Outside the crumbling walls of the government hospital, the rain had slowed to a persistent drizzle, but inside Nilima's heart, a storm was raging. She looked at her mother's tired face and her brother Rahul's anxious eyes. She knew she couldn't keep them in the dark anymore, especially since their lives were about to change forever.
She pulled them into a quiet corner of the corridor. "Maa, Rahul... Papa's treatment has been arranged," she said, her voice trembling slightly.
Rahul looked at her with disbelief. "But how, Nilima? We didn't even have five hundred rupees for an injection. Where did millions come from?"
Nilima took a deep breath, clutching the secret contract in her mind. "I've made a decision. I am going to marry Ayan Malhotra, the future CEO of Malhotra Industries. In exchange, he has promised to provide the best treatment in the world for Papa. Not just here, but abroad."
Her mother gasped, clutching her chest. "But beta, so suddenly? Why would such powerful people want a girl like you? Is this a mistake?"
Nilima held her mother's hand firmly. "Maa, it's a deal. He needs a reliable wife to secure his position, and I need Papa's life. We are moving to the Malhotra Super Specialty Hospital tonight, and from there, we will be flown to London for his surgery."
Within the hour, a fleet of high-end, private ambulances arrived. The transition was seamless. The elite medical staff moved her father with such care that for the first time in months, he didn't cry out in pain. As the vehicles pulled into the gates of 'Malhotra Super Specialty Hospital,' the family stood in awe.
The hospital looked more like a five-star hotel than a medical facility. Chandeliers hung from the ceilings, and the floors were made of polished marble. Ayan's manager stood waiting at the entrance. He bowed slightly as Nilima stepped out.
"Ma'am, everything is ready. Your father has been shifted to the VVIP suite. You will all be departing for London on a private jet tomorrow morning," the manager said in a professional, clipped tone.
Nilima watched as her father was settled into a room that was larger than their entire house. For the first time, she felt a sense of relief, but it was accompanied by the heavy realization that her freedom had been sold.
While the nurses tended to her father, the manager called Rahul aside and handed him a thick, embossed envelope. "This is your appointment letter. Mr. Malhotra has a partner firm in London. You will be joining them as a Senior Operations Coordinator. Your relocation, housing, and salary have all been pre-paid by the company."
Rahul's jaw dropped. "But... I haven't even had an interview. How is this possible?"
The manager's expression remained stoic. "Interviews are not necessary when Mr. Malhotra gives an order. However, there is one condition: this must remain a secret. To the world, you earned this job through your own merit. No one must know the details of the arrangement between your sister and the CEO."
Nilima watched from the doorway as her brother looked at the letter with tears of joy. She realized that Ayan Malhotra hadn't just bought a wife; he had bought her entire family's future. He was a master puppeteer, pulling every string to ensure she had no reason to turn back.
He had even arranged for their travel abroad to happen under the radar, far from the prying eyes of the media or his greedy cousin. Everything was being done in total secrecy.
Suddenly, the manager turned to her. "Ma'am, Mr. Malhotra is waiting for you in the private wing. He wishes to speak with you before you meet the Chairman. It is time to finalize the rules of your new life."
Nilima looked back at her family—now safe, now hopeful—and walked toward the lions' den. She was ready to cross the ocean, knowing that in London, her life as a contract bride
would truly begin.