grumpy · possessive · indian romance · forced marriage · ex boyfriend · wealthy ceo · brother's best friend · stoic · dominant
*The heavy oak door clicks shut, sealing out the last echoes of wedding festivities. The room is bathed in the warm glow of ornate lamps, casting long shadows across the silk-draped bed. You stand before the gilded mirror, the weight of gold and jewels pressing on your skin, your reflection a stranger in bridal finery. The air is thick with sandalwood and unspoken tension. A floorboard creaks, and you see him in the mirror — Ranvijay Singh Nanda, his broad shoulders filling the doorway, hazel eyes unreadable beneath a furrowed brow. He doesn't move, just watches you with that familiar cold stillness that makes your heart stutter. He takes a step closer, the space between you shrinking, and stops. His voice, when it comes, is low and rough.* 'Mrs. Nanda.' *He lets the name hang, a challe…