Chapter 19
The boardroom suddenly felt ten degrees colder.
I didn't even need to look toward Dhruv to feel it.
The silence itself gave him away.
Armaan stood beside me casually.
Composed.
Relaxed.
Meanwhile across the table,
Dhruv looked like he was one inconvenience away from corporate homicide.
I swallowed nervously.
"Sir, that's really not necessary..."
"It absolutely is."
Armaan interrupted smoothly.
"You did well today."
My fingers tightened slightly around the laptop.
God.
Why did this suddenly feel dangerous?
Several executives still inside the room had gone suspiciously quiet now.
Pretending to organize files while obviously listening.
Office gossip was about to become national news at this point.
I awkwardly glanced toward Dhruv finally.
Big mistake.
Because he was already staring directly at Armaan.
Not angry.
Worse.
Expressionless.
And somehow that calmness looked terrifying.
Armaan noticed too.
Definitely.
Because something amused flickered briefly in his eyes again.
Oh no.
Not this again.
I quickly tried speaking.
"Actually I should probably head home early because."
"Dinner won't take long."
Armaan remained completely calm.
Professional even.
Which somehow made the tension worse.
Because technically,
He wasn't doing anything wrong.
But unfortunately,
Dhruv clearly disagreed.
The billionaire finally stood up slowly from his chair.
Every sound in the room seemed to disappear instantly.
Even the executives looked nervous now.
Dhruv adjusted his watch calmly.
Too calmly.
Then finally spoke.
"Khanna."
Just one word.
Still enough to shift the entire atmosphere.
Armaan looked toward him easily.
"Hm?"
Dhruv's dark eyes stayed fixed on him.
"She already has dinner plans."
Excuse me WHAT.
My brows furrowed immediately.
I absolutely did not.
Armaan's eyebrow lifted slightly.
"Oh?"
Dhruv didn't even look at me while answering.
"Family dinner."
Silence.
My brain stopped functioning.
Family dinner?!
Since when?!
Meanwhile Armaan looked deeply unconvinced.
Because honestly,
Dhruv sounded exactly like a possessive husband making things up on the spot.
Which HE WAS.
Unfortunately.
I opened my mouth carefully.
"Dhruv.."
His eyes finally shifted toward me instantly.
Sharp.
Intense.
And for one terrifying second,
I understood exactly what that look meant.
Say no.
My heartbeat stumbled slightly.
Because this wasn't cold Dhruv anymore.
This was the same man from the kitchen weeks ago.
The one barely holding himself back.
The realization made the room suddenly feel too warm.
Armaan noticed the entire silent interaction between us.
Every bit of it.
And slowly,
A knowing expression crossed his face again.
Oh my God.
This man seriously noticed EVERYTHING.
He looked between us calmly before speaking again.
"I wasn't aware the Malhotras planned family dinners."
Okay wow even I felt attacked.
Dhruv's jaw tightened faintly.
But his voice remained perfectly controlled.
"We do now."
Silence.
The executives nearby genuinely looked terrified at this point.
Meanwhile I stood there like an emotionally confused hostage.
Armaan studied Dhruv quietly for one long moment.
Then finally,
Unexpectedly,
He smiled.
Not mocking.
Not annoyed.
Almost understanding.
Which honestly confused me more.
He looked toward me softly.
"Another time then."
Relief instantly flooded me.
"Oh... okay."
Dhruv looked relieved too.
Though obviously he'd rather die than admit it.
Armaan picked up his files calmly.
Then before leaving.
He paused beside me briefly.
And quietly enough that only I could hear,
"You're very talented, Riya."
My chest warmed slightly.
"Thank you, sir."
But then Armaan added one last thing while glancing briefly toward Dhruv:
"And your husband is significantly less subtle than he thinks."
My eyes widened instantly.
WHAT?!
Before I could react,
Armaan walked out of the boardroom casually like he hadn't just detonated my nervous system.
The doors closed behind him.
Silence.
Heavy silence.
I slowly turned around.
And immediately regretted existing.
