Chapter 2 - The Wedding
The who's who of the business and political world were invited to the wedding. There were some selected photographers (of media houses Sharon presumed) waiting at one corner. The Shekhawats had some great PR team, she thought to herself. She had read an article about this merger. She couldn't believe when she read the bogus story that the PR team had fed to the media about the wedding. They made it seem like a Romeo-Juliet story with happy ending- 2 adversaries who set aside their hatred for the love of their kids. Only the insiders would know the real story. Sharon had scoffed at the article thinking how anyone with even half a brain cell would know how fake the story was. But she was wrong. The media loved it and ate it right off the PR Team's palms.
She sat beside the groom. He was dressed in an off-white sherwani. The ceremony was going on but Sharon's mind was somewhere else. She was marrying the guy sitting next to her with whom she had never even spoken once. After the proposal was accepted, the Shekhawats came to her house with the wedding set, jewelry and sweets. She thought she would meet Swayam face-to-face and have some semblance of a conversation. She had just seen him on the news and by her own research on internet. She was not excited about the wedding. Maybe Swayam felt the same, she thought. In all this mess, she might find a kindred soul. However, Swayam didn't come. It was only the parents - Rishi and Anjali. She didn't know whether to be disappointed or relieved.
She was awakened from her thoughts when the priest asked her to hold some flowers as he recited a prayer. She felt like a robot - simply following orders. Even though Sharon was never the kind of girl who planned her wedding from an early age, she had some expectation. She wanted to marry a person she loved and respected. She wanted a wedding at a romantic getaway with just close friends and family. What she got was a stranger who wouldn't even look at her and a circus of people whom she didn't know.
"Smile," Swayam whispered to her. She turned to look at him, in surprise. It was the first word he had ever spoken since she sat down beside him. In fact it was the first word he had ever spoken to her.
"Smile for the cameras. You look like you are in a funeral." His voice was cold. Sharon turned away from him but put on a forced and weak smile, too tired to think.
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Rishi and Anjali Shekhawat beamed as they saw the wedding proceedings. This was one of the chief deals of their lives and the sweetest- One rival down, one of their biggest rivals. They would now get a majority control of the Singhania Group and the publicity- the positive publicity would boost their brand value to a whole new level.
Anjali was looking at Sharon and Swayam, sitting together, yet very apart. She wanted the best for her kids and the best was what she got. She knew love would only take someone so far. The rest had to be will, strategy and power. She had made the same sacrifice once when she married Rishi 27 years ago. She was naive, just like Sharon, from a different world. But she never regretted the decision. Look where they were now. She smiled thinking of their success.
Suddenly she stopped smiling when she noticed Swayam. He was looking straight, in anger, to where Rey Singhania was standing with his girlfriend Kria. Anjali tensed a little. She knew Swayam was no more the innocent lamb. She knew he wouldn't do anything to embarrass them in front of the entire world. Rishi, who had noticed the same, put his hand over Anjali's hand and gave her a reassuring smile.
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Sharon noticed Swayam's angry face. She followed his gaze to where Rey and Kria were standing. She sensed something. Swayam and Rey had never spoken in these weeks or ever then why was Swayam so angry on her brother? Rey didn't seem to notice and he was happily chatting with Kria.
Before she could make sense out of it, the priest declared the wedding ceremony over. Everything that followed happened for Sharon in a flash- the blessings from the parents, the photo sessions with some people and sitting in car with Swayam and his sister. Before she knew it, the car had stopped in front of the Shekhawat house. House would be a small term to describe the building. It was a mansion. There was a well manicured lawn with pretty and colorful flowers. There was a greenhouse at the end of the lawn. Half a dozen cars were parked in the driveway which led up to a grey mansion. She could hear the distant sound of waves crashing on the shore and she knew the house was near the beach.
The Singhanias lived in a posh locality, not near the sea. They had their own penthouse in a luxurious building. Back home, she had the best view from her room - quite a good chunk of Mumbai could be seen from the balcony of her room in the penthouse. In Delhi, her accommodations were very modest. She shared a room with one of her classmates in an average hostel.
Sharon took a deep breath as she entered the house for the first time as a newly-wed bride. The past few days were so exhausting that she never even thought of what would happen after the wedding - the in-laws, her first night with her husband. She shuddered at the thought of the first night. She didn't know him at all. How would she... what would she... her thoughts were as vague and confused as she was. Another thing was leaving her father and brother. Sharon thought it would be difficult but to her astonishment, she didn't cry at all. For some reason, especially after the "merger" she was even more distant from them. Before this, she would try to be a part of their lives but now, she felt indifferent.
There weren't many rituals done in the Shekhwat house. Sharon was tired from the physical and mental exertion and she just wanted to lie down. Taani and another girl, a cousin of Swayam, escorted Sharon to Swayam's room - their room now. Taani didn't speak much to Sharon and in a few minutes, they left her alone. Sharon looked around the huge room. It was dimly lit and dark colored. Cold, she thought, just like Swayam.
The room which was on the second floor, had a balcony. She pushed open the glass doors and stopped in her tracks when she looked at the view. In front of her, were some trees which led to a golden beach and finally to a serene sea. She couldn't see too far due to the darkness of the night but she felt relief. From the moment she said yes to the marriage, she felt like she was in a cage, trapped; but now seeing the open sea in front of her, made her happy. She smiled inwardly after many days.
She came in the room from the balcony after what seemed like an hour. It was close to midnight and there was no sign of Swayam; although she didn't know why she was waiting for him to show up. What would she do? Talk to him? Fat chance; especially after hearing him in the wedding. She wanted to sit. She looked at the bed. It was decorated with flowers. There were flowers hanging from the ceiling as well as strewn over the bed sheet. She decided to sit on the couch. She put her head on the armrest and before she knew it she sleep dawned over her.
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