Page 8 of Entangled Vows (Destined Diaries #2)

“Take a seat,” Mr. Rao’s calm voice cut through the silence. Vikram and Mahika both moved stiffly to the chairs by the table and took their seat.

Vikram leaned back, his fingers laced together, his eyes unreadable. “So, Mr. Rao. That’s it? We get married, play nice for a year, and then walk away? Clean exit?”

“Yes... and no.” Mr. Rao’s tone was measured. “It’s everything I told you. But your fathers wanted more than just a contractual alliance. They envisioned something real.”

Vikram’s brow lifted sceptically. “Real, how?”

“They wanted you to try. To be seen together. To present a marriage that looks and feels genuine. This mattered to both of them.”

Mahika spun in her chair, fury radiating off her like heat from a flame. “You’re joking. In addition to playing house-house, they want us to play a happy couple too?”

“Not play,” Mr. Rao said gently. “They hoped something real might come of it.”

A sharp, bitter laugh escaped her. “Unbelievable. They hijacked our lives for a fairytale no one asked for.”

Vikram didn’t flinch. “Mr. Rao, is that clause actually in writing? This make-it-look-real nonsense?”

Mr. Rao sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “Unfortunately, yes. I was getting to that before you and Mohit turned the room into a WWE ring. It’s in writing. Expectations, appearances, social interactions… your fathers made sure of it.”

“Fine,” Vikram said, his voice like steel. “Then we do what’s required.”

Mahika stormed towards him. “You’re agreeing to this without even asking me?”

“What’s there to ask?” he replied calmly. “We’re putting on a face for the world. One year. Then we’re done.”

“That’s how this marriage will work? You make the calls, and I trail behind like a backup dancer in your perfect little show?”

Vikram exhaled sharply, tension pulsing in his jaw. “Are you going to be this dramatic all the time?”

Her eyes widened, blazing with fire. “I’m not dramatic. You are.”

“I thought we’d be practical about this,” he said in a clipped voice, each syllable precise and cold. “Civil. Handle this like adults.”

“You made a decision that affects my entire life without so much as asking me. You call that civil?”

He leaned forward, his voice a low, cutting hiss that could slice glass. “Would you rather lose everything, every single possession you own? I’m not doing this for fun. We both know the leverage they’re holding over us.”

That hit home. Her spine stiffened, and the fire in her eyes flickered with a moment of hesitation. He knew she wanted the beach house. Vikram spotted her weakness and moved in to finish the argument.

“Stop being childish and think clearly,” he stated, his voice quiet but menacing. “Three hundred and sixty-five days. We put on a show. We get what we want. Then we walk away.”

Mahika’s voice was ice-cold, her expression unreadable. “Fine. Let’s do this.”

Their eyes locked. Hers burned with rebellion. His were a reflection of calm and determination.

“Anything else, Mr. Rao?” Vikram asked quietly.

Mahika’s stomach twisted. Her entire world was crumbling, and to him, this was just another business transaction.

Mr. Rao flipped a few pages. “Just the prenup, wedding location, honeymoon, and what Mahika’s is entitled to as your wife.”

“The wedding will be at the registrar. I’ll lock the date soon. Mahika gets access to everything that’s mine.”

“Whatever,” she muttered. None of it mattered. She didn’t want his name, his money, or his empire. She had built a life of her own with sufficient investments to allow her to live comfortably.

“And the honeymoon…” Vikram paused, letting the effect of his words settle in the room. His voice didn’t waver. “That’s private. It’s no one’s business except ours.”

He didn’t miss the way Mahika’s eyes snapped to his. Their gazes met, and for a moment, it was like everything faded around them. Then, just as quickly, he looked away.

Because for a moment, the idea of them, alone, pretending to be a real couple in some far-off place, wasn’t just a fantasy.

It was a line he wasn’t supposed to cross.

Not with this heat simmering between them.

He straightened his cuffs, his jaw tight.

He admonished himself to focus. This wasn’t about desire. This was purely business.

But damn it, whenever she looked at him like that, like she could see right through the layers of control he wore as armour, he hated it. Hated how it made him feel so exposed.

Mr. Rao slid the agreement towards her. “All I need is your signature—”

“I have to decide now?” she whispered. “Can’t I think about it?”

“What’s there to think about?” Vikram’s tone was sharp, final. “We already agreed to do it.”

And damn him, he was right.

Her fingers hovered before closing around the pen. Her hand shook as she signed her name. When it was done, she slumped back, her eyes locked on the ink that had just sealed her fate.

“Vikram?” Mr. Rao prompted again.

Vikram adjusted his collar, then leaned forward and signed his name with controlled strokes. As he placed the pen down, the piercing ringtone of Mr. Rao’s phone interrupted the quiet.

“Excuse me,” Mr. Rao said, rising from his seat, “I need to take this.”

Once they were alone, Mahika’s voice cut through the silence. “I assume I’ll be living with you?”

He didn’t glance up. “Correct.”

“I’ll be sleeping in the guest room,” she added with a spark of defiance.

Vikram looked at her, his brow arching in mild amusement. “Are we negotiating terms now, or are these royal decrees I’m meant to obey?”

“I’m not sleeping in your bed.”

A low chuckle rumbled from his chest. It was dark and dangerous. “We’re supposed to look like a real couple, Momo.”

“In public,” she snapped. “We’ll play our parts. But once the doors close, stay the hell away from me, Grizzly.”

His gaze dipped to her mouth, just for a second, before snapping back to her eyes, unreadable as ever. “We’ll see.”

She didn’t flinch. “No. We won’t.”

A muscle ticked in his jaw, but he leaned in anyway, slow and unhurried, brushing a loose strand of hair from her cheek. She inhaled sharply, but didn’t move. Not an inch.

Their eyes locked, and it was like fire meeting frost, a spark threatening to ignite everything around them. And they both knew it was just the beginning.