Chapter 3 : Ashwath's Plan

**Late Night, Aryan's Palace**

Ashwath stood by the window, staring at the dark sky outside, his mind racing with a dangerous plan. Although this plan wasn't going to physically harm Tiya, it was certainly going to change her life forever, in the blink of an eye.

On one hand, Ashwath Ihit Aryan was like a savior to Tiya, having saved her dignity. But on the other hand, he was no less than a demon. He was dangerous—what ran through his mind was known only to him.

**The Next Morning**

As the sun's rays filtered through the curtains and fell on Tiya's face, she slowly opened her eyes. Glancing around, she suddenly realized she was in an unfamiliar room and panicked, sitting up immediately. She noticed she wasn't wearing any clothes, and quickly pulled the blanket up to cover herself.

Actually, after applying medicine to her wounds, she hadn't been dressed. Just then, her eyes landed on Ashwath, and she couldn't help but stare. She had never seen such a handsome man in her life. His face had an aura, and Tiya found herself gazing at him in awe.

Ashwath sat on the sofa with a laptop in his lap, working. Suddenly, the events of the previous night flooded Tiya's memory, and she became aware of her condition. Panic overtook her, and her thoughts spiraled—"Had the man who saved her taken advantage of her?"

Ashwath noticed her discomfort, looking up from his laptop, "So, you're awake," he said, placing the laptop on the coffee table. One glance at her face, and he knew exactly what she was thinking. He got up and started walking toward her, causing Tiya to tighten her grip on the blanket, instinctively backing away.

He reached the bed and said calmly, "My maid Ishna changed your clothes, and after applying medicine to your wounds, you weren't dressed again. Nothing happened to you... I didn't touch you."

Tiya, her voice trembling, asked, "Did you save my life last night?"

Ashwath responded sharply, "What do you think? Who else could've saved you?"

Realizing he had indeed saved her, Tiya hesitated and said, "Thank you so much, sir. If you hadn't been there..."

Her voice was becoming emotional, but Ashwath cut her off and said bluntly, "I paid a crore rupees to those boys to save you. One crore—you know how many zeros are in a crore, right?" Tiya looked at him, shocked.

Ashwath had cast his trap. Looking straight into her eyes, he continued, "Even if you worked your whole life, you wouldn't be able to gather that much money. I paid a crore to save you, so naturally, you're mine now. If you want to clear this debt, you'll have to do as I say. That's the only way out for you. Maybe you don't know this, but people call me a demon."

Tiya began to tremble with fear. She thought, "A crore? For me, even a thousand is a big deal. He's right, even if I worked my whole life, I could never repay him."

Just then, Ashwath snapped his fingers in front of her, pulling her back to reality. "Did you understand what I said? You're mine now, and you'll have to follow all my orders. I know your family doesn't care whether you live or die, and you have no place to go, so you have no choice but to do what I say."

"Work? What kind of work?" The words slipped out of Tiya's mouth before she could stop herself. Ashwath glared at her, his voice cold, "The debt is mine over you. I'll ask the questions—you'll only say 'yes,' understood?"

Tiya, petrified, quickly nodded her head. What else could she do? She was trapped, utterly and completely.

A faint smile appeared on Ashwath's face, and he said, "Very good. Now, go to the bathroom and take a bath. Go."

Tiya was confused, terrified. She held the blanket tightly around herself, too afraid to move.

Ashwath's patience was wearing thin. He glared at her, his tone turning stern, "Go. Now!"

Scared out of her mind, Tiya climbed off the bed, still clutching the blanket. But in a sudden motion, Ashwath extended his long arms and scooped her up in one swift movement. Her breath hitched in panic as Ashwath carried her straight to the bathroom and laid her in the bathtub.

Tiya couldn't comprehend what had just happened in the last ten seconds. Ashwath stood there, watching her shamelessly, and asked, "Will you bathe yourself, or should I help you?" As he said this, he grabbed a corner of the blanket. Tiya, utterly terrified, clung to the blanket with all her strength. She was on the verge of tears when Ashwath let go and said, "Clothes are there, and everything you'll need is provided. The water in the heater is already warm, just the way you'd like it."

Relieved for a moment, Tiya scanned the room. The luxurious custom-made bathroom was unlike anything she had ever seen.

