Page 17 of Entangled Vows (Destined Diaries #2)

“Like hell you are.” Ishika snapped her gaze to Mahika, fury sparking in her eyes.

“It’s... complicated,” Mahika said weakly.

Ishika’s voice turned deceptively calm. “And when exactly were you planning to tell me this, bestie?”

Mahika let out a breath. “When you got back.”

“How long have you known?”

Mahika shot Vikram a death glare, but he only smirked, goading her further. “Tell your bestie.”

“Two weeks,” Mahika admitted, unable to meet Ishika’s eyes.

Ishika’s jaw fell open. “What the fuck! Two weeks? You’ve known for two weeks and you’re telling me now? Did he threaten you not to tell me?”

“No! He doesn’t have that kind of control over me.” Mahika rubbed her temples again, wincing. “And please, not now, Ishi. My head’s splitting as it is. You please get ready. We have to go to the marriage registrar’s office.”

“You’re getting married today?” Ishika screeched. “What the actual fuck? How did this even happen?” Her gaze cut sharply to Vikram. “You pressured her, didn’t you?”

Vikram let out a low, amused laugh. “That’s a bold accusation.”

“Well, you do have a reputation for being ruthless.”

His expression didn’t shift. “Not with Mahika.”

For the first time, Ishika looked slightly thrown off, but she quickly scoffed. “Right. Because arranged marriages are so romantic.”

Vikram arched a brow. “You tell me. You seem to have had a pretty romantic night yourself.”

Ishika’s jaw dropped before she clamped it shut. “Don’t deflect.”

Mahika stepped between them. “Ishi, I love you, and I’m sorry I didn’t tell you over the phone. I wanted to do it in person. Just… let me handle this my way.”

Ishika threw her hands up. “Your way? You’re trying to ‘handle’ it by marrying this passive-aggressive angel of darkness?”

Vikram didn’t miss a beat. “You do realise I’m standing right here.”

Mahika groaned. “Please, stop. You’re both making my headache worse.”

“That’s what happens when you feed your plant a detox smoothie that was clearly meant for you,” Vikram said, rolling his eyes.

“Wow, thanks for the health tip, Dr. Doom,” Mahika snapped.

Ishika narrowed her eyes. “You two have inside jokes now? What the hell? You’re my best friend, not his.”

“Of course I’m your best friend,” Mahika said quickly. “It’s nothing like that.”

“Yeah,” Vikram added with a smirk. “We’re just getting hitched, that’s all.”

Mahika glared at him. He was clearly enjoying this too much.

Ishika blinked rapidly, shaking her head as if she could undo what she’d just heard. “No. No, this can’t be serious. You can’t marry him. What kind of madness is this? Mahi, tell me this is bullshit.”

“I wish it were, Ishi,” Mahika answered, her eyes betraying her inner turmoil. “But it’s the truth. We’re really getting married.”

For a long moment, the girls just stared at each other, as if a telepathic conversation was happening between them.

Ishika’s lips parted as if to argue again, but the protest died on her lips.

At last, she turned to Vikram, her voice firm.

“If you’re marrying my best friend, Vikram, I need the whole truth… the real reason why this is happening.”

“Ishi…” Mahika began, but Ishika cut her off with a fiery glare. Mahika immediately fell silent.

“You think you can just marry her and be done with it?” Ishika’s voice trembled with fury. “No way. Know this, she is not going to face this dark day alone. I am coming with you both. And just so we’re clear, Vikram Khurana, if you so much as make her frown, I will make your life a living hell.”

“I am terrified,” Vikram drawled, amused. “Absolutely trembling in my shoes.”

Mahika sighed, her shoulders slumping. “Ishi, I’ll explain everything later, I promise.

I know you’re angry, and I’m sorry. But this can’t be avoided.

Right now, I just need you with me. I need you calm and collected by my side as we take this step.

So please, get ready quickly. We are waiting outside. ”

Ishika studied her for a moment before nodding stiffly. “Fine. I’ll be out in ten minutes. But don’t think I’m okay with this.”

Vikram, already busy texting someone, steered Mahika towards the door. Then he paused and glanced back over his shoulder. “It’s a good thing your approval was never required.”

“I don’t like you,” Ishika muttered.

“The feeling’s mutual,” he shot back, his hand settling at the small of Mahika’s back as they stepped out. “And be ready, Ishika. I just texted Mohit. He’s on his way to pick you up. We both are leaving.”

“What?!” Ishika’s voice shot up an octave. “No, no, no. Not him. Wait for me. I’ll come with you instead!”

Mahika slowed to a stop and turned to look at her best friend, her mouth agape. “Why not Mohit? What’s wrong with him?”

“Nothing’s wrong,” Ishika said a bit too quickly, fumbling with her words. “He just… talks too much. And he drives like an eighty-year-old. I get car sick when people drive that slow.”

Vikram’s mouth twitched, his eyes gleaming with mischief. “Interesting. Then tell me, Ishika, why is your face redder than a tomato? Or is it that you don’t want him to know about your passionate night out?”

“Exactly that. Brilliant deduction, Vikram. You are a genius,” Ishika shot back, her voice dripping with sarcasm. She flashed him a middle finger.

“What are you even implying?” Mahika glared at Vikram.

