Free The Indian Tycoon's Marriage Deal by Adite Banerjie Page A

steady and firm as he guided her towards a group of people. These were some of KD’s closest friends, associates and relatives. She could see the curiosity in their eyes as Krish introduced her to them. His charming manner soon put everybody at ease and any hostility remained sheathed as he put on a flawless performance as the besotted bridegroom.
    For a moment even she was dazzled. But she recovered soon enough when he whispered, ‘Put some heart into your smile,
jaaneman
!’
    A shrill female voice broke through. ‘Krrrrrrish!’
    Maya looked on curiously as Krish’s face hardened and a nerve in his jaw throbbed. Coming straight at them was a huge mass of shiny, shimmering stuff with a voice shrill enough to give a banshee an inferiority complex. Monica Madan, one-time Bollywood wannabe superstar, whose claim to fame were some sizzling-hot numbers for B-grade movies, had clearly lost her battles with age and bulge. Her huge bulk covered with blinding bling, she thundered past Maya and yanked Krish in a bear hug that would have knocked the breath out of anyone who was not as tall or muscular as he was.
    â€˜My naughty, naughty Krish! You got married and didn’t even tell your Monica Aunty! I’m so hurt.’
    Batting her heavily mascaraed eyes, she miraculously squeezed out a couple of tears without smudging any of her heavy eye make-up. Dabbing a tissue to her eye ever so delicately, she sniffled, ‘Never mind, Krish
beta.
All is forgiven. How can I stay angry with my one and only Krish, no?’
    Krish cringed away from the mountainous woman shedding crocodile tears. ‘Maya and I wanted a quiet wedding. There’s no reason why you or anyone else should feel hurt. Maya, meet Monica Madan, one-time Bollywood
star
and VVIP in the Dev household.’
    Unscathed by Krish’s sarcasm, Monica turned her full attention and girth towards Maya.
    â€˜Trust the Dev men to pick only the most beautiful women,’ she declared after she had given Maya a top-to-toe appraisal. With the flair of a practised drama queen, she tossed her blonde hair, which had probably cost her several hours and a bucketful of cash at some super-exclusive salon, and complained, ‘But they are also notorious for their short attention span.’
    â€˜You have no cause for complaint on that score,’ Krish shot back. ‘Your reign has outlasted that of every other woman in KD’s life.’ Krish’s eyes held an accusation that would have sent anyone with less tenacity than Monica running for cover.
    â€˜That’s because no one else has loved your father as much as I.’
    Krish’s face hardened into a mask as his eyes glowed with rage. ‘If only you knew the meaning of love.’
    The air crackled with tension. Maya could tell that the hostility between Monica and Krish had a long, tortuous history. Krish’s shuttered down face betrayed his angst and, for some strange reason, Maya’s heart reached out to him. She didn’t want him to lose face in front of this woman, who reeked of guile and cunning from every pore of her being. Nor did she want him to become the victim of salacious gossip among KD’s cronies, as they hung on to every word.
    Edging closer to him so that her body was touching his, she linked her arm possessively in his. ‘When I fell in love with Krish, it was I who did the “picking”.’ She pouted coquettishly at him. ‘As for attention span, you’re not worried that I’m going to lose interest in you any time soon, are you, darling?’
    A murmur of appreciative laughter defused the tension as Krish’s rage-filled eyes turned soft with amusement. He nuzzled her neck lovingly, making her toes curl. ‘I am at your mercy, my lovely Maya!’
    A young woman who was standing closest to them beamed at Maya and put her hand out for a high-five. ‘Good on you, Maya. And you, Krish, you’d better watch