Half an hour later, the bathroom door opened, and Tiya emerged, freshly bathed and dressed. Ashwath was seated in the room, reading through the information Victor had sent him about Tiya. He looked up and saw her standing by the bathroom door. He had already arranged for comfortable clothes for her to wear, ones that wouldn't aggravate her injuries. Tiya looked beautiful in them.

"Why are you standing there?" Ashwath asked.

Tiya didn't respond. Irritated, Ashwath glared at her and said, "I know you're not mute. Stop pretending. I don't like people who behave like they're deaf and dumb."

Frightened, Tiya slowly began to move forward. Ashwath, watching her tortoise-like pace, snapped, "If you walk like this, it'll take you four years to reach me." Tiya quickly moved forward and stood before him like an obedient student.

It was as if Ashwath was her teacher, giving her instructions.

He looked her up and down before asking, "Are you hungry?"

Tiya said nothing. Ashwath had already figured out that she was extremely shy and overly sensitive. Placing his laptop aside, he stood up and walked toward her. For the first time, Tiya realized how much taller Ashwath was. She felt like a mouse in front of him. Though she was tall herself, she only came up to his chest.

"Now be a good girl and follow me," Ashwath said as he walked out of the room. Tiya, unsure of what else to do, followed him. They made their way to the dining hall, where his grandfather, his brother, his manager, secretary, and chief bodyguard were waiting for breakfast.

Seeing Ashwath and Tiya enter, Adit excitedly said, "Grandfather, look! My brother and sister-in-law are here!"

Grandfather glanced at his grandson and Tiya, a smile spreading across his face. Ashwath took a seat at the dining table, but Tiya remained standing.

Noticing this, Grandfather felt a bit awkward and said, "Don't be afraid, child, sit down."

Then, looking at Ashwath, he scolded, "You came and sat down yourself? You should've seated her first. Who treats their future wife like that?"

Adit chimed in, "Brother, that's not how you do it!"

Tiya was completely overwhelmed. She stood frozen, unsure of what was happening. Was she in some kind of paranormal world? Ashwath's face was expressionless as he looked at her and said, "Sit down."

Still, Tiya remained rooted in place. Ashwath sighed, took her hand, and pulled her into the chair next to him.

Everyone was seated at the dining table, and the servant began serving breakfast. The spread was vast and luxurious—more food than Tiya had ever seen in her life. She was starving, but hesitated to eat. Grandfather noticed and said kindly, "Don't be shy, dear. This is your home now."

Tiya remained silent, unsure of what to do, unable to touch the food in front of her. Grandfather, concerned, asked, "Do you not eat properly? You're so thin, like you could be blown away by a single puff of air."

Hearing this, Adit's mischievous side surfaced. He put down his food and blew a puff of air toward Tiya. Everyone at the table was shocked by his childish behavior. Tiya, too, found it bizarre.

Laughing, Adit said, "Grandfather, you said she'd be blown away, but she's still here. Your logic didn't work! Even though my sister-in-law is skinny, that doesn't mean she'll be blown away by just anyone."

Tiya, utterly confused, wished she could just disappear from the room.

Just then, Ashwath said, "Eat your food. Eat well."

He had deliberately instructed the servant to serve her a large portion so that she could eat to her heart's content. Slowly, Tiya began eating. The breakfast was healthy and delicious. While eating, she glanced over at Adit, who was eating in the strangest manner, and suddenly, she couldn't help but laugh.

Everyone was looking at her, and Tiya's laughter made her look even more adorable. Then they all turned their gaze toward Adit, who was too busy eating to care about anything else. It was just him and his breakfast. Except for Grandfather and Ashwath, everyone else burst out laughing. Noticing everyone laughing at him, Adit looked around and said, "Why are you all laughing? Did you see a clown or something?"

Pratyush, barely able to contain his laughter, held his stomach and said, "Oh my God, Adit, the way you eat is so funny!"

Adit responded, "What's funny about it? This is my style."

He didn't want to embarrass himself further, so he stopped talking.

Tiya wondered, *What kind of strange family had she ended up with? What did Ashwath want from her? Yesterday she was a college-going girl, and now they were talking about her marriage—to the Lord of Death himself. What was going to happen to her miserable life in the days to come?*