That Same Old Love (A Second Chance Romance) (India) (Match Made in Hell series Book 1)

by MV Kasi

  Rana pinched the bridge of his nose as a headache began to form. "Dad, please don't start again. I've had a hellishly long flight since I couldn't find any direct flights in the last minute," he said tiredly.

  And before his father could retort or say anything, his mother spoke up.

  "Rana, come sit here for a minute. We have something important to discuss with you."

  Unable to ever say no to his soft spoken, petite mother, Rana sat on a sofa, next to his cousin Rahul, who was a frequent visitor to his parents' house. His cousin and his father were both doctors who ran the Bugati family owned hospital chain.

  Most of the males and females in Rana's father's family were doctors. And some of them, including his father were quite active in politics.

  Rana was the only one who hadn't walked the same career path as the rest of his family members. His father had never let him forget that fact.

  "What is it, Ma? Why did you make me rush home under false pretenses? You've never resorted to such tactics before. Did someone make you do it?" Rana asked, throwing a meaningful glance towards his glowering father.

  "Rana," his mother said gently, trying to maintain peace between father and son. "I'm sorry for making you cut short your trip. But we had to let you know something in person."

  "What is it?" he asked.

  "We have received an excellent proposal for you."

  Rana frowned."What do mean proposal, Ma? I hope you are not talking about a marriage proposal."

  Rana's father jumped right in at that. "What other kind of proposal would you ever receive? It's not like you are a doctor or even interested in taking part in our businesses or politics—"

  "Ashok, please..." Rana's mother interrupted her husband, before the conversation turned into another yelling match.

  Both father and son glared at each other with matching scowls, but remained quiet because of the woman they both respected and loved.

  Before Rana was born, his mother had been a top-notch gynecologist. But when Rana was born with a few health complications, she had given up her career to take care of him full-time. And later during his teens when he out-grew his severe food allergies and lung problems, she dedicated herself to running various charitable organizations.

  Rana was quite close to his mother because she had always been there during his childhood, taking care of him, listening to him and encouraging him with whatever he wanted to do.

  "Yes, it is a marriage proposal," she said. And at Rana's frown, she continued beseechingly. "It's simply a proposal, Rana. There is no pressure to accept. We just thought since we know the family already, you might think about it."

  "I know the girl? Who is it?" Rana asked.

  "Before I tell you who it is, I would like to first ask if you are okay about the fact that she was engaged to someone else for a while. They broke up a few months ago," she said.

  "Why should that fact bother me or anyone to that matter?" Rana asked with a frown.

  His mother smiled. "I knew it wouldn't bother you."

  "Whom are you talking about, Ma?" Rana asked, getting both curious and impatient.

  "Well, dad and I felt that you are both well-suited to one another. I know you would enjoy having a life partner who is independent and driven like you. And she has started her own company from the past three years and is looking for a partner who would support her in every way."

  "I'm sure she'd be more than happy with my monthly checks deposited in her bank as allowances," Rana said drily.

  "She doesn't need your money, you idiot," Rana's father snapped. "If we weren't in a desperate need to save your useless life from Sudharshan Reddy's threats,, I would never think of tying that innocent, girl's life with yours. She doesn't deserve a womanizer like you."

  "There is no threat to my life. Sudharshan Reddy and his daughter are simply drama queens with their theatric displays," Rana stated irritably, ignoring the womanizer part of the comment.

  "Well, I don't want to take chances. Once you are married off safely, they'll leave you alone," Rana's father stated.

  Rana didn't want to be treated like a little boy who needed protection. "I think I am perfectly capable of managing my life without your assistance or advice. I already have enough security during—"

  "It was my idea, Rana," his mother stated softly, shocking him. She smiled, but Rana could see the worry in her eyes. "Please, for my sake, just promise me that you'll come along with us this evening. It's only a casual meeting."

  Sighing in defeat, Rana said, "Fine. I'll join you this evening. And who is this paragon of innocence and womanhood who will save me from danger?"

  "Srishti Shah," his mother replied with a hopeful smile.

  Hearing that name, Rana's mind howled and rebelled.

  Srishti freaking Shah! What the everlasting hell!

  But he maintained a calm look on his face."What time are we going to meet her?"

  "Around five. The Shahs are hosting their grandson's first birthday party this evening. So it won't be an awkward meeting for you both. You can just connect casually during the party as old friends," his mother said eagerly.

  Rana hoped to god, his mother wasn't dreaming of having Srishti as her daughter-in-law or as the mother of her grandchildren. Because he was quite sure she would be extremely disappointed.

  Because no way he would let that harpy get anywhere close to him.

  He looked at his father, who was still glowering in silence, ready to erupt at the slightest provocation.

  "Rahul, come join me upstairs," Rana told his cousin before he headed towards his room.

  Rahul was Rana's father's were brothers, and since both were of the same age, they grew up being quite close to one another. They had gone to the same boarding school from the age of fourteen and stayed together until they both graduated from the same medical college.

  But unlike Rahul, Rana wasn't a doctor. He gave up his medical degree to pursue what he was really passionate about.

  Acting.

  Unfortunately, it was the biggest grievance his father had about him, amongst hundreds.

  "I will not allow any son of mine to be a two-bit actor and turn our family name into a laughing stock!" his father had raged.

  "Well, it's a good thing that I'm not asking your permission then. I'm just letting you know," he said quietly.

  His father was outraged. "I'll cut you off from the will if you give up on becoming a doctor!" his father threatened.

  "Do it. I don't care," he said before walking out of the house.

  And since then there had been a lot of drama in Rana's life, both in his professional life as well as his personal life.

  Rahul sat on a huge stuffed leather arm chair in Rana's room and watched Rana pace around the large bedroom in agitation.

  "How was your UK trip, Rana? Hopefully quite uneventful. How were the—"

  "Cut the shit, Rahul. How could you just sit there and encourage my parents to think such an insane idea!" Rana snapped.

  Rahul smiled in amusement. "I didn't encourage them, Rana."

  "Well, you didn't discourage them either."

  "No, I didn't. But what's the harm in looking at the girl? Who knows, you might even like her. She sounded nice," said Rahul.

  "Nice? Nice?" With each word, Rana's voice grew a few decibels. "She's a she-devil! No way in hell, I'd even consider touching her, let alone marry her!"

  "Uh oh, that doesn't sound good. You seem to have really strong feelings towards her. Who is she? I haven't heard you mention her before."

  Rana scowled, recalling Srishti. Even though he couldn't recall her face from fifteen years ago, he still remembered what she had done to him. "She was solely responsible in having me shipped off to the boarding school."

  "Oh my god. She's that she-devil who had blackened your eye when you were thirteen?" Rahul asked.

  "Yes," Rana gritted.

  Rahul burst out laughing. "God. This is really funny. You can tell your children about the time when th
eir mother beat the crap out of their father when he wasn't behaving with her."

  "This is not funny. She was an overly sensitive and dramatic girl during her childhood, always yapping her mouth off with rants. I'm sure she has grown up to be an equally overwrought woman. I don't need two dramatic psychotic women after me at this point."

  "Sweety Reddy is psychotic for sure. How do you know...Srishti Shah is too?" Rahul asked. "Just because Srishti could beat you up during your childhood—"

  "She only got in a few punches because she fights dirty. And also because I don't hit girls. I'm pretty sure she's quite psychotic. And dangerous. How she managed to fool my parents into thinking she is perfect for me, I have no damn clue."

  Rana didn't stop at that, and got worked up recalling her antics at school.

  "I still remember how she had repeatedly stabbed a small, stuffed baby doll with a pair of scissors during a health class at our school. And she had scribbled a note on the doll's forehead saying that she refused to take care of it unless the boys were given the same activity to do!"

  Rahul started laughing.

  "It's not funny. She was nuts!" Rana snapped.

  "What were the boys given?"

  There was a pause. "An adult male dummy."

  "I see her point though."

  "I did too. But she didn't have to be violent in that way."

  "Heyyyy, wait a minute. Wasn't this also the same girl, a family friend you had a huge crush on for a long time? You couldn't deal with your feelings, so you picked on her to get her attention? I remember you talking my ear off about her during summers, much before we both went to boarding school. About this girl who was beautiful, but scary in an I-will-destroy-you-if-you-dare-to-cross-me kind of way?

  Rana's scowl turned darker. "A very brief school boy crush which she effectively managed to kill." That damn cousin of his had a long and sharp memory of an elephant.

  "Oh no, no. It wasn't brief. I think it started since you were eight, until..." Rahul's brows were scrunched in thought. "Oh yeah, until thirteen. That's five long years of a school boy crush and on the same girl," he grinned. "You spent hours alternately describing her breathtaking dimples and then her genius brain."

  "Maybe she was a genius, but she was a horrible team player. She always snapped and got defensive with the boys," Rana said irritably while he got both embarrassed and pissed about being called out on his silly crush. And maybe he did go a little overboard by teasing her and taunting her along with her cousins and other boys.

  Rahul smirked. "They say that there is a fine line between being genius and unhinged. Maybe she was threading it at that time."

  "Yeah, whatever. Every single encounter with her didn't end well. She was always rude or physical, trying to prove she was better than me. Anyway, let's talk about the situation I'm currently in. I need your help in driving the thought of her as the possible daughter-in-law from my parents' mind." He refused to call the devil by her given name.

  Rahul's smile died. "Rana, come on. You can't hold a thirteen year old girl's actions against her after fifteen years. You both must have changed a lot since then."

  "Rahul, no way in hell I'm agreeing to marry someone my parents chose for me. Are you kidding me? I will never ever marry a stranger, however accomplished."

  "How is Srishti a stranger?" Rahul interrupted. "You knew her...Well, I guess she has become a stranger now. But you can reacquaint yourselves and become friends first—"

  "Stop. I agreed to join my parents to the Shah's place for my mother's sake. I can pick my own freaking woman, thank you very much."

  "Rana, Sudharshan Reddy is quite dangerous. If his daughter thinks you are off the market as her prospective groom, then he'd leave you alone—"

  "I've told you before, he and his daughter are not an issue. The issue right now is that I need to figure out a way to get out of this match making business without offending both the families."

