The Mysterious CEO's Domineering Devotion

CHAPTER 12 - Struggling Thoughts

Jwalin rested himself on the bed, throwing all the rose petals on the sheet aside, and his thoughts went back to Pranavi.

"Why did I kiss her?" He questioned himself, but to his surprise, his mind answered, "because you wanted to taste her lips."

"What the fu'k? I hate her. Why would I want to taste her lips?" Jwalin screamed at himself and pulled his hair in frustration.

His thoughts revolved around her crying face, smudged eyes, lipstick wiped off, she appeared a total mess to him. "Her wails... Why are they distracting me? Why are they affecting me?"

"No!! I shouldn't be soft on her. She's a bi'ch and she will be a b***h to me. She didn't deserve my kindness." He told himself and she appeared in a peach T-shirt and brown lounge pants.

He remained dumbfounded, looking at her bare skin. She's not extremely gorgeous, but to him, she looked like an angel. "No! She's a devil." His mind screamed.

She went to the other side of the bed, and when he thought she was occupying the place beside him, she grabbed the pillow and quilt, making him stare at her in confusion.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked, startling her. His hand held her wrist to stop her from getting away.

She's beyond annoyed at him, and in no mood to entertain him. So she chose to be silent, but poor Praanvi, that enraged him.

"I asked you something." He shouted at her and pulled her on the bed roughly, and she landed on top of him.

The position seemed too intimate for her and she immediately wanted to go away, but alas, she was dealing with Jwalin Oberoi, it was not so easy!

"Don't make me repeat, wifey." His grip on her waist tightened, and he caressed her cheeks with his other hand.

"I don't know you. I'm not comfortable sleeping in the same bed as you." She stated, gathering her courage boldly.

For a second, he's lost in her brown pools, the feisty nature with a tinge of innocence, the vulnerability in her, her shyness combined with fear, everything is visible to him.

She's like an open book to him, but he doesn't know the depths she held in her.

"You don't want to sleep with me?" He asked, puzzled, while his jaw clenched.

She nodded.

"Then why did you marry me?" His forehead frowned with his brows furrowed together.

She bit her lips and kept her eyes down. Infuriated with her actions, "I'm not the least bit interested in you, remember that. Even if you appear naked in front of me, I don't fu'k you." He enunciated each word with sarcasm dripping off from his tone.

All of her courage washed away hearing his words, and tears consumed her. She swallowed the squeals and tried to get away, and he left her, keeping a safe distance from her.

She adjusted on the couch and was struggling to doze off, and his words alarmed her. "You better act as my loving wife in front of my family, and outside."

She nodded, startled by his sudden demand.

"I need an answer when I ask you something. Understand?" He yelled in his gruff tone.

"Understood." She said in her sharp tone with her eyes closed. He peeped at her and decided not to bother anymore and she sighed in relief.

...

Resting herself on the cushiony couch, covered in soft duvets, she kept on tossing and turning around to keep her mind away from the events Jwalin did to her.

His outburst, the outrageous behavior, his prejudice, his contempt, his actions, everything confused her. They made her forced to think of him.

It doesn't matter how hard she tried to get a few hours of sleep, it seemed impossible in her present state of mind. Her mind was consumed by the thoughts of him. Her Husband.

Feeling exhausted, she glanced sideways, and there he was lying peacefully on the comfy bed.

His aura wasn't dark like usual, though his manly presence always demanded attention. Slowly, she stood up and went to him.

Eyeing his sleeping silhouette, she felt herself drawn towards him. Her hand stroked gently on the twist between his eyebrows and he seemed relaxed with her touch.

She graced her small fingers on his sharp jawline, his lips visibly apart, with the relaxed breath, a hand resting on his chest, "he's as charming as a king even in his slumber." She thought and a smile spread on her lips and patted her forehead in foolishness.

"What the hell am I even thinking? He hates me for heaven's sake!!! I need to remember this and shouldn't get attracted to his charms." She was determined and left him in peace before brushing his silky black hair one last time.

Grabbing her diary from her bag, she strode to the balcony and closed the door carefully, not to wake him up and face his wrath. Settled herself on the beige couch, she craned herself towards the midnight black sky.

The shining moon was as dazzling as always, it reminded her of her old habit from her lonely childhood.

As she kept on turning the pages, she drifted to those harshest days in her life, her hands involuntarily clutched the pendant she hid in the diary tightly.

The memories haunted her, the bloodstains on her clothes, her brother and parents' lifeless bodies lying in the pools of blood, the clouding darkness in her vision, and when she woke up, everything crumbled. She couldn’t even remember everything properly except their names and faces.

She longed for her Mother and Father, but nobody came. She called until her sweet childish voice became hoarse, and cried hysterically, yet no one came to her aid.

For a mere six-year-old kid, fate played a cruel role. Overnight, she became an orphan and she's in a hospital alone fighting her own battles.

She knew she had a family apart from her parents, but they threw her out of her house mercilessly and dropped her in an orphanage far away from her home.

Those days were horrible for her. Before the accident, she was a princess in her small world, but then, she was a lonely child struggling for her survival.

Her fears overwhelmed her. She didn't understand what exactly happened to her either, but she's a bright child and grasped the situation.

She's forced to behave maturely beyond her age to survive in this world.

But deep down, she knew how she had been waiting for someone to come to her and take her away from the orphanage.

