Then, Marry Me
From the moment Arnav laid eyes on her, something primal stirred beneath his carefully composed exterior. Perhaps, something deep within him stirred a dark, deliberate instinct, whispering that this woman could be used. A substitute. A pawn. An itch beneath his skin, a hunger for chaos disguised in elegance. And Raellyn embodied it with terrifying beauty. She didn’t knock when she entered his office.
She barged in like a storm breaking through locked doors, her eyes veiled behind a black mask and her grip firm on the cold metal blade pressed against his back. Her voice was steady, low, lethal.
“Marry me.”
He should have laughed. Should have summoned security. But instead, Arnav froze in fascination. Even before she uttered a word, even when her face was still hidden, he could feel it. That quiet rage pulsing from her body like electricity. The kind born not from madness, but heartbreak.
Conveniently, that was exactly what he needed: a replacement partner to fulfill the societal demand looming over his head. Yet even in his calculated mind, Arnav hadn’t foreseen being offered a marriage proposal by the same woman who moments ago had pressed a foldable knife to his back.
He hadn’t even seen her face then only the glint of metal, the sharpness of her resolve, and the boldness in her voice. It thrilled him. No, perhaps it began even earlier, when his assistant invited her in, and he’d observed her walk: swift, assertive, yet laced with a sultry elegance. That rare blend of defiance and allure cracked something open inside him that had long since grown cold an ember of something long buried.
Arnav had doubted, at first, whether the traits he witnessed were real or part of some performance. After all, women had played games with him before. But there was something about her that stuck. Wasn’t she the same mysterious girl who’d once asked him for a cigarette in the dead of night with a voice like velvet and the stance of a fighter? Wild cats, he mused, were far more thrilling than pampered pedigree pets.
And this one? She was feral.
He shook off his musings, though not the arousal pooling behind his calm exterior. When her fingers brushed the fabric of his vest so faintly it could have been accidental something sharp sparked through him. But as a man who commanded respect, he knew better than to show eagerness. Instead, he made a move that surprised even her.
With a quick gesture, Arnav reached out and pulled the black mask from her face.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” Raellyn snapped, lunging to snatch the mask back, but he was faster. He casually tucked it into his back pocket.
Her voice was low, firm, and even under pressure, it didn’t waver. That pleased him more than her earlier coyness. If her flirtation had been her true self, he might’ve felt nothing but contempt. But this this fire was real.
And then he saw her eyes.
Grey, stormy, impossibly rare. The same haunting eyes he’d been unable to forget. His chest tightened, not with fear or regret, but with the thrill of fate confirming what he already suspected. Yes. It was her.
“Bingo,” he said with a slow, wolfish grin. “Told you we’d meet again, Miss Raellyn.”
“You’re enjoying this little charade?” she bit out.
“You’re the one who started the performance. And as you know, I’m a director I don’t fall for poor acting. There are much better actresses out there, Miss.”
“You bastard!”
He held it out of reach, smirking. “Oh, come now. Isn’t it normal for a man to inspect his future bride before they sign the papers especially under these… unconventional circumstances?” He leaned back, eyes fixed on the way her throat pulsed with agitation. “I need taking a better look at the woman threatening me into marriage.”
The silence that followed felt like an aftershock.
And then he turned to the desk, poured a drink cool, unbothered, masking the storm beginning to rise within him. Held the untouched glass toward her. “Drink.”
She slapped it away, the crystal shattering against the floor.
“I’m not one of your actresses, Arnav. Don’t hand me props.”
He stepped toward her, slow, predatory. “No. You’re far more dangerous. I underestimated you.”
“You misjudged me from the beginning,” she whispered. Raellyn’s fingers curled into fists. “You think this is pain? You haven’t seen pain. You think you’ve known betrayal? Try loving someone who turns your body into a secret. Try being left behind while the world applauds him for roles he played on-screen, when the real monster never stopped acting off-stage.”
She looked like she could set the room ablaze with a single breath.
And God help him. Arnav was addicted.
“So that’s how it is, huh? You want revenge.”
She didn’t move. Her lips pressed into a thin line, defiant. And he almost laughed. Her silence was loud, proud. A woman like her wouldn’t crumble at a mere command.
“I want justice,” she spat. “Your brother promised to marry me. He left me with nothing but shame, and a soul that won’t stop screaming. He ruined me and you, Arnav, will be the one to fix it.”
“You think I’d be your savior?” he scoffed. “You think dragging a knife into my office would earn you redemption?”