Chapter One

Shriya Malhotra didn't want to get married—not now, at least! The only thought running through her mind was that she didn't want this marriage. Yet, here she was. Who was at fault? It was her. She was the one who said yes to her brother, a yes to this wedding!

Oh, come on, what would you do if your only brother—your only living blood relation—came to you looking utterly broken, begging you to get married?

Shriya shuddered at the thought. She never wanted to remember her brother in that state. It was a killing sensation that swept over her when she saw him like that. Parents? Now, that was a part of her wasted past. For now, she had her brother, Karan, and his wife, Nisha, and she was blessed to have them.

Her brother, Karan Malhotra, run a construction company named "SM Constructions" They also own a fashion house, "SM Designs." Actually, she played a major role in the fashion house, but she didn't want her identity to be revealed to anyone—don't ask her why. So, everything was managed by her brother, but she was the creative brain behind the company.

Sorry, where were we? Oh, right. Shriya hated the lehenga she was wearing and the hustle and bustle going on around her. She groaned as she looked at her own reflection, which seemed to remind her that it hated her for what she was about to do to herself.

"Anything for Bhaiya," Shriya whispered to herself, trying to restore her hope, "You can do it, Shriya," she chanted softly, hope slowly making its way out of her, little by little.

"Arghh! Someone save me already!" Shriya groaned, burying her face in her palms.

~ * ~

Guests started to arrive. It wasn't the grand wedding Karan Malhotra had planned for his little sister, but he had to get her married soon. He didn't want to lose her. He and his wife, Nisha, were both busy with last-minute arrangements.

Nisha was immersed in work, but Karan's face looked distressed and anxious. The groom, Ajay, was already at the altar, waiting for his bride-to-be. If things went wrong, his sister's life would be at stake, which he couldn't let happen.

A lost, confused, and anxious Shriya was on her way to the altar with her sister-in-law Nisha by her side. Her legs felt heavier than the dress she was wearing, so heavy that she felt like she was going somewhere she never belonged. Her eyes never rose to see Ajay sitting there in front of the sacred fire.

Just as Shriya was about to step onto the altar, a loud noise pierced the air. The sound jolted her back to her senses, and her eyes shifted from the floor to her surroundings.

Gunshots echoed throughout the wedding hall, and the hustle and bustle faded in a split second. Silence followed as panic filled the minds of everyone present, except for those responsible for the chaos.

What Shriya saw gripped her with fear! She felt terror crushing her, making her forget to breathe for a few seconds. In front of her, about fifty people had guns pointed at their heads. No sound could be heard except for rough breathing or sobbing.

Shriya turned her head slightly and found her sister-in-law Nisha with a gun pointed at her head. Her breath caught in her throat when she realized no gun was pointed at her! Her eyes darted around, scanning the crowd, meeting the gaze of the men who had captured the guests. And then her brother? Where was he?

To make the situation worse, a pair of black shoes and their owner made an entrance into the hall. An aura of dominance filled the air, and Karan Malhotra, who was standing on the other side of the altar, looked as if all the air had left his lungs. His face turned pale white with fear, and a gun was poking him from behind.

"Atharv Singhania..." Karan Malhotra whispered.

"Atharv Singhania," People in the crowd whispered, recognizing The Atharv Singhania, who walked in as if no-one was held at the gun point. He was dressed in a black suit, with a face that screamed dominance and power.

Shriya froze as she saw Atharv Singhania step in. Her hands gripped her skirt, and her eyes fixed on him. Fear spread over her as she saw him looking at her with a straight poker face, his eyes filled with menace.

Who doesn't know Atharv Singhania? But why was he here, at her wedding? And why was everyone around her at gunpoint? Why no one held her at gunpoint? And the fear? Why was she scared to see him? Shriya couldn't help but wonder.

"Stop right there, Singhania!" Karan's shout echoed through the hall, but Atharv Singhania paid no heed to him. He stopped only a few steps away from Shriya, who was terrified.

"Leave!" Karan shouted, trying to move, but five men held him back, keeping him in place.

"Cut the ****, Malhotra," Atharv spat, his eyes remaining fixed on Shriya, who flinched at his tone.

"You..." Karan started, but someone from behind covered his mouth.

"Take everyone out," Atharv ordered, and his men, who had their guns pointed at the guests, dragged everyone out, including Ajay and his family, leaving behind Karan, Nisha, the priest, Shriya, Atharv Singhania, and his men.

"Shriya..." Nisha whispered; tears cascading down her cheeks.

"Take her out too," Atharv snapped, and Nisha flinched at his tone.

Nisha was dragged out against her will. And Shriya? She was too numb to react. The girl couldn't cope with everything that had happened in the past five days—this wedding and all. Now, on top of it, her brother was at gunpoint while her sister-in-law was a hostage, for reasons only Atharv knew.

"Now, what do we have here?" Atharv Singhania said as he clasped his hands together and walked near Shriya, his face wearing a devilish grin. She was aware of his move but too numb to react.

"Wh-what are yo-you do-do-doing?" Shriya managed to speak, her insides shivering as she looked at Atharv, who was just a step away from her.

"Coming towards you, darling," Atharv's voice dropped octaves, while Shriya's eyes widened with fear. In a second, her legs moved back as she looked at him, eyes moist.

