Page 40 of Entangled Vows (Destined Diaries #2)

Vikram wasn’t smiling anymore.

He stood across the courtyard, his gaze locked on her, one brow lifted ever so slightly.

He knew she’d been staring at him. From the moment she walked in, draped in that strapless, deep-violet gown, her curves all soft and unapologetic, he’d been floored.

He was not just stunned. He was claimed by her beauty.

She looked decadent. Real. And entirely too tempting.

His gaze swept down her body in a slow, knowing perusal. He took in her bare shoulders, the way her hair spilled in soft waves, and the uneven rise and fall of her chest. He could practically feel the warmth of her skin, the way that silk would slide down her body if he—

And then, their eyes met. And everything else fell away.

The chatter dulled. The music faded. Even the women clinging to his every word disappeared. All that remained was her….and the tension crackling in the air between them. Hot and primal. Charged with everything unspoken.

And then he walked towards her.

His legs covered the distance between them as if they had a mind of their own.

But just as he was about to reach her, he noticed a man walking straight towards Mahika.

Her eyes widened in shock when she saw him, and then, to Vikram’s surprise, she fucking smiled.

And before he could even process it, that man pulled her in and hugged her.

And she... his wife… hugged him right back.

The sight burned through him like fire, consuming him with pure, seething jealousy. He wanted nothing more than to throw that man out of the venue if he didn’t immediately take his hands off his wife.

He quickened his pace, his fists balling at his sides to reach them. But before he could, another figure appeared. His eyes narrowed when a woman stepped up beside the man, her arm looping around that man’s elbow.

“Hi, darling. Won’t you introduce me?” Vikram’s voice was smooth but edged with jealousy.

Instinctively, his hand came to rest firmly on Mahika’s waist, as though silently declaring she belonged to him. She looked up at him, their eyes locking a moment longer than necessary before she turned back with a polite smile.

“Of course,” she said, carefully trying to control her irritation. “These are my friends. This is Karan, and this is Priya, his girlfriend. We were in college together. And this,” she added, “is my husband, Vikram.”

Karan offered a polite smile. “Nice to meet you, Vikram.”

“Likewise,” Vikram replied coolly.

Karan held his gaze for a moment longer, but Priya broke the moment with a cheery grin.

“Hi, Vikram. Nice to meet you,” Priya grinned.

“Nice to meet you too,” Vikram greeted back.

“You both look lovely together. Congratulations,” Priya added warmly as she linked her arm through Karan’s.

“Indeed, they do,” Karan agreed, twisting his lips. “Thank God it never worked out with Ronit. I never liked him anyway.” Karan winked at Mahika, oblivious to the possessive fire burning in Vikram’s eyes.

Priya quickly nudged Karan and narrowed her eyes at him. Mahika froze, while Vikram exerted every ounce of control to avoid any confrontation.

Who the fuck was Ronit? Why was he only hearing about him now?

And why the hell was this douchebag even bringing him up?

Vikram didn’t care about the answers anymore. All he knew was that, for the past fifteen minutes, he was consumed by nothing but pure, seething jealousy burning through his blood like wildfire.

“It was nothing. Karan was just joking…” Priya jumped in quickly, glancing at Vikram and Mahika before adding, “By the way, this reception is absolutely amazing. We’re having such a lovely time, aren’t we, Karan?”

“Of course,” Karan replied, smiling.

“Mahika, it’s been such a long time since we caught up. We should definitely meet soon.”

Mahika opened her mouth to answer, but Vikram beat her to it. “Mahika is busy. She won’t be meeting you, or anyone else, for that matter,” Vikram said, his tone calm but absolute. “Not when we’re on our home honeymoon.”

Mahika’s head snapped toward Vikram in surprise, but thankfully, she remained silent.

“What?” Priya frowned.

“Home honeymoon?” Karan asked, raising an eyebrow.

Vikram met his gaze head-on. “Yes, it’s a new trend. No work, no social outings, no interruptions. Just the two of us at home.” He tightened his grip on her. “The best part of being newly married.”

