Chapter 10
Dev
Taking a sip of whiskey, I let the burn settle low in my chest as a smirk curves my lips. For whatever reason Meera was at that engagement, one thing was clear. She hadn’t, or more accurately, wasn’t able to, do a damn thing to cause any trouble or ruin the ceremony.
The only damage she caused was igniting a wildfire inside me, something she had perfected.
Tonight, she drove me crazier than ever, looking utterly breathtaking in that lehenga, making my hands itch to touch her.
Through the entire ceremony, no matter who I spoke to, my attention kept snapping back to her.
The only thing souring my mood was that idiotic Samarth.
My grip tightens around the glass as the memory of him grabbing my hand to stop me flashes before my eyes. Fuck, it took everything in me not to break his hand. And seeing him hover beside her until the very end was another kind of torture, one I fully intend to rectify.
I take another sip of my drink when one of my men steps into the living room.
“Sir, the police are here.”
The glass stills in my hand, and I glare at him from the couch. “For what?”
“They… they have an arrest warrant for Veer sir,” he stammers, his eyes flicking nervously towards me as I stand abruptly.
“An arrest warrant,” I repeat, my jaws clenching. “For Veer? In my house? Have they forgotten whose doorstep they’ve come to?”
He bows his head. “Sir… they said they have orders, and they have to follow them.”
“Send them in.”
He nods and rushes out.
I take a long, controlled breath, but it does nothing to steady me.
Instead, I hurl the glass across the wall and watch it smash and shatter against the floor, just as an officer enters the room with two constables in tow.
Their posture goes stiff, their eyes flicking nervously from the broken glass to me.
The aged officer clears his throat. “Mr. Rathore… our hands are tied.”
I arch a brow. “Wrong choice of words.”
“There’s been a major leak on social media of videos and pictures of Veer taking drugs,” he explains. “People are tagging the police department and the commissioner, demanding immediate action. We’re forced to make an arrest. At least for the night.”
My fingers curl into a fist. Fucking Meera.
I should’ve kept that woman on a leash. I knew Veer was doing drugs on the first floor, and I assumed no one would see him, since no one is allowed on that floor.
But how the hell did I underestimate Meera? How the hell did I not see it coming when I caught her making her way up the stairs?
Instead of connecting the dots, I let my jealousy get the better of me when Samarth showed up. Seeing her take his hand and walk away drove me straight to the bar, and I let my guard down. That’s exactly when they must have gone up.
Damn it. I let it happen. I let her have her way to humiliate my family, and I can’t forgive myself for it.
My vision ripples with red as I grit out. “Not happening.”
“Mr. Rathore, we don’t have a choice. The orders are directly from above. We have to take him.”
A vein throbs at my temple, and I glare at him, knowing that right now I’ll have to agree with him if I don’t want this to turn uglier than it already has.
Every instinct in me screams to fight it, to remind him who I’m, but logic claws its way up through the fury, forcing me to hold myself together. Even if every part of me hates it.
Finally, I nod. “Fine. Do what you have to do.”
The officer signals the two constables, who climb the stairs. I remain rooted where I’m, my chest rising and falling in measured fury. Minutes crawl by. And then they descend, Veer sandwiched between them, his hands cuffed.
“Bro…” Veer mutters, still hazy from the high.
I step forward and lock eyes with him. “I’ll get you out in a few hours.”
He nods, swallowing hard as they lead him out the door. My eyes stay glued to them until they disappear from sight. I don’t know how much time passes, but I remain standing there, rage vibrating through every inch of me.
Meera set him up. Meera leaked his pictures and videos. She has no idea what she’s just done.
And then, almost as if summoned from the chaos boiling in my head, I see her walk into my living room, a victorious smile on her face. She’s changed out of her lehenga into a simple blue salwar suit, her hair left loose around her shoulders.
“Mr. Dev Rathore, I couldn’t help but come personally to thank you for the lovely engagement party you hosted for my friend,” she says, standing in front of me.
The anger burning inside me wants to retaliate for this little game she’s played. But another part of me can’t stop staring at her… the part that wants to pull her close and punish her with sweet torture.
