Chapter 20
Udaipur looked unreal.
Actually unreal.
The moment our private jet landed and I stepped outside,
It felt like entering another world.
Golden sunlight spread across the city beautifully.
Huge palaces shimmered near the lakes.
Everything looked royal.
Elegant.
Expensive.
And somehow,
Terrifying.
I stood near the airport exit quietly holding my dupatta while several luxury cars waited outside for the Malhotra family.
Servants.
Security guards.
Drivers.
The entire scene looked straight out of a billionaire movie.
Meanwhile I just wanted to survive the next three days emotionally.
Dhruv's uncle stepped out first from the airport doors.
Cold expression already present.
He glanced toward me briefly before speaking to a staff member beside him.
"Make sure the media doesn't photograph unnecessary people."
My chest tightened instantly.
Because I knew exactly who the unnecessary people referred to.
Dhruv's aunt laughed softly beside him.
"Hopefully she doesn't embarrass us in front of the Rajputs."
I lowered my eyes quietly.
The words hurt.
Even though by now,
I should've been used to it.
Dhruv's mother immediately frowned.
"Enough."
But neither cared.
His aunt looked toward me now with that same fake smile she always used.
The kind rich women used when insulting politely.
"You've attended royal weddings before, right Riya?"
Silence.
Everyone knew the answer.
I softly shook my head.
"No."
She smiled wider.
"Ah."
That one word carried enough judgment to make my stomach twist.
Dhruv's uncle sighed dramatically.
"Bhabi, this is exactly why the marriage should've never happened so suddenly."
The atmosphere became awkward immediately.
Dhruv's mother looked visibly irritated now.
"She's family."
His uncle responded coldly.
"Temporary family."
Silence.
The word hit harder than expected.
Temporary.
Because technically,
He wasn't wrong.
The contract marriage.
The six months remaining.
All of it suddenly came rushing back painfully.
I looked away quickly before anyone noticed my expression.
And unfortunately,
Dhruv noticed immediately.
Of course he did.
He had been silent this entire time near the cars.
Black shirt.
Black sunglasses.
Cold intimidating presence as usual.
But the second his uncle said temporary,
Dhruv's jaw visibly tightened.
The atmosphere shifted subtly.
Dangerously.
He slowly removed his sunglasses.
Then finally spoke.
And God.
His voice came ice cold.
"If anyone has a problem with my wife,"
Silence instantly filled the area.
Even the staff froze.
Dhruv looked directly at his uncle now.
Sharp.
Unforgiving.
"They can leave."
My breath caught instantly.
Because somehow,
Hearing him publicly call me my wife still affected me every single time.
His uncle looked stunned for half a second.
Clearly not expecting Dhruv to interfere.
His aunt immediately scoffed softly.
"We're only trying to protect the family's reputation."
Dhruv stared at her blankly.
"The family's reputation survived me marrying her."
Another pause.
"It'll survive her attending a wedding."
The air felt painfully tense now.
Nobody spoke.
Because when Dhruv used that tone,
Even powerful businessmen shut up.
His mother quietly looked relieved beside me.
Meanwhile my own heartbeat felt messy.
Confused.
Warm.
Because despite weeks of coldness—
Dhruv still stepped in the moment someone hurt me.
Every single time.
And somehow,
That mattered too much now.
Dhruv finally looked toward me briefly.
His expression softened for one tiny second.
Barely noticeable.
But there.
Then flatly,
"Get in the car."
I obeyed immediately because honestly everyone here terrified me.
...
The drive toward the palace hotel felt like a dream.
Or maybe a fever hallucination caused by wealth.
The roads glowed beautifully under evening lights.
Traditional musicians played near entrances.
Huge decorated elephants stood outside luxury venues.
Everywhere looked magical.
Meanwhile I sat silently beside the car window trying not to panic.
Dhruv sat beside me in the backseat.
One hand resting against the door.
Phone in the other.
Expression unreadable again.
The distance between us had returned these past weeks.
But now,
After what happened outside the airport,
The silence felt different.
Heavy.
Charged.
His mother sat in the front while his uncle and aunt traveled separately.
Thank God.
I quietly watched the city outside.
Then softly,
"It's beautiful."
For a second I thought nobody heard me.
Then beside me,
Dhruv spoke quietly without looking up from his phone.
"Wait till night."
My eyes shifted toward him instinctively.
He still wasn't looking at me.
But somehow,
That one sentence still felt intimate.
Like he wanted me to see something beautiful.
My stupid heart reacted immediately.
Rude.
A few minutes later,
The cars finally stopped.
And my breath literally disappeared.
The palace hotel looked impossible.
Massive white architecture glowing under hundreds of golden lights.
Grand staircases.
Fountains.
Royal decor everywhere.
People dressed in designer outfits moved around elegantly.
It genuinely looked like kings lived here.
I stepped out slowly from the car.
Completely stunned.
Then immediately froze again.
Because near the entrance,
At least fifteen people stood waiting already.
Men in expensive sherwanis.
Women covered in diamonds.
The Malhotra extended family.
Oh no.
OH NO.
The moment they noticed Dhruv,
Everything changed instantly.
People straightened.
Conversations paused.
Eyes shifted toward him with respect.
Fear too.
Because no matter where he went,
Dhruv Malhotra carried power around him like an aura.
Then slowly,
Their eyes shifted toward me.
And suddenly,
I felt painfully underdressed despite wearing expensive clothes.
Whispers started immediately.
"That's her?"
"She looks so simple."
"She's prettier than expected though..."
"Still not Malhotra standard."
Every word reached me.
Every single one.
My fingers tightened around my clutch nervously.
Dhruv's aunt looked almost satisfied seeing everyone's reactions.
Meanwhile I just wanted the ground to swallow me whole.
Then suddenly,
A glamorous woman walked forward smiling brightly.
Probably one of the relatives.
She hugged Dhruv warmly first.
"My God, you've become even more handsome."
Dhruv looked deeply uninterested.
Then her eyes shifted toward me.
And immediately,
The smile changed.
Subtle.
Judging.
"Oh."
Silence.
Then sweetly poisonous,
"So you're the girl."
My throat tightened.
Before I could even answer,
A deep voice beside me spoke coldly.
"Her name is Riya."
The woman froze instantly.
Everyone did.
Because Dhruv sounded dangerous again.
His dark eyes remained fixed on the relative now.
"And she's my wife."
Silence crashed through the entrance area.
No softness.
No hesitation.
No embarrassment.
Just absolute certainty.
My heartbeat stumbled painfully.
Because somehow,
Hearing him say it in front of everyone felt different this time.
Real.
Terrifyingly real.
The woman awkwardly smiled immediately.
"Of course, I didn't mean,"
Dhruv had already walked past her.
One hand lightly touching my lower back.
Guiding me inside with him.
Protective.
Possessive.
And so subtle that maybe nobody noticed.
Nobody except me.
And unfortunately,
Nobody except the entire Malhotra family staring after us now like something dangerous had just begun.
The palace room was bigger than my entire childhood apartment.
Actually bigger.
I stood near the entrance still stunned while servants carried our luggage inside quietly.
Gold lamps.
Royal carved furniture.
Huge balcony overlooking the lake.
Silk curtains flowing softly because of the night breeze.
And in the center,
One massive bed.
ONE.
I froze instantly.
Beside me, Dhruv looked equally unimpressed.
His mother stood at the doorway with crossed arms.
And unfortunately,
That expression meant trouble.
"No separate room drama," she warned immediately.
Dhruv sighed tiredly.
"Mom..."
"No."
She pointed directly at both of us.
"Half the family already keeps gossiping about your marriage."
Then toward me gently:
"And these people notice everything."
I awkwardly looked down.
Because honestly,
She wasn't wrong.
Rich families survived on gossip and emotional destruction.
His mother continued firmly.
"You both will stay here like a married couple."
Dhruv's jaw tightened faintly.
Clearly uncomfortable.
Meanwhile my heartbeat was already panicking.
Same room?
With THIS man?
After the kitchen incident?!
God help me.
His mother smiled sweetly before leaving.
"Goodnight."
And just like that,
The door closed.
Silence.
Painful silence.
I stood near the sofa awkwardly clutching my dupatta while Dhruv loosened his watch calmly.
Like sharing a room with me didn't affect him at all.
Rude.
Very rude.
He walked toward the work desk near the balcony, opened his laptop, and immediately started typing emails.
Back to business mode.
I quietly looked around the room nervously.
Okay.
Calm down.
It was just sleeping.
Not illegal.
Probably.
After a few minutes,
I slowly walked toward the balcony doors.
And instantly,
My breath disappeared.
Udaipur at night looked magical.
The lake reflected hundreds of golden lights beautifully.
The stars above looked impossibly bright.
Soft music echoed faintly from another wedding function happening somewhere below.
The cool night breeze touched my face gently.
And for the first time today,
I smiled.
A real smile.
Without realizing it, I whispered softly:
"It's so pretty."
Behind me,
Keyboard typing sounds stopped briefly.
Then continued again.
I stayed near the balcony staring outside for another minute before turning toward Dhruv.
He sat on the chair near the desk.
Black shirt sleeves rolled upward.
Laptop glow reflecting against his sharp features.
God.
Even working he looked annoyingly attractive.
I cleared my throat softly.
"Dhruv?"
"Hm."
Still typing.
I twisted my fingers together slightly.
"I wanna see Udaipur properly."
That got his attention briefly.
His eyes lifted toward me for one second.
Then back to the laptop.
"It's midnight."
I nodded quickly.
"I know but look outside!"
I pointed excitedly toward the balcony.
"The stars are so pretty."
Silence.
Then flatly,
"So?"
EXCUSE ME.
I frowned.
"And the lake looks even prettier at night."
"Hm."
This man had the emotional range of a corporate spreadsheet.
I continued hopefully anyway.
"We could just walk around a little?"
"No."
Too fast.
Immediate rejection.
My excitement instantly deflated.
"Oh."
Dhruv kept typing calmly.
"It's crowded outside."
I sighed softly.
"I'll stay careful."
"No."
Again.
I stared at him in disbelief.
"Do you only know one word?"
This time his jaw twitched faintly.
Almost like he was hiding amusement.
Almost.
But his expression remained cold.
"It's late."
I crossed my arms dramatically.
"I'm not a child."
"No," he answered calmly.
"Children are easier to manage."
Okay wow rude.
I glared at him.
Meanwhile he continued working like ruining my mood was part of his business strategy.
The room fell quiet again.
Rain-scented breeze entered softly through the balcony doors while distant music floated through the palace.
And honestly?
The atmosphere felt weirdly intimate.
Dangerously intimate.
Especially with only one bed existing behind us.
My nervous system hated this room.
I quietly sat near the balcony couch trying not to think about it.
After a few minutes...
A knock suddenly echoed through the room.
Dhruv didn't even look up.
"Come in."
The door opened immediately afterward.
And a man walked inside casually.
Tall.
Handsome.
Probably around twenty-seven.
Dressed in an expensive black kurta.
Sharp smile.
Confident rich-boy energy radiating everywhere.
The moment his eyes landed on me,
He froze.
Actually froze.
Then slowly,
Very slowly,
His expression changed.
Oh no.
OH NO.
Because I recognized that look instantly.
The immediate crush look.
Unfortunately.
The man recovered quickly before grinning.
"Well damn."
My eyes widened slightly.
He looked directly at me while speaking now.
"So the mysterious wife actually exists."
Dhruv's typing stopped instantly.
The atmosphere shifted subtly.
Dangerously.
The man walked inside fully before extending his hand toward me.
"I'm Aarav."
His smile widened slightly.
"Dhruv's favorite cousin."
From the desk,
Dhruv answered flatly:
"Nobody says that."
Aarav ignored him completely.
Still looking at me.
"And you are significantly prettier than the family gossip described."
I awkwardly shook his hand politely.
"T-Thank you."
Dhruv finally looked up now.
Dark eyes cold instantly.
"Aarav."
The warning in his voice was obvious.
But unfortunately,
Aarav looked entertained instead.
He glanced toward the balcony.
Then toward me again.
"You haven't explored Udaipur yet, right?"
My eyes lit up immediately.
"No!"
Aarav gasped dramatically.
"Criminal."
Meanwhile somewhere behind us,
Dhruv closed his laptop slowly.
Very slowly.
And somehow that felt threatening.
Aarav continued casually:
"The lake looks insane at night. I'll show you around."
My face brightened instantly.
Really?!
But before I could even answer,
Dhruv spoke.
And God.
His voice came ice cold.
"She's not going anywhere."
Silence.
Aarav blinked once.
Then slowly looked toward Dhruv.
"Oh?"
Dhruv stood up now.
Tall.
Intimidating.
Expression unreadable.
But those dark eyes?
Sharp enough to cut glass.
Aarav looked between us knowingly.
And suddenly,
That idiot smiled wider.
Like he understood something interesting.
He leaned casually against the sofa.
"I'm literally just showing bhabhi around."
Dhruv stared at him blankly.
"No."
The room went silent.
Because this wasn't normal coldness anymore.
This was possessiveness trying desperately to disguise itself as authority.
And Aarav noticed instantly.
Actually,
He looked delighted by it.
My oblivious self simply frowned.
"But you said no."
Dhruv's gaze immediately snapped toward me.
"Exactly."
I blinked innocently.
"So if you won't take me and Aarav will.."
"No."
Again?!
I stared at him in disbelief.
Aarav looked like he was physically fighting laughter now.
Meanwhile Dhruv looked one second away from throwing him out the palace window.
The cousin finally grinned openly.
"Oh my God."
Silence.
Then dramatically toward me:
"Bhabhi, I think your husband is jealous."
The room froze instantly.
And judging by the deadly look on Dhruv's face,
Aarav had officially chosen death tonight.