The Mysterious CEO's Domineering Devotion

CHAPTER 10 - Unforgettable Promises

December 12th

The heavy sunrise lit brightly in every corner of Mehta's house. The polished walls adorned in flower garments added the wedding glow to their house, while only a few of their close relatives were floating in and out, the arrangements were happening smoothly.

"Where's Pranavi?" Her mother asked Ishika, as there were no traces of Pranavi from the morning.

"I'll check on her, mom. You just relax and take care of the rest." Ishika said warmly and before leaving, her mother added, "bring her down before 7.30 AM."

Ishika showed a thumbs up and slightly lifted her yellow skirt while climbing up the stairs with a dazzling smile.

"Hey, Ishika, slow down!! You might hit someone in your hurry." Shreya and Aarushi yelled in unison.

"Says the one who always gets bumped into by someone." Ishika gave her usual quick-witted remark, while her voice dripped off the sarcasm, leaving them dumbfounded. Being an actress has its own advantages!

They huffed in annoyance, "that girl never behaves."

"If you're done with comments, shall we get my sister down?" Ishika asked with a raised brow and they nodded with a cheer.

"Pranavi," They all shouted and opened the wooden door. They saw Pranavi standing near her window, inhaling all the warmth from the sun while dressed up in a yellow saree.

Her mind was a mess, her inner voice was warning her about the upcoming storm in her life.

Her gut feeling was urging her, again and again, to rethink this marriage. But she gave her word to her Uncle, there was no way she was going to back down and cause shame to her Uncle.

She was still in a daze, oblivious of the people entering the room, looking at the sky, the blue hue of glimmering clouds. She pondered, "will my life ever become this bright? Can I ever come out of my darkness?"

In that broad daylight there was a sense of serenity, a peace that invited itself into the soul and made itself at home, but did she have one? She had a house she was living in, but she could never call it her home.

The nagging feeling in her heart was making her worry about her future. "Is this how my life is destined to be?" She asked again but the answer was again a big 'yes', and the screams surrounding her broke her trance.

"Who's shouting in my room?" She turned her head and a small smile crept onto her rosy lips by glancing at her best friends in their glory.

"We're calling you for 10 minutes. What were you dreaming about?" They teased, giving a mischievous wink at her and Ishika rolled her eyes at them.

"Mom said to bring you down," Ishika stated and grabbed her hands to take her to the Haldi ceremony.

She sat on the stool like a lifeless soul, and they were all applying the haldi to her with joy, but there was no trace of happiness on her face. The depth of blankness in her brown eyes revealed the extent of the void in her heart.

...

At Wedding Venue, 07:45 PM

The open place was well illuminated with lights, embellished with various flowers in red, white, yellow, blue, and pink, filling the hall with a pleasant aroma.

The wedding hall was filled with very few people according to Jwalin's wish. He doesn't want to introduce Pranavi as his wife and give her the attention she didn't deserve!

Both the Oberoi and Mehta families settled themselves on the chairs, and the place was filled with colorful laughter and chatter.

Since Jwalin ordered his family to make it an exceptionally low-profile wedding, it consists of around 20 people who signed an NDA to get in the venue, which includes only their extremely close family and friends.

The Mandap was beautifully decorated with red roses, with hanging garlands of red tulips on the four pillars. The hue of bright red and silver gave a stunning look to the mandap.

Jwalin appeared in his golden beige sherwani, appearing as a Greek god. The crowd was in awe, looking at him. His tall figure, crystal sharp eyes, slight beard, his muscular body hugged his biceps, while his face held no excitement.

His deep black eyes were icy cold as to swallow everything into his depths, his appearance held a tinge of mystery, dominance, and authority.

Glancing at Jwalin's proud appearance, Tushar held a satisfied smile on his lips. Though he knew Jwalin was angry with him, he hoped Jwalin would give this marriage a chance!

In the meantime, Gautam Oberoi, brother of Tushar Oberoi, patted his shoulder and mumbled, "are you happy now, brother?"

"Very much!" Tushar said.

"Do you think Jwalin would succumb to you?" Gautam asked, still not convinced about what was happening!

"I'm not sure either. I'm just hoping that he will be happy for once." Tushar said when regret covered his eyes with all the things he had done to Jwalin over the years.

"According to the Jwalin I knew, he'd never give in to us," Gautam muttered when Tushar nodded in agreement.

Eyeing Gautam with raised brows, Tushar asked, "where is Sonali?"

"She's with Sister-in-Law, looking at the arrangements." Gautam pointed his finger and directed Tushar.

When they strode to them, Ananya Oberoi and Sonali Oberoi were commanding the wedding planners to modify a few arrangements.

Tushar and Gautam exchanged glances and shook their heads and muttered, "they never change!"

On the other hand, Jwalin received a call from Jathin Oberoi, his non-identical twin brother, who was also the President of the nation.

"What is it? Jwalin asked impatiently while moving to a less disturbing place to avoid the sounds.

"Is your marriage today?" Jathin asked while he was signing a few documents.

"Don't you know it already? Trying to make fun of me now, are we?" Jwalin asked, sarcasm dripping from his tone, and Jathin chuckled.

"Should I come?" Jathin asked, even though he knew the answer.

"When was the President so free?" Jwalin taunted, showing his displeasure.

