Chapter 7 : Aadit's Gift

Morning, Aryan Palace

Ashwatth was quick to catch on and said, "Consider it a warning…"

Tiya was startled once again by how Ashwatth seemed to read her mind. Just then, Aadit barged into the room like a speeding car without knocking, only to halt abruptly when he saw how close Ashwatth and Tiya were.

He quickly spun around, embarrassed, and blurted out, "I didn't see anything. I swear, I didn't see anything."

Seeing Aadit, Tiya panicked and tried to get up, but Ashwatth held her so tightly that instead of standing, she ended up leaning right into his chest. Ashwatth smiled at her and raised an eyebrow at Aadit, "Is there a problem?"

Aadit, still flustered, said, "No, not at all. I was just here to ask if sister-in-law is going to make lunch or if the cook will. Honestly, I'm tired of the cook's food. I was hoping maybe she could whip up something delicious like she did for breakfast."

Before Aadit could finish, Ashwatth cut him off, "On one condition…"

Aadit was intrigued, "What condition?"

Ashwatth looked Aadit up and down and said, "Your fashion sense is impeccable. I want you to teach my wife some of that sense while I'm away. Help her improve her style, make it perfect like yours."

Aadit sighed in relief and laughed, "Just say you want her to have a makeover. Why beat around the bush? If sister-in-law makes tasty dishes for me every day, I'll make her look like an award-winning diva."

Tiya was completely lost, watching her husband and brother-in-law talk. She looked from one to the other, unsure of what they were discussing.

Ashwatth turned to her, commenting with a smirk, "You're very old-fashioned. I want to give you a makeover."

Tiya thought to herself, "Old-fashioned…?" It reminded her of what people used to say about her back in college. Ashwatth felt like a mind reader, knowing exactly what was going on in her head.

Noticing her bewilderment, Aadit chimed in, "Brother must feel like a god to you, right? Well, it's true. He can guess what people are thinking just by their expressions. But don't worry, he's not always right."

Ashwatth interrupted Aadit, "Enough, now get out."

Aadit replied, "I'm leaving, I'm leaving! No need to get angry. I'm not trying to be a third wheel. In fact, I could clear the whole house for you two if you want. You'd have all the alone time you need. But sister-in-law, my brother's a bit clueless when it comes to romance, so you'll have to take charge of that makeover."

As Aadit turned to leave, Tiya thought to herself, "Is everyone in this house shameless?" Just then, Aadit stopped and mischievously said, "Make sure to check out my gift first."

Ashwatth, irritated, asked, "Why, what's so special about it?"

Aadit replied with a smirk, "It's something you'll find very useful. Trust me!" And with that, he walked out of the room.

Ashwatth had a gut feeling something was off. He knew his brother too well. Tiya was also curious to see Aadit's gift. It was sitting right in front of her, so she quickly opened the box. What she found left her speechless.

Inside was a satin, red two-piece nightgown. Tiya tried to act normal, but she was clearly stunned. She quickly put the gift back in the box and shut it. Ashwatth saw it too, and his expression turned sour. Anger surged within him. He thought, *Aadit, you're so dead…*

Tiya was mortified—Aadit had given her such a bold gift! She wanted to disappear from sheer embarrassment. Ashwatth was also internally cursing his brother, imagining all sorts of punishments for him.

Breaking the awkward silence that had settled between them, Ashwatth tried to lighten the mood, "Ignore him. He's crazy. Don't pay attention to that gift."

Tiya remained silent, her eyes fixed on the gift box, unsure of what to say or do. Ashwatth, trying to ease the tension, suggested, "Why don't you open the other gifts?"

Tiya hesitated, thinking, *If the first gift is this outrageous, who knows what the others could be?* Nervously, she said, "You look at them. I don't want to." She stood up to leave, and Ashwatth let her go. She hurried out of the room, heading straight to the lounge.

As soon as Tiya was gone, Ashwatth yelled, "Aadit!" and stormed out, searching for his brother. Aadit, along with the rest of the group, was sitting in the living room.

