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Fiancée
A Romantic Short Story
Zeenat Mahal
Version 1.0
Copyright © Zeenat Mahal 2015
Published in 2015 by
Indireads Incorporated
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any
means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or
otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher.
The author asserts the moral right to be identified as the
authors of their stories. This is a work of fiction and any
resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely
coincidental.
ISBN: 978-1-927826-69-0
Cover Image by Songbird Wedding, an award-winning
photography company, owned by John Pesina, based out of
Austin, Texas. He specializes in vibrant and creative im-
agery with a photo journalistic approach.
www.songbirdweddings.com
PRAISE FOR ZEENAT MAHAL
Accidental Fiancée
Excerpt from She Loves Me, He Loves Me
Not
More by Zeenat Mahal
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About Zeenat Mahal
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The Accidental Fiancé
‘…Tell me why exactly you want that
ring on your finger so badly that you’ll even
succumb, pitifully I may add, to your arch
enemy?’
‘Bad boy’ Akbar and ‘firebrand’ Khayyam
were rivals and enemies back in college,
while studying architecture. While he
laughed at her feminist sentiments and views
on preservation, she denounced him as a
commercial sellout with no originality or tal-
ent. Humiliated in front of his admiring
hangers-on, Akbar will not pass up the
chance to get his revenge when fate presents
Khayyam as his unlikely fiancée.
Read this delightful story to discover
what happens to these wildly different per-
sonalities when they reluctantly exchange
rings.
The Accidental Fiancé
Akbar’s plan was simple.
Get engaged to the girl his mother had
chosen for him and delay the marriage for as
long as he could. So he drove with his moth-
er to the dingy little house that had seen bet-
ter days.
Giving her a disdainful look, as he helped
his mother out of the car, he queried, ‘She’s
obviously marrying for money. Aren’t you
afraid she’ll poison you to get to me?’ He
paused and then added as an afterthought,
‘And then me to get all of my money?’
His mother gave him a look that used to
send his father into unscheduled panic-at-
tacks. Akbar told himself he was immune to
them. Then he gave her his extra special
smile. It worked. It always did. On everyone,
he grinned.
They were shown into a drab little draw-
ing room and he sat down on a shabby old
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‘Khayyam…’
‘It’s KK, remember?’ she said icily and
then added with irritation, ‘What does it
even mean?’
He smiled.
‘It’s pretty lame. Your not knowing was
the punch line. If I tell you, it loses it’s edge.’
Facing her, he added, ‘So I’ll tell you, as a
peace offering. It’s Kosher Khayyam.’
She nodded and gave a mirthless half-
laugh.
‘I see. Standing up for hopeless causes
and right and wrong, self-righteous…yeah it
is lame.’
‘Told you it was. And Khayyam, I’m sorry
about tonight. They went a bit too far. I
should have stopped…’
‘Don’t bother, Akbar. I can pay my debts
and I paid mine with you tonight. Or at least
I think I did. If you don’t agree, lead on. I can
handle whatever you have to throw at me.’
‘Still the tough firebrand somewhere in-
side, I see.’
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***
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Keep reading for an excerpt from She
Loves Me, He Loves Me Not, by Zeenat
Mahal, available as an ebook from Feb
14, 2015
Excerpt from She Loves Me, He Loves Me
Not
The clear February sky was crowded
with kites, and the rooftops with
enthusiastic boys and girls. Most of
them were attired in yellow, and had
to shout to be heard over the blaring
music.
Zoella, however, registered all of
that as a faraway din. She barely
noticed the colorful kites and everyone
else, focusing only on the
delicious-looking Fardeen. The music,
shouting and laughter did not distract
her from her goal one bit. Her
concentration did not waver. Her eyes
were firmly fixed on Fardeen.
With bated breath, she waited for the
miraculous moment when angels would
trumpet their silver bugles, flowers would
bloom in deserts and Fardeen Malik’s eyes
would finally meet hers. The realization that
the love of his life, Zoella Khan, though un-
sophisticated and from a modest
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***
If you enjoyed reading this excerpt, then
pre-order now on Amazon
MORE BY ZEENAT MAHAL
49/89
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itle: Haveli
ISBN: 978-1-927826-02-7
Genre: Romance
Book page on Indireads
Book Page on Goodreads
Read an excerpt, and buy on Amazon
Book Blurb:
Abandoned by her father, C. is brought
up by her domineering, intractable
grandmother, whom she privately
refers to as ‘The Broad’. Raised in the
closed environs of a haveli in
Jalalabad, C. is rebellious,
quick-witted and a self-proclaimed
cynic.
So, when The Broad presents her with
the ‘suitable’ Taimur as a possible
husband, C. isn’t too happy with the
arrangement, no matter how gorgeous
‘Alpha Male’ may be. As it happens,
the feeling is mutual. Or is it?
And when C.’s long lost father enters
the scene, things get really
complicated…
Praise for Haveli:
Though Austen might have taken
pause with some of Chandni’s
wardrobe options, I think she would
whole-heartedly approve of the
buildup to the romance between
52/89
Book Blurb:
“…I’ll pay you a monthly salary to behave
and appear for all practical purposes as my
wife…If you agree, the marriage vows can be
55/89
Book Blurb:
“What is your price, Mira?”
“You’ll never be able to afford it!”
Book Blurb:
Book Blurb:
Book Blurb:
Very little has gone right in Nithya’s young
life. So, when a proposal from a young,
handsome NRI comes along, her mother
jumps at the opportunity and packs her
daughter off to the US with her perfect
groom.
Book Blurb:
Book Blurb:
“Dependent!!?”
Book Blurb:
Book Blurb: