Vennela looked at Amar and the beauty he was talking about. "Amar" she whispered. "It's beautiful."

"I knew you would like it" said Amar, looking at his beautiful new bike proudly. "I love it." He caressed the bike as if it were a human being.

Vennela cleared her throat. "We all know bikes are your first love. But I should be the only girl who would sit behind you on your bike." She brought a coconut and broke it in front of the new bike as per tradition and circled a plate of sacred lamp around it.

"Let's go then" said Amar.

"Okay. I understand you two should go first. But promise me. I will get to go on a long drive after you return." Anirudh demanded.

"I need permission from the elders. I'll come if they allow." Vennela took Amar inside.

Amar greeted everyone. He asked for permission. Prakash seemed to be displeased for some reason. "She's your wife. Why do you need my permission?"

Narayana sent Prakash away making an excuse. "Sorry Amar. He is under tremendous pressure. Ignore him."

"Anything wrong?" asked Amar.

"Long story. In our company, our family holds seventy one percent of shares out of which eleven percent belong to my younger brother. We don't, er, get along well. Last week we had a disagreement about a new venture which led to a quarrel. Now my brother threatened to sell all his shares to someone else. Eleven percent is very huge. It will affect our stock prices." Narayana explained.

"Who would buy those many shares even if he sells?" asked Amar.

"He is in talks with few people. I am trying to persuade him to stop." Narayana told him.

"Even if he succeeds you still have sixty percent. You will be the chairperson" said Vennela.

"That's what I told Prakash. It will take only one or two years to stabilize the stock prices. But he didn't listen. He has always been like that. Business is one of the most important things in his life." Narayana smiled sadly.

"It's alright grandpa. Everything will be fine eventually. I just hope this won't affect his health" said Amar.

"Forget it Amar. Vennela, go and get ready."

Vennela left to change. She came back in a few minutes. Amar drove very fast. Vennela clutched him tightly. "Drive a bit slower."

"If I slow down, you won't hold me." Amar remarked.

"I don't want another accident" said Vennela.

Amar stopped the bike. "Out of petrol?" asked Vennela.

He didn't answer. He spoke after a few minutes. "Maybe we should go back."

It then occurred to Vennela that her words reminded him of that night. "I didn't mean to hurt you. It was a very stupid thing to say. I'm sorry. Start the bike."

"No. We should go back." Amar was stubborn.

"Do you know why the accident happened? It's not because of you. It's because we had a fight and wanted to end our marriage. But now we are together. And nothing can harm me as long as you are with me." Vennela caressed his face.

Amar smiled. "Okay. I'll start the bike. But promise me you won't take your hands off me."

"So greedy" Vennela held him tightly and leaned on to him. "This might sound crazy. Will you be my boyfriend?"

"Sorry. No" said Amar.

"Why?" Vennela pouted.

Amar saw her face in the mirror. She looked cute. "Girlfriends can be demanding. Wives, on the other hand, are little less demanding."

"I never had a boyfriend. I wasn't given a chance to find one" said Vennela.

"This long drive is turning into 'Make Amar feel guilty' trip." Amar remarked.

"It's okay. You don't have to feel guilty. You don't have to be my boyfriend." Vennela was disappointed.

"Now now, Vennela. Replace that sad expression with a smile. You know me. Don't you? Did I ever say no to any of your demands?" Amar stopped the bike and turned towards her.

"You agree?" Vennela pulled his cheeks.

"Control. This isn't our home."

"Where exactly are we?" Vennela looked around. She saw a huge building. It was their office. "Few minutes ago there was greenery around us."

"That was an hour ago. Now we are back to the city. I thought you might be tired. So, I brought you here." Amar took her to the seventeenth floor. She has never been to this part of the office.

"Oh my God! Is that a penthouse?" She exclaimed. It was luxurious with a garden, swimming pool, gym, well furnished bedrooms with huge music system in each room and a large dance floor for parties.

"Do you like it? I used to sleep here for at least three times a week when I came to India four years ago. Living alone in our mansion was really miserable. Surprisingly, I never came here after we got married. My professional and personal lives got separated because of you." Amar hugged her.

"Glad you stopped being workaholic. Or else, like all the other women, I would have been forced to use the line- His work is his first wife. I'm his second wife." Vennela slept on his lap.

"But moonlight, you really are my second wife. My first wife is my bike. I kiss her every morning." Amar teased her.

"Your first wife can't kiss you back. I can." Vennela said proudly.

"Really? Let's see it then." He spoke in a husky voice.

"Challenge accepted" said Vennela.

---***---

"Finish your assignments quickly. I need your opinion on my presentation." Shruthi asked Rishi-Raj.

"Two more hours." They answered.

"Everyone is busy. Who is going to help me?" She looked at Anirudh in particular.

Anirudh got up and sat next to Shruthi. She showed him the first page. "It's beautiful." He said without looking at the laptop. He was staring at Shruthi.

