Bonus Chapter-4 （Us）
Rajput Global Headquarters, London.
The boardroom looked exactly the way I liked it.
Silent.
Focused.
Efficient.
A twenty-foot screen displayed the final merger projections.
Lawyers.
Investment bankers.
Financial analysts.
Board members.
Everyone sat around the massive table reviewing the final numbers.
And at the other end of the table sat Dhruv Malhotra.
Calm.
Cold.
Deadly serious.
The billionaire everyone feared.
The billionaire I happened to be married to.
I stood near the screen.
Holding a presentation remote.
"The projected expansion into Southeast Asia increases revenue by approximately twenty-eight percent over the next three years."
The screen changed.
Graphs appeared.
Charts.
Market forecasts.
I continued.
"The merger isn't about size."
A pause.
"It's about control."
Every eye remained fixed on me.
"The Rajput Group dominates European luxury infrastructure."
I clicked again.
"Malhotra Industries dominates Asian logistics."
Another slide.
"Together we eliminate dependency on external operators."
Several board members nodded.
One of the senior directors adjusted his glasses.
"Miss Rajput, what about regulatory concerns?"
I answered immediately.
"Already addressed."
The legal team beside me slid documents across the table.
Another director spoke.
"The valuation?"
Dhruv answered before I could.
His voice calm.
"Approved."
The room immediately fell silent.
Nobody argued after that.
Because when Dhruv Malhotra said approved,
it was approved.
Thirty minutes later.
The meeting ended.
Everyone stood.
Lawyers gathered documents.
Executives exchanged professional handshakes.
Board members discussed implementation timelines.
No teasing.
No jokes.
No nonsense.
Exactly how billion-dollar meetings actually worked.
I stepped outside.
My assistant immediately followed.
"Ms. Rajput, the Singapore investors confirmed tomorrow."
"Good."
I continued walking.
"The renewable energy proposal?"
"Approved."
"The Dubai acquisition?"
"Waiting for your signature."
I nodded.
"Bring it to my office."
"Yes, ma'am."
We entered my office.
Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked London.
The city stretched endlessly below.
I sat behind my desk.
Opening files.
Reviewing contracts.
Signing approvals.
For the next fifteen minutes I forgot everything except work.
Then,
The office door opened.
Without knocking.
I didn't even look up.
"Dhruv."
My assistant immediately stood.
Trying not to smile.
Dhruv entered.
Still in his black suit.
Tie slightly loosened.
Looking unfairly handsome.
"Emma."
My assistant straightened.
"Yes, Mr. Malhotra?"
"Can you give us a moment?"
She looked at me.
I sighed.
"You can go."
She immediately grabbed her tablet.
"Of course."
The door closed.
Silence.
I continued reading my file.
Pretending he wasn't standing there.
Watching me.
A full minute passed.
Then another.
Finally I looked up.
"Why are you staring?"
Dhruv crossed his arms.
"Because you've ignored me for six hours."
I blinked.
"Six?"
"Six."
"That's dramatic."
"You married a dramatic man."
Fair point.
I returned to my file.
He walked around the desk.
I continued reading.
He stopped beside my chair.
I continued reading.
Then,
The file disappeared from my hands.
I looked up.
Slowly.
Dangerously.
"Dhruv."
"No."
"What do you mean no?"
He placed the file on the desk.
Far away from me.
"No more work."
"It's three in the afternoon."
"You've already terrified enough executives for one day."
I rolled my eyes.
He smiled.
Then his gaze travelled over me.
The fitted cream blouse.
The tailored pencil skirt.
The heels.
The entire CEO look.
Something changed in his expression.
Immediately.
My stomach flipped.
"Oh no."
"What?"
"I know that look."
His smile widened.
"Good."
I stood up.
Bad decision.
Very bad decision.
The second I stood,
he stepped closer.
I stepped back.
He stepped forward.
I stepped back again.
Until,
my lower back hit the edge of the desk.
Trapped.
I pointed a finger at him.
"We are in my office."
"Correct."
"People work here."
"Correct."
"They can walk in."
"They won't."
"Why?"
"Cause my wife owns the building."
I laughed despite myself.
The idiot looked pleased.
