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Chapter 3
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As Sona sat in the comfortable and cozy seat of the Lamborghini, she looked at the green trees and glowing rays running behind her as the car speeded to the mystery location. Saanvi beside her was humming to the tunes of the Taylor Swift’s latest song with the earbuds blasting music into her ear. It looked like everyone knew what was going on except her, but why? The missing furniture from the house, the lawyers talk, the sudden arrival of her cousins was clearly showing her something big was going to happen but what?
“Saanvi, stop ruining your ears,” Sona warned her sister when the music started to rise up to the highest level possible.
“Sona, chill. Look we are here,” she excitedly stated as she pointed to the large mansion, standing in front of her when the car jerked to a sudden halt. Mansion was not the right word, palace was more like it.
There were paparazzi and media everywhere anticipating Sona to come out. Sona glanced at Dev who was grinning the widest smile she had ever seen on him, he gently opened the door and placed his hand in front of her for support. She readily placed her small, thing fingers into his long and cold ones. They fit right in, like they were made for each other. She brushed the thoughts off her head and gracefully came out of the car to face the biggest mansion in the world, more like a freaking palace in front of her. Maybe she was going to be crowned something after all.
She examined Dev who was wearing a decent tuxedo which was flashing bright, with tie and proper shoes too. His face was grinning and his eyes were dancing with joy, not the usual cold and brittle ones she was used to seeing, his hair was messy yet made his looked handsome. She scowled as she wondered why couldn’t she wear western too? He removed his fingers from hers, and instead placed it on her bare waist, making her spine shiver due to his familiar cold touch.
They media and the paparazzi started to click pictures of the couple as they walked through the carpet and into the mansion cum palace. Sona gasped as the interior was filled with rich Victorian decor, rarely found anywhere in the world. The bright maroon walls were painted in some sort of royal design, the flashy chandeliers hanging on the top provided the touch of exotic, while the guests around who silently made room for them created the jovial atmosphere. She examined the crowd to see many familiar faces of her extended family and friends there, grinning at her broadly. She looked at the other side to the see the same, but unfamiliar faces, something told her that they were Dev’s family. The grins which were supposed to comfort and welcome her only made her more nervous, clinging the fact that she had not a single clue as to what was happening.
Sona made it to the humongous red stage at the end of the hall without stumbling or embarrassing herself in front of what seemed like more than 300 people. She gazed at her cousin’s standing at the front who were asking her to relax with their weird signs which attracted a lot of attention upon them.
Sid was taking in and out breaths like he was performing some sort of yoga in the middle of the crowd. Sanay was making some sort of signs at her by moving his hands while the girls were trying to stop them both. What did she do to deserve such people, she thought as she sighed and looked at Dev who walked to the end of the stage and was busy chatting with a middle aged man.
“What is going on?” she muttered under her breath to Dev when he came to her and put his hand around her waist to steady her from her growing panic and suspense.
“You will know very soon, until then keep a wide smile on your face to show how happy ‘we’ are to our families,” he mumbled in an authoritative look on his face, while eyeing the crowd. So, the other part was his family after all.
Sona plastered a fake smile on her mouth as she heard the middle aged man welcome the crowd.
“I welcome you all on behalf of Mr and Mrs Ross. We are all here at this moment to witness the most awaited moment for your family. We are here to give Dev and Sona their true rights and responsibilities,” he announced with enthusiasm while all the crowd broke into a roar of applause and a thundering cheer.
Wait what? Right and responsibilities? That’s when her eyes sparked with the understanding and realization of the whole situation. The property he married her for is finally being transferred to her name. She let out a faint sigh as she scanned the room, why did have to book such a big hall for this? How much property can he really own anyways? 1 small house with some plots maybe?
“I am pleased to announce the young, dashing and most deserved billionaires of today’s era, Dev Ross and Sona Ross. Hereby, all the property of the Ross family, including the billion dollar company, this ancestral mansion and all the countless number of plots around the world are transferred in the name of Dev and Sona Ross. Not to mention that his father,-” the announcer started to rant on but Sona’s ears muted everything after that.
She put on a tight smile as her stomach went taut with bewilderment, her limbs motionless and mind frozen. Did he just declare her as a billionaire? The person she married, who lived in a 3 bedroom apartment in the downtown London was the heir to a billionaire? Her blood turned cold, her muscles rigid and her face with shock. What was going on? She was the wife of a billionaire now? He was right, this day will change her life forever and it did. But, why didn’t he tell her in the first place?
She looked at Dev who was still steading her and smiling at the crowd of people, along with posing for the media. Sona just stood there numb with a fake smile to hide her amusement.
“Are you okay?” Dev questioned her puzzled and confused care with concern in his voice.
“Other than the fact that I am totally confused, boarded with questions and having a brain freeze, I think I am fine,” she sarcastically stated to him, still stunned.
“I think you need a minute to digest the events that just happened,” he softly told her before he pecked her cheek and left to talk to the announcer.
That made her more appalled than she already was, she focused her mind of the crowd of people that were busy moving around to form something. Suddenly, the lights dimmed out and an image popped up on the back wall of the hall.
Sona glanced at the image to recognize it was her, “Mom” she said in a faint voice as her breath hitched and her heart started to pause for a minute. Her mom was on the wall, it was not a picture but a video, she realized that when it started to play. Sona’s brain ignored all the buzz around her and concentrated on only the video of her mother playing. Hot tears started to roll down her cheeks when the flashes of her childhood, accident and funeral projected in her mind.
“Sonu, you might be watching this video after you are married with your husband. Knowing you, you probably are ranting on how you just came away from me after your marriage and I am making this video for nothing at all.” Sona chuckled listening to her mom’s sarcasm. You were not there for my wedding mom, you were not, Sona thought as she continued to watch the video.