Karan stared at Vikram for a bit. “Sounds… intense.”

“It is,” Vikram said, a thin smile curving his lips. “And it starts tonight.”

Karan’s gaze flicked between them, and he nodded. “Alright. I’ll leave you to greet your guests. Good to see you, Mahika.”

Mahika nodded stiffly. “Nice seeing you, Karan.”

With that, Karan and Priya disappeared into the crowd.

The second he was gone, Mahika twisted in Vikram’s grip, her eyes blazing with fury.

“What the hell was that?” she snapped.

“That was necessary,” Vikram said evenly, his voice cold.

“No, that was rude and controlling,” she shot back. “You made it look like I couldn’t even speak for myself.”

He didn’t let go. “You sound as if you really wanted to dance with him or go for a coffee.”

Her chin lifted defiantly. “What if I did?”

“You don’t.”

“You can’t decide for me.”

“I just did. And one more thing, Momo. I don’t like random men flirting with you.”

“Are you serious? He wasn’t flirting,” she snapped. “He came with his girlfriend. You’re being ridiculous.”

Vikram stared at her, silence his sharpest weapon.

“What?” she demanded.

He thought of all the men who’d glanced her way tonight, and how how clueless she was of the effect she had on men. Men didn’t just notice her, they fucking wanted her.

“Listen to me, Momo,” Vikram said, his voice dropping lower, rough and possessive. He lifted her chin gently but firmly. “You’re my wife--”

She interrupted him. “Only for a year.”

“Even if this is only for a year, you’re mine,” he said. “Every man who looked at you tonight wasn’t thinking about friendship. They were thinking how lucky they could have been.”

Mahika gave a sharp look. “Funny. You don’t seem like you think you’re all that lucky.”

His eyes darkened like a stormy sky. “I’ll show you exactly what I think.” He extended his hand. “Come with me.”

She hesitated. “Where?”

“To the dance floor,” he said, gesturing to the flashing lights.

A small frown creased her brow. “I thought men hated dancing.”

“I don’t,” he murmured.

But just as he began to lead her towards the dance floor, her phone buzzed in her hand. She ignored it, but when it buzzed again, Vikram shot her a confused look.

“You’re not going to answer that?”

Mahika hesitated for a moment before taking a step away, as if trying to hide from his gaze. Her eyes locked onto the screen, and she froze.

Vikram didn’t miss a thing. The way her face tightened. The faint tremor in her hand. He saw it all.

When she finally spoke, her voice quivered, barely more than a whisper.

Her face drained of colour, paling as if she’d just heard something devastating.

Her eyes swept the room, searching for something…

or someone. Then, with quiet resolve, she ended the call and began walking back towards him, her steps slow and measured, her every move betraying more than she realised.

He stood there, observing her like she was his next case study. Every flicker of emotion, every subtle shift in her expression, was laid bare under his sharp gaze.

He instantly knew something was wrong. The smile she gave him was too bright, too forced. “Done. Come on, now. Show me your moves, Grizz.”

Vikram nodded, and then right in the heart of the dance floor, he drew her close, feeling her breath catch in her throat. Before she could react, he guided her arms around his neck, his own hands slipping to her waist, a touch lower than proper etiquette allowed. But Vikram didn’t care.

Their eyes locked, and a spark of intense heat flared between them, burning away everything else. Even though they were surrounded by a room full of people, the feeling was far too intimate to be proper.

She offered a small, hesitant smile, but he didn’t return it. Instead, he asked her a question that stopped everything inside her.

“Why did you tense up when you answered your call?”

Mahika froze, her gaze dropping to the floor.

“I didn’t tense,” she said, too quickly.

“Don’t lie to me,” he growled, his voice low and rough. He lowered his head, catching her gaze. “I saw it, Momo. Tell me what was that.”

She rolled her eyes. “Grizz, it’s nothing I can’t handle.”

“I don’t want you handling anything for the next one year while you’re with me,” he snapped, but then lowered his voice, but no less firm. “Please, just tell me what the hell made you freeze like you’d seen a ghost.”

