"Tomorrow is the engagement. How do you feel. " Karan asked randomly between the chats and sat in the terrace.
"I'm nervous and... Afraid? " Tejasswi Replied weakly. She couldn't decipher her own feelings. One side was fluttering with anticipation while the other was pushing her to guilt and then there was a small part that said, no matter what, she cannot back down from this revenge.
Just a small part.
"Don't be, we'll still be same for each other, except the fact that now we will be each other's fiance. " He reassured, "I am waiting to meet you, now. Just a day without our meeting and it looks like we are away since ages. "
"I know. " She missed him, too. Although they never spent too much time together but the time they spent, was heaven altogether. In fact, she missed gayatri too.
It was getting awkward for Karan to continue their conversation, when tejasswi was in no mood. She sounded low, like the other times. And for a second, Karan thought if she would really be happy with him.
Maybe she feels something for him, like love, but not exactly the love that he does. Ah! His mind seemed to blast with double thoughts.
"Let's talk tomorrow, bye. " He muttered and cut the call after tejasswi hummed.
Why could he not converse like a normal man? Why does he always get nervous when it comes to assure others? Why can't he ask people to share their feelings? Why?
,were the innumerable questions bugging him.
Maybe the answer was, he was afraid to let people open their heart and then unable to soothe them. Maybe he couldn't reassure them when he himself, ran away from his emotional needs?
Or maybe it was how he always cope up when he was in the same phase. To just wait to get it off.
______
Wearing the peach color lehanga, tejasswi got ready for her engagement. Hands cladded with matching glass bangles and neck shining with a simple necklace, she looked like a goddess of beauty.
She still couldn't bring herself to a decision. All she knew was, she was doing something that she never expected.
As much as she admired Karan, she was using him. She knew if her truth ever gets revealed, which surely will, Karan will have a hard time to go through it. He loves her, wholeheartedly. And that was the only thing that motivated her to continue with her plan.
She has seen how deeply and stubbornly, Karan loves someone. Once he loves someone, he stands by their side even if they are wrong. So maybe, once she tells the truth to him, he will understand her side and will accept her the way she is.
And that will be the time when tejasswi will stand as her pure self, without any lies, and tell Karan that she loves him, too. Without any ulterior motives.
But that still had time.
While tejasswi was busy fighting with herself, Aviral was going live just before the engagement ceremony. He was holding a live conference where he said that he will be revealing the true shades of Kundrras.
He showed an old video where vimesh was positive to the news of aviral taking over the kundrra empire and then the reel where vimesh denied doing the same.
"Do you not want to know what caused him to change his decisions? "
The reporters shared a look before nodding and focussing the camera on Aviral.
"Well, it is because I, no longer, decided to accept the domination over the ladies of Kundrra family. My mom, she has been going through a lot of things in the past years, but she is not allowed to speak anything in public. The reason, why she suddenly disappeared from the camera focus and never accompanied dad in the business meetings.
As you all know, today, tejasswi is getting engaged to Karan Kundrra, I want to assure that she doesn't end up like my mother. Thus, I would advice Karan to keep his anger in check and not use violence on his to-be-wife again. "
"Again? Did Karan Kundrra raised his hand on his soon to be wife, before? " The reporters put the common question ahead.
"Yes. See this. " Aviral played the video where Karan carried tejasswi and bought her to the mansion, where she was bathing in blood and was unconscious. It was from the time aviral tried forcing himself on her.
The erupting murmurings in the press, gave him confidence to continue. Oh, how greatly he manipulated the video!
"We couldn't put shame on the family but now the reality should be known, so that tejasswi can openly ask for help, without any questions. " He told.
"Then why is she agreeing to engage with Karan? Is she being forced? " The media asked.
"I cannot tell this, but it was important for her to get marry with Karan or she would have hard time. All I can say is, because I chose to reveal the true face of Kundrras, my opportunity to get the position is snatched from dad. Now he wishes to give it to karan. So all the best, brother. " He smirked in the camera and left the Hall, leaving several assumptions to be made.
"Is tejasswi forced to accept this alliance? "
"Did Karan forced himself on the poor lady and got her pregnant? "
"Is Gayatri Kundrra going through domestic violence? "
And so many more.
Karan was watching the live footage of aviral, with his whole family from the restroom of the venue of the engagement ceremony.
Gayatri sobbed, feeling ashamed again for Aviral who put false allegations on, not only on his brother, but on his dad as well. No matter how rude Vimesh has ever been to her, he never raised his hand.
It just took a second for Aviral to marine everyone in the family. Why? Because he was deprived of the CEO position?
"This boy needs to know his limit! " Vimesh fisted his palms.
"What limits, vimesh ji? Everytime I wanted to instill some morals on him, you stopped me! You said my morals will not lead him anywhere! Everytime I wanted to scold him, you saved him and demeaned me saying I was taking him too serious!
See where it lead us! " Gayatri shouted, feeling ashamed to ever listen to Vimesh and let her son fall so low.
"You mean, I taught him to maline my name in public like this? You know I can't. I love my name! "
"Exactly, you live your name a little too much. At the age where he should have continued with the studies, you took him to the company! Your greed of money, led him to be greedy of position and power. " Gayatri shouted back. She was filled with anger on Aviral, but was lashing it out on Vimesh.
"My greed? Wha--"
"Don't pretend now! I may not know exactly what you did till now, but I'm not oblivion to the extent you can go low, just to maintain this name."
"Mom, dad, stop fighting! Go and settle the mess Aviral created! Tell the truth to media, while I settle some scores with him! " Karan left without any reply and drove to the only place where Aviral could be found.
Aviral's mansion.
Karan called tejasswi and informed her to join his parents in another live conference.
"What about the engagement? "
He stilled, "we'll see it later. "
_____
