When Radhika reached for the door handle, she paused, her thumb tracing the clasp of her clutch. She clicked it open one last time, just to be sure the small glass vial was still there.
It was outrgeous to her that her close friend had felt the need to give her this gift , liquid courage was what she called it and told her that she would need it.
Radhika scoffed at that , why would she need external things to make her confident , she was already confident enough.
But Radhika's sweaty palms and the trembling in her fingers suggested otherwise and maybe she wasn't as unshakable as she was making herself out to be. And she had kept the vial close to her and she was going to bring it along with her when she was going to see Kundan.
"Just in case" she whispered, snapping the purse shut with a sharp click...
...
Kundan Oberoi was already at the corner table, eyes glued to the glowing screen of his tablet as he was looking through company documents.
To him this coffee date was just a formality and an utter waste of his time , so he wasn't going to waste it on some woman who just wanted to be Mrs Oberoi.
But his father and mother wete adamant about how great this Radhika or whatever her name was , going on and on about her until his ears bled.
Kundan knew his parents would never stop their matchmaking efforts until he settled down , and despite looking young he was entering his 40's making them anxious.
But Kundan didn't share their worries , if they wanted grandchildren then there was always other ways , he didn't need to bring some opportunistic woman into his household to achieve that.
He already has a plan to shut his parents up so that they would give him a peace of mind and he was confident in it...
....
Kundan who was in the middle of managing a business related matter heard the soft jingle of the bell above the door , but he didn't bother to look up from his bright screen.
Although he didn't look up when the door opened, but he did notice the shift. The constant hum of the cafe, the clinking of spoons and the low murmur of voices, just... stopped. For a second, the only sound was the soft jingle and the sound of him tapping on his screen.
This made Kundan pause as he sensed a presence stop near his table.
He looked up, and for a split second, his brain actually stalled. Before him was his 'date' for the night and he subconsciously understood why the chatter had died down. Even without doing anything she was drawing eyes and Kundan didn't know why, but he didn't like it.
His heart gave a weird annoying thump and he hated it instantly.
Kundan instantly calmed down as he had impeccable control of his emotions, his expression becoming a tad bit colder.
He took in the way she had dolled herself up and scoffed internally , his disdain for her only increasing. He'd seen it a thousand times,women dressing up like dolls, convinced that if they looked 'traditional' enough, he'd be impressed. He figured she'd probably been vibrating with excitement all morning, practicing her smile just to make sure she didn't screw up her one shot at being an Oberoi.
He didn't stand up and he didn't even give her a greeting. He just gave her a bored, once over glance intended to make her feel small and show her that her efforts of looking good had no effect on him.
It was Kundan''s way to show the woman what her standing was, his parents might like her but to Kundan Oberoi she was just another pretty face.
"Radhika Menon?" he said, his voice flat. He checked his watch with a flick of his wrist. "You're early. I guess it's natural when you're this desperate to be an Oberoi."
He gestured to the seat like he was doing her a massive favor by letting her breathe the same air as him .
"Sit, I don't have much time, so let's see if you're actually worth the effort my father put into this." Kundan said indifferently not bothering to acknowledge or listen to anything Radhika had to say... Why would he when she wanted the same thing as the rest of them ... To be Mrs Oberoi...
.....
Radhika pushed open the glass door, the cool air hitting her face as she scanned the room and spotted him immediately in the corner.
Kundan was already there. Even from a distance, he looked like he'd been carved out of stone.He looked like he'd been pulled straight out of a high-end editorial,sharp jawline, a charcoal suit that fit perfectly, and an aura of total authority. For a fleeting second, the situation she was in didn't feel so heavy.
Her treacherous heart actually skipped a beat, and she forgot about the age gap or the fact that this was an arrangement. She caught herself thinking that maybe, just maybe, her dad had actually made a good call.