“I am making you watch this just in case I forgot to say something to you, today is my anniversary and I was telling my sister how much a wedding changes a girl’s life, so before I forget everything what I want to tell you, I am making this video. Sona, trust and love are the most important in a wedding dear, you need to learn to trust and love people, which you don’t do easily. I don’t know whether you are happy with bond or not, but as you are in it anyways, give it a chance. You are extremely short tempered, which is not good for you, please dear don’t let this stand as a barrier for you. Don’t let this become the cause of your misery. Sometimes, it is important to let others speak before you judge them or punish them, give everything and everyone a chance dear. I hope you have all the fun life has in store for you. Make everything yours dear, everything. I know you very well, so I can guarantee you will make all the popcorn in the world all yours, but remember there is more to life than popcorn. Okay? At this point, you might be screaming on how I am emotionally blackmailing you and what not. But don’t forget to understand everything I said and if you have more questions, which you definitely will, call me right away. Okay? Now, go give this new phase of life a kick start!” her mom’s sweet voice ringed in her ears like a sweet lullaby to a crying child.
Tears started to flow endlessly, how can I call you when you are not even here? I do have questions mom, endless but how will you answer them? Sona wanted to run out of the room, crying bitterly but instead she stood there staring at the picture of her beautiful mom smiling at her. Her body ached to go and hug her mother and cry in her lap for all the miseries in her life.
As she looked back to the crowd to find her cousins for a crying shoulder, she found the whole crowd in standing in a shape of a heart. Slowly, the entire walls of the room, started to project picture of her from childhood till now. She didn’t know where the images were coming from, but most of them were hers with Dev. Dev, where was he? she thought as she wiped her tears from the back of her hands and saw him standing on his knees staring at her with love.
She let out a gasp as he began to say, “Sona, I am not going to say cheesy things I am going to get the moon for you or how I can the ocean in your eyes. I mean, come on how am I supposed to see a blue ocean in hazel eyes?”
Sona let out light chuckle at his words, which made the entire crowd laugh at them. She would normally feel offended by his rude insults but something about them made her extremely happy today. The spotlight brightened on them, diming the lights from the rest of the room. All the 600+ eyes were watching them with intensity.
“But I am going to say that you are a person who truly changed me into a better human being. I am truly honoured to have you in my life. So, not wasting more time and embarrassing myself I want to ask will you join me in the new phase of our life. Will you be there to support me and help me throughout this journey? Will you be patient, as you mother suggested to you and guide me?” he boldly declared placing his hand forward.
The crowd cheered for them, while rose petals started to fall on Sona. She was way too stunned now, she saw a small smirk curl up his lips making her realize all this was for show and fake. Of course, why would Dev propose her? But she did owe him for the video he made her see, she didn’t even know it existed until now. But, she would admit it was nice to see Dev bowing down in front of her.
“Give the poor man the hand,” someone from the crowd yelled at Sona, making her come back from her thoughts.
“With all my pleasure,” she said with courage as she placed her hand onto his, while the whole crowd whooed and awwwed for them.
Dev stood up with the same cold eyes from before and pulled her closer as he placed a kiss on her knuckles slightly. She looked straight into his eyes to see the same look of determination she saw when they first met. But for what she didn’t know now.
“Sona, this is not fair, how could you leave your boyfriend devastated?” Saanvi cried from the middle of crowd making all the others gasp in horror.
Aarav’s grip tightened on her hand, while his eyes turned from playful to brittle cold. Drum roll please to present her overly possessive husband. Sona’s stomach started to twist and turn as his grip on her hand grew tighter and tighter. She looked back at Saanvi with a black face and threw her death glared for her terrible jokes.
“Yeah di, how could you leave him?” Sanay snickered at her, joining Saanvi.
Dev snapped her eyes back to his, anticipating for an answer now. She shrugged her shoulders and gave him a tight smile and shut her eyes tight. Great, she would be killed today for sure. Mom and Dad, here I come.
“How could you leave Mr.Popcorn?” Sid asked her in an innocent voice as she opened her eyes in an instant. Popcorn? She glanced at the pictures of her eating popcorn started to display on the walls of the room. Count on her cousins to embarrass you in front of the whole crowd. They would do something to ruin the moment, but in this case she was thankful that they did to lighten the emotional atmosphere.
Everyone, including Dev started to burst out laughing while Sona stood their with anger burning through her veins.
“You knew, still?” she roared at Dev who still continued to laugh and so did the entire crowd.
“Hey, I can’t miss a chance to see your priceless expression,” he stated in between with a big smirk on his face.
“You are soo mean,” she playfully slapped him in his arm as she faced her mischievous cousins at the same time.
“I can do anything to see your sulken cat face, with I-am-going-to-die expression and stiff body. You look like a lamb ready to be slaughtered,” he mocked at her, still chuckling at her hung open mouth.
He did not just say that. “Take that back now,” she demanded him with seethful anger flashing in her eyes.
“Not at all,” he replied with his signature smirk. The creases of his forehead were visible again, when the spotlight started to turn bright on them.
“So di, what’s the plan?” Sanay mocked at her with rest of the crowd eager for her answer.
“Popcorn over husband, anytime,” she declared as she gave her cousins few more death glare and returned a smirk to Dev.
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How was that?? That should last for a while before don’t know when!. I had to add the popcorn part to lighten up the mood, can’t leave y’all with an emotional and sad note. How was Dev’s fake proposal? Ignore any mistakes, if any!
Please do tell me how it went, it will help me improve!! Next will be scenes with Sona finally meeting Aarav’s family and the disclosure of the actual deal and why Dev trapped her in the this bond!! Keep reading!