Unedited.

It's been four days since my fainting fiasco had happened. That day after he dropped me at my mom's place, just as he messaged me, he really sent someone over to fix the door along with another person who seemed to be a constable.

After they left completing their business, I decided against going to the hospital and thought of preparing him the lunch as I was sure that he didn't have anything when he was at the hospital and I was unsure whether he had anything that morning.

Though I didn't see him eating personally, I still felt contended just by delivering him something. For me, these little things were enough to spend my days.

"Akka, where have you lost? Your phone has been ringing for so long. Pick it up already!"

Rishu mumbled in a sleepy tone as I came out of my thoughts and stood up from the chair near the window, placing the coffee mug down.

I grabbed my phone only to see my mom was calling me and greeted with her hurried voice once I answered the call.

"Hey Yuktha, come to my place now. Hitler is home." She said as I heard the shuffling sound from the other end.

"What! Why did he come here so suddenly? By the way, when did you come back?" I asked her with a frown.

"Who knows! Radha called me yesterday to inform me about his today's visit. So I took an immediate plane to come back and landed here this morning. He came here a while ago and asked for your presence. So come quickly and dare you to tell him about my visit to Bangalore ."

She ended the call after saying her piece as I stood there chuckling a little and still unsure of the reason for his sudden visit.

"Rishu, I am going to my mom's place. If you want, tag along with me." I asked her after shaking her a little as she stirred in her sleep.

"Go go. I am so tired. Let me sleep peacefully and tell Aunt that I will visit her later."

She said with her eyes still closed and I decided to not force her anymore as I witnessing how tired she was every day by the time she returned from her office.

I sighed and headed to the washroom to clean up and to get ready. After doing so, I left to kitchen to make some sandwiches for her. Once I was done with them, I placed them in a box before making a way to my room again.

"Rishu, I am leaving then. I made some sandwiches for you. Don't forget to heat them again when you are eating. I will try to come by this evening, if not, I will inform you about my plans." I told her while closing the blinds and headed out once I heard her mumbling an 'okay'.

On my way out, I closed the door and grabbed my car keys. As I got settled in my car, I started to my mom's place. It's a half n hour drive to her place and after reaching there, my eyes greeted with the sight of her rushing here and there like a wild lady with her hair pinned into a bun.

"Woah, lady! Calm down. What exactly are you fretting over?" I asked her while tossing my keys onto the couch.

"Why exactly did he come here? Did he get to know about my adventures? So he came here to break my legs?" She gulped as she looked at me.

"That might be the case too!" I teased her as she stood up immediately.

"I am done for good. Don't disturb me. I am going to sleep to think of a solution. Also, he is in his room. Go and meet him. Once again I am warning you, dare you to rat me out." Saying this she made her way to her room while mumbling something to herself.

I shook my head while looking at her retreating figure in amazement. I still didn't understand why she fears her father-in-law a lot.

In front of everyone, she was a raucous woman, always loud and proud but when it comes in front of him, she behaves like a sanskari bahu.

I chuckled thinking of her warnings and made my way to his room. Once I was in front of his door, I went inside carefully and saw him sitting on the bed while arranging some documents.

Once he sensed someone's presence, he lifted his head to look and his stern eyes softened up a lot after noticing my sight. He smiled at me warmly and lifted his hand to gesture me to come near him.

Taking a cue, I jogged up to him and settled on the floor in front of him. Placing my head on his knees, I kissed his wrinkled hand as my eyes teared a little after noticing how weak he had become.

"Silly girl! Why are you crying? I am here, right in front of you only na." He cackled while brushing his hand over my hair as I smiled a little.

"Of course It's because of you only. You always make me worry. Why don't you come here and stay with us instead? I will move back with mom and you, and will look after you." I asked him while lifting my head to look at him as he wiped my tears.

"Really? But would your mom be okay with that fact? Mind me, she will whack you for proposing that ridiculous thing as she still thinks that I am unaware of her antics." He chuckled while saying so.

"Really? You know about it already? Geez!! And here she gloats on my face that she is so good at pretending. I really wanted to have a look at her face when she comes to know about it." I grinned and rested my head again on his knees.

"But seriously!! Why can't you come and live with us?" I asked again in a low voice as I heard him sigh.

"Ammu, listen! My presence is needed there for you both to live a peaceful life here." I thinned my lips after hearing him as I had a little understanding about the things happening in our village.

"Okay. I won't force you but you have to promise me that you will take of your health." I asked him in a worried tone as I knew no one could be trusted in that house except for Radha Athayya(paternal Aunt)

"Ha. I will. Actually, I came here for a reason. It might surprise you but hear me out first..okay?" He said and I looked up with a frown but nodded at him.

