Chapter 41
I had barely ended the call with Dhruv when I heard the balcony door slide open.
Advik walked outside with his phone pressed against his ear.
Pacing.
Talking to someone.
His voice low.
Serious.
I couldn't hear the words.
Only fragments.
"...no mistakes..."
"...wedding..."
"...handle it..."
A chill crawled down my spine.
Who was he talking to?
Before I could think further,
A loud metallic sound echoed from above.
CLANG.
Then,
A scream.
"AAAHHH!"
My heart stopped.
I jumped from the sofa and ran toward the balcony.
"ADVIK!"
The sight that greeted me made me freeze.
Advik had fallen to one knee.
His phone lay shattered nearby.
One hand clutching his arm.
His face twisted with pain.
A long metal beam had somehow fallen from the unfinished floor above.
Directly onto his arm.
"What the hell?!"
I rushed toward him immediately.
"Advik!"
He was breathing heavily.
Furious.
In pain.
Absolutely enraged.
"WHO DID THIS?!"
His roar echoed through the penthouse.
I quickly helped him stand.
"Inside."
"Riya!"
"INSIDE."
For once he actually listened.
I got him to the couch.
His face had gone pale.
The injury clearly hurt badly.
Advik slammed his good hand against the table.
"How did that happen?!"
I grabbed towels immediately.
"There shouldn't be anyone upstairs."
His eyes snapped toward me.
"Then how did a metal beam fall?"
I blinked.
Because honestly?
Good question.
The construction workers always left by evening.
Everyone knew that.
No one worked here this late.
Suddenly,
The penthouse doors burst open.
His security team rushed inside.
"Sir!"
"What happened?!"
Advik pointed furiously.
"GO UPSTAIRS."
His voice thundered through the room.
"NOW."
The guards immediately sprinted toward the unfinished floor.
Meanwhile I called the doctor.
My hands surprisingly steady.
Years of boardroom crises apparently translated into emergency situations too.
Fifteen minutes later,
The guards returned.
Confused.
"We checked everything."
Advik's eyes narrowed.
"And?"
"No one was there."
Silence.
Dead silence.
"No workers."
"No intruders."
"No one."
Even I felt uneasy now.
Because that made no sense.
None.
Absolutely none.
After a while the doctor arrived.
After examining the injury he looked concerned.
"We need scans."
Advik clenched his jaw.
"Is it serious?"
The doctor sighed.
"There may be a fracture."
Advik cursed.
Loudly.
Repeatedly.
ONE HOUR LATER
The private hospital room was finally quiet.
The scans were done.
The treatment was done.
The medication was done.
And Advik,
For once in his life,
Was asleep.
Peacefully unconscious.
His arm secured in a cast.
Bandaged.
Immobilized.
The room hummed softly with hospital machines.
I stood by the window staring at the city lights.
Then my phone vibrated.
Dhruv calling...
I immediately left the room.
Walking into the empty corridor.
The second I answered,
A familiar voice drawled lazily.
"So."
I already knew that tone.
Dangerous.
Smug.
Annoyingly attractive.
"So?"
His amusement practically dripped through the phone.
"How's Advik's hand?"
I froze.
Completely froze.
My eyes narrowed instantly.
"...what?"
A pause.
Then,
A chuckle.
Deep.
Male.
Infuriating.
My heartbeat betrayed me immediately.
"Dhruv."
"Hm?"
"How do you know?"
Another chuckle.
And then,
The audacity.
The absolute audacity.
"Of course I know."
I stopped walking.
"DHRUV."
His voice turned impossibly calm.
"If someone dares touch Dhruv Malhotra's woman..."
A pause.
Then:
"...their hand shouldn't expect a peaceful future."
I nearly choked.
"Oh my God."
He sounded entirely pleased with himself.
"You're insane."
"Possibly."
"Was that YOU?"
Silence.
Dangerous silence.
Then,
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Liar.
The worst liar on earth.
I rubbed my forehead.
"You literally just confessed."
"No."
"Dhruv."
"No proof."
I actually laughed.
A real laugh.
The first one all night.
And the idiot immediately softened hearing it.
Because beneath all the possessiveness.
Beneath the arrogance.
Beneath the billionaire ego.
He loved hearing me laugh.
A fact he denied constantly.
Then suddenly,
His voice became quieter.
