Chapter 29 The Family That Started Interfering

By the time Arjun ended the call, the atmosphere between them had changed completely.

Not ruined.

Interrupted.

The warmth lingering moments earlier still existed faintly beneath the surface, but tension now threaded through it sharply enough that Ananya felt instinctive caution rise again.

Arjun lowered the phone slowly, expression unreadable.

The silence stretched long enough that she finally asked quietly:

“What happened?”

For several seconds, he seemed to consider avoiding the answer.

Then, perhaps remembering that honesty had become dangerous territory between them lately, he exhaled softly.

“My father wants to meet tomorrow.”

Something cold settled inside Ananya immediately.

Not fear exactly.

Recognition.

Of course this was coming.

The outside pressure had been building for weeks now. Rumors. Public appearances. His increasingly obvious attachment toward her.

Families like theirs tolerated ambiguity only temporarily.

Eventually, they intervened.

Ananya crossed her arms lightly against herself.

“And I’m assuming this isn’t a casual father-son conversation.”

A faint humorless smile touched Arjun’s mouth.

“No.”

Rain continued striking softly against the institute windows while tension thickened quietly between them.

For the first time in a while, the reality surrounding their relationship pressed fully into the room.

Not emotional uncertainty.

Society.

Family.

Expectation.

And suddenly Ananya felt tired all over again.

“I knew this would happen eventually,” she murmured.

Arjun’s gaze sharpened immediately. “Don’t start retreating before anything’s even happened.”

The accuracy irritated her.

“Easy for you to say.”

“No,” he replied calmly. “Actually, it isn’t.”

Something in his tone made her pause.

Because beneath the control—

there was frustration.

Real frustration.

Not directed at her.

At the situation itself.

That realization mattered more than she wanted it to.

Ananya looked down briefly before speaking again.

“Your family already disliked me once.”

The words escaped quieter than intended.

Arjun went still.

Because this again.

These strange sentences she sometimes said that sounded less hypothetical than they should.

He noticed it immediately now every time it happened.

And increasingly—

it unsettled him.

“What do you mean once?” he asked carefully.

Damn.

Ananya recovered quickly.

“I mean before all this changed.”

Not technically false.

But not enough either.

Arjun studied her face for several seconds, clearly aware she avoided something again.

Still—

he let it go.

For now.

“We’ll handle it,” he said finally.

We.

The word affected her far too much lately.

Ananya forced herself to breathe evenly.

“You sound very confident.”

“I’m certain about you.”

The answer came immediately.

No hesitation.

No embarrassment.

And suddenly she remembered the old version of herself who once waited years for even fragments of emotional certainty from him.

The contrast almost hurt physically.

She looked away first.

Again.

Dangerous.

Everything about this had become dangerous now.

—

The next afternoon, Arjun arrived at the Rathore residence already exhausted.

Not physically.

Emotionally.

Because he knew exactly what this conversation would become before entering the study where his father waited.

Rajiv Rathore looked up briefly from the documents spread across the desk as Arjun stepped inside.

“You’re late.”

“Traffic.”

A lie.

He had delayed intentionally in the parking area downstairs for almost twenty minutes first.

His father noticed anyway.

“Sit.”

Arjun obeyed silently.

The study remained quiet except for distant rain beyond the large windows. Heavy wooden shelves lined the walls while the scent of old paper and expensive whiskey lingered faintly in the air.

Normally, the room projected authority.

Today it felt suffocating instead.

Rajiv removed his glasses slowly before speaking.

“You’ve created unnecessary attention recently.”

Straight to the point.

Expected.

Arjun leaned back slightly in the chair.

“If this is about Ananya—”

“It is obviously about Ananya.”

The irritation in his father’s voice sharpened instantly.

For several moments silence settled between them.

Then Rajiv continued carefully.

“The Sharma girl was manageable before.”

Something cold entered Arjun’s expression immediately.

Manageable.

Interesting word choice.