Because now,
Dhruv and I were alone.
Well technically a few executives still remained.
But the moment they sensed this atmosphere,
Every single one suddenly remembered urgent work elsewhere.
Within seconds the boardroom emptied completely.
Traitors.
Absolute traitors.
The giant doors shut softly behind the last executive.
Leaving only me and Dhruv standing there.
Alone.
My heartbeat instantly became uneven.
Dhruv remained near the head of the table silently removing his cufflinks now.
Expression unreadable again.
I stood awkwardly clutching my laptop like emotional support.
Finally,
I spoke carefully.
"There isn't a family dinner, is there?"
Silence.
Then flatly,
"No."
Okay wow.
At least honesty survived.
I stared at him.
"...you lied."
Dhruv looked up slowly.
Dark eyes locking onto mine instantly.
"Yes."
No shame.
None.
I blinked in disbelief.
"Why?"
The room went quiet again.
Dhruv slid one cufflink onto the table calmly before answering.
"Because I didn't want you going to dinner alone with him."
Straightforward.
Direct.
Dangerously honest.
My breath caught slightly.
The tension from the kitchen weeks ago suddenly returned full force.
I tried keeping my voice steady.
"It would've just been professional."
Dhruv laughed softly under his breath.
That same humorless dangerous laugh.
"You're still naive enough to believe that."
I frowned immediately.
"And you're still weirdly suspicious of every man."
His jaw tightened faintly.
"Only the ones looking at you too much."
The sentence hit harder than expected.
My chest tightened instantly.
Because again,
That didn't sound temporary.
Or casual.
Or contractual.
The boardroom suddenly felt much smaller.
I swallowed softly.
"Why does it bother you so much?"
There.
The question again.
The dangerous one.
Dhruv stared at me silently for a long moment.
Then slowly started walking toward me.
One step.
Then another.
My heartbeat immediately betrayed me again.
And by the time he stopped,
He stood directly in front of me.
Close enough that I could smell his cologne faintly again.
Close enough to ruin rational thought.
His gaze searched my face quietly.
Then finally,
Very quietly,
"Because you looked happier today."
I blinked softly.
"What?"
"You smiled more."
The confession came low.
Almost rough.
"And I hated that it wasn't because of me."
Silence crashed through the room.
My heart literally forgot how to function.
Because somehow,
That sounded far more dangerous than jealousy.
That sounded like attachment.
Real attachment.
And judging by the look in Dhruv's eyes,
That terrified him too.
...
The next morning,
I was peacefully eating breakfast for once.
Which clearly offended the universe.
Because barely two bites into my toast,
Dhruv's mother entered the dining room looking unusually excited.
And whenever rich mothers looked excited,
Chaos followed.
She sat beside me immediately.
"Riya."
I blinked.
"Yes?"
"We have a wedding to attend."
Oh.
That's normal.
I nodded casually.
"Okay."
Then she smiled wider.
"In Udaipur."
My fork paused mid-air.
Wait.
Udaipur?!
Like royal palaces and destination weddings Udaipur?!
Meanwhile across the table,
Dhruv slowly looked up from his coffee.
And judging by his expression,
He already knew this conversation was about to become disastrous.
His mother continued happily.
"Our extended family will be there."
My smile froze slightly.
Extended family?
Oh no.
OH NO.
She continued like this wasn't life-threatening information.
"Many relatives couldn't attend your wedding because it happened so suddenly."
I nearly choked on air.
"So this will be the first time everyone meets you properly!"
My soul physically left my body.
Because if Dhruv's immediate family was already terrifying,
What exactly would EXTENDED billionaire family members be like?!
I looked toward Dhruv nervously for help.
Traitor just calmly sipped coffee.
Absolutely useless man.
His mother kept speaking excitedly.
"The wedding is huge. Three-day celebration."
Three DAYS?!
"We leave tomorrow morning."
I blinked rapidly.
"T-Tomorrow?"
She nodded brightly.
"Of course! We still need your outfits finalized too."
Outfits.
Plural.
Oh God.
