Page 16 of Entangled Vows
“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 ofthem, 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 decidenow?” 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.
