Chapter 10 : The Stubbornness of Ashwatth and Tiya

Ashwatth turned Tiya's face toward him, gently lifting her chin. Just as he was about to kiss her, his phone rang. Instead, he pulled Tiya into his chest. She looked up at him in surprise, feeling safe in his arms. She buried her head against his chest as Ashwatth answered the call, softly stroking her hair.

Tiya quickly drifted off to sleep while Ashwatth continued talking to his client. He glanced at her peaceful face and kissed her on the head, holding her close. Tiya shifted in her sleep, unconsciously snuggling into him.

Ashwatth noticed her hands, bruised from earlier, and quietly took her hand, gently playing with her fingers. When they arrived at their grand palace, the sudden stop woke Tiya from her sleep. She found herself still in Ashwatth's arms, and he was carrying her inside. Following them were Ashwatth's handsome, well-mannered men, all as perfectly built as he was—like models from a fashion show.

Tiya thought to herself, *"The Aryan family has so many good-looking men, and they're all single."*

Her husband, though inexperienced in romance, was undeniably handsome and perfect in every way. But to bad people, he was nothing less than a demon—death incarnate, sent from hell to deal with traitors. His face was always serious, as it was now.

Ashwatth glanced down at her and said, "Did you get enough sleep?"

Tiya blushed and buried her face back into his chest. Ashwatth said nothing more and carried her straight to the room, taking her into the bathroom and sitting her down on the edge of the bathtub. "Take a shower," he instructed.

Tiya nodded. Ashwatth added, "Hurry up, I need to take one too."

In a small voice, Tiya said, "You can go first."

Ashwatth gave her a strange look and replied, "Let's take one together. It'll save time, and we can shower, and..."

Tiya nearly died of embarrassment at his words and, flustered, slipped into the bathtub, groaning in pain as she landed awkwardly.

Without any change in his expression, Ashwatth asked, "What did I say?" He picked her up and set her upright, noticing she was in pain.

"Let me see," he said.

Terrified, Tiya quickly replied, "It's okay, sir, you don't need to worry, please."

Ashwatth gave her a strange look and said, "You're acting like I've never seen you before. I've seen you. Why are you so embarrassed? You'll be with me for life, and even if you owe me a million, you're still going to be my wife."

He added, "So obviously, you'll have to do all the things a wife is supposed to do." Tiya listened quietly with her head down. "Now, hurry up and shower!" Ashwatth said, leaving the room.

Tiya took a shower and then got dressed. As she stepped out, she noticed Ashwatth hadn't said anything about the state of the room. Glancing around, she was surprised to see a new cupboard that now housed all her teddy bears, neatly arranged. Ashwatth was working, his shirt unbuttoned at the top. On the bed was a large gift box. Tiya was curious about what was inside.

She looked at Ashwatth, waiting for him to say something, but he just glanced at her, placed his files on the coffee table, and went to take a shower. Tiya stared after him in confusion, then sat quietly on the bed, her eyes fixated on the gift box, wondering what was inside.

When Ashwatth came out, towel drying his hair, he sat on the couch. Tiya quickly walked over, took the towel from him, and began drying his hair, a duty Ashwatth had now assigned to her.

Ashwatth watched her closely, thinking to himself, *"Little squirrel, you're just like your mother. She was just as beautiful and foolish as you. If I hadn't found you, who knows what reckless things you might've done by now."*

Tiya noticed Ashwatth's gaze and, feeling self-conscious, said, "It's done, sir."

Ashwatth grabbed her hand and pulled her onto his lap, holding her securely. He said, "Don't you know a good wife should always…"

Just then, his phone rang again. He glanced at the screen and saw his uncle's name flashing. Answering, he said, "Hello, Chachu."

On the other end, Yatish Aryan's voice boomed, "Ah, so you went ahead and got married without even informing us? Did you think I'd kill your wife?"

Ashwatth replied, "Chachu, I found her. She's the one."

"So, you married her? Well done! You finally found her. Do you remember how much her mother did for our family all those years ago?" Yatish asked.

"I know," Ashwatth said. "Don't worry, and please don't make plans to come to India. A few months from now, I'll fix a date and announce it publicly."

"Fine," Yatish replied. "Then we'll have a grand reception for your wedding. Take care of her." Ashwatth agreed and ended the call.

Tiya had no idea who Ashwatth was talking to or what they were discussing.

Ashwatth looked at her and said, "Little squirrel, you didn't tell me you love toys so much. You've practically turned my room into a toy shop while I was gone."

Tiya stammered, "I'm sorry, sir, I…"

Ashwatth cut her off, "You should've told me earlier. I would've bought you all the teddy bears you wanted." Tiya looked at him in disbelief.

