On the morning Aria Mehta agreed to marry a man she barely knew, she was wearing a lab coat and arguing about research funding.
"You can't just cut the entire field trial", she said, pressing her palm flat against the dean's polished mahogany desk. "We're months away from results".
The dean gave her a look that was meant to be sympathetic. "The foundation pulled out. Without private sponsorship, there's nothing I can do."
Private sponsorship. The word felt like a dare.
Aria had spent five years building her urban sustainability project-vertical gardens for low-income housing complexes.
It wasn't glamorous enough for big investors, but it mattered. And now it was evaporating because someone in the boardroom decided green roofs weren't profitable enough.
By lunchtime, her phone rang.
It was her father.
She considered ignoring it. They had not spoken properly in almost a year-not since she had refused to join Mehta infrastructure, the family construction empire that was currently embroidered in a nasty public dispute with its largest investor.
She answered anyway.
"Aria", her father said without greeting. "come home, we need to talk".
"About?"
"A proposal".
She almost laughed. " if this is about me taking over the sustainability wing-"
"it's about marriage". Her Father said.
Silence expanded between them.
"I'm not interested", she said Flatly.
"you should at least hear it. This isn't…ordinary."
Nothing in her life had been ordinary since she was born into one of the most powerful business families in the city. still, she went.
Dev Malhotra did not look like a man in need of a wife.
He was tall, controlled, immaculately dressed in a charcoal suits that probably cost more than Aria's monthly salary. he stood by the window of a father study, sunlight sharpening the angles of his face.
Aria had seen him before – on business magazine covers, in news articles about the Malhotra group's rapid expansion into renewable energy and smart cities. Dev Malhotra, Thirty-two, CEO, ruthless negotiator, rumored to be engaged at least twice and single each time by the next quarter.
He turned when she entered.
His gaze was assessing but not unkind.
"Ms. Mehta", he said, "Thank you for coming."
"I didn't realize I had a choice". She said.
Her Father cleared his throat. "Aria, sit down". She remained standing.
Dev's lips twitched almost imperceptibly. " I prefer directness", he said " so I will be direct. My company is Merging with your father's for a joint infrastructure project. The media scrutiny is… intense. Investors are nervous. A public alliance between our families would stabilize things."
"and by alliance, you mean"? She asked.
"A marriage", Dev said calmly.
Aria stared at him.
Her Father spoke again. "It would be contractual. Two years. Public appearances. Shared residence. After that, a mutually agreed separation".
" and in exchange?" She asked, because she was not naive.
Dev's eyes sharpened. " in exchange, Malhotra group will fully fund your sustainability project. Not just the field trial. But for the next five years".
The room tilted.
"how do you know about that"? She asked.
" I do my research," he replied.
Her father added, "This is a strategic partnership, Aria. For all of us".
Aria looked between them-the father who loved her but saw the World as a series of deals, and the Stranger offering to bankroll her dream in return for her name.
"What's in it for you?" She asked Dev.
He hesitated for the first time.
"my grandmother", he said finally. " she wants to see me settled. And I need stability in the headlines. No scandals. no rumors".
" so you need a wife to calm the markets", Aria said.
" and you need capital to save your project", he countered.
The terms hung in the air like a contract waiting to be signed.
"what are the conditions"? She asked quietly.
Dev walked to the desk and slid a thin folder towards her.
She opened it.
Clause one: The marriage should be legally valid for a period of 24 months.
Clause two: Both Parties agreed to maintain public appearances consistent with a genuine marital relationship.
Clause three: No interference in each other's professional decisions.
Clause four: Financial independence to be maintained; personal assets remains separate.
Clause five: Either party may request termination after the agreed period, with no contest.
She looked up.
"And what about … personal boundaries"? She asked.
Dev met her gaze steadily. " personal intimacy is not required. If it happens, it will be mutually agreed upon."
Her father shifted Uncomfortably.
Aria closed the folder.
"Two years", she said "full funding. No interference in my work".
"Yes" Dev answered. "And if I say no?" Aria asked.
Dev didn't blink. "Then I wish you luck finding another investor before the month end."
It was not a threat. It was a fact.
Aria exhaled slowly. "Fine", she said "I'll marry you".