The Mysterious CEO's Domineering Devotion

CHAPTER 6 - Heated Discussion

Leaning on a window in their living room, Pranavi tried to get a grip on her thoughts and asked, "What is this, uncle? How can you fix my marriage without my consent?" Pranavi couldn't keep calm anymore and fired her questions.

Dheeraj shook his head, "come here, Pranavi."

Standing in front of him, she was expecting answers from him. But little did she know, she would get convinced one way or the other.

He asked in a calm tone, "Don't you know who they are?"

"No, Uncle!" She said bluntly, though she had heard of the Oberoi family and Oberoi Entreprises.

Dheeraj sighed, knowing the time had come for him to answer her. "He's the second son of the Oberoi family. The President of Oberoi Entreprises."

Her jaw dropped at the revelation. "So, this means he's really the Jwalin Oberoi!"

With narrowed eyes, she questioned in puzzlement, "But why did he agree to marry me?"

Hearing the question to which Dheeraj himself didn't have a definite answer, he decided to say what he knew. "His father, Tushar Oberoi, approached me with this marriage proposal. I don't know why Jwalin Oberoi agreed." Her father shrugged.

Listening to that, she pondered but couldn't remember anything and questioned, "His father?" Brushing her neck, she murmured, "Tushar Oberoi?"

Dheeraj nodded and Pranavi raised her brow in confusion, "but I never met him. How could he know me?"

Dheeraj stared at the dazed Pranavi with heartache, "He saw you at your university, it seems."

Pranavi was stunned to hear that. "What? At my university? But how can he possibly know me and come here? Moreover, making me his daughter-in-law? That's absurd!"

Even Dheeraj also felt the same, but could he go against the power and temptations Tushar showed him? No!

In fact, never in this life! So, reluctantly, he agreed to Tushar.

Thinking about it, his heart felt pain for Pranavi, but he kept on a relaxed look and answered, "I don't know all the details, Pranavi."

"Then why did you agree? You didn't even ask me once!" Pranavi wanted to yell, but she couldn't. Especially not on Dheeraj when she knew who he was and how he took her into his family!

Dheeraj felt miserable hearing that. He would be at least a bit less sad if Pranavi shouted at him and demanded him to cancel this arrangement. But he knew she would never do that, not to him at least!

All he did was take her in when she was on the streets and she never disappointed him all those years.

It didn't matter how much trouble his wife and daughter had caused her, she never complained to him. That's how loyal that girl was!

"It's for your best, Pranavi." He could only say that and hope for that to happen for real.

"Uh!" Pranavi took a deep breath, her lips thinned, "But why me? I'm just not convinced!" This wasn't making any sense to her.

Leaving without choice, he blurted out in the most pleasing way, "Tushar Oberoi said that he saw you first at your IIM College, while you were giving a seminar."

Observing the expressions on Pranavi's face, Dheeraj continued, "Tushar was really impressed with your skills and inquired about you, and it turned out everything was good. So he decided that he only wants you as his daughter-in-law."

Pranavi folded her lips while tapping her foot, “Is it this simple?” Her thoughts were running wild but she couldn’t express them openly and Dheeraj nodded.

"Huh." Pranavi gave a perplexed look and added, "But I don't want to marry him and I'm still studying.

Biting her inner cheek, she continued, "Moreover, I don't know anything about him." She raised her point.

Realizing that if he prolonged it any longer, he might go back on his words.

Dheeraj immediately put on a serious expression and asked, "This is the best match you can ever get. I don't understand what your problem is here?"

"I understood what you were trying to say, Uncle. But still, how can I marry him without having any affection for him?" She wanted to make Dheeraj understand that she could not handle the new relationship with her present fears. But she was failing miserably.

He banged his hand on the table, "You'll get to like him once you spend time with him, and get to know him. What's the fuss about it?" Dheeraj said in a disgruntled tone, though he knew he was hurting Pranavi with his behavior.

Pranavi blinked her eyes continuously with her mouth agape, "But still.." She paused as if a lump formed in her throat.

Dheeraj cut her off sternly and yelled at her, "I don't want to hear any more excuses, Pranavi."

"Why doesn't she understand that it would be best for all of us if she just agreed." He thought, while Pranavi interrupted him.

"I don't want to get married now. I need a few more years." She stated firmly, her eyes resolute.

Because she believed that if she let it slip from her control, her life would be doomed!

Hearing their arguments, Leela couldn't help but thought of keeping some sense in Pranavi's head. "You're already 22." Leela intruded into their conversation.

Glancing her head aside, she asked, agitated, "So?"

"That's a proper age for any girl to get married. Why were you whining?" Leela said with an unhappy look.

"It's my life, Aunt. I get to decide about my marriage!" Pranavi tried to make a point without losing her cool.

Hearing that, Leela choked on her mouth, "Seriously? Do you get to decide? What are we to you, then? Are we outsiders?"

Pranavi clenched her fists, her eyes were becoming red in anger, "I never said you were outsiders!"

"Then listen to the arrangements we made. Also, he's very rich and powerful. He's handsome too and with a very good family. What else do you need?"

Leela pondered, "such a cunning girl. Acting like she didn't need all the luxuries!"

She sighed in her heart, "How good that would be if it was for my own daughter! Such a pity!"

Pranavi shook her head in annoyance, "why don't you understand, Aunt? I'm not ready for this."

Leela was becoming agitated with Pranavi's constant rejections about this marriage, and shouted, "At some point, you need to get married, right? Why not now?"

"That's different, Aunt. It's just that I'm not up for all that responsibility now. I want to finish my studies first," Pranavi answered in an equally strong voice.

