Chapter 26
The Malhotra mansion had transformed into a fortress overnight.
Armed guards outside every gate.
Luxury black SUVs stationed around the property.
New security cameras installed everywhere.
Even the staff moved nervously now.
Because everybody understood one thing clearly,
Someone wanted me dead.
And Dhruv Malhotra had become terrifying because of it.
....
The next morning felt heavy.
I barely slept the entire night after the memory flash from the pendant.
Every time I closed my eyes,
Rain.
Blood.
That symbol.
Something about it felt horribly important.
Yet impossible to remember fully.
I sat quietly in the living room wearing one of Dhruv's oversized hoodies again while absentmindedly holding a cup of tea.
Blanket wrapped around me.
Soft morning sunlight entered through the giant windows.
But the mansion no longer felt warm.
It felt watched.
And honestly?
I was scared.
The realization itself frustrated me.
Because I'd survived alone for years.
Yet suddenly,
One attack had shaken me completely.
Maybe because now,
I had something to lose.
Or someone.
My thoughts stopped immediately at that point.
No.
Absolutely not.
Dangerous thoughts.
Very dangerous thoughts.
The front entrance suddenly opened.
Several guards straightened instantly.
And then,
Armaan entered.
Black shirt.
Dark jeans.
Messy hair like he hadn't slept properly either.
But what caught my attention instantly,
Was the look on his face.
Fury.
Cold fury.
The second his eyes found me sitting there alive,
His shoulders relaxed slightly.
Like he'd been holding his breath.
"Riya."
I stood up softly.
"Armaan sir..."
Before I could finish,
He crossed the room quickly and held my shoulders carefully checking me for injuries.
His expression darkened seeing the exhaustion on my face.
"You should be resting."
My heart warmed slightly at the concern.
"I'm okay."
"You were literally shot at."
Fair point.
Armaan exhaled sharply running a hand through his hair frustratedly.
"You could've died."
The sentence hit harder hearing it aloud again.
Because somehow,
Everyone around me sounded more shaken than I felt.
And maybe that scared me most.
Armaan looked at me intensely.
"Do you remember anything else?"
I shook my head slowly.
"Just flashes."
His jaw tightened.
"I've assigned my entire private security team to investigate."
I blinked slightly.
"You didn't have to.."
"I wanted to."
The sentence came immediately.
Firmly.
And unfortunately,
With enough emotion to make the atmosphere shift slightly.
Because Armaan looked genuinely furious on my behalf.
Dangerously furious.
Then quietly,
"If I find the men responsible,"
His voice darkened sharply.
"I'll give them the worst death imaginable."
Silence filled the room.
And right then,
Another voice entered coldly from behind.
"You won't need to."
The air instantly changed.
I turned immediately.
Dhruv.
Hands in pockets.
Calm expression.
Deadly eyes.
And God,
The jealousy on his face the second he saw Armaan standing close to me?
Insane.
Absolutely insane.
Armaan slowly straightened.
The tension between both billionaires immediately became suffocating.
Meanwhile I stood awkwardly between them exhausted already.
Dhruv walked closer slowly.
Every guard nearby immediately disappeared from the area.
Smart people.
Very smart people.
His eyes shifted toward Armaan's hands still lightly holding my shoulders.
And instantly,
His expression darkened further.
Armaan noticed.
Of course he noticed.
But instead of moving away immediately,
That evil man stayed exactly where he was for one extra second.
Just enough.
Then finally,
He stepped back calmly.
And somehow,
That tiny action felt like a challenge.
Dhruv stopped beside me afterward.
Close enough that our shoulders almost touched.
Possessive positioning.
Subtle.
Still obvious.
Armaan looked between us once quietly.
Then calmly toward Dhruv:
"Any updates?"
Dhruv answered flatly.
"We're handling it."
Translation:
Back off.
Armaan looked unimpressed.
"Clearly not well enough if someone entered a billionaire event with automatic weapons."
OH.
OH NO.
The temperature in the room dropped instantly.
Because nobody spoke to Dhruv Malhotra like that casually.
Nobody.
Except Armaan apparently.
Dhruv's jaw tightened slightly.
Yet his voice remained calm.
"They came for her specifically."
Silence crashed afterward.
Because saying it aloud again made everything feel worse.
Armaan slowly looked toward me.
And something in his expression changed slightly.
Softer.
Protective.
Almost personal.
Then quietly,
"Which means this isn't random."
I swallowed nervously.
Dhruv noticed immediately.
Always noticing.
Without looking at me,
He shifted slightly closer unconsciously.
And somehow,
That tiny movement affected Armaan instantly.
Because suddenly,
The older billionaire's eyes darkened slightly.
