Chapter 4

*Dileep Pov* 

I stared at the girl standing before me with surprise regardless of the fact that I am trying hard to compose myself. Is this the girl with whom I talked to yesterday? 

“Prince? What Prince?” she asked again, frowning at me. 

“I am Dileep and Prince of Ivaan.” I replied, still frowning looking at her face. 

“Ivaan? I never heard of it. Are you really a Prince?” she asked with a little petrified tone. 

“My ancestors were the rulers, but not us. However, my family has the title, and the people respect that.” I explained and she slowly nodded. 

“Did I really talk to you only?” I asked her. 

“Of course! Do you have a temporary memory loss?” She asked frowning. 

“No!” I replied in irritation to her thinking about me. 

“Your face tone and features were little different yesterday, and you had a bun.” I added. 

“I woke up at the time driver came so I didn’t get properly ready because of which I left the hair down. And yesterday my friend gave me a makeover to look professional.” she explained, and I nodded. 

“You just get freshen up or something and have food, which must be inside the kitchen. I have some work to do.” I said, walking out of the flat without hearing any response from her to clear my mind. 

“Don’t you have the office?" Mom asked when I entered the house. 

“I have and it is still in its place.” I replied, sitting before her on the couch. 

“I have something to talk to you about.” she said ignoring my joke. 

“I know! You want to get me married before I took in another relation, and you are already searching for the prospective brides.” I said leaning back. 

“How do you know that? Did Mridula tell you?” she asked with anger. 

“No! She always does what you ask, but I cannot say the same thing about Dad.” I replied smirking. 

“God! He just wants to wait until another son gets married.” she mumbled to herself. 

“Anyway, I am already in a relationship.” I said. 

“From when?” she asked frowning. 

“From today!” I replied and felt relieved that now she will not search for any brides. 

“You have done it purposely.” She pointed out with a glare at me. 

“Maybe!” I said, shrugging and stood up before reaching the garden outside to see Mridula taking care of small plants. 

“Thanks for telling me about my mom’s plan.” I said kneeling beside her. 

“You were there to play with me, unlike others when I was a kid. I have to pay back right?” she asked with a small smile and glanced at me. 

“How is Tajwar Bhai?” I asked her before I could stop myself and her smile slipped a little, but not completely. 

“He will be fine soon.” She replied, assuring me and I smiled at her. 

“Who is the new girl? Why don’t you just say that you don’t want to get married?” she asked making me frown. 

Because until this second, I am trying hard not to think about Amrin but on her entering the discussion, her morning face just slapped itself on my face. 

“I think I did a mistake.” I mumbled frowning. 

“Why?” she asked, frowning. 

“I thought her as something else, but it seems like she may not be that.” I replied sighing. 

“You can always correct your mistake.” She offered, and I shook my head not having any plan to change it before leaving the place and reached the penthouse directly not through the office. 

“Amrin?” I called after seeing that she is not in the living room or kitchen. 

“I am here!” I heard a small reply from the bedroom to see her crying kneeling near the bed. 

“Why are you crying? I am not keeping you here against your wishes right? I didn’t even blackmail you.” I said scolding her seeing her tear-streaked face. 

“It’s not you! It’s just I got… really scared yesterday night, but I didn’t want to cry there thinking I will become weak. Now, I want to let go of the tears to forget the incident.” She explained moving her hands like explaining. 

“What happened?” I asked her frowning and she slowly explained the incident. 

“Oh! Now you are fine right. I am not a fan of tears so don’t cry.” I replied, walking away to enter the office room ignoring her frowning expression. 

After a few minutes, she knocked on my door and entered asking, “Will you have lunch?” 

I glanced at her dress and her long hair shaking my head. I kept my hard expression, not knowing what to even do. 

“Is the suit you wore yesterday was yours?” I asked her. 

“No! It is my friends.” She replied frowning. 

“Very well then! You will leave today for the boutique, I ask you to and select the dresses which will be already selected for you.” I said searching up for the number of a boutique from which mom gets her sarees and also recommends her friends and Mridula. 

