blame onto him and acted so innocent. He slid his hand under her sweater from the back and pinched her hard on the waist. Her body shuddered at the sudden contact, sending sparks all over and shutting her mouth.

"We need to talk tonight," Rafael's dad told him with a steely note in his voice. Ruhi smiled inwardly and avoided Rafael's burning gaze. Deja vu, just like the day from thirteen years ago when he wanted to burn her with those piercing looks. Her eyes fell on a tiny jewelry box his dad took out of his suit pocket.

"Your parents are anxious about you spending time in San Francisco with Rafael before the wedding. They want you to go back to Florida immediately. But I want you two to appear for a press meet tomorrow. It's good for the business," Rafael's dad said while handing the velvet box to Rafael.

Rafael opened it and took out an elegant ring with three diamonds. The center diamond was huge and the princess cut made it sparkle brilliantly. 

"Rafael knew your ring size before he even saw you. Samarth and I work on the same wavelength when it comes to such things."

"I've never seen anything so beautiful." Ruhi couldn't ignore the irony about diamonds being forever and representing eternal love. The one-year contract papers were lying hidden only inches away from her.  

"It's specially customized for you. These three stones set closely together symbolize Rafael and your past, present, and future."

A surge of emotions overwhelmed Ruhi as Rafael took her hand into his and slipped the ring onto her third finger. She was overly romantic about the soulmate concept and highly unrealistic about dream weddings. Never did she imagine for it to be this way with a fake fiancé in a drab lawyer's office.

Tears welled in her eyes as realization hit her that weddings were forever ruined for her. Her parents who talked so much about the importance of customs and rituals let everything fly out the window for the sake of this billionaire alliance. 

"Ruhi...?" Rafael was puzzled when he saw tears streaming down her cheeks. The first thought on his mind was that she was going to blurt out the truth. He reached out for her face and wiped her tears with his thumb pads and feigned concern. He got second thoughts about her ability to carry through with the plan for a year if she was tearing up even before it began. 

"Sam told me you are very sentimental about such stuff. Cheer up! They will be here soon. You can get married the way you want when you two visit India at some point." Antonio patted her on the head and did a much better job than Rafael in assuring her.

"Diamond rings are special. You see this?" Antonio showed his ring to Ruhi. "This has my wife's ashes, and that's how I feel close to her every day. This diamond remains forever with her essence, even when I'm gone."

Ruhi looked at the tiny pale blue diamond on a platinum band in awe.

"I have to go now. Take her somewhere nice and make sure she doesn't cry again. You are doing a terrible job so far." He glared at Rafael and left.

"Jeez, Ruhi... what's up with all those tears? I will be a hypertension patient very soon." Rafael almost scolded her. He had grown indifferent to tears, and he had seen tons of girls crying in high school and college when he toyed around with their feelings and broke up with them.

"Is he gone?" Eddy emerged out of his hiding. He was terrified of Antonio and his temper and avoided him like the plague. His older partner handled all of Antonio's cases.

"Did he make you cry too?" He asked Ruhi while she wiped her tears.

"Oooh!! Let me look at that ring," He saw the center diamond and whistled in wonder. "How much?"

"Fourteen million," Rafael replied.

"WHAT? Dollars? I can't wear something so expensive every day. I want to keep my finger intact and not be chopped off by some mugger."

"Do whatever. Just don't forget to put it on tomorrow unless you want to see my dad unleash his wrath in full force."

"What's the point in spending so much on this ring? Can I return it for something a little more practical to wear?"

"I didn't buy it for your sake, Ruhi. It's for show and for the newspeople to write about."

"I will sign the papers." She told him and reached for the drawer.

"What?" Both Rafael and Eddy said together.

"It's better if I just sign it and be done with it instead of reading every sentence and feeling worse about how messed up this whole arrangement is. Looks like my parents don't give a shit about me."

"But---" Eddy stopped when Rafael gave him a shut up look. Rafael handed the pen to Ruhi after signing the papers. Ruhi scribbled on every highlighted spot and handed the papers back.

"Congratulations! One step closer than before. Peace out now..." Eddy grabbed his jacket and office bag and rushed out of the suite when he saw it was 4.30 PM.