Chapter 4: The ideal & obedient wife
After hanging up the phone, Janhvi turned around to take a look into the mirror. Seeing her face that had the most beautiful smile on it, a thought crossed her mind, 'Under that beautiful face of yours, lies the most dangerous of the devils.'
She narrowed her eyes & that evil smirk of hers found its place on her face. As a custom, she prepared a set of traditional dress for Dhruv & waited for him to come out like the ideal & obedient wife she was.
A few moments later, the door to the bathroom opened & Dhruv walked out wearing a towel wrapped around his waist only. As it happens, Janhvi's eyes moved to the chiseled muscles & before Dhruv could look up, she turned her head away. Her cheeks & ears were burning with anxiety.
'That can't happen', she thought, 'It is not the time to fall for him. I cannot fall for him.'
The next moment, she felt water droplets on her shoulder. When she looked up, she saw Dhruv looking at her with affection & water droplets were trickling from his spiky slick black hair.
She nearly jumped up when she saw his intense eyes, '"What...what are you looking at?"
She turned her head away with a flushed face which made him smile. He then spoke with his magnetic voice as he whispered in her ear, "Do you know? I'm looking at you."
"Don't...don't look at me", she stammered, "Go...go & wear that sherwani I kept there."
Dhruv turned to look before saying, "Okay! But mind you, You are gorgeous."
Janhvi turned only after she heard the bathroom door close & she released her breathe, 'That was too close.'
Five minutes later, the bathroom door opened again, Dhruv walked out in his light blue sherwani, looking refined & handsome. He approached her, "Let's go."
"What about the door?"
"Don't worry", saying so, he intertwined her hand with hers & moved towards the door. He gave it a push & to his surprise, the door opened. He looked at Janhvi & stepped out with her. Janhvi looked around the balcony corridor & found that the place was indeed grand. No wonder, it was named Mittal Palace.
They slowly descended the steps & saw most of the family members were present. Janhvi had met all of them except the grand old man, Mr. Mittal & Dhruv's mom or her mom-in-law, Suman. The old man was present & he shot her warm gazes. She smiled in return & made her way towards him as she let go of Dhruv's hand. She touched his feet like the perfect daughter-in-law she was. The old man patted her head, "Dhruv made a good choice of marrying you. I heard that you mastered family business at the young age of 20 & you're just 25 now."
Janhvi nodded with a smile. She was indeed handling a small business of hand-woven sarees. It was small but efficient. It was flourishing well under her guidance. On the other hand, the old man was looking for someone to transfer the huge family business of readymade garments & textiles. His son was a politician & not interested in business while his daughter was not business-minded. Kabir, 22, was adamant to join the army while Sonali, 20 & Anshul, 17, were still studying. The only suitable grandchild was his eldest grandson, Dhruv. He was both capable & business-minded. He & Janhvi studied together since their college days & were stars of their university. That's how they met.
With the addition of Janhvi, Mr. Mittal was confident that his business of five generations would thrive well.
Just then, aunt-in-law, Chanda Mittal, barged into the scene, "Janhvi, you should meet Sis-in-law now. You know she has been waiting for you eagerly."
Janhvi nodded & accompanied Chanda into an unknown corner of the Palace. Janhvi studied every detail closely. They soon entered a dark room. A dark silhouette could be seen sitting on the bed. The room was shrouded in darkness. Janhvi entered & pushed the curtains away from the picture windows. The room flooded with the winter sunlight, which made Suman cover her eyes. She had messy hair & was wearing a rather dirty looking saree. Janhvi felt pity for her. Then Suman spoke with a terrified voice, "Who are you? What are you doing in my room?"
Janhvi kneeled down & took the woman's hands in hers, "Mumma, it's me, Janhvi."
"Janhvi?" a smile decorated the lady's face, "You mean, my Dhruv's wife?"
"Yes."
The lady was overcome with joy as she pulled her daughter-in-law for a hug.
...
Suman was now wearing a designer green saree, accompanied by Janhvi. Everyone present in the living room looked at her with awestruck expression. P.K. had complicated emotions surging in his eyes. Suman looked at him once & glanced down immediately. Janhvi sensed her fear & made her sit with between Kabir & Dhruv. By then, many workers were already in the midst of decorating the Palace.
One of the workers glanced at her & she gave a slight nod. The security check was tight but that particular worker entered with ease.
Chapter 5: Heaven-made pair
The evening was filled with paper lanterns & fairy lights, accompanied by flowers. The Mittal Palace looked vibrant & lively against the backdrop of the night sky. Tonight was the reception in the honor of the newlyweds. People, famous & rich, from high walks of life, were invited. After all, the Mittal family welcomed their first daughter-in-law of the 5th generation.
Janhvi was sitting inside her bedroom after wearing the custom-made lehenga. She was busy arranging her bangles when Dhruv entered. He was also wearing a similar sherwani, custom-made. She smiled at him while he smiled at her reflection in the mirror. Then, he put both of his hands on her shoulders & leaned in to say, "You look beautiful."
"You too", Janhvi cannot help but smile.
"Let's go", Dhruv smiled back, "Dad called us downstairs." Janhvi nodded in response.
Within no time, they made their way downstairs. P.K. shot them loving gazes while he was talking to some guests who looked dignified. He opened his arms wide when they approached him. Dhruv & Janhvi exchanged glances before running into either arm. P.K. was grinning ear to ear. Looking at him, Janhvi just wanted to snort with ridicule, 'Let's see how long that smile stays on your face.'
The dignitary opposite them took a single glance at Janhvi & said, "Your daughter-in-law is rare, P.K. You must cherish her."
"Indeed, she is precious", P.K. nodded at her.
But, Janhvi wanted to rip off his sugary facade. Never mind, his happiness won't last long.
...
The guests poured in. Everyone congratulated the newlyweds. One was their classmates, Rhea. She hugged Janhvi, "I told ya. You two are heaven-made pair."
Janhvi & Dhruv just smiled.
The evening passed by & the nautch girls began their dances. The Mittal family was standing in close proximity. Everyone was praising the dancers. They twirled around in their Rajasthani lehenga managed to attract attention. Of course, they were highly paid because of their professions. Moreover, it's the Mittal family they were talking about. The amount they would be paid here would be much more than they had imagined.
Very soon, it was time for the dignitaries to have the first round of dinner served by the new bride. Dignitaries like the Chief Minister, PWD minister, Railway minister & the other members of the Legislative Assembly were seen entering the grand dining hall. Janhvi, who was standing beside Dhruv, eyed them carefully. Dhruv carried a bowl full of rice while Janhvi had a spatula in her hand. They would serve the guests together as a ritual.
Soon, P.K. gestured them to start serving. Dhruv nodded & accompanied Janhvi inside the hall. But before that, she signaled something to someone which nobody noticed. She just as much wanted to snort seeing the content smile on P.K. Mittal's face. He was all smiles & no tears. Soon, she would turn into all tears & no smiles.
Soon enough, they started serving. Seeing his face at close proximity, Janhvi wanted to yell at him & beat him to death. He was the reason behind their miserable condition, she & her sister. Now, the first priority for her was Manvi to the knot with Kabir. Then only, she could cherish her plans to the fullest. She knew Kabir was madly in love with Manvi.
One after the other, she served all guests with her petite smile intact. The moment, she & Dhruv turned to exit the room, a large crash was heard, followed by people's ravenous screams & howling.
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