“Why?” she asked with confusion in her voice. 

“Will you come to the parties in those dresses and do you have any other in which you can carry yourself?” I asked her back. 

“Fine then! I can’t take your money…” She started saying, but I cut her off showing my hand. 

“This is not the right time for some pride. If you really can manage, then you would not be standing here in my flat.” I said in a hard tone not liking the words, I don’t want your money and all. 

“Can I finish?” she asked, folding her hands, and I nodded frowning. 

“I can’t take your money like this, but will try to compensate by looking after the cooking and the maintaining of the flat neatly.” She said. 

“I have servants.” I said, waving her off. 

“And I don’t have a job.” She pointed out. 

“I never thought you would talk back at all.” I said, standing up and started walking near to her. 

“I always said the right thing even though sometimes I get the words out a little late.” she said with a small shrug, by the time I reached her. 

“Fine! However, when I am here you will not do any work and try to be attentive.” I said, placing my hands over her waist, and she immediately caught them with wide eyes but I didn’t remove them. 

“You will have to buy some sarees and also gowns. And also few nights wears too, along with something the manager there suggests maybe.” I said and she slowly nodded finally leaving the fight to leave my hands. 

“That’s all?” she asked, staring at my face. 

“I need to explain the core rules. All this will end if you try to fall for me or suggest in any way that we need to be married. Do not cry for petty things near me for attention and if suppose you to have a problem with my family, then tell me but do not hurt them in any way. Do not try to form a friendly relation with any of my family as this will not last forever as I do not want anything from my past ever.” I replied, and she listened to them carefully. 

“Do you have a practice in telling these rules?” she asked and thanks to god she left the respecting gestured word ‘sir’. 

“Why are you asking me that?” I asked her back. 

“You told them like my warden used to say when I was a kid regarding how to behave and everything.” She replied hiding her smile. 

“These are very important rules and if either one of it will be left out, then all this arrangement will get finished.” I said in a very strict tone like I do with the remaining affairs. 

“Do not worry! I want to marry a normal person and not a prince.” she said in such a soothing voice that just made me frown. 

“So, now you are comfortable in my hold too?” I asked and she frowned, hearing my words, making me gesture at my arms around her waist and tightened it when she remembered about it. 

“I guess! It is a good thing right?” she asked, looking up to stare at my face. 

“I have a meeting, so I need to have my lunch.” I said, removing my hands and walked outside the office room towards the dining table to see the food prepared by the maid in the morning. 

“Bye!” she said, waving after we had lunch and closed the door when I stepped inside the elevator. 

After the meeting, I called the boutique for the appointment and then called the phone in the flat. She lifted it on the last ring. 

“Hello?” she asked, lifting it. 

“It’s me! You can go to the garage, and the driver will be waiting for you. Just buy as many things as possible and do not object to the manager who will assist you.” I said and hung up glancing at the client waiting for another meeting.  

*Amrin Pov* 

I am standing for the past few minutes near the door waiting for the manager who walked near to me, but walked away in doubt which she wants to clear it calling Dileep. 

“It’s for you.” she said forwarding the phone in her shop. 

“Hello?” I said, pressing it to my ear. 

“You should have told my name.” He said in an irritated voice. 

“I told her!” I said frowning. 

“Did you use the title?” He asked in more irritated voice. 

“Why would I? You do not have a kingdom in a real sense.” I said in a low tone. 

“Next time just use it and do not create a disturbance for me.” He said hanging up. 

“Please come to this side, Madam.” she said smiling sweetly while it made me think how the money can change anyone’s attitude. 

She started taking the measurements for the blouses to get them stitched by the time I finish my shopping. When she said I stared at her in confusion because how fast can a man can stitch. 

Nevertheless, in the end, I found out that how late it would get to finish the shopping. My eyes started to close after selecting the gowns and some nightwear, but opened in shock when she said about lingerie. 

