Her Dangerous Obsession

Chap 29 - Delays and Escape

Author's POV

The night air outside the hotel was filled with muted chatter, the fragrance of marigolds, and the occasional crackle of laughter from the few invited guests.

The entrance shimmered with golden lights, garlands swaying gently in the breeze, while the echo of shehnais lingered in the background. For anyone arriving, it looked like a night of celebration — a family gathering to bless a union. But beneath the surface, nerves twisted and tension brewed.

Inside, the priest had already arrived by now, his saffron robes brushing against the polished floor, as he was led to the mandap.

He was greeted warmly by Pranay Mehrotra, who, despite his usual sharp demeanor, carried a polite smile for the occasion. Jeet hovered nearby, speaking courteously with close relatives, who had flown in. The guest list was short — exclusive, selective, exactly how Pranay wanted, because at this moment, he didn't feel like telling everyone about his daughter's wedding.

The reason behind this wasn't Adhrit being a middle class and low status boy. Instead, it was because, he wanted to avoid threats, enemies, and problems at this moment.

Adhrit didn't belong to their world. From all the time, he had known him, he had understood very well that, no matter how intelligent Adhrit was, he was still ignorant and innocent to their world.   

In such a situation, when Adhrit was not even ready for this marriage, him coming in front of their enemies could be very dangerous. And after seeing his daughter's madness for Adhrit, He did not want to take any kind of risk with Adhrit's life.  

That's why, he didn't even let any media person know about this. He only invited the one, who were very close with him, and would never dare to go against him, no matter what.

"Such a beautiful place for a wedding." one of the lady remarked, fanning herself lightly with her dupatta. Another nodded, her eyes tracing the decoration. "Yes, only Mr. Mehrotra could manage something so tasteful, so refined. Truly a family of prestige."

Pranay smiled faintly, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly, as he scanned the hall. He wasn’t one to leave anything unnoticed.

Beside him, Jeet laughed at a joke made by one of the older guests, though his sharp gaze, too, lingered on the family of the groom. Something about them — their quietness, their stiffness — felt unusual to him, but he let that go away, because he also knew, none of them were happy with this wedding.

Namish stood at the far end, with a composed face, and a small fake smile plastered on his lips, though his palms were damp with sweat.

He held his ground with forced calmness, his lips curving in polite smiles, whenever someone would look at him, but his heartbeat thudded in his chest.

His wife, Mamta, unaware of the storm beneath, busied herself with her mother in law, Gayatri, exchanging comforting words with her, though, her own heart wasn't at peace. Ruchi, Arjun’s wife, too joined them, trying to give them some hope.    

None of them knew the plan. None of them knew that the boy, they were here to wed was, at this very moment, preparing to leave the city, and wasn't even present there.

Upstairs, Anaisha sat in front of the mirror in the room, her lips curved into a slow, satisfied smile. Layers of jewelry cascaded down her neck, her wrists chimed with bangles, and her face glowed beneath the careful strokes of makeup artists. But none of it mattered more than the thrill inside her chest — the victory she had waited for — Her Adhrit.

"Finally.", she thought, adjusting the maang tikka resting on her forehead. "Finally, Adhrit will be mine. No more running away from me, no more distance from me. After tonight, he will belong only to me. He will be solely mine. I will have every right over him."