Like he finally saw it too.
Not just attraction.
Not just possessiveness.
Something much deeper growing between us.
Even if Dhruv himself refused naming it.
The silence stretched dangerously.
Then suddenly,
Armaan spoke casually.
"So."
Bad start already.
"Only four months left now, right?"
My breath caught instantly.
Beside me,
Dhruv went completely still.
The contract.
Oh God.
I'd forgotten.
Four months.
Only four months until this marriage ended.
The realization hurt way more than it should have.
And somehow,
The room changed after that sentence.
Because suddenly,
Everything became painfully real again.
This wasn't forever.
Dhruv and I weren't real.
This marriage had an ending.
A deadline.
Armaan looked at me softly.
Then quietly,
"What will you do after?"
The question felt dangerous.
Too personal.
Too loaded.
I looked down slightly.
"I don't know."
Lie.
Because somewhere deep down,
The thought of leaving Dhruv already terrified me.
Even after everything.
Even with his coldness.
Even knowing this marriage started as a contract.
Because somehow,
He became home without me realizing.
Across from us,
Dhruv's expression had become unreadable now.
Cold walls rising again.
The mention of the contract clearly affected him too.
Even if he'd rather die than admit it.
Armaan continued softly:
"You deserve stability, Riya."
The sentence sounded meaningful.
Too meaningful.
Dhruv immediately looked toward him sharply.
Armaan held his gaze calmly.
And suddenly,
The tension became terrifying again.
Because now,
This wasn't about business.
This was about me.
Two powerful men silently standing on opposite sides of something neither wanted to admit aloud.
Then quietly,
Armaan spoke again.
"If you ever need anything after the contract ends-"
Dhruv cut him off instantly.
"Careful."
One word.
Ice cold.
The atmosphere froze completely.
Armaan didn't look away.
"I'm offering support."
Dhruv laughed once quietly.
Dangerously.
"No."
His eyes darkened.
"You're waiting."
AIR LEFT MY LUNGS.
Oh my God.
OH MY GOD.
Armaan stayed silent.
Which honestly confirmed everything.
Because he didn't deny it.
Not once.
My heartbeat became uneven instantly.
Because suddenly,
Everything made sense.
The softness.
The concern.
The way Armaan looked at me.
And beside me,
Dhruv realized I understood now too.
His jaw tightened sharply.
Then finally,
For the first time—
The cold billionaire lost composure slightly.
Because his next sentence came rougher than usual.
More emotional.
More real.
"She's still my wife."
Not contract wife.
Not temporary responsibility.
Wife.
And somehow,
The way he said it ruined me completely.
Because his voice carried something dangerous underneath the possessiveness.
Something almost emotional.
The silence stretched heavily between all three of us.
Armaan's jaw tightened slightly.
But his expression remained calm.
Too calm.
Which somehow irritated Dhruv more.
I stood there between them with my heartbeat collapsing every three seconds.
Because WHY were they acting like characters from a billion-dollar romance movie.
Finally,
Armaan looked toward me softly.
Not challenging.
Not forcing.
Just looking.
And honestly?
That made things worse.
Because Armaan never pressured me.
Never demanded anything.
His care always felt gentle.
Steady.
And dangerous in its own way.
Then quietly,
"If you remember anything else... call me immediately."
I nodded softly.
"Okay."
Beside me,
Dhruv visibly disliked the softness in my voice again.
God.
This man got jealous over oxygen levels.
Armaan noticed too.
And unfortunately,
That evil billionaire looked slightly amused now.
Before leaving,
His eyes shifted toward Dhruv one final time.
Then calmly,
"Protect her properly this time."
OH.
OH THAT WAS A MISTAKE.
Because the second those words left his mouth,
The atmosphere became lethal.
Dhruv's expression went terrifyingly still.
Not angry.
Far worse.
Controlled.
Deadly controlled.
For one horrifying second,
I genuinely thought they might fight.
Actual billionaire fistfight in the Malhotra living room.
Meanwhile Armaan simply adjusted his watch calmly before turning toward me again.
"Take care, Riya."
Then he left.
Just like that.
And the moment the doors closed behind him,
The silence in the mansion became unbearable.
I slowly turned toward Dhruv.
Big mistake.
Because God.
The look in his eyes.
Jealous.
Furious.
Protective.
Possessive.
And something else.
Something rawer.
His jaw remained tense while staring toward the closed doors for a moment longer.
Then finally,
He looked at me.
And immediately,
The anger softened slightly.
Only for me.
Always only for me.
Still there.
I swallowed nervously.
"...are you angry?"
Dhruv laughed once quietly.
Cold.
