I am His!

Japanese cheesecake or New York cheesecake?

I looked at the two delicious items on my dining table waiting for me to devour. It's already been 30 minutes since I have been sitting at the table for my breakfast, and my stomach is rumbling with hunger. The only problem is, I don't know what to choose. The 15-seater dining table is empty, with all the food prepared as usual for anyone to eat.

Anyone, in the sense, my family. Reddy's Mafia family, to be precise. Since my parents, their subordinates, and their subordinates live around this mansion, the food is always being cooked. There are other items on the table as well, but I don't want to see and confuse myself with what to eat this morning. I am already confused enough with these two cakes.

"Could you help me choose my breakfast? Jiggling cheesecake or creamy cheesecake?"

My personal, assigned friend, Aarushi, answered, "Princess has an appetite to eat both, so why bother asking?"

Her family has been working under us for generations. She is my assigned friend, her mother is my mother's assigned friend, and her grandmother is my grandmother's assigned friend. This is because women from Mafia families rarely have social lives, so they are assigned a friend who is loyal and trustworthy.

"Don't call me Princess, I am your friend. Call me Aadhya." I pouted. "Please, pick one name so that I can eat already."

I have trouble with decision-making. Maybe because everything is spoon-fed to me or assigned. Any other time, Mummy or my godmother, Aarushi's mother, would serve me breakfast. But today, all of them were having a secret meeting without me, leaving me to this hard decision. What should I eat?

I stopped hitting my feet on the floor as soon as I heard my Papa's voice, "How about eating healthy instead of cake first thing in the morning, Princess?"

Healthy? Should I eat Japanese cheesecake or New York cheesecake or healthy? Oh, now there is a third option for me to choose. God! Please end this misery.

As if God answered my prayers, Papa inverted a small bowl on my plate and moved away the cakes. I don't even know the name of the dish I am eating, but I started stuffing my face. The last time I remember, I used to pick and leave it. Now that I am hungry, I don't mind eating it. It tastes healthy, though.

"Wait, is it carrot or potato?" I asked my papa.

He took a moment of silence before sighing. "Sometimes I think I over-pampered you, Aadhya. Beans. The vegetable you are eating is beans. And how did you even guess the cake names right but got the vegetable names wrong?"

"It's written on the cake box, duh!" I mean, why can't they do the same for vegetables?

It would be easier for me to identify.

By this time, the ladies came out as well from their secret meeting and sat facing me as if they planned something against me. Am I adopted? Or do I have an evil twin?

"Can you stop overthinking for a while and listen to us for a second, Aadhya?" my mother said in a loud voice.

Now this is scaring the shits out of me! Coming from a Mafia family, we are always dressed in black, and it feels like my own funeral planning. Something is surely fishy, and I can't stop overthinking.

"It's time for you to get married. We have arranged your marriage with Mr. Menon," Mummy said in a no-nonsense tone.

"But I just reached 18 years," I said, trying to finish my food and stomp my feet on the floor.

"You are already 22," all of them said in unison, as if today was my birthday. But wait, last I remember I was 18, being celebrated for officially becoming part of Reddy's Mafia family. So many years have passed since that day, and I am still stuck there.

Damn you, Covid-19. I didn't get to enjoy my years.

"Papa, we are from the Mafia. What if Mr. Menon pisses his pants seeing a gun in the house?" I laughed aloud.

"He comes from a Mafia family as well. His family has the highest number of dens under their control. Mr. Menon is the son of the leader of the Menon Empire," my father explained.

The profile sounds good, but I am still not ready. I haven't been to college like other girls, nor have I been out of the Reddy mansion. If I get married to Mr. Menon, I am pretty sure I will stay inside the Menon mansion. There are a lot of things to do in my life. Like... I don't know.

"Princess, we always look for your best. Till today, we chose everything for you, and this will be the last thing we choose. Just accept it and you will be in the safest hands." They were literally pleading.

My family is one of the strongest Mafia gangs, and seeing them so weak made me super sad. "I will think and let you know, Papa."

"You and thinking? For heaven's sake, Aadhya, I agreed to this marriage proposal as I have complete trust in your overthinking. Trust me and just say yes. If you start thinking, it will take forever to come to a conclusion." My mother was stubborn.

"My life, my rules." I stood up and stomped my feet on the floor and left the room. Bet they were stunned by my killer attitude. A few steps later, I realized I didn't finish my breakfast and went back to get it.