His hands settled on either side of the desk.
Caging me in.
His voice dropped lower.
"You know what annoyed me during that meeting?"
I narrowed my eyes.
"What?"
"The fact that every person in that room got your attention."
I blinked.
"What?"
"They got three hours."
His gaze locked onto mine.
"I got thirty seconds."
A smile threatened to appear.
I fought it.
Failed.
"You're jealous of a board meeting?"
"I'm jealous of your laptop."
I laughed.
Actually laughed.
His eyes softened immediately.
Like hearing me laugh was his favorite thing in the world.
Which,
knowing Dhruv,
it probably was.
The room became quieter.
The city outside disappeared.
For a moment there was only us.
His hand lifted.
Tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear.
His thumb brushed my cheek.
Gentle.
Slow.
The complete opposite of the ruthless billionaire everyone feared.
"Do you know what I was thinking during that meeting?"
I swallowed.
"What?"
His eyes never left mine.
"How proud I am of you."
The words hit harder than expected.
Because he meant them.
Every single one.
I looked away.
Suddenly unable to meet his eyes.
"Dhruv..."
"No."
His fingers tilted my chin back toward him.
"You built an empire."
A pause.
"You survived things that would've broken most people."
Another pause.
"And somehow..."
His smile softened.
"...you still care about everyone around you."
My chest hurt.
In the best way.
The emotional way.
The dangerous way.
The way only he could make me feel.
"Dhruv."
"Hm?"
"I was trying to work."
"You still are."
"What?"
His forehead rested against mine.
His voice dropped to a whisper.
"Working on your husband's attention problem."
I laughed.
The sound disappearing between us.
Then he finally did what he'd clearly wanted to do since entering the room.
He leaned down.
Slowly.
Giving me every chance to stop him.
I didn't.
Not even a little.
His lips met mine in a soft kiss.
Warm.
Unhurried.
Familiar.
The kind that felt like home.
The kind that reminded me that after all the chaos,
all the betrayals,
all the heartbreak,
we'd still found our way back to each other.
When he finally pulled back,
I was smiling.
So was he.
"Better?" I asked.
His eyes sparkled.
"Not even close."
I groaned.
He laughed.
Then stole one more quick kiss.
Because apparently being CEOs of global empires still wasn't enough.
He also had to be the most distracting husband alive.
....
Dinner at the Malhotra mansion was surprisingly peaceful for once.
No kidnappers.
No traitorous relatives.
No billion-dollar emergencies.
Just family.
I sat beside Dhruv, absentmindedly eating.
Actually,
Not eating.
Attacking.
A giant bowl of mango pickle sat beside my plate.
And for the last ten minutes I'd been eating it like it was the greatest invention in human history.
Dhruv's mom stared.
Then stared harder.
Then stared some more.
Finally she looked at Dhruv.
"Has she been eating pickle every day?"
Dhruv didn't even look up from his food.
"Three times a day."
"Shut up.."
I murmured.
He calmly took a sip of water.
"You ate pickle with ice cream yesterday."
His mother looked horrified.
I pointed at him.
"It was good."
"It was a crime."
His mother nodded.
"Exactly."
Across the table, Dhruv's aunt muttered something under her breath.
I ignored her.
These days I genuinely couldn't care less.
Dhruv was saying something when suddenly,
My stomach twisted.
Hard.
I froze.
The spoon slipped from my hand.
Everyone looked up.
Dhruv immediately noticed.
"Riya?"
I blinked.
Something felt...
Wrong.
Very wrong.
Another wave of nausea hit.
I shot up from my chair.
"Oh God-"
Then ran.
Straight toward the washroom.
Behind me I heard chaos erupt.
"RIYA!"
Dhruv.
Then,
"OH MY GOD!"
His mother.
I barely reached the washroom before kneeling in front of the sink.
A few moments later the door opened.
Dhruv crouched beside me immediately.
One hand holding my hair back.
The other rubbing my back.
His mother appeared right behind him.
Looking terrified.
"Are you okay?"
I nodded weakly.
"No."
Dhruv immediately glared.
"Helpful answer."
"I feel horrible."
His hand immediately moved to my forehead.
Checking for fever.
