Chapter 8
Morning sunlight slowly spilled into Dhruv's room.
Soft golden light touched the dark walls.
The city outside was already awake.
But inside the room,
Everything was quiet.
Dhruv opened his eyes slowly.
For a second, he looked disoriented.
Probably because he wasn't used to sleeping properly.
Or maybe because the last thing he remembered was a certain stubborn girl forcing him to drink kadha like an angry grandmother.
His brows furrowed faintly.
Something cold rested against his forehead.
A cold strip.
And then,
His gaze shifted downward.
Toward the side of the bed.
Toward me.
I was asleep on the floor beside him.
Curled up awkwardly against the side of the bed, one hand still loosely resting near the bowl of water and medicine strips.
My hair fell messily across my face.
I looked exhausted.
Like I hadn't slept properly all night.
Dhruv stared silently.
Expression unreadable.
For a long moment, he simply watched me.
Not softly.
Not lovingly.
Just... quietly.
As if trying to understand something.
Then his eyes moved toward the medicine on the table.
The changed strips.
The empty glass.
The signs that someone had actually stayed beside him the whole night.
Something shifted faintly in his expression.
Tiny.
Almost invisible.
Then immediately,
Walls returned.
Because Dhruv Malhotra did not get emotionally affected over small acts of care.
Especially not from his contract wife.
He looked away toward the windows.
But his gaze unconsciously returned to me again seconds later.
Still sleeping on the floor.
His jaw tightened slightly.
Why the hell was she sleeping on the floor?
Before he could think further,
I suddenly stirred awake.
My eyes blinked open in confusion.
For two seconds, I forgot where I was.
Then I saw him awake.
Instant panic hit me.
"Oh my god."
I sat up quickly.
"Your fever!"
Without thinking, I immediately leaned closer and placed my hand against his forehead again.
The touch made him go still instantly.
Again.
Every single time.
Like his body itself wasn't used to gentleness.
I checked carefully.
Then visibly relaxed.
"It's gone."
The relief in my voice came out genuine.
Too genuine.
Dhruv noticed.
Of course he noticed.
His dark eyes stayed on my face quietly.
Studying every expression.
Every movement.
Like he was trying to figure out why someone would care this much without wanting anything in return.
The thought itself probably confused him.
I quickly pulled my hand back awkwardly after realizing how close we were.
God.
I was practically leaning over him.
I moved away instantly.
"Sorry."
Silence.
Then his rough morning voice finally broke through.
"You stayed here the whole night?"
I nodded softly while fixing my messy hair.
"You had high fever."
His brows pulled together faintly.
"And?"
I blinked.
And?
Was that seriously his response?
I looked at him like he was insane.
"You were sick."
Dhruv stared at me for a second.
Then looked away first.
Almost irritated.
Like the conversation itself made him uncomfortable.
Before I could say anything else,
My eyes suddenly landed on the digital clock beside the bed.
8:47 AM.
My soul left my body.
"Oh no."
I stood up so fast I almost slipped.
Dhruv looked back immediately.
"What happened?"
"I'M LATE."
Panic exploded through me instantly.
I grabbed my phone from the side table.
Dead battery.
Perfect.
Absolutely perfect.
Dhruv watched me rushing around his room in confusion.
I quickly plugged my phone in.
The screen lit up after a second.
And my stomach dropped.
12 missed calls.
3 emails.
One interview reminder.
My interview.
The company I had applied to yesterday afternoon.
And the other job applications I'd sent last night.
My eyes widened in horror.
"Oh my god oh my god! MY INTERVIEW!!"
Dhruv's expression darkened slightly.
"What interview?"
I froze.
Right.
Slowly, I looked toward him.
"I applied to another company."
Silence.
The room temperature itself seemed to drop.
Dhruv sat up straighter against the headboard.
His eyes became cold again instantly.
That familiar unreadable look returning.
"You applied again after I told you not to."
I swallowed nervously,
"I need a normal job."
His jaw clenched faintly.
"There is nothing normal about you anymore."
That line irritated me again.
I turned toward him.
"Maybe I don't want to spend my whole life being known only as your wife."
The words slipped out before I could stop them.
Silence.
Dangerous silence.
Dhruv's eyes locked onto mine sharply.
And for one second,
Something in his expression changed.
Not hurt.
His ego.