"Did he hurt you again?"
The humor vanished immediately.
Because now he wasn't joking.
Now he was serious.
Protective.
Concerned.
I leaned against the corridor wall.
"No."
"You sure?"
"Yes."
A pause.
Then:
"Good."
Only one word.
But something about it made my chest tighten.
Because it sounded like he'd spent the entire evening worrying.
I looked down the empty hallway.
"Where are you?"
His answer came instantly.
"Outside."
My heart skipped.
"...outside where?"
"Hospital."
I nearly dropped the phone.
"What?!"
"I've been here for an hour."
My jaw fell open.
"What do you MEAN you've been here for an hour?!"
"I mean exactly that."
I marched toward the nearest window.
And sure enough,
Down below.
Across the parking lot.
A black car sat beneath a streetlight.
One man leaning casually against it.
Hands in pockets.
Looking up.
At my window.
Even from this distance,
I knew it was him.
Idiot.
Absolute idiot.
My lips betrayed me by smiling.
"You're ridiculous."
His eyes met mine from six floors below.
And somehow,
I knew he was smiling too.
Then his voice came softer.
Lower.
Only for me.
"Maybe."
A pause.
Then:
"But if my wife is spending the night at a hospital with another man..."
My stomach fluttered.
God.
There he went again.
That tone.
That voice.
That possessive nonsense.
"...then the least I can do is keep watch."
Heat rushed to my cheeks immediately.
Even after everything.
Even after kidnappings.
Trauma.
Royal families.
Conspiracies.
The man could still make me blush.
I shook my head laughing.
"You're impossible."
His reply came instantly.
"No."
A pause.
Then very quietly,
"I'm just in love with you."
And for one full second,
I forgot how to breathe.
......
The second Dhruv told me he was outside the hospital, I practically ran.
Not walked.
Ran.
Past nurses.
Past security.
Past confused doctors.
Straight into the elevator.
The moment the doors opened in the parking lot,
I spotted him.
Blue shirt.
Hands in pockets.
Leaning against his car.
Looking completely calm.
As if he hadn't possibly committed a felony involving a falling metal beam a few hours ago.
I marched straight toward him.
"You broke his hand."
Dhruv opened the passenger door for me.
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Dhruv."
"No proof."
I groaned.
The man was impossible.
Then suddenly an idea hit me.
I froze.
Dhruv noticed instantly.
That dangerous businesswoman look appeared.
"The look on your face means trouble."
My eyes widened.
"Hospital."
"Hm?"
"Advik is in hospital."
Dhruv blinked.
Then slowly,
A smirk appeared.
The same smirk that usually preceded corporate takeovers and emotional damage.
"Oh."
I nodded rapidly.
"Yes."
The realization hit both of us simultaneously.
Empty penthouse.
No Advik.
No guards around him.
No interruptions.
No excuses.
The perfect opportunity.
Twenty minutes later,
We were inside Advik's penthouse.
The city lights glittered outside the windows.
The place felt eerily empty now.
Almost sinister.
Dhruv immediately switched into serious mode.
"Study."
"I'll take bedroom."
He nodded.
"Call me if you find anything."
I saluted dramatically.
"Yes sir."
Dhruv grabbed my wrist before I could leave.
I turned.
His eyes softened for one second.
Just one.
"Be careful."
And then he let go.
My heart stupidly fluttered.
Even now.
Even after everything.
The man could destroy my ability to think with two words.
An hour later.
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
No documents.
No hidden files.
No suspicious folders.
Nothing.
I was frustrated.
So frustrated.
Until,
I walked into another section of the penthouse.
And froze.
Pictures.
Frames.
Everywhere.
My stomach dropped.
Photos of me.
Photos of Advik.
Photos from years ago.
London.
Parties.
Vacations.
Events.
A whole life I barely wanted to remember.
Seeing them made me uncomfortable.
Because they didn't feel like memories.
They felt like evidence.
The sound of footsteps approached.
Dhruv entered.
Then his eyes landed on the wall.
Silence.
Dead silence.
I looked at him.
Then immediately regretted it.
Because the man looked offended.
Personally offended.
At photographs.
Actual photographs.
One frame showed Advik with an arm around my shoulder.
Another showed us at some gala.
Another showed him holding my hand.
I opened my mouth.