My father laughed and handed me the bowl as well as both cake boxes. "I won't fall for your cute antics, Aadhya."

Cute? My foot! I was being a badass. I pulled Aarushi's hand with me and marched to the garden. The fresh breeze would soothe me.

"Please help me, Aarushi. I want to get married but I don't want to as well. What should I do? All my life I have been inside the mansion, I want to live like all the princesses in fairytales. I just want to fall in some hole and open a new world." She is my age person, so she can understand me. I actually trust Aarushi a lot more than my confused self.

"Run away from home." I choked on the cake I was eating. "There is such a beautiful world outside your mansion's gates. Nobody would speak of killing each other. Girls of our age can walk freely at midnight too." She continued.

"Really? But everyone knows I am Aadhya Reddy, and my parents always said the world outside is unfair and I am safe only inside the gates."

She chuckled. "They are playing with you, Aadhya. I have been outside the gates, and it is completely different from your house. Your parents think you are still a child. Are you?"

"Hell NO! I am not a child. I can take my own decisions. I will escape from the house and this stupid marriage. Let them know I can explore the world alone without anyone's support." I puffed.

"That's the strong Aadhya I know," she smiled. "Now before you run away, leave everything which proves your identity. You must look like a common person so that nobody can recognize you."

"Oh! Should I time travel or go to a witch for a magic potion? How do I become unrecognizable?" This is so hard.

"You know, if there is anything I like about you, it's your stupidity. You just need to remove all the expensive attire of yours and dress up like a commoner. I can lend you my clothes and prepare you."

Whoa! It is that simple. Aarushi is truly a genius. By the way, what's there to like about being stupid? Anyway, I am so excited and nervous. A few minutes later, Aarushi came with a sack of her belongings to my room. She pulled out a simple black frock along with the servant's brooch to pin on my shoulder. After wearing the dress, Aarushi tied my long hair into a tight bun like hers. She removed all the makeup I had on my face, revealing my smooth skin.

"Now you look like a perfect maid." She laughed. "Aadhya, the servant." She started laughing hard.

My reflection speaks the truth. We both look so alike after the makeover. Wow, nobody will recognize me. I twirled around in happiness, and Aarushi stopped her laugh.

"What are you doing?"

"I am so happy, Aarushi. You are very talented, thank you." I hugged her.

She pulled out of my hug, "You must not be happy from now on, Aadhya. I mean, you are a servant, and people might get suspicious if a servant is happy."

Woah! There is so much to learn in my life. Now I blame my parents for not showing me the beautiful world outside and hiding me here. Anyways, I will be free from tomorrow. My beautiful life, here I come.

As soon as the clock struck twelve midnight, I sneaked out along with Aarushi. She made sure that I left anything which would suspect my real identity. I didn't even have a single coin on me. Aarushi would throw the bag of money and my clothes towards me as soon as I jumped from the tall wall. After climbing secretly with the help of a ladder, I saw the other side and it scared me.

"Aarushi, I am afraid. It's so dark and I can't see anything on the other side." I shivered with the thought of being alone.

"Don't worry, I placed a cushion for you. As soon as you jump, you will be safe. Please hurry up, someone might see us." She hurried inside as soon as she noticed someone coming to our side, promising to come back here after they were gone.

I waited for more than fifteen minutes, but Aarushi did not come. I was alone, standing on the wall just a foot away from my freedom. But it bothered me for unknown reasons. Will I really be happy away from my family? Should I just marry Mr. Menon and be safe? A tear rolled down my cheek, followed by a thousand. It's so cold out here, and there is no one with me.

My body swayed with the wind and was about to fall on the other side of the mansion wall, but I stopped as soon as a bright light filled the entire mansion. Instead of the cushion, there were huge rocks. The thought of falling on those hard rocks scared the living shit out of me. Aarushi must have forgotten to place the cushions. All thanks to my overthinking, I did not jump.

I turned back to look at the bright light source and froze the next second. This is a nightmare. The mansion is burning while some people are just slashing my family's throats.

"Mummy!" I screamed, but nobody could hear me as I was very far from the mansion.

I came down the ladder and ran towards my family, my house, where I belong. My feet hurt as I wasn't used to running barefoot. As I came closer and closer, I saw my people on the floor, lifeless. I finally spotted my father-until someone slashed his throat too, right in front of my eyes.