"World's worst marriage proposal is the one you can't deny."

                           ~•~•~•~•~

Gauri was hugging a sobbing Omkara nuzzling his face on her heart. Fountains of bright moon beams washed over the hillscapes of Panchghani, reviving them with the glory of the moon.

So was Omkara's tears. He missed his mumma, he missed the sanctuary of her embrace, and Gauri's little hands gave him the slight feeling of at home. Her whole presence felt as home.

He needed this feeling. Gauri was no test subject for him anymore. She was his, she was born to be his. He knew it the moment he held her in his fragile arms for the first time. Whatever she felt, however she behaved, didn't matter to him anymore. He had to make her his, officially.

He rose from her embrace. Wiping away the tears, he cupped her small face in his large hands. She was crying all along. Why? Why is she sorry for my loss? Is this what love does to us? To feel the pain of our loved ones for them? Wait. She loves me?
He gulped his saliva. No. Women are great tricksters. And their most powerful magic wand is their tears. It can catch any observer's heart off guard. Even then, I cannot ignore the emotions she creates inside my ribs, around my pumping ball of life, squeezing it in an unexplainable pain, I  never felt before, but want to drown in that intoxicating torture again and again. Oh woman! What thou dost to me!

His trance broke at the curious gaze drilling through his skull. Blinking rapidly, he tightened his hold at her little face,

'Will you marry me, Jaan?'

Thanks to their proximity, he could feel his doll's heartbeat skip a beat and she looked at him, her mouth slightly ajar, dumbfounded.

'I'm waiting for your answer Jaan.'

After gasping slowly like a fish, Gauri found her voice,

'Why asking the obvious? Do I have any choice other than agreeing?'

She scoffed.

'Now now Jaan, don't make a face like that. I can't control myself from kissing you', Omkara pouted.

'Oh really! But it doesn't suit the man who kidnapped me and now forcing his decisions upon me,' sarcasm dripped from her voice.

'Jaan, like it or not, you're going to be my bride and enjoy your married life', he was enjoying the annoyed frowns on her face. Someone else in place of her would have been pried to some punishment, but he couldn't put Gauri in the same line with the whores.

'So, from now on, my bride needs to get to her mother's home to prepare for her marriage. Okay, the day after tomorrow you are leaving for Mumbai.'

'Really??' Gauri jumped from her sitting position, her smile brightening the room even more.

'Yes Jaan.' She hopped out of the study.

*****

'Dandi! Did you contact the designer Shivaay appointed for the graduation party?'

'Yes master. She is coming here tomorrow morning'.

'Or rather you say today, its already half past twelve, silly.' Omkara concentrated back on his canvas, splashing warm colours on the canvas against a black background, creating a maze of reds, yellows and oranges.

Expressing the warm fuzziness fluttering his heart.

*****

The designer, Miss Mona, came up dot at 9:00 am, just after their breakfast was finished. She was a cute woman with blunt cut hair reaching her neck, and her lightly dusky skin was peeking from the plunging neckline of her sleeveless formal dress, with a pair of diamond ear tops completing her dress. Gauri was least interested in the designer or the designs of her lahengas. She was now living in her dream bubble when she would meet her Sis and Big Bro, who would surely make some way out of this marriage trap.

Mona greeted the soon to be couple with a stiff, tight lipped smile.

'Mr. Oberoi. I don't want old issues ruining our professional approaches', she took out a designer diamond necklace from her bag, kept safely in a  velvet box, 'I would also like to thank you because for this necklace, I'm here today, as a top class designer.'

Omkara squinted his eyebrows. It was the exact same necklace he gifted to.. Ishana. He clenched his jaw.

'How do you know her?', he gritted his teeth.

'Well, she was my elder sister and I'm paying off my gratitude for her.'

'Was? Who was your elder sister?', asked an appalled Gauri.

'Ishana. She was his fiancée, just like you. But unfortunately, she couldn't remain as perfect as his expectations and she died.' Mona gave off a sick smile.

'Thievery is not something worthy of forgiveness or second chance', Omkara growled.

'Whoa! Wait', Gauri glared at Omkara, 'don't tell me, you killed her for this necklace!'

'Well, then I didn't.' He shrugged.

'This is not a bloody joke!!!', Gauri got up to leave, but a painful grip on her wrist yanked her back on the couch beside him.

'Leave my hand!!', she turned at him seething in anger and hatred, 'damn you bloody murderer! How could you punish a girl helping her sister?'

Omkara chewed menacingly, 'that's none of your business!'

'It is!! It is my business!! You like it or not, I'm going to poke my little nose in every business of yours, do you get that???!', Gauri gasped after shouting, 'tell me, how could you, huh? How. Could. You???'

*****

'Ishana baby', the willowy beauty looked back at him, pale, trembling in fear.

'I.. I'm..'

'Sorry?', he twirled a lock of her hair around his index, sniffing it, 'for what darling? Did you do anything wrong?'

Relief swept over Ishana when those words rolled out of his alluring tongue like silk.

'Haha, no!', she took a shallow gasp to hide her nervousness.

'Oh, but you know what, I hate lies so much that even I can smell the lies I'm being fed', he gripped her hair in a painful fist, 'where is the necklace I gifted you?'

How could Ishana be so dumb to fall for his calmness before the approaching storm? She gulped, tears spilling from her eyes like miniature of rivers. This was it. Now she would never see her sister, her Mona, her baby, her only family left after her parents' death.

'Please let me live. I will pay off everything when she passes with her degree', she was stopped by his finger on her lips.

'Don't cry for what you've already lost, Darling', but don't worry, you'll die like a queen.

'No! No please don't kill me!! I'll bring it back!', Ishana whimpered struggling to get out of his hold.

'I'm sorry Darling, but its too late. I would have given you a fortune if you had asked me for it. But yeah, you had your death in my hands, so be it then. I told you, I hate lies and treachery.' Omkara's voice was sad, as how a lover getting detached from his  beloved should be.

He took out a syringe. Taking her lips for a searing kiss, he pushed the needle in the throbbing vein of her neck. He sucked and nipped at her plump softness for the last time, and he could feel her getting weaker and weaker. Finally when she collapsed on his arms, he sat on the floor. Taking her head in his lap, he stroked her hair lovingly.

'Sleep well, Ishana.'

He looked out at the beautiful night through the window. Litigators ruffling the curtains, their hairs; moonlight washing off the night with her night scents and white beams, the beauty ached his heart in a strange way and a lone tear escaped his eye.

'Am I not supposed to be loved by someone?'

😭😭😭😭😭😭
Even when Omki was being a terrible jerk again, I couldn't but feel sad for him. And yeah, a spoiler.

A dhamaka wedding is on its way.

Twenty one chapters have already been uploaded. What do you guys think about the story and plot so far?? Can you please let me know?? A pretty please with puppy eyes??

Happy reading!
With love,
Sarani.