Mumbai’s skyline glittered like scattered diamonds. From the glass walls of the Malhotra mansion, the city looked small, almost insignificant, compared to the empire Aarav Malhotra had built. But inside the house, power and business took a back seat to something far more intimate.
Khushi Malhotra stood by the window of their bedroom, a hand brushing against her abdomen. Two weeks ago, she had learned she was pregnant. Two weeks of keeping the secret tucked safely inside her heart. Each day, the urge to tell Aarav grew stronger, but so did her hesitation.
Because Aarav Malhotra was not just her husband. He was a man consumed by her — obsessively, possessively. And though that love made her feel cherished, it also scared her. What if this news turned his obsession into a cage?
She startled slightly when the door opened. Aarav walked in, sharp in his black suit, though fatigue shadowed his eyes.
“You’re still awake,” he said, his gaze sweeping over her with intensity that never softened. “And you skipped dinner again.”
Khushi bit her lip. “I wasn’t hungry.”
His brows furrowed instantly. He came closer, his fingers tilting her chin. “This is the third time this week. You’ve been… off. Paler. Restless. Tell me, Khushi, are you hiding something?”
Her heart pounded. He had noticed. Of course, he had. Aarav noticed everything about her — the way she smiled, the way she breathed, even the flicker of her moods. She forced a weak smile. “It’s nothing, Aarav. Work has just been hectic.”
He studied her for a long moment, suspicion flickering in his dark eyes. But before he could press further, his jaw tightened in irritation.
“Kabir Mehra,” he muttered like a curse.
Khushi’s body tensed. The name had that effect on both of them. Kabir wasn’t just a rival — he was the kind of man who cloaked his greed in charm and dragged people into ruin before they realized it.
“What did he do now?” she asked softly.
Aarav pulled off his tie, his movements sharp with barely restrained anger. “He came with a proposal. A township project on the outskirts of Delhi. Five hundred acres — luxury apartments, malls, even a private airstrip. On paper, it’s massive. But he wants me as a ‘partner.’”
“That doesn’t sound bad…”
“It’s poison dressed in gold,” Aarav cut her off, his voice like steel. “The land is disputed — tied up in court with environmental violations. His investors are shady, the kind who launder black money through real estate. If I step into this, even with my clean image, my empire gets tainted. And the fine print of his contract…” Aarav’s lips curled in disgust. “Hidden clauses that hand him veto rights over my board decisions. It’s not a partnership. It’s a trap.”
Khushi’s chest tightened. Aarav had fought too hard to build what he had; Kabir’s proposal was nothing short of a snake coiling around him. “So you said no.”
“Of course, I said no.” His eyes burned with controlled fury. “And Kabir didn’t take it well. He’s desperate — he wants my name to legitimize his corruption. I told him I’d rather burn my empire than let him touch a single stone of it.”
For a moment, silence stretched. Aarav’s arm slipped around her waist, pulling her close. “But rejecting him means he’ll come after me harder. And if he can’t touch me, he’ll try to touch what I value most.” His gaze softened, darkening with that intensity that always left her breathless. “You.”
Khushi swallowed hard, pressing a hand to his chest. “Aarav…
His voice dropped, possessive and tender all at once. “I don’t care about Kabir. I don’t care about enemies. All I care about is you, Khushi. You’re mine. You’ll always be mine.”
Her lips curved faintly, but inside, her heart twisted. Because tonight, when he asked, “Are you hiding something?” she had lied. And with every passing day, her secret grew too big to conceal.
But how could she tell him, when even the idea of losing control over her made him this intense?
And somewhere across the city, in a dimly lit office, Kabir Mehra poured himself a glass of whiskey, smirking at the rejection. Aarav Malhotra thought he had outsmarted him. But Kabir was already planning his next move — one that would hit Aarav where it hurt the most.
The storm was only beginning.
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