She almost roared at Leela and Dheeraj, "Moreover, he and I belonged to different classes. We can never be one!"

Listening to her firm stance, they were stunned. It was very rare to see Pranavi losing her composure. She was usually very reserved, but why was she so adamantly against this?

"By any chance, do you have anyone you love?" Leela asked with raised brows and Dheeraj's heart almost stopped a beat hearing that.

Pranavi froze in her tracks, and chuckled in her heart, "a love life? For me? Are you kidding, Aunt?"

His mind ran a marathon with questions. "What if she had her love life already?"

Panic settled across his insides, "What if she had a lover whom she couldn't bear to leave?"

"Can I forcefully make her leave him and agree to this marriage?" His eyes widened upon thinking like that.

He facepalmed his forehead in irritation, "Damn! What a pathetic situation am I in?"

His shoulders dropped, and he muttered under his breath, "I'm sorry, Pranavi. I don't want you to get married like this, but I have my reasons!"

"I'm never interested in having a love life, Aunt. You don't need to worry about it." Pranavi answered, upset at herself for the situation she was in.

He sighed in his heart, and his face scrunched up in pain until he heard her straight rejection denying all his baseless thoughts.

In reality, she was too scared to warm up to anyone. Especially people of the upper class who can easily ruin her with just a flick of a finger.

Also, she had a lot of things to take care of by herself to make sure she was safe and sound!

If she got married at this point without knowing what she was trying to find for so long, wouldn’t it be troublesome for her?

When she was in a daze, Dheeraj couldn't handle this and shouted, "Pranavi."

Startled, she said, " Yes, Uncle."

"You know I'd only give the best for you?" Dheeraj probed, knowing her answer.

She nodded, though she knew it was a thousand percent sure, a big fat NO in this situation.

Dheeraj questioned, looking into her eyes, "You know I'd want you to be happy?"

She nodded while her grip on the dress tightened.

"I'll talk to them about your studies. You can continue them even after your marriage." Dheeraj added.

She clenched her fists, knowing what he was trying to do. And when she was about to object to this again, he ruthlessly tore her heart by asking her, "Did you remember the conversation we had when you were 12?"

Her throat went dry hearing this but still nodded, recollecting all those hateful and painful memories of her past.

It made her remind herself of how her life was when she was an orphan. The events on that day, 10 years ago, were danced in front of Pranavi.

When she recalled the words Dheeraj told her, a lump formed in her throat as if she was suffocating, and answered, "Yes."

Dheeraj mercilessly asked her, "What did I say?"

Her throat trembled, it was too hard for her to reminisce the things she was fighting so hard to forget!

In the end, she answered, her eyes were downcast while her eyelashes trembled, "You said you'd adopt me and would give me a good life."

In a flash, she recollected the death of her parents and elder brother, the blood of them on her clothes, how she ended up in an orphanage, then on to the streets. The vulnerability in her eyes was evident to him.

She closed her eyes shut as if to stop those haunting memories, but his next words broke her heart.

"What did you say?" Dheeraj questioned, even after knowing how much he was hurting her.

Hearing that, her nails dug into her palms with the force she was using just to keep herself sane. She mumbled, "I'll do whatever you say. I'll respect all your wishes. I'll obey your decisions. Moreover, I'll never let you down."

"Good. So do you know what to do now?" Dheeraj queried calmly, though his behavior was causing immense pain to him.

He wasn't happy with how this conversation was happening. Heck, he even doesn't want her to remember it ever! But fate played a cruel role on them.

"But..." She bit her lips, not knowing how to convey herself.

Dheeraj agitatedly strode to her and shouted, "If I said no to them, do you know what would happen to us?"

Glanced at Dheeraj with a probing gaze, she shook her head and he answered, "They would destroy us!"

She was jolted to hear that, tears welled up in her eyes as the voices roared back to life in her head.

She swallowed hard while her body trembled, her breathing labored, her face turned pale.

Dheeraj continued in a pitiful tone, "How can I survive that? You have a younger sister too. Who will marry her?"

Pranavi remained silent, she couldn't hear a thing with the struggle she was having with herself.

But, how can she be responsible for the things she didn't even know until they were happening?

"For our sake, and our family’s sake, agree to it." He requested. No, almost begged, with his hands joined together. Leela grabbed Pranavi's hands and she was drifted back from her daze.

Eyeing at the impassive Pranavi, and tired of this argument, he shed a tear that pricked her heart as if she was stabbed with a thousand needles in her heart.

"Uncle, what are you doing? There's no need for all this. I'll do it if you want me to. You should never bend your head down to me."

His eyes glistened hearing her words.

His tone laced with happiness, "Did you agree?"

"Yes." Since he’s the one she respected the most, though he never openly treated her well, she believed he did care for her, maybe a little. So, for his sake, she agreed in the end!

"That's the only thing you asked me after all these years to do after you had adopted me. How can I say no to you?" She thought about hiding her inner struggle.

He stood near her and pecked her forehead. She chuckled while controlling her tears and ran away to her room. Little does she know, she's helpless and there's no way out for her in this.

...

She stared at her hand and the shining ring caught her sight, stood in front of the window while staring at the moon, and she questioned, "how did it turn out like this? How did my engagement happen in the blink of an eye?"

"I'm more than sure, he's not happy with this either." She pondered on the way he reacted to her. "Let me ask him to cancel it. Since I can't do it from my side, maybe he can!" With that, she thought of calling him, then it hit her, "I don't have his number."

Patted her head in annoyance, "I'm so tired already. Will think of a way tomorrow." She murmured and fell on her bed, drifting into her slumber.