Chapter 1: "The Peacock Always Wins"
Mumbai, Present Day
Aarohi Joshi stared at the email on her screen, her chai going cold beside her. The subject line—"Termination of Funding"—glared back at her like a personal insult. Her startup, Techsoft, was officially dead.
"Beta, are you even listening?" Her mother's voice cut through the silence, sharp as a knife. Aarohi looked up to find her standing in the doorway, arms crossed, her pallu draped dramatically over one shoulder.
"Yes, Maa," Aarohi lied, closing her laptop with a sigh.
"Your cousin Riya's wedding is next week. You are coming, na?"
Aarohi groaned inwardly. Weddings were her personal brand of chaos—overbearing aunties, endless rituals, and the inevitable interrogation about her marital status. "Maa, I'm in the middle of—"
"Of what? Sitting here and sulking?" Her mother stepped into the room, her chappals slapping against the floor. "You need a break. And Riya's wedding is in Udaipur! At the haveli! It's practically a vacation."
"A vacation with a hundred relatives," Aarohi muttered.
"Exactly. You'll have fun." Her mother's tone left no room for argument. "Pack your best sarees. And don't forget to bring your laptop—your father will want to show you his new Excel sheet for managing the guest list."
Aarohi opened her mouth to protest, but her mother was already gone, her pallu fluttering behind her like a victory flag.
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Udaipur, Two Days Later
The haveli loomed before her, its sandstone walls glowing in the late afternoon sun. It was the kind of place that belonged in a postcard—ornate carvings, arched doorways, and a courtyard filled with the scent of jasmine. But to Aarohi, it was just another reminder of how out of place she felt in her own family.
She adjusted the strap of her laptop bag and stepped through the massive wooden doors. Inside, the air was thick with the hum of activity—aunties bustling about, children chasing each other, and the distant strains of a sitar drifting from somewhere upstairs.
"Aarohi! You're here!" Her cousin Riya appeared out of nowhere, her arms flung wide. She was a vision in a bright pink lehenga, her face glowing with pre-wedding excitement.
"Hi, Riya," Aarohi said, forcing a smile.
"You look so tired! Come, I'll get you some chai." Riya grabbed her hand and dragged her toward the kitchen. "You're staying in the blue room, by the way. It's next to Kabir's—he's my brother's friend. You'll love him."
"Why would I love him?" Aarohi asked, already dreading the answer.
Riya winked. "Because he's single, hot, and plays the sitar. What more could you want?"
Aarohi rolled her eyes. "A functional Wi-Fi connection would be nice."
Riya laughed. "You're such a workaholic. Relax, na? This is a wedding, not a board meeting."
Before Aarohi could respond, a loud squawk echoed through the courtyard. She turned just in time to see a peacock strutting toward her, its iridescent feathers shimmering in the sunlight.
"Oh, that's Gajendra," Riya said. "He's the haveli's resident drama queen."
The peacock stopped a few feet away, tilting its head as if sizing her up. Aarohi took a cautious step back. "Why is it looking at me like that?"
"Maybe he likes you," Riya teased.
Before Aarohi could reply, Gajendra let out another squawk and lunged forward. She stumbled back, her laptop bag slipping from her shoulder and hitting the ground with a sickening crunch.
"No, no, no!" Aarohi dropped to her knees and unzipped the bag, her heart sinking as she pulled out the shattered remains of her laptop. The screen was cracked, the keyboard littered with shards of glass.
Riya winced. "Oh no. That's… bad."
Aarohi glared at the peacock, which was now preening its feathers as if it hadn't just destroyed her livelihood. "I swear that bird winked at me."
"Welcome to the haveli," Riya said, patting her shoulder. "Come on, let's get you that chai."
As Aarohi followed her cousin into the kitchen, she couldn't shake the feeling that this wedding was going to be a disaster. And it had only just begun.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, Aarohi sipped her chai and wondered if the peacock had a personal vendetta against her—or if the universe was just that cruel.
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