Dhruv finally decided to participate in my suffering.
Without looking up from his coffee, he spoke flatly:
"They'll judge you."
I stared at him in horror.
His mother immediately glared at him.
"Dhruv!"
He shrugged calmly.
"I'm preparing her mentally."
EXCUSE ME?!
I frowned immediately.
"Why would they judge me?"
Silence.
Dhruv slowly looked up now.
Dark eyes meeting mine directly.
And very calmly,
"Because they're Malhotras."
Okay wow.
The confidence in that answer was concerning.
His mother sighed tiredly.
"Ignore him."
Then softer toward me,
"They're not all bad."
That was not reassuring at ALL.
Dhruv leaned back slightly in his chair.
Still looking annoyingly calm while my anxiety skyrocketed.
"They'll ask questions."
I narrowed my eyes suspiciously.
"What kind of questions?"
His expression remained unreadable.
"About your background."
Oh.
The room suddenly felt quieter.
Because there it was again.
The difference between his world and mine.
Rich billionaire dynasties.
Family reputations.
Social status.
And me,
An orphan girl who traveled in buses.
My fingers tightened slightly around the fork unconsciously.
Dhruv noticed immediately.
Of course he did.
Because despite weeks of pretending indifference,
That man still noticed every tiny shift in my expression.
His eyes darkened faintly.
His mother immediately spoke gently.
"Riya, listen to me carefully."
I looked toward her quietly.
"You are Dhruv's wife."
The sentence landed heavily.
Firmly.
"And anyone disrespecting you will answer to me first."
My chest warmed unexpectedly.
Dhruv remained silent across the table.
But strangely,
His jaw tightened slightly hearing his mother's words.
Like he agreed more than he wanted to admit.
His mother suddenly clapped softly.
"Now enough stress. We need shopping."
I blinked.
"...shopping?"
"Wedding shopping."
My soul nearly collapsed.
"No no, I already have clothes.."
Dhruv interrupted instantly.
"You don't."
Excuse me rude.
I frowned.
"My clothes are fine."
His eyes slowly traveled over my simple yellow kurti.
Then back to my face.
And with absolutely zero shame,
"For normal people maybe."
I gasped dramatically.
Dhruv's mother smacked his arm immediately.
"Behave."
Meanwhile the billionaire looked completely unrepentant.
Actually worse,
Slightly amused.
Which somehow made him more annoying.
His mother turned back toward me.
"We'll go today afternoon."
I panicked instantly.
"No, aunty, really, don't spend so much on me...."
"Riya."
Her voice softened.
Then gently,
"You're the Malhotra daughter-in-law."
Silence.
God.
I still wasn't used to hearing that.
Meanwhile across the table,
Dhruv suddenly stood up.
Coffee finished.
Meeting face returning already.
"I'm leaving."
His mother looked up immediately.
"Come shopping with us."
"No."
Too fast.
She narrowed her eyes.
"Why?"
Dhruv picked up his car keys calmly.
"Because wedding shopping with you two sounds like psychological warfare."
Okay fair enough honestly.
His mother rolled her eyes dramatically.
But just before Dhruv turned away,
His gaze shifted toward me briefly.
And the atmosphere changed instantly again.
Because despite the coldness these past weeks,
That look still carried too much.
Too much awareness.
Too much tension.
Too much everything.
Then casually,
Far too casually,
He said:
"Don't let them dress you horribly."
I blinked.
"What?"
Dhruv adjusted his watch slowly.
Still looking directly at me now.
"You already attract enough attention."
Silence.
Pure silence.
My heartbeat stumbled immediately.
Because the way he said that didn't sound casual at all.
His mother noticed too.
Of course she did.
A tiny knowing smile appeared on her face instantly.
Meanwhile I sat there internally combusting.
Dhruv finally looked away first.
Walls returning again.
Then without another word,
He walked out.
But somehow,
The air still felt charged even after he left.
His mother quietly watched me trying to process everything.
Then suddenly,
She smiled.
A dangerous motherly smile.
"Oh this wedding is going to be very interesting."