The fucking power she holds over me.
“You did this?” I manage to ask.
She shrugs lightly. “Of course I did. I had to thank you in some way. And what better than this?”
My fists curl tightly at my sides. “You have no idea what you’ve done this time.”
“Oh, I do.” She crosses her arms. “In fact, I planned every bit of this. I knew the press wouldn’t dare touch a Rathore, so I used social media instead.
I leaked everything myself.” Her smile widens, smug and sickeningly proud.
“And right now, Samarth is making sure the attention keeps escalating. Live videos, hashtags, influencers, the works. It’s trending beautifully.
” Holding my gaze, she speaks with that infuriating calm that never leaves her face.
“So tell me, Mr. Dev Rathore, how does it feel… to lose?”
My jaw tightens. “My brother doesn’t deserve to be in jail.”
“He does,” she fires back. “And I just made him pay for his crime. I didn’t do anything wrong. In fact, even you deserve this. You and he are fucking criminals.”
“Criminals?” I take a slow step towards her. “You want to know what a criminal can do? I’ll show you exactly how a criminal takes revenge. You just made the biggest mistake of your life, sweetheart. Wait and watch how I make you pay for it.”
I pull out my phone and type a message to my lawyer.
“I’m not scared of you.”
“Good.” I slip the phone back into my pocket and meet her gaze. “Then I’m sure whatever I plan, you’ll be able to face it head-on.”
Before she can respond, my dad’s voice slices through the room.
“Dev! What the hell is happening?” he storms into the living room. “Why did the police take Veer? Do you—” He stops mid-sentence the moment his eyes land on Meera.
His expression hardens instantly. “What the hell is she doing here?”
I open my mouth to answer, but Meera cuts in.
“I’m the reason your son is in jail.”
Dad’s face twists with pure rage. “You will pay for this, girl.”
“Dad, listen to me—” I begin, but he cuts me off sharply.
“No, Dev. I’m done listening. Now I will handle this my way.” He turns and signals to two of our men inside.
“Take her,” he orders.
They take a step towards her, but I am in front of them before they can take another step.
“No one will touch her.” My voice is cold enough to freeze blood. “Don’t even think about it.”
I don’t tell them to leave. My stare alone is enough for them to bow their heads and leave instantly, leaving Dad, Meera, and me alone in the room.
Dad’s furious eyes lock onto mine. “Why did you stop them? Why are you saving her?”
“Because I am marrying her.”
That’s what I’d texted my lawyer. To bring the marriage license along with Veer’s bail documents. I knew Dad losing his temper was inevitable, and Veer must be fuming too. And I couldn’t bear the thought of what either of them might do to Meera. This was the only solution I could come up with.
I don’t know if it’s revenge I want from her for what she did to my brother, or if I’m trying to protect her.
Maybe it’s both, tangled so tightly inside me that even though I know this decision to marry her doesn’t make sense—even to me—I can’t bring myself to take it back.
All I know is that this one move lays the trap, keeping Dad, Veer, and Meera exactly where I want them.
He stares at me as if I’ve lost my mind. “Are you out of your damn mind? Think before you talk nonsense!”
“I’ve thought it through,” I reply, calm and unshakable.
“No.” Meera’s furious voice cuts in. “Who do you think you are to take this kind of decision alone?”
She’s about to lunge forward, but my hand clamps around her wrist, holding her firmly in place.
“Sweetheart, first I’ll deal with my dad, then I’ll deal with you. You know… elders first.”
Her eyes widen, and her breath hitches, while Dad scoffs behind us.
“Dev! Your brother is in jail!” he shouts. “I’m worried out of my mind, and here you are, planning a wedding?”
“Relax, Dad. I’ll get him out. Tonight itself. I will handle everything.”
“Handle?” he roars. “You marrying her is your way—”
“Dad, this is my personal matter. Please stay out of it,” I cut him off.
He stares at me for a long, pained second—hurt, disbelief, and anger colliding in his eyes. I don’t bother to soothe him. Instead, I add calmly, “Now that we’re done, I need to talk to my…” I glance briefly at Meera, “… future wife.”
