chapter 4: A deal with devil

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Kyara's Dilemma

Kyara stepped out of the restaurant, her mind a tangled mess of thoughts.

"We'll sort it out… but how?"

Her fingers gripped her purse tightly as she walked, her heels clicking against the pavement.

"Contract marriage? That's nonsense! I don't want to marry at all!"

She scoffed at the ridiculousness of the idea, shaking her head. This was insane. Marriage was never in her plans, and now, she was being pushed into one like some helpless character in a bad soap opera.

She exhaled sharply, staring up at the night sky. If nothing else, at least Niki was as uninterested in this marriage as she was.

But then a terrifying thought struck her like a bolt of lightning.

"What if… somehow, I manage to cancel this marriage… and my mother arranges another guy for me?"

A shiver ran down her spine.

What if the next guy was even worse? Someone richer, more spoiled, and—her biggest nightmare—a patriarchal control freak? A man who actually believed a wife should be an obedient shadow behind her husband?

A feminist girl's worst fear.

She groaned loudly, messing up her own hair in frustration. A few pedestrians shot her weird looks as they passed by.

Realizing her public meltdown, she quickly slapped her own cheek and muttered under her breath, "Dumbo!" before hailing a cab.

As she sank into the seat, she sighed heavily.

"A contract marriage… with that jerk… sounds a whole lot better than the alternative."

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Niki's Never-Ending Struggles

Meanwhile, across the city, inside a brightly lit hospital operating room, Niki pulled off his surgical gloves, exhaling in frustration.

His seniors and professors were discussing the case, but his mind was elsewhere.

"Why the hell am I even here?"

"Yes, sir, yes, sir. The internal bleeding hasn't stopped yet. Should we—"

Before he could complete his sentence, his professor cut him off.

"How can you mistake scissors for a scalpel, Mr. Niki?!"

Niki snapped out of his thoughts, blinking at the old professor who was glaring at him through his thick glasses.

"Just because your father is the director of this hospital doesn't mean you can afford to be careless!"

Niki, while keeping a straight face, was **mimicking his professor's words inside his head—Blah, blah, blah. Heard it all before. **

"Are you even listening, Mr. Agnihotri?"

"Yes, sir," Niki replied quickly, nodding as if he had been paying full attention.

His professor rolled his eyes and walked away, muttering something under his breath. As soon as he left, one of Niki's seniors patted his shoulder.

"Don't take it seriously," the senior said with a smirk. "This oldie is like that even with the residents."

Niki chuckled, running a hand through his hair. "Of course, senior. I won't take it seriously."

The senior leaned in slightly. "By the way, I heard you haven't applied for residency. Are you planning to go abroad for it?"

Niki paused for a second, then shook his head. "No, no. I'm not going anywhere. Just taking a break for now. Maybe I'll start residency next year."

He flashed his signature innocent junior smile, and the senior simply nodded before walking away.

Moments later, Niki left the hospital and drove home.

His apartment was quiet, just as it always was. His family only visited on weekends, something he had insisted on. Living alone was his way of escaping constant family interference.

Throwing his bag onto the couch, he loosened his tie and grabbed a few files from his desk when his phone rang.

The caller ID flashed Rohan.

Niki sighed before picking up. "What do you want, dumbass?"

A loud, dramatic voice greeted him from the other side.

"So, baby boy—or should I say dulha raja?"

Niki groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Shut up."

But Rohan was having way too much fun with this.

"Guess what? Right after your pathetic call from the restaurant, your mom called me," Rohan continued in an exaggerated tone. "She wants me to help plan your wedding!"

There was a brief silence.

And then—

Both of them burst into uncontrollable laughter.

Niki, still laughing, fake-cried. "Bro, what the hell am I supposed to do?"

Rohan, still chuckling, sighed. "You tell me. You're the one getting married against your will."

Niki took a deep breath, leaning back against the couch. "I thought a lot about it. And came to a conclusion… I'm thinking… co—"

He swallowed hard.

Rohan raised an eyebrow. "Thinking what?"

Niki closed his eyes for a second before finally saying it.

"Contract marriage."

There was a pause.

Then—

"You actually took my advice seriously for once in your life?" Rohan gasped, as if personally offended.

Niki groaned, rubbing his temple. "I don't know whether to be proud or concerned."

"But yeah," Rohan continued, "Look, I know it's insane, but you're really gonna do a freaking contract marriage?"

Niki sighed heavily, leaning back on his couch. "See, it's just not about marriage, bro. If I don't do this, I'll be in a freaking operation theatre for the next 10 years. My dad will never let me out once I start my master's. This isn't a running away plan—it's a save my life plan."

"Yeah, I think I know that. If you don't give a proper reason to take a break and don't go for your master's, I don't think your father will let you take a break," Rohan said, filled with pure amusement.

"Yeah, I'll hang up now. Bye, good night."

Niki hung up the call and stretched his arms, finally allowing himself to relax—until his phone buzzed again.

He squinted at the screen.

Kyara: Let's meet before this weekend because our families are definitely going to meet on the weekend… I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU ARE GOING TO MAKE IT HAPPEN, JUST DO IT.

Niki widened his eyes. He could practically hear Kyara's voice screaming at him through the text.

Shit.

After their last conversation, he had confidently said, "We'll sort it out," and then?

Nothing.

Not a single message.

Running a hand through his hair, he quickly typed back:

Niki: Sawwry for not contacting. Let's meet a day after tomorrow. I'm busy tomorrow.

Satisfied, he hit send and jumped onto his bed, curling up in his blanket like a satisfied cat.

Meanwhile, at the Shrivastava house…

Kyara stared at the message on her phone.

"Sawwry for not contacting."

She could hear his sarcastic voice through the screen.

Rolling her eyes, she dramatically slammed her head onto her study table.

"This idiot."

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