Chapter 15
For the first time in days,
I finally stepped outside the mansion.
And honestly?
It felt amazing.
The city moved beautifully outside the car windows while soft music played in the background.
Beside me, Dhruv's mother smiled warmly.
"You were getting bored at home."
I laughed softly.
"A little."
"Exactly why I kidnapped you today."
I smiled again.
And weirdly...
Being around her always felt comforting.
Like warmth inside a mansion built from ice.
She adjusted the pallu of her saree before speaking again.
"Besides, you should see the company properly."
My eyes widened slightly.
"The actual Malhotra Enterprises building?"
She chuckled softly.
"Yes."
Oh God.
The infamous Malhotra empire.
The same company people literally studied in business schools.
The same empire Dhruv had managed since he was eighteen.
The same empire that practically owned half the world.
No pressure.
About thirty minutes later,
The car finally stopped.
And my breath caught instantly.
The building looked unreal.
Massive glass architecture rising against the skyline like something out of a billionaire fantasy movie.
The huge silver logo of MALHOTRA ENTERPRISES gleamed under sunlight.
Employees hurried in and out.
Luxury cars lined outside.
Security everywhere.
The atmosphere itself screamed power.
I stepped out slowly.
Completely stunned.
Dhruv's mother smiled proudly beside me.
"He built most of this himself after his father passed away."
Something in my chest tightened slightly hearing that.
Because no matter how cold Dhruv was,
Everyone spoke about him with a strange kind of respect.
Fear too.
But respect more.
The moment we entered the building...
Everything changed instantly.
Employees straightened immediately.
Managers practically appeared from nowhere.
Everyone greeted Dhruv's mother nervously.
And unfortunately,
Everyone stared at me too.
Whispers started almost immediately.
"Mrs. Malhotra.."
"That's her?"
"I've never seen her before.."
"She's prettier than the media pictures..."
I awkwardly looked down.
God.
Rich people offices were terrifying.
Dhruv's mother gently held my hand reassuringly.
"Ignore them."
Easy for her to say.
She practically owned the building.
We stepped into the private elevator reserved for the Malhotra family.
My heartbeat somehow grew more nervous while going upward.
Maybe because,
This was Dhruv's world.
Not the mansion.
Not cold dinners.
Not silent hallways.
This.
Power.
Control.
Authority.
The elevator doors finally opened at the top floor.
And wow.
The entire floor looked absurdly luxurious.
Dark interiors.
Glass walls overlooking the city.
Quiet expensive elegance everywhere.
People moved around carefully here.
Almost nervously.
Like one wrong move could end careers.
Dhruv's mother smiled slightly at my expression.
"Scared?"
"A little."
She laughed softly.
"Good. Means you're smart."
Okay wow.
We walked through the giant hallway while assistants greeted us respectfully.
Then finally,
We stopped outside massive black double doors.
My eyes shifted toward the silver nameplate.
DHRUV MALHOTRA.
Just seeing his name there felt intimidating.
His mother pushed the doors open casually.
And the second we entered,
The world stopped.
Dhruv stood near his desk.
Black suit.
Sleeves rolled slightly upward.
Phone abandoned on the table beside him.
And in his arms,
Was Isha.
My breath caught instantly.
She clung tightly to him while crying uncontrollably against his chest.
Actually crying.
Dhruv's hand rested against her back.
Not hugging tightly.
But still there.
Still touching her.
The entire room blurred slightly around me.
For one horrible second,
Nobody noticed me standing there.
Not Dhruv.
Not Isha.
And suddenly,
Something sharp twisted painfully inside my chest.
I didn't even understand why.
Because technically,
Isha belonged here more than I did.
She was the one meant to marry him.
Beautiful.
Rich.
Perfect for his world.
Not me.
Just me.
The orphan girl accidentally standing inside the wrong life.
Then suddenly,
Dhruv looked up.
And the second his eyes met mine,
Everything changed.
His entire body went still instantly.
Completely still.
Like the sight of me there shocked him.
I saw it happen in real time.
His expression shifting sharply.
His hand slowly dropping away from Isha.
The atmosphere in the room tightening immediately.
But it was too late.
Because I'd already seen enough.
My chest hurt strangely.
Stupidly.
I forced a tiny smile quickly.
"I-I'm sorry."
My voice sounded smaller than usual.
"I didn't know someone was here."
Dhruv immediately stepped slightly away from Isha.
"Riya!"
But I shook my head quickly.
"It's okay."
God why was my voice trembling?
I smiled again despite it physically hurting.
"You guys talk."
Then before anyone could stop me,
I turned around and walked out.
Fast.
Too fast.
My shoulder hurt from the sudden movement but I barely noticed.
Because suddenly breathing itself felt difficult.
The hallway outside looked blurry now.
Why?
Why was I reacting like this?
This marriage meant nothing.
Dhruv himself said so.
So why did seeing another woman in his arms feel like someone had physically squeezed my heart?
Stupid.
So stupid.
I walked toward the elevator quickly before tears could embarrass me.
But just as I pressed the button,
A familiar voice called sharply behind me.
"Riya."
My fingers froze instantly.
Because somehow,
Dhruv sounded panicked.
And,
The elevator doors hadn't even opened yet when footsteps echoed rapidly behind me.
Fast.
Urgent.
And before I could react,
A hand grabbed my wrist gently.
"Riya."
My heartbeat stumbled instantly.
I turned around.
Dhruv stood there slightly out of breath.
Which honestly shocked me more than anything else.
Because Dhruv Malhotra did not run after people.
Ever.
Yet here he was.
Standing in the middle of his billion-dollar office hallway looking visibly tense.