Ashwatth arrived, fuming, and shouted, "What the hell is this, Aadit?" Everyone turned to look at him. Playing innocent, Aadit asked, "What happened, brother?"

Ashwatth, clearly furious, barked, "How dare you give such a vulgar gift?"

Seeing his brother so angry, Aadit started laughing even more and said, "You didn't like it? But that gift wasn't for you, brother, it was for my lovely sister-in-law. I just wanted her to try to impress you. Why are you so mad? You chose to marry her, after all. Grandpa wants to see his great-grandchildren soon, so you should get a move on. My gift will help speed things up."

Aadit's cheeky response had everyone laughing, but when Ashwatth shot them all a glare, they quickly fell silent.

Aadit continued, "How can any man stay away from such a beautiful wife? Honestly, brother, it seems like you're trying to hide something. Did you marry just to keep up appearances?"

Ashwatth, still angry, snapped, "You think I like men instead of women? Are you out of your mind? Yes, I married her, and yes, she's beautiful, but that doesn't mean I'd do anything without her consent. I'm not that—"

Just then, Tiya entered the room, ready to leave for a check-up with Orion at the hospital. Everyone's attention shifted to her lips—her thin, pink lips were clearly bruised, with dried blood visible from where Ashwatth had bitten them earlier.

Rachit nudged Aadit playfully and said, "You told me nothing was happening between them, but it seems like there's more to the story."

Aadit, confused, rubbed his head and said, "I have no idea when this happened, but hey, it's good news! Something finally happened. I was starting to think our brother wouldn't be able to pull it off."

Later that day, at the hospital, Tiya started out quiet, but as Orion behaved kindly and became friendly with her, she began to open up, chatting comfortably with him. She was relieved to be around someone who wasn't bullying her.

When they returned home, Tiya was greeted by Aadit's insatiable hunger. It was lunchtime, and the youngest prince was ready to eat. Tiya prepared lunch herself, and as soon as the food was on the table, Aadit dug in. Watching him eat, it seemed like he could have devoured everything by himself if no one else had been there.

Though she found Aadit's enthusiasm a bit odd, Tiya was happy to cook for everyone.

As night fell, Tiya sat cross-legged on the bed, watching her husband as he got ready for his flight. He had a flight at midnight. Ashwatth noticed her staring at him, "If you've got something to say, say it."

Startled, Tiya snapped out of her thoughts and stammered, "No…"

Ashwatth smiled at her, reassuringly, "Don't worry. No one will bother you, and if you want, you can use the power of being Mrs. Aryan to order everyone around in my absence."

Tiya looked at him, surprised. Ashwatth put on his black overcoat and walked over to her, placing his hand on her head, "I'll be gone for two weeks, but that doesn't mean I won't know what you're up to. You'll need to follow all my instructions so you can become the person I can proudly introduce to the world. Right now, you're like a timid little cat."

Tiya couldn't find words to respond. What could any woman say when her husband was Ashwatth Ihit Aryan, one of the world's most powerful men—someone no one dared to challenge? Countless companies had risen to success thanks to his influence, including those owned by Sahana Rai and Avyansh Khanna's families. Ashwatth knew they were part of Tiya's painful past, and they would soon pay for it.

Smiling at her, Ashwatth said, "You could at least act like a good wife and tell me you'll miss me."

Tiya was seeing a different side of him—the stoic, serious weapons king had become someone far more relaxed, even teasing. He lifted her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze, "Little squirrel, don't waste time thinking such silly things about me. I'm reserved with the world, but not with my own people. You should be happy you escaped those spoiled brats and that cheating ex of yours."

Tiya wanted to say something, but being so close to Ashwatth made her words stick in her throat.

Ashwatth said, "Don't worry, you're mine, and no one can disturb or harm what belongs to me, whether I'm here or not. So there's no need to take so much tension. Just spend these two weeks well, because when I come back, you'll have to stay with me properly."