{Do not copy this work or put it on other websites. Plagiarism is a heinous crime. Stealing someone's work isn't a gentleman's trait. Read, get inspired and write something of your own.}
Gauri, a young village girl holding firm views about morals a...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"She wasn't like every other woman and that is what made her fascinating and mysterious. For outsiders, she was a captivating vision. For the people who knew her, she was a serpent. But for those who have watched her walk through the fires of life and come out as the scarred survivor, she was a broken monster.
Her journey from being a princess of a small province to becoming the wife of a multimillionaire was ruthless. People thought she was born with a silver spoon, but the reality was far from it. As the daughter of an old King and his concubine, she was never given a legal name. Growing up was challenging for there wasn't a single day where she wasn't reminded of her illegitimacy. She was called names by her stepbrothers and sisters. Jealous of her intelligence and persona, they tried dragging her through mud plenty of times but almighty always helped, until one day.
The renowned gambling addict- her absent father got into a huge debt with a rising business tycoon- Surya Narayan Shivanand. To compensate for the lost fortune and smitten by her ethereal beauty, Shivanand demanded her hand in marriage. The heartless father didn't even blink twice before saying yes. The young girl with big dreams was tortured for days until she gave up her will and wore the red bridal couture.
At the tender age of 20, Mandakini was married to a man twice her age. She was his second wife. The wicked businessman already had two daughters and one son from his first marriage. To make matters worse, his children were older than his second wife.
The initial days of marriage were blue. Her condition was like that of a dying flower shedding its petals. Her innocence was stolen and crushed to the point she failed to recognize herself. The rebellious dreamer in her was beaten to a pulp and a statue of obedience took her place. She turned into a doll to please men and used to earn favors for her husband. Although Surya Narayan was possessive about her, he didn't miss any chance of humiliating her in front of mass by bouncing her dignity. Behind closed doors, she was a mere slave and, in the eyes of the crowd- a trophy.
To this day, I feel terrible for what she went through. It was tragic how no one noticed the empty eyes and dry lips. But when Surya found the way her mind worked, he understood her true worth. She was sharp. Appointing her as his secretary in the first year proved profitable. By the time she turned 26, he appointed her as the next CEO much to his son's disapproval.
Surya Narayan loved nothing more than his empire and when it came to expanding it, he knew what buttons to push. Mandakini was a great asset, both in private and public life. He took her everywhere and often hid their relationship so she could interact with the rivals and extract important information. Together, they were a formidable duo.
If only I had an idea how this pair will ruin my generations to come. If I had known, I'd called my flourishing son back.
After the successful venture of Sandhya Villas, Raghuveer was celebrated throughout the southern belt. As his father, I couldn't be less proud. But someone has said it right, 'Power is the most addictive drug of all time.' One who has a taste doesn't want to come down.