Because nobody in his world ever implied being associated with him wasn't enough.
I immediately regretted the sentence slightly.
But before I could correct it,
He suddenly spoke.
Coldly calm.
"What's the company name?"
I hesitated.
Big mistake.
Because his expression darkened instantly.
"Riya."
I sighed softly.
"Vertex Solutions."
The moment the name left my mouth,
Dhruv gave a short humorless laugh.
My stomach tightened.
"What?"
He looked almost offended now.
"You're leaving a company owned by me to work for my competitor?"
I blinked.
"What?"
Of course.
Of course the company belonged to his competitor.
Why did every road somehow connect back to Dhruv Malhotra?
I looked exhausted suddenly.
"I didn't know."
Dhruv watched me quietly for a long moment.
Then his gaze shifted toward the clock.
8:52 AM.
The interview was probably at 9:30.
I quickly grabbed my bag in panic.
"I need to go."
But before I could move past him,
His voice stopped me.
"I'll drop you."
Silence.
I turned slowly.
Certain I'd heard wrong.
Dhruv looked equally annoyed by his own sentence honestly.
Like even he didn't know why he'd offered.
I stared at him in shock.
"You... what?"
His expression became colder immediately.
"Don't make me repeat myself."
And somehow,
That made my heartbeat stumble harder than it should have.
The drive was painfully silent.
Dhruv sat beside me in the driver's seat, one hand resting against the steering wheel while the city blurred past outside.
Black shirt.
Rolled sleeves.
Sharp jaw.
Cold expression.
Even with fever barely gone, he somehow still looked intimidating enough to own the entire road.
Meanwhile I sat beside him nervously clutching my file folder like my life depended on it.
Because honestly?
Maybe it did.
This interview mattered.
A fresh start.
A normal life away from the Malhotra empire.
Or at least... as normal as possible while carrying Dhruv's surname.
My eyes kept shifting toward the dashboard clock every few seconds.
9:02 AM.
God.
I was already cutting it close.
Dhruv noticed.
Of course he noticed.
"You keep staring at the clock like it'll move slower."
His tone remained flat.
I sighed anxiously.
"My interview starts at 9:30."
He gave a short nod.
Then suddenly,
THUD.
The car jerked slightly.
Dhruv's brows furrowed immediately.
Another rough sound followed.
He slowed the car near the roadside.
My stomach dropped instantly.
"No no no no..."
Dhruv stepped out calmly.
I followed immediately.
One look at the tire and my soul practically left my body.
Punctured.
Perfect.
Absolutely perfect.
The universe genuinely hated me.
Dhruv crouched slightly near the tire, jaw tightening faintly.
I checked the time again.
9:11 AM.
Panic exploded inside me.
"Dhruv."
He didn't respond immediately.
Probably already mentally calculating who to fire over this.
"Dhruv."
This time he looked at me.
"I'll go by rickshaw."
His expression hardened instantly.
"What?"
"I'll get late otherwise."
I quickly looked around the road desperately before spotting an auto nearby.
Without waiting further, I rushed toward it.
"Riya."
His voice stopped me for half a second.
I turned back.
Dhruv stood beside the car, wind moving slightly through his dark hair.
Looking irritated.
Powerful.
And weirdly intense.
"I said I'll handle it." he said.
I swallowed hard.
But time was slipping away.
And honestly?
Depending on Dhruv always somehow ended with me feeling powerless.
So I shook my head softly.
"I'll manage."
Before he could say anything else, I quickly entered the auto.
The driver sped away.
And through the mirror,
I saw Dhruv still standing there watching the rickshaw disappear into traffic.
Expression unreadable.
...
By the time I reached Vertex Solutions, I was sweating, breathless, and already late.
The giant glass building stood tall before me.
Modern.
Professional.
Intimidating.
I rushed inside immediately.
"Interview for the management position," I said hurriedly to the receptionist.
The woman typed something into her system.
Then her polite smile disappeared slightly.
"I'm sorry ma'am."
My heartbeat slowed.
"The interview slot closed twenty minutes ago."
Silence.
I blinked slowly.
"What?"
"The panel already left."
No.
No no no.
I gripped my folder tighter.
"Please," I whispered softly. "Can you just ask once? I had an emergency."
The receptionist looked sympathetic.
But firm.
"I'm really sorry."
That was it.
Done.
Finished.
