The Billionaire's Unwanted Bride

CHAPTER 1

Rain poured against the giant glass windows of the Malhotra mansion.

The entire house looked like something out of a billionaire fantasy movie , crystal chandeliers, white roses flown in from Paris, luxury cars lined outside, security guards everywhere, reporters waiting beyond the gates.

Tonight was supposed to be the wedding of the year.

And the bride had disappeared.

Inside the bridal suite, my hands trembled as I stared at the phone in my lap.

Isha:

"I'm sorry, Riya... I can't do this. Please don't tell anyone where I went."

That was the last message she sent before switching off her phone.

My throat tightened.

I knew helping her run away was wrong.

But she had cried in my arms for hours.

She kept saying she felt trapped.

Suffocated.

Terrified.

And I couldn't say no to the only person who had ever treated an orphan like me as family.

Suddenly the bedroom door burst open so hard that it slammed against the wall.

I flinched.

And then I saw him.

Dhruv Malhotra.

The man every girl in the country was obsessed with.

The billionaire heir.

Cold. Ruthless. Untouchable.

He stood there in a black tailored suit worth more than my entire life savings, rainwater dripping from his broad shoulders, jaw clenched so tightly that a vein pulsed against his neck.

He looked terrifying.

And devastatingly beautiful.

For one horrible second, his dark eyes locked onto mine.

I stopped breathing.

Because those eyes didn't look heartbroken.

They looked murderous.

"Where is she?" he asked quietly.

That quiet tone scared me more than shouting would've.

"I..."

"Don't lie to me."

His voice cut through the room like a blade.

Behind him stood his mother, uncle, aunt, dozens of panicked staff members.

Everyone looked terrified of him.

And somehow... that made him even scarier.

I swallowed nervously. "I don't know."

Dhruv laughed.

Actually laughed.

A cold, humourless laugh.

Then he stepped closer.

One step.

Two steps.

Until he stood right in front of me.

Tall enough to make me feel tiny.

Powerful enough to crush me without trying.

"You expect me to believe," he said slowly, "that her best friend has no idea where my fiancée disappeared before the wedding?"

My fingers curled into my dress.

"I didn't..."

His hand suddenly slammed against the wall beside my head.

I gasped.

Everyone in the room froze.

Dhruv leaned closer, his expensive cologne mixing with rain and danger.

"Do you have any idea what happens if this wedding doesn't happen tonight?"

His voice dropped lower.

"Dad's will transfers tomorrow morning."

The room fell silent.

Even I hadn't known that.

His uncle quickly spoke up. "If Dhruv isn't married before midnight, the board gets temporary control of the company."

His mother looked pale. "And your father's rivals are waiting for exactly that."

I looked back at Dhruv.

For the first time, I noticed the exhaustion beneath his anger.

The sleepless nights.

The pressure.

The weight he carried.

A man forced to become an empire at eighteen.

And now everything was collapsing.

Because of my best friend.

Because of me.

Dhruv stepped away from the wall, running a hand through his wet hair in frustration.

"Find her," he ordered the guards coldly. "Check airports. Highways. Every damn place."

"Dhruv..." his mother whispered shakily. "There isn't enough time anymore."

The clock ticked loudly.

11:07 PM.

Less than an hour left.

Then suddenly,

His aunt looked at me.

Then at Dhruv.

And I hated the expression that crossed her face.

"No," I whispered immediately.

But nobody listened.

His mother slowly walked toward me.

Her diamond earrings sparkled beneath the chandelier lights.

"Riya beta..." she said softly. "We need this marriage to happen tonight."

My blood ran cold.

"No."

"You're already family to Isha."

"No."

"You care about Dhruv's future, don't you?"

"I said no."

But then Dhruv finally looked at me again.

Really looked at me.

His gaze slowly travelled over my simple pink salwar suit, my trembling hands, my cheap sandals.

The kind of look rich people gave poor people without realizing it.

Like they were examining something beneath them.

His jaw tightened in visible disgust.

And then he said the words that shattered something inside me completely.

"I would rather lose the company."

Silence.

Nobody moved.

Nobody breathed.

The humiliation burned so badly that for a second, I genuinely wished the floor would swallow me whole.

Of course.

A man like Dhruv Malhotra would rather watch his empire burn than marry a girl like me.

An orphan.

Middle class.

Forgettable.

I looked down quickly before anyone saw the tears gathering in my eyes.

But his uncle's furious voice cut through the silence.

"You don't have a choice anymore, Dhruv."

"And she does?" he snapped.

His eyes flicked toward me again.

Cold.

Sharp.

Almost cruel.

Like even standing beside me was unbearable for him.

My fingers curled painfully into my dupatta.

His mother suddenly stepped forward and held my trembling hands.

"Please, beta," she whispered desperately. "If this company falls tonight, thousands of people suffer. Employees. Families. Hospitals under our trust..."

Hospitals.

Families.

Workers.

The words wrapped around my throat like chains.

Because this wasn't just about billionaires anymore.

People would suffer.

And somehow... their future had landed in my hands.

I slowly looked back at Dhruv.

Rain thundered outside behind him.

His white shirt beneath the suit clung slightly to his chest from the storm, his jaw tense enough to crack.

God.

He looked furious enough to destroy the world.

And maybe me too.

Then the grandfather clock rang again.

11:26 PM.

Thirty-four minutes left.

His mother began crying softly.

The priest looked nervous.

Staff whispered among themselves.

The entire Malhotra empire was collapsing right in front of me.

And at the centre of it stood Dhruv.

Completely still.

Completely silent.

Then finally...

He looked at me.

Straight into my eyes.

And something about his expression changed.

Not softer.

Not kinder.

Worse.

Like a man accepting a life sentence.

"Fine," he said quietly.

My breath caught.

But then he stepped closer.

Too close.

Close enough for me to feel the heat radiating off him despite the rain.

The room fell silent again.

His voice dropped low enough that only I could hear the next words.

"But understand something clearly, Riya."

My heart slammed painfully against my ribs hearing my name on his lips for the first time.

"This marriage will never be real."

Every word felt colder than the storm outside.

"You will stay out of my way."

His gaze dropped briefly to my trembling lips before rising back to my eyes.

"And don't ever mistake this for love."

I stopped breathing.

Because for one horrifying second...

The hatred in his eyes looked dangerously close to something else.

Something darker.

Something that made my stomach tighten.

Then he stepped back instantly, like even being near me annoyed him.

"Start the wedding," he ordered coldly.

The priest hurried forward nervously.

People began moving around us in chaos.

Jewellery.

Flowers.

Sacred fire.

Wedding cloth.

Everything blurred together.

I couldn't feel my hands anymore.

This wasn't supposed to be my wedding.

This wasn't supposed to be my life.

Then suddenly,

Dhruv grabbed my wrist.

Hard enough to make me gasp.

I looked up at him in shock.

His face remained emotionless.

But his grip tightened.

And in front of everyone...

He leaned down beside my ear and said quietly,

"If I find out you helped her run away..."

His fingers dug deeper into my skin.

"...you'll pray this marriage is the worst thing I do to you."

My entire body froze.

Then he pulled away.

And the wedding rituals began.