“Should I buy them?” I asked her frowning. 

“It is our specialty after the sarees and gowns.” She replied, smiling and introduced me to that world with so many suggestions that my mind went blank. 

“Please can you do me a favor and choose them?” I requested her and she slowly nodded while I walked away. 

After everything, I finally get to get out of the shop and leave for the penthouse. When I stepped inside I saw him talking on the phone, so I calmly put the bags aside walking towards the kitchen. 

I warmed the dinner, which was cooked in the morning by the maid here like everyday I guess and served them on the plates before placing them on the table. 

Tomorrow onwards I can cook for each time, then itself. I was waiting for a few minutes, and he finally sat on the dining table. 

I opened my mouth to ask him if he needs water, but he cut me off saying, “Do not start nagging now and get me a headache.” 

“Should I be nagging you?” I asked him in confusion. 

“I scolded you when you were in a boutique, right? Didn’t you get anger or hurt or anything?” he asked with a blank expression. 

“Why would I? I do not even know you then how can I get hurt or angry with you? When I know you or when we have something, then I may but not today.” I explained slowly. 

“Anyway, we will be going to a business party tomorrow. You can select a dress on your own, right?” he asked and I nodded, remembering the instructions from the manager. 

“We need to act like we are more than together tomorrow itself.” He added when we both stood up after the dinner. 

“Like?” I asked him taking away the plates. 

“Like this!” he replied and pulled me near to him holding my waist. 

“We should be doing this throughout the party?” I asked him, ignoring the same warmth appearing near the waist where my shirt raised a little. 

“Yes! And do not cover your face with makeup completely like you did when you came here for working.” he advised but didn’t release me. 

“Ok!” I replied, nodding and stepped out of his hold before walking near to the door which I occupied earlier in the morning. 

“I have some work, so I need my side part of the light.” He said following me making me frown at him. 

“I thought this was a guest room.” I mumbled stopping in my tracks, but he pushed me forward into the room. 

“This is the guest room, but my room is ruined by my last affair.” He explained. 

“I need to put the clothes inside. So can you tell me what cupboards I can use here?” I asked him not saying anything regarding the sharing of the room as I already know something like this would happen but not this fast. 

“Sure! There is a closet inside this door, and you can use it.” He said, gesturing at the door, and I nodded before opening it to see so much space. 

He sat on the bed and worked on his laptop while I started opening each cover and placed it properly inside the closet. 

“You are a prince right? Then why do you not have any maid here all the time?” I asked him frowning. 

“Because my Mom always wants to interfere with my works and one time I found out that my maid is telling the things here to her, so I stopped all the time maid and asked one to be here only in the mornings, but I removed her today afternoon after your proposal.” He replied not looking up from the laptop. 

“And I will not tell you again but do not disturb me while working at all.” He added in a hard tone. 

I shook my head thinking he is worse than my warden. She would have fewer rules for many children than he for a single person. 

After so many bags finished, I opened a bag only to gasp and my mouth stayed opened taking out the clothing inside. 

“Are you going to wear it today?” this question startled me making me push the cloth back inside the bag. 

I took a deep breath and said, “No! I just didn’t know that she selected these things too.” 

“That is her duty! She has been doing it for many years.” He said calmly and then I realized all his women must have gone to the same place. 

“Do I have to wear it now?” I asked, turning around to look at him. 

“No! Wear them when you want to.” He replied, still not looking up from the laptop but to my embarrassment, he did only when I was holding them in my hands. 

After putting them behind to the clothes, I walked back to have a small bath. I took my old nightwear and walked inside the washroom. 

When I walked outside, he is already laying on the bed with a hand over his face. I slowly slipped inside the blanket and laid at the end of the bed. 

“You will not always be able to sleep like that. You can sleep normally like you are on a bed and not on a bomb.” His words reached to my ear, making me to turn, but he already turned away from me with his back to me. 

“Good night!” I said, closing my eyes after lying comfortably on the bed.