"Should I not be?"
My heartbeat stumbled.
"I didn't do anything."
His eyes locked onto mine intensely.
"That's exactly the problem."
EXCUSE ME WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN.
Before I could ask,
The front doors opened again.
And suddenly,
A woman's voice echoed dramatically through the mansion.
"DHRUV!"
I blinked in confusion.
Then she entered.
And honestly?
She looked unreal.
Tall.
Beautiful.
Rich-girl elegance.
Long dark hair.
Luxury white outfit.
Diamond earrings probably worth more than my yearly salary.
And the confidence?
Insane.
She walked straight into the mansion like she owned half of it.
Then immediately,
She hugged Dhruv.
Not side hug.
Full hug.
My brain short-circuited instantly.
Because excuse me?!
Dhruv didn't hug people.
EVER.
Yet somehow,
He allowed this.
His hands even moved slightly around her automatically before he stepped back.
My stupid heart reacted unpleasantly.
Oh.
I didn't like that.
At all.
The woman smiled brightly at him.
"You disappeared for months."
Then dramatically:
"And your mother ignored all my calls."
Dhruv answered calmly.
"I was busy."
She rolled her eyes affectionately.
"You are always busy."
The familiarity between them immediately stabbed somewhere uncomfortable inside me.
Meanwhile I just stood there awkwardly trying not to overthink anything.
Then suddenly,
The woman noticed me.
Her smile paused slightly.
Eyes shifting toward me carefully.
And instantly,
The atmosphere changed.
Dhruv spoke first.
"Kiara."
So this was Kiara.
Dangerously gorgeous Kiara.
Of course.
Because life hated me.
Dhruv continued calmly.
"My wife. Riya."
Wife.
Again.
My heartbeat betrayed me immediately.
Meanwhile Kiara looked at me silently for one second too long.
And something in her expression shifted strangely.
Confusion maybe.
Recognition.
Then suddenly,
Her brows furrowed faintly.
"...wait."
The room went quiet.
Kiara stared at me harder now.
Like trying to solve something impossible.
Dhruv immediately noticed too.
"What?"
She blinked slowly.
And quietly,
"I've seen her before."
My breath caught instantly.
Dhruv's expression sharpened immediately.
"What do you mean?"
Kiara kept staring at me.
Not rudely.
Almost disturbed.
Like a memory sat right at the edge of her mind.
"I don't know..."
Her voice softened slightly.
"But her face feels familiar."
A strange chill ran down my spine instantly.
Because lately,
Everyone kept saying things like that.
The pendant.
The memory flashes.
Now this.
Dhruv stepped slightly closer toward me unconsciously.
Protective.
Always protective now.
"Where?"
Kiara pressed her fingers lightly against her temple thinking harder.
Then slowly,
"I can't remember."
The frustration in her voice sounded genuine.
She looked at me again carefully.
And suddenly,
My heartbeat stopped.
Because the way she stared at me now looked almost shocked.
Like she was seeing a ghost.
Then quietly,
Too quietly,
"No... that's impossible."
Dhruv's eyes darkened immediately.
"What is impossible?"
Kiara finally looked toward him.
And for the first time since entering,
She seemed unsettled.
Actually unsettled.
"I think..."
She hesitated.
Then slowly,
"I think I saw her picture somewhere in London."
Silence crashed violently through the room.
My breath disappeared.
Dhruv went completely still beside me.
And suddenly,
Every instinct inside him sharpened dangerously.
Because this wasn't random anymore.
Not the shooting.
Not the pendant.
Not the memory flashes.
And definitely not this.
Kiara kept staring at me.
Confused.
Disturbed.
Trying desperately to remember something buried deep inside her mind.
Then suddenly,
Her eyes widened slightly.
Like another tiny piece clicked.
And softly,
"There was blood."
The room froze.
My heartbeat violently stumbled.
Pain flashed sharply through my head again.
Rain.
Screaming.
A car.
Blood.
And suddenly,
A little girl's voice echoed faintly somewhere deep in my memory.
"Run, Riya."
I gasped sharply grabbing my head instantly.
The room blurred violently.
Dhruv caught me immediately before I collapsed.
"Riya."
His voice sounded distant now.
Urgent.
The pain in my head intensified brutally.
Broken images crashing rapidly now.
A giant mansion.
Men shouting.
A silver pendant.
Someone crying.
And then,
A woman kneeling in front of little me.
Terrified.
Bleeding.
Whispering desperately:
"Don't tell them who you are."
Everything went black for one horrifying second.
And somewhere beside me,
I heard Dhruv Malhotra's voice lose composure completely for the very first time.
"Call the doctor NOW."