How desperately she cried for comfort. How she never wanted to be a burden to someone. But in the end, she's always an outcast to everyone.

The scars imprinted on her soul were far deeper than those on her body.

The void in her heart, the loneliness, and struggles she faced to stand in this world on her own, the days she spent living in the streets, how she strived beyond her hunger for days, everything was a sin in her life.

The wickedness she endured in her life is far beyond what anyone can imagine.

Tears fell freely as her mind wandered to those dreadful memories.

"Mom, Dad, are you looking at me? I'm a married woman now. See, how much I've grown up!!" She said, looking at the faraway star with a bright smile plastered on her face, while tears dripped from the edge of her eyes.

She knew how to be grateful, as she was the one who faced the eternity of darkness. Turning her gaze onto a blank page, she poured her heart on the paper as it was the only way for her to vent out her pain and worries.

Over the years, she developed a habit of jotting her battles.

She took an oath when she was abandoned in that orphanage, "I'm never going to forget the worst battles in my life, the pains I endured, the tears I shed, the people who betrayed me and took advantage of me. They're the remembrance of my existence of truly who I am!"

...

The sky is turning into the hues of blue with white clouds moving around. She sighed and checked the time, "05.45 AM." With a sigh, she stood up and went to take a warm shower to relax her muscles.

As the water started flowing from the top of her by wiping her vermilion from her hair, she felt something inexplicable in her heart.

The emotion was new to her. She didn't know whether to feel happy or sad, but it pricked her heart.

Standing in front of the large mirror in the dressing room, she grabbed a burgundy georgette net saree embellished in stone work with the matching blouse.

She applied a little makeup to give her an elegant look, kept the nuptial chain, placed the vermilion, and with a satisfied nod, she stepped out of the room.

The clock ticked, "06.30 AM." With that, she hurried into the kitchen and found no one. "Should I prepare breakfast?" She was hesitating about her choice and suddenly someone patted her shoulder.

Stunned in her tracks, Pranavi rooted there with panic in her eyes. "Hey, relax!! It's me, Aditi." Aditi said with a smile, and Pranavi eased with that and gave a small smile.

"You look awesome." Aditi complimented, and she chuckled with a wink.

Although Pranavi didn't know Aditi, she weirdly felt comfortable in her presence, "She seemed nice." Pranavi quoted in her mind.

"What're you doing here this early?" Aditi asked while yawning.

"I...I..." Pranavi didn't know what to say about that.

Gazing at the troublesome look in Pranavi's eyes, Aditi couldn't help but ask, "You wanted to cook?"

"Um, yes. But I don't know if I'm supposed to do that or not." Pranavi mumbled, scratching the back of her neck awkwardly.

Aditi thought for a second and answered, "I think you can do that, sister-in-law."

Hearing that, Pranavi squealed in delight.

"So, how's everything, sister-in-law? Are you comfortable here?" Aditi tried to make it more relaxing for Pranavi.

Pranavi glanced at her and mumbled, "I'm still adjusting to it."

"I can understand, but don't worry, sister-in-law. You've me. If you need anything, you can come to me directly." Aditi stated with conviction in her eyes, making Pranavi stunned for a second, and smiled, "Thanks, Aditi."

"My pleasure. So what were you planning to cook?" Aditi asked in curiosity because she has never cooked!

"Rasgulla, Aloo-Paratha. What do you say?"

"Perfect." Aditi's eyes brightened hearing the recipes and added, "did you know what were brother's favorite dishes?"

"Nope. How could I possibly know? We're not that close," Pranavi said without giving it much thought.

Aditi nodded, but in her mind, she was elated to see her brother's expression.

When Pranavi was busy kneading the dough, Aditi questioned, “What do you do, sister-in-law?”

She was stunned in her tracks for a few seconds. After making her mind clear, she answered, “Uh. I’m in my MBA final year."

"What the heck? You're still studying?" Aditi cussed in shock when Pranavi nodded, not understanding why she was making such a fuss.

"You're even younger than me!" Aditi squealed when Pranavi squinted as if that was not a big deal.

"I wonder whether my brother even knew it?" Aditi pondered but kept her thoughts aside when she heard Pranavi asking, "What about you?”

“Well, I'm a Fashion Designer.”

“Wow. That's pretty nice.”

Aditi nodded, and Pranavi continued, "Where can I buy the clothes you designed?"

With a chuckle, "have you heard of Iconica?"

"Um, yeah, I guess. Wait, is that yours?" Pranavi's eyes bulged in realization. "Damn! That's one of the best designer stores in the city." She said.

"Yep. By the way, you're always welcome." Aditi added lovingly when Pranavi mumbled, "well, I couldn't afford them."

"Oh, come on, sister-in-law. You're one of us now. If you like anything, in particular, let me know and I'll give the dress to you."

Pranavi’s lips curled upwards hearing that. She didn’t expect to meet someone nice in the Oberoi house. “I must treat her better,” She thought.

“Ahem… Did you and Jwalin brother do the deed?” Aditi asked, letting her over-enthusiastic self into the picture.

Hearing that, Pranavi choked on her saliva. Seeing this drastic expression on her face, Aditi felt sorry for embarrassing her.

With that, Aditi added, “call me if you need anything, Sister-in-law,” and left the kitchen, leaving the dumbfounded Pranavi alone.

...