Closed it.
Opened it again.
"Dhr-"
"No."
The answer came immediately.
I blinked.
"What?"
"No."
"What no?"
Dhruv pointed at the wall.
"All of this."
I stared.
"What about it?"
His jaw clenched.
"It exists."
I almost laughed.
Oh God.
The jealousy.
The ridiculous jealousy.
"DHRUV."
"No."
His expression became darker.
"Why is he smiling in every picture?"
I burst out laughing.
"He was my boyfriend."
That was the wrong answer.
Very wrong answer.
The look Dhruv gave me could've frozen lava.
I laughed harder.
Which made things worse.
Then suddenly,
The billionaire snapped.
Not angrily.
Dramatically.
He grabbed my waist.
Pulled me toward him.
And kissed me hard.
His lips crashing on mine like he needed me more than oxygen itself.
Like he needed to feel me,
To touch me,
For a second I just froze.
And then kissed him back.
He kissed hard, one of his hand tangling in my hair while the other firm on my waist.
I had to rise on my toes because of the insane height difference.
I pulled back after several seconds, both of us breathing hard.
Me blushing and laughing,
"Oh my God, Dhruv!"
His voice came muffled as he buried his he head in my neck.
"I hate this wall."
I laughed harder.
The mighty Dhruv Malhotra.
Destroyer of competitors.
Feared businessman.
Currently losing an argument to framed photographs.
"I hate every frame."
"DHRUV."
"I hate the photographer too."
I nearly doubled over laughing.
The idiot finally lifted his head.
His eyes met mine.
And for a moment,
The teasing disappeared.
His expression softened.
Completely.
Unexpectedly.
"Come closer."
I was already in his arms.
But apparently that wasn't enough.
He pulled me closer anyway.
My heartbeat immediately betrayed me.
Traitor.
His forehead rested against mine.
The room suddenly quieter.
The city lights beyond the glass.
The investigation.
The danger.
Everything faded.
Just for a second.
Just us.
His thumb brushed my cheek softly.
"You know what's funny?"
"Hm?"
"Those photos don't bother me."
I blinked.
"They don't?"
"No."
I looked confused.
"Then why are you acting insane?"
His eyes held mine.
"Because you're standing here.
With me.
And you're looking at me like this.
Not him."
My heart actually stopped.
Completely stopped.
God.
This man.
Then suddenly,
A notification sound from my phone interrupted us.
Probably a spam email, but still...
Both of us jumped.
The investigation.
Right.
Important things.
Murder conspiracies.
Evidence.
We reluctantly separated.
And returned to searching.
Thirty minutes later.
Success.
"Dhruv!"
He immediately appeared.
I was kneeling beside a drawer in Advik's study.
Holding a phone.
An old phone.
Hidden carefully beneath files.
Dhruv crouched beside me.
I powered it on.
The screen lit up.
Both of us stared.
Contacts.
Messages.
Call logs.
And then,
Three names immediately stood out.
My aunt.
My uncle.
Expected.
Completely expected.
But then,
Another contact.
One single contact.
Saved only as:
BOSS
Both of us exchanged a look.
My heartbeat accelerated.
Who was that?
I frowned.
"I don't know this number."
Dhruv immediately became serious again.
Dangerously serious.
He took the phone.
Studying it.
Analyzing it.
Then suddenly looked at me.
"Where are your uncle and aunt?"
I sighed.
"Italy."
His brows furrowed.
I nodded.
"My aunt's niece got married."
"They've been there almost three weeks."
"That's why I couldn't investigate them directly."
Dhruv looked thoughtful.
Very thoughtful.
The kind of look that usually meant someone's life was about to become difficult.
Then he glanced back at the screen.
At the word:
BOSS
A chill crawled down my spine.
Because suddenly,
A horrifying possibility appeared.
What if Advik wasn't the mastermind?
What if he was working for someone?
Someone bigger.
Someone neither of us had even considered.
My voice lowered.
"Who do you think it is?"
Dhruv's eyes never left the phone.
When he finally spoke,
His tone had become ice cold.
The tone that made boardrooms fear him.
The tone that usually came before destruction.
"I don't know."
A pause.
Then:
"But I'm going to find out."
The way he said it made me almost feel sorry for whoever was behind that number.
Almost.
Then suddenly his arm slid around my waist.
