Page 5 of Entangled Vows

It made her blood boil.

“Vikram?” Mohit’s brow furrowed in confusion as he looked at his childhood best friend, as though trying to figure out his sudden arrival.

Mahika almost rolled her eyes.

Vikram and Mohit may have grown up together, but that didn’t mean he could just barge into what was clearly a private family matter. Ratan Pattnayak’s presence made sense, as he had always been tied to the business. But Vikram? He had no place here.

Irritation flared through her, and Mahika shot to her feet, her voice full of venom. “Excuse me, what’s he doing here? This is a private family discussion.”

Vikram barely reacted. He only lifted an eyebrow, studying her with that familiar air of detached amusement that always made her want to chuck something at him.

“Guess it’s a good thing I was invited, then,” he drawled, his deep voice dripping with arrogance.

Mahika gave him a sharp look. She couldn’t remember a time when they weren’t fighting. Vikram Khurana had always been a condescending jerk. And yet, the way he was watching her now, measured and intense, made her heart race with awareness. She hated her reaction and wished she could dunk herself into ice-cold water to cool herself. Instead, she masked it by simply rolling her eyes.

Vikram’s presence had always unsettled her. As Suraj’s elder brother, he was always around, and for reasons she couldn’t quite explain, he seemed to take a perverse pleasure in making her his favourite target. What frustrated her mostwas how deliberate it always felt, like he’d made it his personal mission to get under her skin.

Maybe it all went back to when she was fourteen and had the most ridiculous crush on him. She’d quickly outgrown it, but the memory still mortified her.

He took a step closer and locked eyes with her. “At least I dressed appropriately for the occasion.”

“Arrogance seems to be a staple in your wardrobe. Must be so nice to have a personality that’s so flexible. NOT,” Mahika snapped.

“Now that you’ve finished your little outburst, Momo, can we get back to the real purpose of this meeting?”

Fury flashed in Mahika’s eyes. That dumb nickname, Momo, never failed to piss her off. The sheer audacity of him. She clenched her fists, and a fire burning inside roared.

She stepped closer to annoy him and shot back, “As you wish… Grizzly.”

She felt a twinge of satisfaction when she saw him stiffen. Well, he should’ve thought twice before reviving that nickname for her. He had started it, and she had simply returned the favour. Vikram was up to his old mind games, and Mahika was more than ready to retaliate, but Mohit’s voice cut through the tension.

“Mahi, Vicky. Enough,” Mohit said sharply, his jaw ticking with irritation. “What the fuck is wrong with you two? This isn’t the time or place for this.”

Mohit looked like the picture of a stressed-out principal forced to break up a kids’ argument. Mahika scoffed, turned away, and took a deep breath to calm down, but immediatelywished she hadn’t. That familiar expensive cologne, which she both knew and hated, filled her senses. Rich, smoky, and way too tempting. It had been a long time since she had smelled it, and it was super sexy… just as she remembered.

She held her breath, her cheeks flushing against her will. She absolutely hated the way her body reacted to it.

Seriously, how did he smell so amazing?

It felt almost criminal. He couldn’t just walk in, insult her, and then act like he hadn’t completely ruined her day simply by being in the same space.

He had no idea about the craziness of the past few months—the chaos, the stress, the relentless phone calls. She’d barely slept on those nights. He had no clue she was surviving on fumes, chocolate, and the occasional hormonal meltdown. And yet, there he sat, cool as ice, and calm as a cucumber.

Her mother’s gentle voice broke in. “Vikram.”

From the other couch, Varsha Jaykar’s expression softened with concern as she watched him. “You seem tired, honey.”

Mahika froze.Seriously?Her mom hadn’t once noticed her own daughter’s exhaustion in the past year, hadn’t once asked how she or Mohit were holding up. But now, suddenly, she was all concerned about Grizzly Khurana?

She turned to Mohit, and the moment their gazes met, she knew he was thinking the same. It was a sibling thing. They knew exactly what the other was thinking right away.

As Vikram turned towards Mahika’s mother, his usual air of arrogance seemed to slip for just a moment.

“It’s been... a lot, Aunty. But I’m okay,” he said quietly, his voice low and subdued.

“I understand,” Varsha replied gently. “The pain of losing a loved one is something that never goes away so easily. Pretending you’re fine when you’re left to carry it all alone just makes things worse.”

His jaw tightened. For a split second, a flicker of something crossed his eyes—real and raw pain. However, it was gone just as quickly. She felt a fleeting moment of sympathy for him, but then her attention quickly returned to her mother’s next words.