"Anirudh, concentrate" said Shruthi. He shook his head. She pinched him. He screamed.

"Is everything alright?" asked Rishi. "Are you attacking him?" 

Shruthi shook her head. "Tell him the truth" Anirudh whispered in her ear.

"No. I will tell everyone after akka's wedding." Shruthi whispered back. "Bear this in mind. Don't tell anyone."

"I will consider if you give me a hug." Anirudh winked at her.

Shruthi gasped. "You started winking too?"

"Ours is a winking family." He winked again. They heard footsteps outside the door and started working on the presentation.

"Anirudh, how are you? How are the preparations going on?" Prakash asked Anirudh.

"I'm good sir. We started the preparations yesterday itself." Anirudh felt happy to be addressed by Prakash directly.

"Come. Let's have a small chat in the backyard." Prakash took him away from Shruthi.

He didn't speak until they reached the backyard. They sat on chairs placed under a tree. Prakash offered him biscuits. Anirudh politely declined. "You wanted to say something, sir?"

"Yes, er, you see, you are a nice lad in my opinion. Hardworking, intelligent and good looking" said Prakash.

"Thank you sir" said Anirudh, unable to guess where the conversation was heading to.

"See, my point is, you are very young. You still have a lot to achieve which I am sure you will. You will have a beautiful life. You will get a very good life partner. Any girl will be lucky to have you. Don't you think?" Prakash's voice was cold. "I'm sure your parents will find a bride from a very rich family for you. You should obey their command and marry the girl of their choice."

Anirudh didn't understand. "Sorry?"

"Let me make it clear. You have to forget Shruthi" said Prakash.

Anirudh was shocked. "Sir, I--"

"No Anirudh. I know you like her. I know she likes you too. But I can't allow this" said Prakash firmly.

"Sir, please. We love each other. I will never hurt her. She will be happy with me. Please don't separate us." Anirudh pleaded.

"I won't change my decision."

"But just now you have told me that I am a nice lad."

"Yes. You are. In fact you are really very good. But, you are Shambhavi's son. I can't let my daughter be her daughter-in-law. I still curse myself for sending Vennela into a family headed by someone like Shambhavi. I had to do it for my company. It was very fortunate that Amar didn't let her control Vennela. But the same can't be said about you and Shruthi. Because your case is different. You are not her nephew. You are her son. Trust me, I would gladly have given my daughter in marriage to you, if you weren't Shambhavi's son" said Prakash.

"I agree, my mother was rude to you. But she has changed. You have seen it yourself."

"I can never trust her again" said Prakash.

"Sir, you are under pressure because of business tensions. Maybe we should talk about this later. After the issue is resolved." Anirudh suggested in a desperate attempt.

"There is nothing to talk about later. Decide now itself."

"Shruthi will be miserable. She will never agree to this" said Anirudh, imagining her agony if he broke up with her.

"You don't have to worry about her. I will handle her in my own way. She'll obey me" said Prakash.

Anirudh lost his temper. "What else can be expected from a man like you? You have beaten up your elder daughter when she told you about Surya garu."

"ANIRUDH! HOW DARE YOU?"

"Stop screaming sir. This is the truth. You know what? Your entire family likes me. You are the only one who is against our relationship. I can take Shruthi away from you this moment and get married to her. If Surya garu can do it, I can do it too. I can easily support her education. She will live a luxurious life like a queen." Anirudh was so furious that Prakash was taken aback. He never expected a boy as polite as Anirudh to talk like that.

Anirudh took a deep breath. He paused for a while to regain his composure. "I won't do that. I have seen what an elopement had done to our families. I don't want that to repeat. I have seen how unhappy Lasya garu is because you stopped talking to her. I don't want Shruthi to go through the same pain. She needs you, probably more than me."

"If you are so concerned about her, then promise me you won't meet her again. I will send her to some other city for post graduation. You shouldn't follow her" Prakash demanded.

Anirudh couldn't speak. His heart felt heavy. He just nodded. He stood up to leave.

"Wait. That's not all. You shouldn't talk to her in Vennela's wedding. If possible, go away to some other place and come back after she completes her engineering. It's only a matter of four months."

Anirudh looked at Prakash with disgust. "The only thing you know is to make wrong demands, sir. You did it to Vennela vadina earlier. Now you are doing it to me. You don't have a right to stop me from attending my brother's wedding. But I agree to go away. I want you to understand that I am doing this, not out of respect for you, but out of concern for Shruthi. Amar anna will understand. It's not the first time he is getting married."

Anirudh started to leave. Prakash stopped him once again. "How can I trust you? You are Shambhavi's son after all."

Anirudh unlocked his phone and opened Amar's picture. "I am this man's brother too" he said pointing at Amar's picture. "I swear on my devotion to my brother, I break up with Shruthi this instant." He walked away from Dhanunjaya mansion without looking back.

---***---

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