Dadiji studied us both.
‘You talk about legacy,’ she said slowly. ‘But how do I know you won’t just take our designs and give them to some factory?’
‘Because we’ll put it in writing,’ Jai said. ‘The Mahala name on every piece. Full credit. Full control over the designs. We don’t change anything without your approval.’
‘And the money?’ she asked.
‘Fair royalties,’ Jai said. ‘Paid on time. Every month.’
Dadiji looked at us for an extended moment, then finally said, ‘We will get back to you in a few days.’
A relieved breath escaped my lips. ‘Thank you.’
Despite the blooming hope, we weren’t entirely sure if the Mahalas would accept Jai’s proposal. So, once we were back at our villa, Jai started working on a contingency plan, and I researched the grandson to see if we could bring him on board first.
My phone rang. Maa’s name flashed on the screen.
‘It’s my mom, please excuse me.’ I rose and slipped out to the balcony.
‘Hi, Maa, how are you?’ I asked.
‘How am I supposed to be, Ananya?’ she asked, her voice sharp. ‘You skipped Seema’s wedding! Do you even know how bad that looks? Your mamaji and mamiji—’
‘Maa, I called, texted, but you didn’t answer. I’m on an important business trip. I was needed—’
‘Needed?What about your family needing you?’ she demanded. ‘We toldeveryoneyou were coming.’
A tangle of guilt tightened within me. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘Sharmaji’s family was furious. Parth came all the way from Delhi—’
‘Parth Sharma from down the street?’
A beat of silence was all I needed. Of course it was that Parth.
A memory surfaced, uninvited.
My arms were full of last-minute shopping for Mumbai when he caught me outside my house.
‘I’ll wait for you,’he’d said.‘However long it takes.’
‘Parth, I’m not—’ I’d stopped myself, trying to be kind.‘I don’t feel that way about you.’
‘Not yet,’ he’d said, smiling like it was a given. ‘But when you come back, maybe—’
‘I don’t think I will. I want to work in fashion. That means staying in Mumbai.’
He’d smiled. ‘That’s fine. I could move to Mumbai too. For the right reason.’
‘I’m serious. We’re friends. That’s all we’ll ever be.’
He’d nodded. But I’d seen it in his eyes – he thought I’d change my mind.
That was seven years ago. I couldn’t believe he still did.
‘Did you set up a meeting with them behind my back?’ I snapped. ‘For mymarriage?’
‘Ananya, beta, I—’
