I looked from the papers to Vikram, who was looking at anything else but me.

"What is this, Vikram? " I asked as my voice came heavily.

"Gauri, please understand. Whatever I am doing it's for your own good." Vikram spoke looking down.

"How can you do this to me, Vikram? You took such a big decision without even asking me?" I cried.

"Gauri, I am sorry." Vikram said trying to pull me into a hug but I backed off.

"You wanted to get rid of me? " I cried with tears flowing down my cheeks.

"Gauri... " Vikram said with a hurt look but was cut off by Ricky.

"Shut Up, idiot." Ricky shouted, "you spoiled her special day." He said as he wrapped his hands around me for a comforting hug.

"Gauri, what ever I am doing is for your own good. Please try to understand." Vikram tried to convince me.

"No... I am not gonna sign that papers." I shouted.

"Gauri, please... Try to understand."

"You try to understand,Vikram." I said, "I don't want to go away from you all, I don't want to go to Paris."

"Gauri, it's a good opportunity. Only lucky people gets a chance to work with Blue sky Industries. And you are lucky that they accepted you to work with them, you can learn a lot from there, Gauri." Vikram tried to convince me.

"I don't want to go away from you, Vikram."

"Who said you gonna go away from me. I will come to visit you whenever I get free, even I can't stay away from my doll." Vikram said cupping my face.

"Then why are you sending me away? Can't I learn the work by working with you in your office? " I asked looking into his eyes.

"Gauri, you believe me right? " Vikram asked cupping my face and I nodded. "Do you think I would be happy sending you away from me? " He asked and I nodded no.

"As much as I want you to be near me, safe and protected. I will only end up destroying your career if I let you work with me." Vikram said making me look at him confused.

"You see, Ri. Everyone here knows that you are my wife and no matter what they can't be strict with you, being afraid of me. They can't treat you like a normal employee and you can't learn anything. So, I want you to go to Paris to work with Blue sky Industries like a normal graduate student and learn the things like a normal way. By that way you can get to know about highs and lows everything which makes you strong to work in the line of work, you gonna work in the future. I promise that as soon as you complete your interning with the Blue sky, you can join me in my business." Vikram said in a convincing tone.

"Okay." I said reluctantly.

"Thank you for understanding." Vikram said hugging me and I hugged back. From the corner of my eye, I can see Ricky still pissed off because of Vikram's sudden plan about sending me to Paris.

"Don't try to kill me with your eyes, Ricky." Vikram said calmly as Ricky glared at him.

"I still am pissed about your decision, Mr. Thakur. Why the hell are you sending her away." Ricky asked furiously.

"Ricky, I already explained. It's for her own good. Don't you want to see her in a good position?" Vikram said calmly.

"Fine." Ricky said still angry. "I will see you both tomorrow." He said as he walked outside.

I sat on the sofa along with Vikram watching TV.

"Ri, are you still angry on me? " Vikram asked as he turned to face me.

"No, I know you are doing this for me." I smiled.

"Thank you for understanding." Vikram said kissing my temple, "now come let's get you to the bed." Vikram said pulling me towards the bedroom.

Vikram tucked me in the bed and pulled a duvet over me.

"Good Night, Ri." He said dimming the lights.

"Good Night." I said closing my eyes.

I felt the bed dip on the other side of my bed indicating Vikram got on the bed and then I felt a hand on my feet making me open my eyes startled.

"Vikram, what are you doing? " I asked.

"Shh... I know your feet is hurting as you had been wearing those high heels all the day. Let me sooth the pain by giving you a massage. Go back to sleep without arguments." He said and I closed my eyes as I thought how lucky I am to have someone like Vikram in my life.

After my father died leaving a huge debt, which is impossible for a jobless 18 year old me to pay. I was given two choices, either to work and clear the debt before it's due date which is 3 months away or to marry the son of the scary looking creditor, Kali Thakur, who gave the loan to my father. Helpless, I chose the one and only option I have, that is to marry the son of the creditor. Whom I never saw or met.

As soon as I accepted to marry Kali Thakur's son, they brought me to his Haveli in Bareily. I was kept in a big bedroom which is in the size of my home and was treated like a queen by the maids and servants. I was informed that my marriage was decided to happen in a week. I cried cursing my ill fate and helplessness every day in Thakur's Haveli. I got married with in a span of a week in a grand and elegant way to Vikram Thakur, Son of Kali Thakur.