  Rahul stared at the stubborn expression on Rana's face and sighed. "Fine. Then why don't you just talk to Srishti and tell her you are not looking to marry any one right now."

  Rana frowned. "If her behavior at thirteen was of any indication, then she would probably delight in announcing that I was the one who didn't want the match."

  "What do you want to do then, Rana?"

  "Fill her ears with some exaggerated tales of my reputation, so she'll be disgusted and will refuse me."

  "Your father will flip out—"

  "My father thinks you can walk over the water. He'll not blame you. Just do this favor, Rahul."

  Rahul stared at his cousin, who was more like a brother to him. "Okay, fine. I'll try my best. But I really hope that poor Srishti Shah hadn't been weaving her dreams of having a popular movie star as her husband."

  CHAPTER 2

  "We found a husband for you. You'll get to meet him this evening."

  Srishti's eyes snapped up from her phone screen to her grandmother's face. Until then she had been unsuccessfully trying to relieve the tense muscles in her shoulders and neck while reading through her emails.

  She had just denied a request for a business meeting from a company owner who had been asking her to sell a huge stake of her company since a long time. She had denied him several times before. But he apparently didn't get it when he was told politely. He was much older than her, and also arrogant and condescending. He thought that he would be doing her a favor by gaining a controlling interest of the company she had spent the last three years of her life on.

  Her blood boiled when she recalled his words from the last time.

  "God knows you are old enough to get married. And when you do, your company would soon begin its downward spiral. You need someone stronger at the helm from much before to steer the company in the right direction."

  At that time, she had other potential investors present during the confrontation and she didn't want to comment on that sexist remark. But if he brought up that insulting offer once again, she'd definitely give him a piece of her mind.

  She knew owning a tech start-up caused a lot of pressure. And pressure definitely made some people snap and do the weirdest of things. And sometimes, dangerous things. But fortunately she wasn't the kind to wilt under the pressure. She was the kind who thrived under it. Pressure propelled her and drove her to achieve more.

  "Did you hear what I just said?" her grandmother demanded.

  Srishti watched the rigid expression on her grandmother's face that usually meant she had passed the mandate and didn't want to listen to any arguments about it.

  And usually, during her childhood, when that expression was directed towards her, Srishti would have a retort ready to fire back. But since she wasn't used to listening to orders from other people for a very long time, it caught her off guard. And more than that, she didn't quite make sense of what her grandmother had just said.

  Her grandmother eyed her clothes in disgust. "Make sure you look presentable. Don't wear your usual clothes that make you look like a man instead of an eligible woman."

  Srishti didn't have time to change from her three piece business pant-suit before visiting her grandparents' house for her nephew's birthday party. She had intended to shop for a dress, but she wanted to spend some time with her nephew. She had been playing with the little tyke until he had to be taken away for a nap before the party. And as usual whenever she found a few spare minutes, she checked her emails.

  "What are you talking about, grandma?" Srishti began impatiently, wanting the older woman to explain herself soon so she could get back to her work.

  "I said there is a mat—"

  "Srishti, here you are," her mother's voice interrupted her grandmother.

  "Ma. Grandma was saying something—"

  "I know. She just heard about something your papa and I were just discussing."

  "About what?"

  "About meeting someone who might possibly interest you."

  Srishti was too shocked to feel outraged at first.


  "Ma, are you saying you are arranging a match for me? And that too without even talking to me first?" she demanded.

  "We did try to talk to you before, Srishti. We told you about Mr. Bugati and his family wanting to visit us for a casual meet," her mother reminded helpfully.

  Mr. Bugati was her grandfather's doctor and a family friend since a very long time. When she and her parents lived in a joint family at her grandparents' place, they had met and socialized with the Bugatis frequently

  "Yes, you did mention it, Ma. But what I don't distinctly recall is anyone mentioning the fact that the causal social gathering was supposed to be a farce to cover up an arranged match!"

  "It's still a casual social meeting Srishti," her mother replied coolly.

  "It might be a casual meeting, but it also happens to be between two eager families with eligible children," stated Srishti, equally coolly.

  "You are hardly eligible!" Srishti's grandmother interrupted. "Abhinav and Abhijeet are the same age as you. And they have both been married happily for over five years with children. Being a girl, you should be ashamed at that fact."

  Srishti's mother immediately came to her daughter's defense. "There is nothing for her to be ashamed of. Today's meet is not because Sidhu or I think that Srishti has to be married right away. It's totally up to her when it comes to picking her life partner. It's just that we think she might be compatible with the Bugati's son Rana."

  Srishti frowned. She was more than capable of defending herself, but her mother was more diplomatic when it came to dealing with her old-fashioned grandmother.

  "Well, your precious daughter is twenty eight years old and has a broken engagement from before. No decent family will find her eligible. We are lucky that someone like the Bugatis chose to ignore that fact."

  "The Bugatis didn't ignore the fact," a man's stern voice replied. Srishti's father, Sidhu glared at his mother. "They chose to accept it because there was nothing wrong with having been in a prior relationship before."

  "How can it not be wrong? She was with that Bhatia boy for more than seven years. No man wants a woman has been with another —"