“She’s not a business negotiation,” he said flatly.

“No,” Rajiv agreed. “Which is exactly why emotions make situations messy.”

Arjun already disliked where this conversation was heading.

His father continued.

“The gossip surrounding both of you is becoming excessive.”

“People will lose interest eventually.”

“That isn’t the issue.”

Arjun’s jaw tightened faintly.

Of course not.

The real issue was control.

Reputation.

Predictability.

Families like theirs valued emotional restraint because emotional unpredictability threatened carefully maintained social structures.

And recently—

Arjun had become visibly unpredictable regarding Ananya.

“What exactly are you trying to say?” he asked finally.

Rajiv held his gaze evenly.

“You are becoming too emotionally involved.”

There it was.

Direct.

Simple.

And unexpectedly infuriating.

Arjun remained very still.

“According to who?”

“According to everyone watching you lately.”

The answer only worsened his irritation.

Because everyone watching him lately had also spent years watching Ananya quietly diminish herself emotionally without concern.

Now suddenly his feelings became the problem?

Interesting.

“You sound concerned for me.”

“I’m concerned about imbalance.”

The word hit harder than intended.

Because imbalance was exactly what Ananya feared too.

Only differently.

Rajiv leaned back slowly.

“You know how society works, Arjun. Emotional attachment changes judgment.”

“And?”

“And Omegas become vulnerable when relationships shift unevenly.”

Something snapped coldly into place inside him then.

Because suddenly he understood what his father actually meant.

Not concern for Ananya.

Concern about social perception.

Concern that Arjun appeared too invested publicly.

As though caring openly for someone reduced authority somehow.

Disgust curled sharply beneath his ribs.

“She’s not manipulating me,” he said evenly.

Rajiv’s expression sharpened slightly. “I didn’t say she was.”

“You implied it.”

“I implied,” his father corrected calmly, “that people become reckless when emotions overpower reason.”

The irony almost made Arjun laugh.

Because if anything—

Ananya was terrified precisely because she feared becoming emotionally reckless herself.

Meanwhile everyone around them kept interpreting her caution as strategy instead.

For several long moments, silence filled the room again.

Then Rajiv asked carefully:

“What exactly are your intentions toward her?”

The question settled heavily between them.

And surprisingly—

Arjun realized he already knew the answer.

Not every detail.

Not future certainty.

But enough.

Enough that denial felt impossible now.

“I’m serious about her.”

The honesty altered the room instantly.

His father’s expression hardened.

“More serious than before?”

Again.

That phrasing.

Arjun noticed it immediately now too.

Because yes—

something about Ananya’s reactions often sounded like history instead of possibility.

“She loved you for years,” Rajiv continued evenly. “You barely noticed her until recently.”

The bluntness should have irritated him.

Instead guilt moved sharply through his chest again.

Because it was true.

Painfully true.

“And now?” his father asked.

Arjun looked toward the rain beyond the windows briefly.

Then answered honestly.

“Now I can’t stop thinking about her.”

Silence.

Rajiv stared at him for several moments afterward.

And for the first time since entering the study, something resembling concern crossed his face.

Not anger.

Understanding.

Because perhaps he finally realized this situation had already progressed beyond simple attraction.

“You’re losing control of this emotionally,” Rajiv said quietly.

Arjun looked back at him calmly.

“No.”

The answer surprised even himself slightly.

Because it was true.

This didn’t feel like losing control.

For the first time in years—

it felt like choosing something honestly.

His father studied him carefully.

Then finally asked the question that mattered most.

“And if she rejects you again?”

Again.

There it was.

That strange instinctive phrasing from everyone lately.

As though even the world itself somehow sensed history repeating differently this time.

Arjun’s expression softened unexpectedly at the thought of her.

“She already did once,” he said quietly.

Then stood before his father could respond further.

And somewhere across the city—

completely unaware—

Ananya Sharma was still trying desperately not to fall in love with him all over again.