"Nothing was more important than you," Jathin said while raking his fingers on his silky brown locks. His amber eyes were deep in thought while his plump lips pressed into a thin line.

"Cut your crap!" Jwalin retorted and added in a chilly tone, "this marriage means nothing to me! So, I don't need your presence here. Carry on with your business."

Hearing that, Jathin's grip on the pen in his hands became tighter, "if you hate it that much, then why did you even agree?"

"What? You're asking as if you don't know!" Jwalin scoffed in annoyance.

"Is it even worth it, Jwalin?" Jathin questioned, his voice strained.

"Should I leave the Oberoi Entreprises behind then? Did you even hear yourself, Jathin?" Jwalin squinted his eyes in frustration.

For the past few days, he had been struggling with whether he had made the right decision or not, but he knew he ought to do it.

In reality, Jwalin doesn't need the Oberoi's inheritance to keep himself going. He had his own businesses which were generating billions of profits for him, but he couldn't bear to go back on the words he gave to his mother, Tanuja Oberoi!

He was only doing this to get justice for his mother. Because deep in his heart, he still loved her!

Jathin shut his documents and strode to the sprawling wall. Leaning his head on the wall with closed eyes, he asked while rubbing his forehead in annoyance, "you're doing this to get back at Ananya Oberoi, don't you?"

"What else do you want me to do? Should I forget what happened to our mother the way you do?" Jwalin asked, his expression becoming furious!

"I never said that!" Jathin shouted, hearing the tone he used, his secretary, Ved, trembled on the side.

After a pause, "Do you really think I forget what happened?" Jathin asked, not believing what Jwalin said.

"I knew you were pretending! You can't fool me, Brother." Jwalin mumbled while glancing at the beautiful sky.

"Good that you know," Jathin added.

"Hm. Let's meet after this fiasco ends." Jwalin said when Jathin agreed and they hung up with different thoughts going on each other's minds.

...

With a sigh, Jwalin adjusted his clothes and walked to the venue gracefully when Deepak patted his shoulder with a sly smirk dancing on his face.

"What?" Jwalin mumbled, not wanting to argue with them anymore about this marriage!

"You good?" Deepak queried when Mahavir, Jwalin's younger brother, joined, "when did my brother wasn't good?"

Jwalin scoffed hearing them and pushed them aside in annoyance.

All he wanted to do was to make this wrap up as quickly as he could, but it was taking forever for him!

"Aw, so eager to see your bride, aren't you?" Nishitha Oberoi teased Jwalin when he shook his head.

"Our brother is finally getting married! I thought he'd remain single for the rest of his life, and his god-like features would be a waste!" Aditi Oberoi chuckled when Jwalin glared at them but didn't say anything and patted their heads because he loved his sisters so much!

Their sibling's banter continued until they saw a glimpse of the bride and the hall went quiet!

Pranavi gracefully entered the Mandap with her family and friends in a maroon lehenga heavily designed in kundans and thread work, which perfectly hugged her curves and thin figure.

With slight makeup that highlighted her brown eyes, maroon lipstick kissing onto her lips, her sharpened contours, and blushed cheeks did magic on Jwalin. The entire hall looked at her with their jaws dropped.

As she was walking forward, Jwalin's heart unknowingly skipped a beat. His face gleamed at her, his eyes never left her, his lips automatically curved upwards, "she's marvelous." His heart screamed with happiness looking at her while his mind threw it aside, and he was back to his usual cold face.

Pranavi's gaze met with his dark black eyes and for once she saw his slight smile before it vanished into thin air. "He's phenomenal." Her heart stated while her mind roared, "don't fall for his charm."

Her world stopped for a second, taking in his features as she was near him. His musky scent, coldness, his blank face, sharp contours, and magnetic black eyes grabbed her attention while her grip on her lehenga hardened in anticipation.

"What's happening to me? I'm afraid of him, yet felt secure with his presence? God! What the heck is this? Have I gone nuts?" Her inner voice screamed at her foolishness.

A sacred fire was lit in the center of the wedding altar, and Jwalin stood there while his face held no excitement, his posture held impatience.

Then Pranavi's Uncle placed her hands onto Jwalin's hands and did the Kanyadaan. A shiver ran down her spine when she faced the warmth of his hand.

Jwalin placed the nuptial chain on her neck and a lone tear escaped Pranavi's eyes, "you now belong to him." Her inner voice reminded her and chuckled at her with her helplessness.

He then put vermillion on her hair partition and a bit of it fell onto her nose while her friends teased her saying it was an indication of endless love for his bride.

Then the couple had their garments tied together and encircled around the fire for seven rounds, making their vows.

After that, the priest announced them as Husband and Wife and she became Mrs. Pranavi Jwalin Oberoi!

Soon the bidding farewell happened, but her Aunt and sister didn't even shed a tear for her. It pained her, though she already knew it.

Her Uncle hugged her and pecked her forehead but she remained motionless.

Shreya and Aarushi hugged her and they cried together in both happiness and worry about her future.

A troubled expression settled on her Uncle's face as he saw Jwalin take her hand and took her into his customized black BMW.

As she was going further and further away, Dheeraj Mehta cried, covering her eyes with pain and regret for doing this to her.

Her Aunt and sister looked at him in confusion but didn't bother to disturb him. He knew he couldn't ever forgive himself though she forgave him!

...