Page 46 of Entangled Vows

Mohit frowned. “What?”

“Shewasyour responsibility,” Vikram said, his voice low and steely. “She’s my wife now. She’smyresponsibility. That’s exactly why the marriage stipulation exists... to protect her and the business. She’s safe with me.”

Mohit exhaled, nodding slowly, trying to absorb the intensity of Vikram’s confidence. “I hope you’re right…”

“I’m always right,” Vikram said, giving Mohit’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

Mohit smirked, shaking his head. “Yeah… for once, I like your arrogance.”

Vikram smirked back. “Go inside. I’ll meet you in a minute. I need to make a quick call.”

“Sure. Don’t take too long.” Mohit walked away, leaving Vikram alone.

Vikram pulled out his phone and dialled, waiting for the line to connect.

“Didn’t think you’d miss me in just two hours,” Adil’s voice teased through the speaker.

“Adi…” Vikram paused, thinking about what he wanted from his friend.

There was a brief silence before Adil’s tone grew serious. “What happened?”

“I need a favour,” Vikram said in a calm, measured voice laced with lethal certainty.

∞∞∞

After the board meeting, Mahika stepped out of theelevator and offered a polite smile to the man at the security desk as she made her way through the lobby of the JK group. Her workday was officially over, along with the awkward moment she had been dreading: telling her team about her marriage to Vikram. Naturally, they had been surprised, but they recovered quickly enough to offer their congratulations.

By the time she pushed through the glass doors, it was already evening. Long shadows stretched across the quiet streets, and the air carried the scent of damp earth and pine, the aftermath of a light drizzle in the hills earlier. Normally, that crisp, woodsy scent calmed her. But today, it did nothing to ease the slow burn of frustration simmering inside her.

She had barely stepped onto the pavement when she spotted Vikram’s driver, Max. He stood beside the sleek black car, his posture straight, already holding the door open for her.

Of course. Vikram must’ve told him to wait.

She could still hear his authoritative voice from that morning. ‘Use Max. Take the car. It’s yours now.’

For a fleeting second, she considered walking right past the car, maybe even calling her driver or booking a cab just to annoy him. But she couldn’t. This wasn’t only about her. Max worked for Vikram, and if she pulled a stunt like that, it wouldn’t be her little act of rebellion that took the hit; it would be Max’s job. And she couldn’t let that happen.

With a tired sigh, she slid into the car. Almost instantly, her phone vibrated in her hand, the screen lighting up with a flurry of messages.

“How was your day, ma’am?” Max asked politely.

“It was good, thanks. Hope yours was good too,” she replied breezily, checking her messages.

“Absolutely.” Max gave a polite nod before starting the car.

Just then, a new notification popped up from Ishika.

Ishi:WTF, Mahi?! Why are there movers in our living room packing your stuff like they’re launching you to Jupiter?

Mahika blinked, stunned, her fingers flying over the screen.

Mahi:Wait, what? I didn’t send anyone.

Ishi:Well, someone did. And I’m guessing it’s that broody, bossy Indian version of Massimo who barged in this morning like he owns you. One of them mentioned a Mr. Khurana.

Mahi:Oh my god. Let me check with him. I’m on my way. Do we still have ice cream?

Ishi:Of course. Emergency stash is prepped and ready. Get here fast before I eat your share out of spite.