Episode 1

Episode -1 

End of the Beginning! 

Tarini's POV 

Regret! 

The purest regret washed over my heart. 

"This is an absolute fuckin bad idea!" I shouted inside my head and got out of my car. 

The fancy restaurant before me screamed old money and I took a deep breath. 

"Just an hour. Eat, play cool, and leave this drama!" 

I instruct myself confidently and walk straight with my 6-inch heels. 

The stunning visuals inside the restaurant reminded me of a Japanese movie, which I stopped halfway through. 

Seriously... I hate watching movies with subtitles. 

As proceeded more steps, I found my date, politely drinking wine while surfing on his phone. 

'Mom, I am never gonna forgive you for this!' 

I fake a smile and approach my so-called date. 

"Hey hi….!" 

I try hard to hide my resting bitch face and make myself more pleasant. He saw me like an eye candy and gave me a bright smile. 

I am damn sure he is not faking like me. It seems more genuine. 

"I thought you bailed on me!" saying jokingly he tried to hug me over the shoulders.  

'To be honest I tried that too…!' again I spoke inside my head and let him hug me. He travelled 300 miles to see me. So, I think he deserves this. 

"Pleasure meeting you…!" 

I make the convo more formal and sit opposite to him. 

"Me too Tarini!" he smiled again. 

'Well, he is looking good and I have to admit that!' 

A beautiful blonde waitress approached us and took orders. I guess he told her before that he was waiting for a guest. It was quick and I ordered cheese macaroni and red wine. And he goes for this weird whole Chinese plater and I am not even sure about the food name. 

'Mm… fancy restaurants have uncanny food names!' 

First, some minutes are pretty awkward for both of us. I guess, he is also new to this. 

'Oh, poor Aryan!' I seriously pity him. 

'Come on… we are living in the 21st century. But still, pushing your children for an arranged marriage? Indian parents, you need to level up!' 

As I giving a lecture for myself Aryan starts talking about himself. 

What he likes, his interests, his passion, about his career, forgot to mention he is a cardiologist. His hobbies, his future goals, blah blah blah. 

My inner gut pushes me to snap back. 

'can you please shut the fuck up. I am not even like you in the first place. But no… I activated my Zen mode. Here I have to be mature.. hence, I continue the act!' 

"Am I boring you?" Aryan asked with a nervous laugh. 

"No… not at all!" Because I never hear that. I begged my mind. Please don’t show the true colours. 

"Your mum tells me everything about you!" Aryan said very lively. 

I raise my brows. 

'Since when did Indian moms know everything about their precious daughters?' 

"I see… so you know everything about me?"  

My question made him a little skeptical and our orders also arrived. 

"Let's eat!" I said casually and focused on my food. He is so conscious around me. But I am not. How can people be so conscious while eating? 

"This place is so cool, right? Have you been here before?" Aryan tried to develop the conversation. 

"No… but The Interior makes me wonder if I am really on planet Earth!" 

He laughed so hard at my comment. Now this situation suffocates me. Why the hell does my mom think he could be my potential future husband? 

Am I that unfortunate? 

"God help me!" I scream inside and decide to end the misery. 

"Aryan… look I wanna...." 

I started pretty well and then my vision struck with a particular table. 

"Who the hell am I looking at… Professor Adam Valerian? Here? How come… wait… is he on a date?" 

I try to peek at the beautiful woman sitting beside him. 

"Wow, she is so pretty!" 

But truly unmatchable for his devilish charm and eye-blinding handsomeness. 

"How come he is available now…? 

Last week I checked his schedule. All slots are full till November 8. 

"Wait a minute…. Did the great Adam Valerian skip his planned routine for a date? No way… it's not adding up!" 

I start formulating multiple theories and none of them suit it. 

"Maybe his girlfriend?" 

"Oh come on... if he settles for this pretty… even I am gonna pissed off. 

After so many thoughts, I can’t conclude. Not his friend or sister. Then who is she? 

I picked up my phone and started texting Stacey. My best friend. 

It's 6 pm and I am damn sure that bitch is on her phone. Even if she's dead, that phone is going to accompany her afterlife. 

"Stacey…!" 

Next second she replies. 

"Yeah…?" 

"you would be shocked to know who I am seeing now...!" 

