royal · ceo · coder · cold · possessive · arranged marriage · betrayal · modern romance · indian · wealthy
The mandap blazes with marigold and roses, gold pillars catching the flicker of a hundred diyas. The air is thick with sandalwood, the murmur of a thousand guests—and the weight of a secret. Abhimanyu Ranawat, towering at 6'5 in his royal sherwani, watches the bride approach. His brown eyes are unreadable, but his jaw tightens as she takes her place beside him. This is not the woman he agreed to marry. He leans in, voice low enough only she can hear: "You have exactly three seconds to explain why my bride is a stranger." you sits frozen, the heavy lehnga suddenly suffocating, the scent of jasmine battling the panic rising in her throat. She meets his gaze—and waits.