Then my neck.
Then my cheeks.
Then my forehead again.
I stared.
"What are you doing?"
"Checking."
"For what?"
"I don't know."
His mother smacked his shoulder.
"Move."
Dhruv looked offended.
"Ma."
"Move."
He moved.
Immediately.
I almost laughed.
Almost.
Another wave of nausea hit.
Dhruv looked ready to declare a national emergency.
"We're going to the hospital."
His mother suddenly froze.
Completely froze.
Her eyes narrowed.
Then slowly...
Very slowly...
She looked at me.
Then at Dhruv.
Then back at me.
Her eyes widened.
"Oh."
Dhruv blinked.
"What?"
She ignored him.
Still staring at me.
"Oh."
I frowned.
"What?"
She looked at me carefully.
"How long have you been eating pickles?"
I blinked.
"What kind of question is that?"
She ignored me.
"Three days?"
I thought.
"...Four."
She gasped.
Actually gasped.
Then she grabbed my shoulders.
"Four days?"
I looked at Dhruv.
"Why is she acting like this?"
Dhruv looked equally confused.
His mother continued.
"And the ice cream?"
I groaned.
"Not the ice cream story again."
"And the lemon?"
"Oh."
"And the tamarind?"
"Oh."
"And the spicy chips?"
"Oh."
Dhruv slowly looked between us.
Then frowned.
"What are you talking about?"
His mother suddenly slapped his arm.
Hard.
"IDIOT."
Dhruv looked offended.
"What did I do?!"
She pointed at him dramatically.
"YOU DID THIS."
His eyes widened.
"What?!"
"I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING."
"You absolutely did."
Now even I was confused.
Dhruv looked terrified.
"Ma, what are you saying?"
She stared at us both.
Then put a hand on her chest.
Trying to calm herself.
Meanwhile,
My brain finally connected the dots.
I froze.
Dhruv froze.
His mother froze.
The entire washroom became silent.
My eyes slowly widened.
No.
No way.
Dhruv stared at me.
I stared at him.
His mother looked seconds away from exploding.
I whispered.
"...No."
Dhruv whispered.
"...No."
His mother whispered.
"...Yes."
Silence.
Five seconds.
Ten seconds.
Then,
Dhruv still shocked.
"No"
His mother nodded.
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes."
He pointed at me.
"We literally fought over cereal last week."
His mother looked unimpressed.
"And?"
"We're not ready."
His mother laughed.
"Nobody is."
I stared at them.
My heart pounding.
Fast.
Way too fast.
Dhruv looked at me.
Then at my stomach.
Then back at me.
Then at my stomach again.
His face had gone completely blank.
"Oh my God."
I swallowed.
"Oh my God."
His mother burst into tears.
Actual tears.
"Oh my God."
Dhruv immediately panicked.
"Why are YOU crying?"
She hit his arm.
"Because I'm happy!"
Then she started crying harder.
I looked at Dhruv.
Dhruv looked at me.
Neither of us knew what to do.
Then suddenly,
His eyes softened.
Completely.
Every trace of panic disappeared.
Slowly he took both my hands in his.
His thumbs brushed over my knuckles.
"You okay?"
I nodded.
Then immediately shook my head.
Then nodded again.
Dhruv laughed softly.
The same way he always did whenever I was overwhelmed.
Then he pressed a kiss against my forehead.
Gentle.
Careful.
Like I was something precious.
Something breakable.
Something he'd spend the rest of his life protecting.
His forehead rested against mine.
And for the first time since this entire conversation began,
I saw it.
The realization.
The happiness.
The wonder.
In his eyes.
A smile slowly appeared.
Small at first.
Then bigger.
Then bigger.
Then suddenly,
Dhruv Malhotra.
The ruthless billionaire.
The terrifying businessman.
The man feared across continents,
Looked like the happiest person on Earth.
And whispered,
"Riya."
"Hm?"
His eyes shone.
"We should probably buy more pickles."
I stared.
His mother burst out laughing.
I smacked his shoulder.
He laughed.
Pulled me into his arms.
And held me tighter than ever.
As if the universe had just handed him another reason to love me.
And honestly?
Maybe it had.