"But before saying it, let me tell you something. You must have heard about your great-grandma, Lakshmi..right? She was the only girl child in our family at that time in the past three generations. I don't know whether it's a curse or whatever. We rarely have any girl child born in our family and no one hadn't borne more than a son till now. Your great-grandma had my dad and my mom had me, I had your dad." He said and I scrunched my brows in confusion.

"But, what about Radha Athayya?" I asked him.

"She is adopted. Your grandma always wanted a girl child. So we adopted your aunts even before your dad was born."

"Aunts?"

"We will talk about it later. Now listen to me. Your great-grandma was a great businesswoman and a doctor with so much wealth and estates inherited from our ancestors. As she was the only girl child among those generations, she was treated so special and she always wished to pass on her inheritance and knowledge to her girl grandchildren if she had any but unfortunately we didnt have any until you."

"So as the only girl child among these three generations, you will inherit all her properties, trusts, and hospitals." Saying this, he handed me the big bunch of documents.

I was so shocked at this new-found information and when he shoved those papers in my hand, I felt like I was carrying a huge weight of responsibilities. So I immediately pushed them back into his hands as if I had touched fire.

"No no. I don't want them. You take care of them." After saying so, I stood up from the floor and about to go out of his room.

"Silly girl, come back I say!" He laughed at my obvious nervousness while approaching me.

"You can't deny them. It's your right and you have to inherit them. After doing so, you can do whatever you may find right to do with them. I have still more to say. Now, will you sit back and listen to me?" He said and took the initial position. I reluctantly sat on the bed beside him.

"But for that to happen you have to marry. As your grandma also always wished for her only granddaughter to get married to one of the sons of her daughters. So.." He paused while trying to gauge my reaction as I looked at him in astonishment.

"So I am thinking that Ikshith will be a perfect guy for you." He announced and I immediately stood up from the bed, hearing him say that name.

"What happened, ammu? Do you have anyone in your heart?"

Even if I had one, what was the use of telling him about that person when I truly couldn't own him but at the same time, I couldn't marry and live with my own nightmare all my life.

" If you love someone, tell me, I will never force you. Even though it's your grandma's wish, I still think she prefers your true happiness over her wishes. So if she was alive, she wouldn't force you too. Now tell me." He said in a low tone as I blinked back my tears before shaking my head painfully in denial.

"Then what's the problem? Do you not like him? No chance. You both are always used to stick together like glue." He said in a casual tone as I took a deep breath.

"No grandpa. Can I not marry him, please? I can marry anyone you ask me to but please, not him." I asked him desperately as I wiped my tears.

"Ammu, what exactly had happened? Did that brat do something to hurt you or what? Tell me, Grandpa will see his end." He said while holding my shoulders as my body started shaking with my every sob.

"Ammu!"

"I am scared, Grandpa," I mumbled while burying my face in his embrace.

"Of your uncle? He might be a bad person, a very bad person to say but I am sure Ikshith isn't at all like him. You don't have to worry about him..okay?" He asked me.

"If only you know, grandpa, what a good person he is!" I shook my head profusely while mumbling a 'No'.

"Okay, okay! Don't cry. You don't have to marry him. The only reason I suggested this because of your dad's company. Now don't worry too much. We will think of other ways to get back my son's company from your uncle's hand." He said as I froze in my place.

How could I even forget this thing? My dad's dream company was in their hands and wasn't it the reason why he played me like his wish?  God! What to do now. Was marrying him the only option left for me to protect my dad's hard work?

I closed my eyes helplessly and pondered over this issue for a while before opening them to look at my grandpa.

"Can you give me sometime? I will think about it." I announced as he furrowed my brows.

"No, you don't have to do it just for the sake of the company as I know you are already aware of your dad's will. I will think of something. In fact, I didn't even remember your grandma's wish until your Lakshman uncle came to me and reminded me about it. He asked me your hand for his son. I think there must be something cooking in his mind. So forget about it. Go and rest for a while. Btw, I am leaving tomorrow." He said, turning his back to me while arranging the documents properly in a bag.

"No. Please give me sometime." I told him stubbornly as he glared at me but sighed after seeing my stance.

"You really don't have to."

"I want to give it a try but tell lakshman Mamayya that if I have to agree for this marriage, I have a condition. Forget about dad's will,  Ask them to transfer 60% of the shares that they both hold to my name. If they don't want to do it, then deny this alliance." I told him in a calmly as he nodded at me after thinking for sometime.

"By the way, take sometime out and visit our home there. Your Radha Athayya really wishes to see you."

Though I really never wanted to visit that place but I had to, because of Radha Athayya as it had been so many years since she saw me. She would have visited me, had only her husband allowed her to do so.

So thinking about it, I nodded at him slowly and left from there.

'Yuktha, you can do this. This is your last chance.' I told myself before wiping my tears.

Thanks for reading.

Do vote and comment.