I saw Vikram on the day of our marriage in the alter for the first time. He looked handsome in the cream color sherwani, he wore. He smiled at me briefly when our eyes met. That's how our first meet happened.

Later that night, the maids got me all decked up and made me sit in the center for the big queen sized bed in Vikram's room. I was scared and nervous about all the happenings in my life. Vikram entered the room and latched the door as I sat on the bed shivering, scared.

He sat on the bed in front of me and lifted my veil to see my tear stained face.

"You were crying." He asked and it came more like a statement.

I shook my head in No, afraid that he would beat me, Born and brought up in Bareily, I saw many men beating and physically assaulting their wives, when they are upset with them.

He took my hands in his and I shivered like a leaf in storm and tears automatically flowed down my cheeks.

"Hey!! Why are you crying? Don't cry. I am sorry, If I scared you." Vikram apologised and left my hands immediately.

"I don't know anything about what was happening. I am scared and confused with all the sudden happenings in my life. Please don't beat me, I will be a good girl." I managed to say between my sobs.

"Shh... Don't cry and don't be afraid, I will never cause you any physical harm." Vikram said trying to console me. "I know it's all new for you, why not we start with introductions and getting to know each other? " Vikram said smiling encouragingly.

Kali Thakur is known to be ruthless and cold hearted person in Bareily and I expected his son to be like him but Vikram is totally opposite to my imagination, he was nice, cool and understanding person. He made me laugh by telling jokes and eased my tension and nervousness.

"And then my father will say, Aye shehri babu, Kali Thakur se panga na lena, zindagi bar Pachtaoge." He said mimicking his father and I laughed hard at his expressions.

"I am sorry, I spoiled your mood by crying." I said looking down.

"Hey, don't be sorry. I can understand you." Vikram said, " In fact, I was scared and nervous with all these sudden things and marriage, will you believe, if I say I was informed or should I say ordered by my father a week ago to come home to get married! That to with a girl I never met." Vikram said shocking me.

"You too were forced to get married? " I asked shocked.

"Sadly, Yes." Vikram said shocking me. "I mean, I know that my father is searching for suitable brides for me to marry at some point of time in future but I didn't expected this soon. When he said he chose a girl for me to marry in a week, I was scared thinking that he might have chosen some cold, heartless girl for me based on his choice. But I never thought he would chose a naive and innocent cute doll for me." He said poking my nose making me smile and blush at the same time.

He laughed when I said that I imagined him to be scary and cold like Kali Thakur.

"I am sorry." He said breathing hard to control his laughter. " I know people would usually think that I would be like my father but hey, I had gone on my mother. She was sweet and kind woman unlike my father but unfortunately she died when I was young. She raised me to be like a real man unlike my father.She would have been happy seeing me married to a doll, I miss her." Vikram said sadly.

"I am sorry for your loss. I know how it feels." I said remembering my parents.

"Now, enough of emotional talks." Vikram said, " Let's talk about us."

I looked at him.

"We are married now and people expected us to behave and have a relationship like a typical husband and wife." He said making me nervous."But I don't want to force you into anything you don't feel comfortable with. I know you are too young for all these things, so we will behave like husband and wife in front of the world and we can be like friends till you feel. Comfortable with all these setting." Vikram said and I nodded.

"And we will go to Mumbai after a few days where I am working and building a business. You can stay there with me, my father seldom comes there as he was always busy here. So, you can love there happily without any fear and restrictions." He said smiling. "And yes, you can continue your studies there."

"You will let me study? " I asked surprised and shocked.

"Yes." Vikram said amused.

"Thank You, Vikram ji." I hugged him squealing in happiness.

"That's my doll, you should always be happy and smiling like this." He said patting my hair as he hugged me back.

"Thank You, Vikram ji. I never thought I could continue my studies again. I always dreamt about studying and earning in my own independently. I thought my dreams would never come true. Thanks for letting me study,Vikram ji." I said smiling brightly.

"Gauri, from today we are friends. Okay? " He said forwarding his hand.

"Okay, Friends." I shook his hand vigoursly with happiness.

"Now, when we come to Bareily or when we are with my father, we can be like typical husband and wife. But once we go to Mumbai, stop calling me Vikram ji. Call me Vikram and I don't want any arguments on that." He said and I nodded.

Later we moved to Mumbai and Vikram enrolled me in college and encouraged me to study. He supported me and took care of me without expecting anything. I was lucky to have such a wonderful person in my life.

Merry Christmas Guys🎄🎅🔔❄