“Nothing that isn’t obvious. They’ve got something brewing,” Vikram murmured, his lips grazing dangerously close to her ear.

“What?” She jerked back to look at his face. “I don’t think so, Grizzly,” she muttered, brushing him off. Then, she called out loudly, “Mohit’s coming, Ish. End of discussion. Bye!”

“Ughhh, fine!” Ishika huffed, her groan stretching as the door banged shut behind them.

Mahika sighed, tilting her head towards the sky as if begging the heavens for extra patience.

He kept his pace even, walking beside her as she veered towards her own car.

Nope. Not happening.

There was no way she was going in a separate car.

Before she could protest, he smoothly redirected her to his sleek, black SUV parked a few feet away.

She looked confused, at first, and just when he thought she’d argue, she let out a long breath and relented, reaching for the rear door without a word.

Vikram stopped her before she could open it.

Mahika blinked at him. “What the hell?”

He didn’t wait. His hands gripped her hips and spun her until her back met the car’s frame with a soft thud. His palms caged her in, his body closing in with controlled precision. They were not touching. Not yet. But they were close enough for her breath to catch.

Mahika tilted her chin, and he could see that signature fire sparking in her eyes. But underneath it, he saw something else. A flicker of something neither of them dared to name not acknowledge.

“What now?” she snapped.

Vikram let his gaze roam over in a slow and deliberate manner.

Her makeup was flawless, and her voice sweet and sexy.

Her cherry red lips beckoned him, daring him to come closer.

And her flushed cheeks… they made him want to lick a path down her neck, while her silky hair spilled over her shoulders like temptation itself.

And that blouse. Hell. That damn blouse made his blood heat up in ways that should’ve been illegal.

He should’ve looked away. But he didn’t.

When he finally spoke, his voice was low, like a command wrapped in velvet steel.

“You don’t open the doors when I’m with you. Ever.”

She gaped at him. “Are you serious?”

“Do I look like I’m joking?”

“You look like a man addicted to unnecessary drama.”

His lips almost curved. “And you look like a woman who thrives on it.”

She shoved at his chest, more for show than force. “Move, Vikram. We’re already late.”

“Since when do you care about punctuality?”

“I care about ending this circus.”

He leaned in, his voice dipping to a dangerous murmur. “Keep telling yourself that, sweetheart.”

And before she could snap back, he added, his voice hard as obsidian, “From today onwards, my house is your house. My car is your car. You don’t drive alone. If you need to go anywhere, Max will take you. No arguments, Momo.”

Her eyes flared. “No. That’s not—”

“You’re making a scene,” he cut in. “Pretty sure the people don’t need a front-row seat to our first married fight.”

“We’re not married, and this isn’t a fight,” she hissed. “This is you being a control freak.”

“That’s just semantics. Keeping you safe isn’t controlling. It’s non-negotiable.”

“I am not something you keep.”

“Yes, but you’re going to be my wife, and I don’t take that lightly. My job is to shield you from anything that makes your life difficult. That’s just how it is… so get used to it.”

Her mouth opened, but no sound came out. She glanced away for a second. And that… that counted as a win for him.

“Get in, Momo. Now. Or I’ll put you in myself.”

Max stood silently beside them, simply waiting.

“Max, this is Mahika. Mahika, meet Max.” His voice was even, but final. “I’ll put his number in your phone. Wherever you need to go, you call him. He’s at your disposal.”

Mahika’s jaw clenched, her lips forming a tight line. He knew what that look meant. She was trying to decide whether to rebel or just go along with it. And damn it, she was still thinking about the first option.

Max, being polite as always, nodded. “Morning, Miss Jaykar. Nice to meet you.”

Her answering smile was polite but cool. “You can call me Mahika. But don’t expect my call, Max. I already have a car and a driver.”

Vikram pursed his lips before quietly following her into the car and settling into the seat next to her. His arm stretched across the backrest, and their thighs accidentally touched. And in that brief moment, the tension between them intensified.

She slowly inched herself away from him. He remained silent, giving her the quiet she needed. But beneath his calm, he couldn’t stop thinking about her.

She had no idea what this moment truly meant. What she was stepping into, and what she was about to become. Mrs. Mahika Vikram Khurana. His wife.

As always, she was too busy fighting him, too stubborn to see that she had always been his.

A deep possessiveness came over him, sinking its roots into his heart with a raw, insistent pressure.

And beneath that primal edge was something else too.

Something dark, something hungry, something that ached to claim her as his own.

Yeah, he told himself he couldn’t stand her, or maybe he was just being a jerk to get a rise out of her. Basically, he was too immature and proud to handle his feelings. And eventually, it became their groove. The push and pull, the fire and frost.

He’d wanted her all along, even before duty and the inevitable circumstances took over. Each look, every fight, and every tense silence had been pulling them here.

A part of him was glad Suraj had taken off.

Immediately, a piercing and unwelcome wave of guilt washed over him at the thought.

His brother’s disappearance should have left him worried and angry.

And it did. But beneath all that righteous anger, he felt a selfish, ruthless satisfaction that, for once, life had favoured him.

Before the day was over, Mahika would be his, in name and by law. And soon enough, she would be his in every way that mattered.