I stood there frozen while people walked around me busily.
My chest suddenly felt heavy.
Because yesterday,
Out of anger and frustration,
I had already resigned from my old job.
Dhruv's company.
And now this interview was gone too.
I had nothing left.
No job.
No stability.
No independence.
And worst of all,
Dhruv had been right.
The thought alone made my eyes sting.
I quietly thanked the receptionist and walked outside.
The city suddenly felt too loud.
Too crowded.
Too lonely.
...
The entire day passed in a blur.
I walked aimlessly through crowded streets for hours.
Applying to more jobs online.
Getting rejected.
Ignoring calls from unknown numbers.
Ignoring the growing ache in my feet.
By evening, exhaustion had settled deep into my bones.
The sky darkened slowly.
Streetlights flickered on one by one.
My stomach hurt from not eating properly.
But honestly?
The emotional exhaustion hurt more.
For the first time since marriage,
I truly felt trapped.
Because no matter where I went...
Dhruv's shadow followed.
And now even my career was collapsing because of it.
By the time night settled over the city, it was almost 9 PM.
I walked slowly along the roadside, hugging my bag close.
Cars rushed past.
People moved around me.
Nobody noticed the girl silently trying not to cry in the middle of a crowded city.
And then,
Everything happened too fast.
A man stood near the road, talking angrily on his phone.
Tall.
Broad shoulders.
Expensive grey suit.
Luxury watch glinting beneath streetlights.
Definitely rich.
Definitely powerful.
He looked distracted while arguing on the call.
"Cancel the Dubai investors if they can't!"
A car suddenly sped toward him.
Fast.
Too fast.
My eyes widened instantly.
"LOOK OUT!"
But he didn't hear.
The headlights came closer.
My body moved before my brain did.
I ran forward immediately and shoved him hard away from the road.
The car screeched violently.
Pain exploded through my elbow as I hit the rough pavement.
My forehead slammed slightly against the road too.
For a second,
Everything blurred.
The man fell beside me, shocked.
The speeding car disappeared into traffic instantly.
People started shouting nearby.
My elbow burned painfully.
I sat up slowly with a wince.
Blood trickled slightly near my forehead.
The man beside me stared at me in disbelief.
Dark eyes.
Sharp features.
Messy black hair falling slightly over his forehead.
God.
Even injured and dizzy, I could tell he looked ridiculously handsome.
Rich-rich handsome.
Like billionaire magazine-cover handsome.
"You pushed me."
His voice sounded stunned.
I blinked.
"Obviously."
He stared at me for another long second.
Then quickly looked at my injured arm.
"You're bleeding."
I glanced down finally.
Oh.
Right.
Blood.
Honestly, I was too emotionally exhausted to care anymore.
"It's okay."
I tried standing up.
Pain shot through my elbow immediately.
Before I could lose balance,
His hand gripped my waist firmly to steady me.
My breath caught.
The contact lasted barely two seconds.
But still,
My heartbeat stumbled slightly from shock.
The stranger looked genuinely angry now.
"How is this okay?"
I looked away awkwardly.
"I'm fine."
"You could've died."
His voice became sharper.
And weirdly,
Concerned.
Like he actually meant it.
I stayed quiet.
The stranger studied my face carefully now.
His brows pulled together slightly.
"Wait."
Something flickered in his eyes.
"I know you."
My stomach dropped instantly.
Oh no.
Please no.
Then realization hit him.
"You're Dhruv Malhotra's wife."
Of course.
Of course even strangers recognized me now.
I forced a tired smile.
"Unfortunately, yes."
The billionaire actually looked surprised at my answer.
Then suddenly,
A black luxury car screeched near the roadside.
Security guards rushed out immediately.
"Sir!"
The stranger ignored them completely.
His attention stayed on me.
One guard spoke quickly.
"Mr. Khanna, are you alright?!"
Khanna.
My brain froze.
Khanna?
As in,
Armaan Khanna.
Owner of Vertex Solutions.
My eyes widened instantly.
The same company where I'd lost my interview this morning.
And standing before me right now,
Was the billionaire owner himself.
Armaan looked back at me slowly.
Then at the folder still clutched tightly in my hands.
His eyes narrowed slightly after noticing the Vertex interview papers sticking out.
And then,
Very slowly,
A dangerous little smile appeared on his face.
"Interesting."