“Excuse me?” Meera snaps, trying to pull her arm free.
I tug her back. “Patience, sweetheart. Our wedding isn’t going anywhere.”
“Enough!” Dad bellows. “You will do as your father says! And I’m telling you… YOU WILL NOT MARRY THIS GIRL!”
“Dad, you know me. You know exactly how stubborn I can be once I’ve made up my mind.”
He drags in a few harsh breaths before hissing, “Do what you want. Go to hell if you must. But I will not be a part of this wedding.”
He walks past me, storms to his bedroom, and slams the door shut behind him.
“I know, Dad… your blessing is with me. Always.” I call out at his closed door, then turn to Meera. My hand is still wrapped around her wrist, feeling her pulse race beneath my thumb.
She glares at me and yanks her wrist free. “Are you mad? I’m not marrying you.”
“You don’t get to decide. I’ve already made that call for you.”
“My life isn’t yours to decide!” She drags in a sharp breath. “And what the hell has gotten into you to come up with this absurd thought?”
“Sweetheart, you’re the one who triggered this thought.”
She frowns. “Me?”
“Yes, sweetheart. After all, there should be consequences for your actions.”
“And you fucking thought marriage was my punishment?”
“Yes. Marriage is perfect for what I have in mind for you.” I lean in just enough to make her swallow.
“You see, I don’t want your end to be quick.
” A slow, dark smile curls my lips. “I want you to die a slow death… every day. And what better way to make you suffer than marriage? You’ll wake up every day knowing you tied yourself to the very man you wanted to destroy.
” I raise a brow. “Do you understand now, or should I explain it further?”
“You’re disgusting.”
“That I am.”
Her nostrils flare. “I will not marry you. I—”
“If you don’t, then tomorrow morning I’ll leak the news of Sonia’s abortion.”
She freezes, and I watch the blood drain from her face.
Yes, I hit the nerve dead on.
“And I’ll also announce that Sonia tried to trap my brother to secure the Rathore name. That she was scheming her way in.”
“NO!” Meera snaps. “You can’t do that! That will destroy her!”
“Exactly. Your friend’s name will be destroyed. Her wedding will be called off. No one will let her live with dignity. She’ll be the girl who wanted to trick a rich family,” I add.
Just then, my lawyer walks in, a thin folder clutched in his hands.
“Sir,” he says, bowing slightly. “The papers you requested.”
“Perfect timing.” I take them without breaking eye contact with Meera. Flipping the folder open, I reveal the marriage license and hold it out to her. “So… you ready to sign?”
She glares at me, then at the papers, her throat bobbing as she swallows hard. She’s trapped, and she knows it.
“You’re insane,” she whispers.
“And you’re wasting our time,” I reply. “Every second you stand there debating, my mind runs with new ways to make you pay for what you’ve done. Decide now, before I make it even worse for you.”
“How can you stoop so low?” she asks, her voice shaking with anger.
My eyes darken. “You started this war. I am merely retaliating.”
She looks at the papers, her fingers trembling visibly. “I won’t forgive you.”
“I don’t want your forgiveness. I want you to sign the papers.”
She looks like she wants to slap me, scream, break down, and run, all at once. Anything except what I am forcing her to do. But then her spine straightens, and she takes the pen from my hand.
Her hand trembles as she reluctantly signs. I take the papers from her, add my signature, and hand the documents to my lawyer.
My lawyer takes them, glances over the pages, then nods. “Congratulations, sir.”
“Leave,” I tell him.
He hands me Veer’s bail documents and exits without a word.
Once we’re alone, I toss the documents onto the coffee table and lock eyes with her. That victorious smile she wore when she walked in now settles comfortably on my face.
“Welcome to hell, Mrs. Rathore.”
She glares at me. “Don’t call me that.”
“You’d better start getting used to it. Because for the rest of your life, you’ll live with my last name, the one you despised so much and tried so hard to ruin.” I wink. “Mrs. Rathore.”