Pulling me against his side.
Completely casually.
Like he owned the space.
Like he owned gravity.
I looked up.
He looked down.
And despite the danger.
Despite the mystery.
Despite the conspiracies.
That stupid smile appeared.
The one that always made my heart misbehave.
"What?"
Dhruv smirked.
"Nothing."
"Dhruv."
His eyes flickered toward the wall of old photographs again.
Then back to me.
"I still hate those frames."
And I laughed so hard I almost dropped the evidence.
......
NEXT MORNING...
I sat beside Advik's hospital bed pretending to be the world's most devoted fiancée.
Meanwhile inside?
I was fighting for my life trying not to laugh.
Because Advik was miserable.
Absolutely miserable.
His arm was bandaged.
His hand swollen.
His mood somehow worse.
Every five minutes,
"Ouch."
Every ten minutes,
"This hospital is useless."
Every fifteen minutes,
"Find out who dropped that metal beam."
I nodded sympathetically.
"Of course."
Then looked away before he noticed my smile.
Because honestly?
The universe had finally done me a favor.
Advik narrowed his eyes.
"Why are you smiling?"
My face instantly became serious.
"I wasn't."
"You were."
"I wasn't."
"You were."
I gasped dramatically.
"Are you accusing your future wife?"
Advik immediately softened.
Men.
Hopeless creatures.
He reached for my hand with his uninjured one.
Intertwining our fingers.
"Come here."
I forced a smile.
Inside?
Help.
Actual help.
Then,
The room door opened.
A nurse walked inside.
And immediately,
My brain stopped functioning.
Because excuse me?
What kind of nurse looked like THAT?
She was tall.
Very tall.
At least six foot three.
Broad shoulders.
Long wavy hair.
Heavy makeup.
Pink lipstick.
Massive glasses.
And somehow,
Something felt familiar.
The nurse smiled sweetly.
"Good morning."
High-pitched voice.
Suspiciously high-pitched.
My eyes narrowed.
The nurse looked at me.
I looked at the nurse.
The nurse looked at me again.
Then suddenly,
One eye blinked.
Once.
Very deliberately.
And realization hit me like a truck.
OH MY GOD.
DHRUV.
I nearly choked.
The nurse was Dhruv.
THE NURSE WAS DHRUV.
I immediately looked down before Advik saw my face.
Because if I laughed right now,
Everything was over.
Gone.
Finished.
Meanwhile Dhruv picked up the medical tray professionally.
Like he'd apparently been born to work in a hospital.
The psychopath.
"Sir."
His fake high-pitched voice returned.
"I need to check your injury."
Advik nodded.
"Be careful."
The nurse nodded sweetly.
"Of course."
Then immediately,
Pressed directly onto the injured hand.
Hard.
Very hard.
"AAAAAH!"
Advik nearly launched off the bed.
My shoulders shook violently.
Because I knew exactly what Dhruv was doing.
The nurse gasped dramatically.
"Oh no!"
The world's worst actor.
"I was just checking!"
Advik snatched his hand away instantly.
"What kind of checking is that?!"
The nurse looked horrified.
Fake horrified.
"I apologize sir!"
I bit the inside of my cheek.
Hard.
Because if I laughed,
I was dead.
Then Advik grabbed my hand again dramatically.
Like he needed emotional support.
The second he did,
I saw Dhruv's eye twitch.
Literally twitch.
Oh no.
Oh no.
The billionaire was jealous again.
Advik looked at me.
"Stay here."
I nodded.
The nurse smiled.
Terrifyingly.
Then picked up cotton.
Dipped it into medicine.
And gently,
Very gently,
Applied it.
At least that's what it looked like.
Because one second later—
"AAAAAAAAH!"
Advik screamed.
Actually screamed.
The entire corridor probably heard him.
I immediately looked away.
Pretending concern.
While silently dying.
"What is WRONG with that medicine?!"
The nurse blinked innocently.
"It's normal sir."
"No it's not!"
"It is sir."
"IT FEELS LIKE FIRE."
The nurse nodded sympathetically.
"Medicine does that sometimes."
Liar.
Absolute liar.
Then Advik pointed furiously.
"Get out."
The nurse looked offended.
"Sir-"
"OUT."
The nurse sighed dramatically.
Picked up the tray.
Turned.