Tapping her nose with his finger, Ashwatth said, "I know what your childhood was like. Decorate this room however you like."

Tiya felt a wave of happiness wash over her. Ashwatth looked at her fondly and added, "If anything goes wrong at college, you'll tell me, right? And there's no need for you to work part-time. You're my wife."

Tiya frowned slightly and, with some hesitation, said, "I can't quit my part-time job."

Ashwatth raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

"I rely on it for my expenses, and I don't want to depend on anyone," Tiya explained.

Ashwatth said, "Fine. When you graduate and start earning money, you can pay me back."

Tiya looked at him as though he had just demanded her soul.

Ashwatth continued, "Grandfather won't be pleased, and according to the house rules, everyone must be home before 8:00 p.m."

Tiya lowered her head and said, "I know."

Ashwatth, a hint of playfulness in his voice, said, "Stop being mad, or you'll have to put in extra work with me on the bed. You know my friends are thinking of settling down after seeing our kids, and Grandpa wants…"

Before he could finish, Tiya interrupted, "Sirrrr…"

"You're my wife," Ashwatth reminded her. "Of course, we're supposed to… you know."

Tiya froze, her hair standing on end, nervously biting her lip.

Ashwatth smirked, "I'm joking. I know you're still young, so don't think too much."

Tiya thought to herself, *"What kind of man is this? First, he scares me, then tells me not to overthink. What's a person supposed to think? Everyone in this house is crazy."*

Ashwatth teased, "Looks like you want to…"

Tiya shivered at his teasing, her heart racing in fear. *"Oh God, what does he want now?"* she wondered, lowering her gaze.

Ashwatth watched her closely, noticing every reaction.

"You're such a fool," he said. "Don't you know people will take advantage of you? If you stay quiet like this, people will definitely insult me, saying Ashwatth Aryan's wife is mute and can't even speak properly."

Tiya was stunned, thinking, *"That's just not true! No one's called me mute before. He's the one trying to make me look like one. Should I start shouting now? But if I shout, he'll say, 'Why are you shouting so much?' What am I supposed to do then? He gives so many rules, and now he's saying I should talk. Oh God! I wish the earth would open up and swallow me."*

Ashwatth, sensing her thoughts, said, "No matter how much you think, the sky won't fall, got it? Now tell me, why did you take a taxi to college? There's a whole garage full of cars here. You could've asked Ahem to drop you off in whichever car you liked, but instead, you took a taxi. And I've also heard that…"

Before he could finish, Tiya started crying. Ashwatth stared at her, knowing well that when girls can't respond, they cry. Tears—the most dangerous weapon women wield—and men melt at the sight of them. But Ashwatth wasn't one of those men.

"Stop crying," he said. "I'm not hitting you."

Tiya sobbed, "I…"

And then fell silent, continuing to cry.

Ashwath sighed and asked, "Now tell me, why are you crying so much? Did I do something wrong to you? Tell me, did I hurt you in any way?"

Tiya shook her head, indicating no.

Ashwath continued, "Then what's the matter?"

Tiya responded softly, "Sir, the taxi driver didn't return my ₹20. I gave him ₹200, and he didn't give the change back." Hearing this, Ashwath raised his eyebrows in disbelief.

"You're crying over ₹20? Are you serious?" he said incredulously.

Tiya didn't say anything, just kept sobbing and repeating in her head about the missing ₹20.

Ashwath thought to himself, *This girl's brain works just like my reckless brother's. Who cries over ₹20?*

He tried to calm her down, "There's no need to cry over ₹20. You're acting like the driver robbed you of your entire life savings."

Tiya looked at him with her teary, red eyes as if saying, *You're rich, so you don't understand the value of ₹20.*

Ashwath sighed and continued, "You don't need to cry so much. And as I've already said, you don't need to work a part-time job either. I know you work at Star Café, during night shifts no less, and I've heard that some guys there pass comments on you. Don't you know it's not safe for girls to work at night? If you need money, I'll give it to you."

Tiya quickly replied, "No, I won't take money from you."

Ashwath looked at her, "So, you're refusing to listen to me?"

Tiya said softly, "It's not that, but I can't quit my job."

Ashwath asked, "Do you even realize how young you are?"

Tiya began counting on her fingers, looking like a little squirrel as she did. After a moment, she said, "I'm 11 years younger than you."

Ashwath gave her a sharp look and said, "That's not what I meant. I wasn't asking how much younger you are than me. I'm saying you shouldn't be working. And if you insist on being stubborn, I'll buy that café and make sure you don't work there."

Hearing this, Tiya silently cursed Ashwath in her mind.

Ashwath, laying down his final decision, said, "You'll focus solely on your studies, understand?"