His dark eyes searched my face immediately.
Sharp.
Concerned.
Almost frustrated.
And somehow,
That made everything worse.
I quickly looked away.
"I said it's okay."
"It doesn't look okay."
The answer came instantly.
Too instantly.
I swallowed softly.
The elevator still hadn't arrived yet.
Great.
Absolutely fantastic timing.
I tried pulling my wrist back carefully.
But Dhruv didn't let go.
Not tightly.
Just enough to stop me from walking away.
The hallway around us had gone completely silent now.
Employees nearby suddenly became extremely interested in pretending to work.
Because apparently watching the terrifying CEO chase his wife down the hallway was historic corporate entertainment.
I lowered my voice nervously.
"People are staring."
"I don't care."
Again.
Too fast.
Too emotional.
My chest tightened painfully.
I finally looked up at him properly.
And God.
He genuinely looked upset.
Not angry.
Upset.
Like me walking away actually affected him.
The realization itself scared me.
So instead,
I said the first thing my stupid emotional brain thought.
"If you want to marry Isha..."
Dhruv's brows furrowed instantly.
"...what?"
I forced a tiny smile despite how badly my chest hurt.
"I'll sign the divorce immediately."
Silence.
Pure silence.
Even the hallway somehow felt quieter.
I continued quickly before courage disappeared.
"It's okay, really."
God why did my voice sound like that?
"I mean she was supposed to marry you anyway and..."
"Stop."
The word came sharp.
Instant.
I blinked slightly.
Dhruv stared at me like he couldn't believe what he was hearing.
Then slowly,
Very slowly,
"What exactly are you talking about?"
I frowned softly.
"I saw her hugging you."
"And?"
The answer came so flatly that I almost got offended.
AND?!
I stared at him in disbelief.
"Dhruv she was literally crying in your arms!"
His jaw tightened faintly.
"Because her father is in the hospital."
Oh.
Oh.
My entire brain stopped functioning immediately.
I blinked.
Once.
Twice.
"...what?"
Dhruv looked exhausted suddenly.
Like this conversation physically drained him.
"Isha came because her father suffered a heart attack this morning."
My stomach dropped instantly.
Guilt crashed over me immediately.
Oh God.
I looked away quickly.
"I didn't know."
"Clearly."
Okay wow rude.
Fair.
But rude.
I swallowed softly.
"I'm sorry."
Dhruv stared at me silently for a long moment.
Then his gaze sharpened slightly again.
"Why would you mention divorce?"
The question came quieter now.
More dangerous somehow.
I froze.
Because honestly?
I didn't fully know myself.
I looked down nervously.
"I just thought..."
My fingers twisted together softly.
"...you'd rather be with her."
The second those words left my mouth,
Dhruv's entire expression changed.
Something dark flickered across his face instantly.
Not anger.
Something worse.
Like genuine irritation at the idea itself.
He stepped closer.
Close enough that my heartbeat immediately betrayed me again.
"Riya."
His voice lowered sharply.
"I don't want to marry Isha."
The words hit harder than expected.
I blinked slowly.
"But she was your fiancée."
"No."
He corrected immediately.
"She was a girl my family approved of."
The coldness in his tone shocked me slightly.
No emotion.
No affection.
Nothing.
I frowned softly.
"Still... you cared about her enough to marry her."
Dhruv laughed quietly.
A humorless sound.
"You think I believe in marriage?"
Okay fair point.
This man believed in emotional damage and business meetings.
Nothing else.
But still,
"Then why were you hugging her?"
Silence.
Then flatly,
"Because she was crying."
Oh.
Right.
That actually sounded reasonable.
I suddenly felt very stupid.
Dhruv noticed immediately.
Because something faintly amused flickered in his eyes for half a second.
Tiny.
Almost invisible.
But there.
"You thought I was replacing you already?"
My face immediately heated up.
"No!"
Liar.
Complete liar.
Dhruv stared at me knowingly.
And somehow,
That look alone embarrassed me more.
I quickly looked away.
"I just didn't want to become a problem between you two."
The atmosphere shifted instantly again.
Because suddenly,
Dhruv looked genuinely annoyed.
Not at me.
At the sentence itself.
"A problem?"
He stepped even closer now.
Close enough that my back nearly touched the elevator doors.
His dark eyes locked onto mine intensely.
"You think another woman walking into my office changes anything?"
My breath caught slightly.
Because once again,
The way he said things felt too intense.
Too personal.
I swallowed softly.
"This marriage is temporary."
There.
The reminder existed again.
Necessary.
Dangerous.
Dhruv went silent.
His jaw tightened sharply.
Like he hated hearing that sentence now.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Then quietly,
"Stop saying that."
I blinked.
"What?"
His gaze didn't leave mine.
"I heard you the first hundred times."
The tension between us felt suffocating now.
The elevator finally dinged open behind me.
But neither of us moved.
Neither looked away.
And suddenly,
The air itself felt charged.
Dhruv's eyes slowly searched my face.
Then unexpectedly,
His hand lifted gently toward my injured shoulder.
Careful.
Always careful around the injury.
His fingers adjusted the edge of the dupatta near the bandage slightly.
Such a tiny action.
Yet somehow unbearably intimate.
My heartbeat became painfully loud.
His voice dropped lower now.
Almost rough.
"If I wanted you gone..."
His eyes held mine intensely.
"...you would've signed those divorce papers months ago."
Silence.
The world genuinely stopped for a second.
Because suddenly,
I realized something terrifying.
Dhruv never once asked me to leave after that first argument.
Not once.
And somehow,
I don't think he wanted me to anymore.