"Mmm… almighty Jesus Christ?" 

"What no…!" 

"Then buddha?" yeah Stacey being Stacey. 

"Boo, bitch no!" 

"Then who the hell are you seeing now? Is it Satan?" God she is Boling my kidneys. 

"It's Mr. Valerian…. yes the super-hot Satan!" I controlled my giggles. 

"girl, are you serious but you are on a date right?" Now Stacey is interested. 

"I am… and I think he is also on a date!" 

"satan on a date? no way!" Stacy refused. 

"Yeah, and she is pretty!" 

"Holy cow... How pretty? Angel pretty or demon pretty?" 

"Well... she is so pretty!" I said blindly and looked at them back. 

"Bitch share the location. I am coming….!" Stacey becomes so furious. She acted as if her boyfriend cheated on her. 

And I am Tarini Arjun Das, gonna love this drama. 

I am a first-year post-grad student at Stanford Law School. There every girl has this huge crush on Mr. satan. His deadly charm puts spells on throbbing hearts. 

And respectfully my heart is not part of this hot satanic cult. 

I have different plans. Like world domination. No just kidding! 

Anyway, Girls do unbelievable shits for Mr. Valerian's attention. However he…. Don’t give a shit! 

He is thirty-one if I am not wrong. 6’5, blue eyes, and have very dark black hair. His enormous build makes me wonder, whether he is a professor or a bodybuilder. 

His v-shaped body is very seductive And his enchanting facial features can mesmerize whoever continuously looking at him for more than 1 minute. 

It includes me. Because I appreciate nice-looking things. 

Now, Stacey is coming here. I shared the location, finished eating, and also ended things with Aryan. 

"Aryan… I am flattered that you like me. Yet, I can't commit to this relationship!" 

Aryan was deeply disappointed. 

"You don’t like me?" he asked very doubtfully.

"No… you seem like a great guy. But I am not ready for this. My parents pushed me to get married next year. I am just 22. I want to build a career, travel the world, and explore new things!" 

"You can get married and still do all of these things Tarini…!" Aryan tried to convince me. 

"Yes, I can. Even so, I want to do this all alone!" 

My answer becomes very straight after that. Aryan face changed. I reject him very civilly but he is not giving up. 

"Maybe we can date now… and marry later?" 

His sudden persistence makes me sigh. This is not just a regular marriage but a business deal. 

My father Arjun Das owns this huge industry that produces medicines for diabetes. On the other hand, Aryan father Chakravarty owns multi-speciality hospitals in India. More than 10 I think. 

If we get married, there will be a boom in our annual earnings. Hence my parents sold me for more money. 

And I can't hold my father responsible for that. Because this is my mom's plan. She convinced him and pulled me into this show. 

Nevertheless, I am not gonna settle. 

"Aryan…. I think I made my point clear. This will never work!" 

"But Tarini…!" 

"No.. we should end things here. No need to be awkward!" I quickly paid for both of us and left the table. 

Aryan… that stupid bastard starts chasing me and tries to argue. 

"What the hell… is he harassing me?" 

I lose my shit and argued back. When the argument reaches its peak, Aryan tries to grab my wrist. I start panicking and run to my car. 

I sense the danger in him… is he bipolar or something? My whole body shivered and expected the worst. 

I never look back, even once, and run at a fast pace. Car parking areas have very dim lights which makes the situation more worse. 

I try to call my mom but that stupid bitch is not answering it. 

"fuck fuck fuck…. I have to escape…!" 

I grabbed the keys from my purse but it slipped down. When I tried to take it, I heard a strong footstep behind me. 

That’s it… my heart skips the beat. Out of fear, my survival mode kicks in. I decide to attack him with bare hands. 

"Crazy bitch!" Aryan shouted like a mania and raised his hands…. 

My eyes go big. 

"oh no…!" I lost my words. 

Out of the blue, a strong hand pulled me back and the next second I saw Aryan on the ground crying in pain. 

I blinked like a little bird. 

'What just happened?' 

Someone kick that bastard and protect me. Who is he? 

The tall figure before me turns back. That place was a little dark but still, I could see his face. After a glance, my whole world stopped. 

It's my professor Mr. Valerian… and his eyes are glowing red. 

Well Not exactly like human ones.