And then somehow,
Accidentally dropped the tray.
Directly onto Advik's injured hand.
The room shook from the scream that followed.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"
I lost it.
I genuinely had to look out the window.
Because I was about two seconds away from laughing.
The nurse immediately gasped.
"Oh my God!"
The acting deserved an award.
"I'm so sorry!"
Advik looked ready to commit murder.
"LEAVE."
The nurse practically ran out.
I immediately stood.
Perfect girlfriend mode activated.
"Advik don't worry."
I grabbed my bag.
"I'll go complain."
"Please do."
"I will."
"She should be fired."
"Absolutely."
I nodded seriously.
Then escaped the room.
The second the door shut,
I sprinted.
Actually sprinted.
Down the hallway.
Following the nurse.
And by nurse,
Dhruv.
A few minutes later.
Private room.
Top floor.
The second the door locked,
I exploded.
Laughing.
Completely.
Uncontrollably.
I doubled over holding my stomach.
"Oh my God."
Dhruv removed the wig.
Then the glasses.
Then started wiping away makeup.
Meanwhile I was crying from laughter.
"You are INSANE."
He looked entirely pleased with himself.
"I know."
"The tray?!"
He shrugged.
"Heavy tray."
I laughed harder.
"The medicine?!"
"Necessary treatment."
"DHRUV."
He smirked.
The kind of smirk that immediately made my heart misbehave.
"What was the medicine you applied you miss nurse?"
Dhruv looked at me calmly before replying,
"Just salt and spice".
I looked at him speechless.
"DHRUV!!! WHO DOES THAT????"
He just smirked.
Then he loosened the fake nurse collar.
Looking annoyingly attractive despite still having half his lipstick on.
Honestly unfair.
I pointed at him.
"Why were you even doing all this?"
His answer came instantly.
Without hesitation.
Without shame.
"Because he was holding my wife's hand."
I froze.
Dhruv casually continued.
"As if he had ownership rights."
My face heated immediately.
He stepped closer.
Slowly.
Dangerously.
"I tolerated it for exactly six seconds."
"DHRUV."
"Seven."
I covered my face.
Hopeless.
Absolutely hopeless.
Meanwhile he gently pulled my hands away.
Making me look at him.
His expression softened immediately.
Gone was the jealous billionaire.
Gone was the fake nurse.
Now it was just,
Dhruv.
Looking at me like I was the center of his universe.
"You know what the worst part was?"
I swallowed.
"What?"
His thumb brushed my cheek softly.
"The fact that I couldn't walk in there and tell him the truth."
My heartbeat stumbled.
"What truth?"
His eyes held mine.
Completely.
Entirely.
Dangerously.
"That you're already mine."
God.
That sentence.
THAT SENTENCE.
My face immediately burned.
Dhruv saw it.
And grinned.
"There she is."
I groaned.
"Stop."
"No."
He leaned closer.
"Do you know how much self-control it takes to watch another man flirt with my wife?"
I laughed softly.
"A lot?"
"A criminal amount."
Then quieter,
"If this mission wasn't important..."
His gaze darkened slightly.
"I would've dragged you out of this hospital myself."
My heart did an actual backflip.
Because beneath all the jealousy.
Beneath all the possessiveness.
Was something devastatingly simple.
He loved me.
Completely.
Hopelessly.
And judging by the look in his eyes,
The man wasn't planning on stopping anytime soon.
Thank you so much for reading this chapter, my lovelies! ????
Just a quick update: I'll be uploading the next chapter today at 7:30 PM, so don't miss it! ???
Also, I wanted to ask you guys something.
Is there any particular scene you'd like to see in the story? Any interaction, moment, drama, fluff, jealousy, friendship, family chaos, or literally anything? I'd love to hear your ideas!
And please, please be honest with me. I'm still pretty new to writing, and I'm learning as I go. If you ever feel like a part of the story is dragging, getting boring, confusing, or could be improved, tell me! I genuinely appreciate constructive feedback because it helps me become a better writer.
You don't have to worry about hurting my feelings. I'd much rather know what you think than keep guessing.
And if there's something you absolutely love and want more of, tell me that too! Your comments help me understand what you enjoy reading.
Thank you for supporting this story and these characters. Every vote, comment, and read means the world to me. ??
See you all at 7:30 PM! ???