Something in his tone startled her. It was a soft, tender… something she wasn’t used to. It sounded terrifyingly like worry, and for a second, her steps faltered.

“I already told you it’s nothing,” she muttered. “So don’t overreact, okay? I’ve just been getting these blank calls from unknown numbers. It’s been happening for a while.”

He went completely still, every muscle in his body tensing.

“You’ve been getting blank calls?” he asked. “Since when?”

She sighed. “Stop reacting like that. It started after Dad passed away. Maybe a few weeks later. I don’t know. It just… began.”

“What do they say?” His arm tightened protectively around her waist.

She looked up at him and froze. His expression was not just angry, it was unnervingly calm, almost too calm. But his eyes told a different story. They were dark and deadly serious, like he was already planning someone’s murder.

“Nothing. No one speaks when I answer. But it doesn’t feel like a usual sketchy network glitch either, because there is no static or background noise. It’s just... silence. And I’ve always got this weird feeling that someone’s on the other end. Listening.”

The truth of what she was saying sank in, and his jaw clenched as pure, murderous rage settled over his features.

“Listening to your voice,” Vikram repeated, his tone venomous. He was furious, yet his body kept swaying to the music on instinct alone.

“I don’t know, okay? It just feels that way sometimes.”

“Does Mohit know about this?” Vikram asked, his voice tight.

Mahika shook her head. “No. I never told anyone. Just you. It’s just some weird calls. Probably someone dialled the wrong number…”

“No,” Vikram said sharply, cutting her off.

He gripped her chin and tilted her face towards him.

“Don’t you dare say it’s nothing.” His eyes were locked on hers now, dark and burning.

“Some bastard’s been listening to your voice in silence for months, and you’re saying it’s nothing.

He’s a fucking creep. A fucking stalker. That’s cyber stalking.”

She opened her mouth to respond, but the words never came.

Vikram finally realised they were still in the middle of the dance floor, and people were now looking at them.

He didn’t care about the music, the people, or even the damn reception anymore.

All he could see in his mind was the image of someone lurking on the other end of the line, silently listening to her voice, thinking God knows what.

He closed his eyes, trying to summon even a shred of calm. Then he lowered his head until their foreheads nearly touched. His protective instincts for Mahika were already intense, but right now, they were off the charts.

“If you ever get a call like that again,” he said, his voice edged with something dangerous, “or a message, or anything that feels even a bit off… you tell me right then. No waiting, and no brushing it off as a prank. None of that, Momo. You’re my wife.

And you don’t keep things from me, especially if they bother you or make your life even a little harder. Got it?”

Mahika stared at him, stunned into silence. She had seen him angry before, but this was something else. This was raw, protective fury. The kind that didn’t shout or explode. It simmered under his skin, controlled and lethal. And she loved this version of him.

She nodded slowly.

Vikram exhaled slowly, still holding her close, feeling the rapid thud of her heart against his chest. He wasn’t going to let this go.

Without another word, he pulled her closer as the music swelled into a slow crescendo.

Her curves moulded into him, fitting like they were made for each other, and it sent a dangerous heat coursing through his veins.

The rhythm shifted into something darker and sultrier, the kind that blurred lines and pulled people under.

Vikram moved seamlessly into a new dance step as the decision was made.

He would find out who was behind those calls. And when he did, the bastard would make sure he regretted ever dialling her number.

His thoughts stilled, and his focus shifted as the lights dimmed and the crowd melted into the background.

Vikram saw only Mahika. He moved with a quiet control, guiding her into the dance with his rough palm at her back. Each touch and glance screamed only one thing. Mine.

He didn’t care that people were watching. He wanted them to. Let them see what was being claimed and sealed tonight. Let them record it, post it, share it... he didn’t care.

Then, without warning, he twirled her and dipped her low, his hold on her unmistakably dominant.

The music stopped. Her breath caught. And for a moment, the entire world seemed to pause as Vikram pressed his lips to hers, claiming her completely.