Leena Varghese's Blog - Posts Tagged "fun-read"

https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B09V...

Excerpt

Vivaan caught up with Ira in an alcove in the huge hallway of the house.

“Scurrying away like a thief?” he murmured for her ears alone.

Ira turned around to face him. A waiter appeared out of nowhere and presented a tray with drinks. Vivaan thanked him and declined the offer. As the waiter receded into the glittering hallway, Ira’s eyes skittered around to ascertain that they were alone. There were guests lounging on the seats arranged at the end of the room.

“I am glad you could make it to the engagement, Mr. Rajshekhar.”

OK, so the polite mask was back in place. Vivaan couldn’t help staring at her though. She was stunning. That haughty tilt of her chin told him that he wasn’t getting anywhere near her today. “It’s a grand circus. I am usually not in favour of engagements or weddings for show off.”

How aptly he had described it, thought Ira in dismal clarity. “I bet you wouldn’t be seen dead in an event like this even if it were your own.”

Touché. Vivaan smiled. “You are right. But let’s talk about you. You look like you are being strangled by all the revelry.”

She wanted to laugh and cry. All she needed to do was start a conversation with him and he could turn her into a different woman. But this was not the time to admire his wicked sense of humour. “I get by, Mr. Rajshekhar. The revelry is part of the system, just like all of us. You should know it better than me, since you are no stranger to business relationships.”

Vivaan could have sworn that there was a hint of tears in her voice behind the bravado. “Darling, you know that plastic is not good for health,” he murmured softly. “That fake smile of yours could be toxic in the long run.”

Ira gazed at him spellbound. He could see her bruised heart. It frightened her that she wanted to share her grief with him instinctively, knowing that he would understand. But he was also the kind of man who would demand all of her without giving an inch of himself. He was the kind of man who would not be pinned down by matrimony or even a steady relationship. Even if he were, Ira would never have the good fortune to experience it. Her fate had already been decided.

“Have you checked out the buffet, Mr. Rajshekhar?” she asked politely, changing the subject.

Vivaan’s face lit up in a quirky smile. “Some day, I would like to learn your secret of deflecting a blow without wielding a weapon or a shield... My sweet tormentor... Lead the way...”

Blurb

Vivaan Rajshekhar’s first meeting with the haughty Dr. Ira Deshmukh is like a fantastic figment of his imagination. To his annoyance, he finds that Ira has agreed to be betrothed to another man. Being the proverbial, successful, commitment-phobic bachelor, Vivaan’s views on love and marriage are equivalent to leaping off a cliff, hoping to sprout wings during the free fall.

Despite the fiery attraction she feels for Vivaan, Ira is determined to marry the man her father has chosen, for reasons she cannot reveal. When she reluctantly agrees to work at Vivaan’s charity hospital in a remote village, she doesn’t expect her decision to upend her life.

Seeing that Ira is unhappy with the arranged match that is part of a business deal, Vivaan employs all his wily tactics of persuasion with the intention of convincing her to ditch her overbearing fiancé. His charming attempts at seduction, disarms an old-fashioned but feisty Ira. However, his grand schemes are shot down in flames when he realises that Ira is not easy game. She refuses to have an affair with him, even though she is helplessly drawn to his warm, charismatic personality.

The tug of war tangles them in an ambiguous bond of sterling friendship, unbending restrictions, ridiculous banter, and unrequited passion.

Until Vivaan discovers the truth behind Ira’s stubborn resistance... Would they be able to resolve the deadlock? Or would Vivaan have no choice but to let Ira go?