"St-stay away!" Shriya panicked as she moved back while Atharv continued to advance.

"Bhaiya!" Shriya shouted, her body shivering with fear—or was it fury? Both.

Out of nowhere, two hands grabbed either side of Shriya, holding her in a death grip. Scared, she turned her head slightly and saw two female bodyguards holding her in place.

"Leave me! Bhaiya! Let me go!" Shriya shouted, trying to wriggle out of the iron grip.

"Ssh! Keep calm, Shriya," Atharv said in a threatening tone, which shut her off immediately. "It is your brother at gunpoint, remember?"

That caught Shriya completely off-guard. Her brother was at gunpoint! Her sister-in-law was a hostage. And she? She didn't know what would happen to her. She looked at her brother, who was struggling with the men. She glanced at Atharv, who was looking at Karan Malhotra with a smirk.

"Karan Malhotra, get it into your mind that Atharv Singhania never loses," Atharv said sharply as he looked at Karan, face-to-face and eye-to-eye.

"Don't talk to my brother that way!"

An amused smile appeared on Atharv's face, but it disappeared right away, leaving no trace.

"Why not?" Atharv looked at Shriya with a challenging stare. A man who could enter a wedding hall with his men, pointing guns at the guests just like that—well, he could do anything, right? Right?

"Shriya, go away," Karan managed to wriggle free of the hand covering his mouth and shouted. His eyes were red with rage and angry tears. "Damn Singhania, face me instead of my sister."

"I'm here for her, not you, Malhotra. So, fuck off" Atharv looked calm but if one looked closer, they could see a nerve pulsing in his neck, his eyes red.

Karan's mouth was covered again; he couldn't say anything. He kept trying to wriggle free and desperately wanted to punch the shit out of Atharv Singhania. He cursed the guards and Atharv. He was worried about his sister and also his wife.

"What do you want?"

When Atharv was about to take a step forward, he heard Shriya's calm words as she stopped struggling, and faced him. Yes, she was scared. Yes, she was terrified, but no one could harm her family. No one!

"Here comes the smart words of the brain behind 'SM Designs,'" Atharv said, his words sharply ironic, his face serious, his voice calm. He took another step closer and stood just before Shriya.

"All I want is you, Shriya. Just you!" Atharv smirked while Shriya looked shocked. "And, I'm not going from here without you"

Atharv pretended to take a step forward, but Shriya panicked and wriggled as she tried to move back. She didn't want to be anywhere near him. She didn't even know much about him, other than seeing him on business news and reading articles about him in the newspapers.

"Get my bride ready," Atharv said to the women holding Shriya, "I don't want to see her dressed up in the bridal wear of someone else."

And that was when Shriya Malhotra really felt like digging a huge hole in the ground, burying herself inside, and never coming up.

~ * ~

"We can't let you go. If you want to save your family, you have to do this. Believe me, Atharv Singhania is not someone you can even dream of messing with. Wear this dress soon," One of the five women with Shriya said to her as she pleaded with them to let her go for the tenth time already.

"But I really don't want to do this. Please, just let me go. I want to see my brother. He-I-I want to go. Please leave me" Shriya pleaded again. There was no way she could escape or fight these five women. They looked well trained and tough. How could they not be if they were professionals?

"I know you don't want to see this, but... look at this."

One of the five women guards came forward and showed her mobile to Shriya. Shriya's eyes widened as she dropped the mobile from her hand. Thankfully, the woman caught the mobile before it made contact with the floor.

Shriya's vision blurred as she fought back tears. What she saw made her want to kill Atharv Singhania! The picture of her brother tied to a chair, blood coming out of his mouth, his face pale. She not only felt anger but also fear—the fear of losing her loved ones, the fear of what would happen to her, the fear of Atharv Singhania.

"Fine!" Shriya cried, "Give me the dress"

~ * ~

If Shriya looked soulless when walking towards the altar for Ajay, she was completely lifeless and soulless as she walked towards the altar for Atharv.

Her dress felt like a burden to her earlier, but this time, even though the wedding dress she was wearing was not heavy but soft, Shriya felt like she was wearing a dress made of heavy stones, and it was crushing her. She felt suffocated!

"Looking gorgeous," Atharv muttered as he wrapped his arm around Shriya's waist. She looked at him with a lifeless stare, trying to push his hand away from her. He just tightened his hold on her waist, not minding her futile efforts. His eyebrows twitched slightly, not liking the soulless look on her face.

"Smile," Atharv ordered. Shriya looked at him with another soulless stare, which worked him up.

"I said to smile," Atharv repeated, gritting his teeth. "You do love your brother, right?" he added, pointing her in the direction of her brother.

Shriya, who didn't want to see her brother in that state, with no other choice, looked at Karan. Confusion etched her face as she saw her brother perfectly fine, without any blood or being tied to a chair. =

Then, what about the picture Shriya saw back there? Wait! The dress her brother was wearing—it was different in the picture and now! Had they fooled her? Certainly! But still, her brother was held hostage by five men, two guns pointed at him.

"Smile, Shriya. I want you to smile" Atharv said in a gritted tone. "Think about your brother. He is still at gunpoint."

That did the trick. A small, sad smile tugged at Shriya's face as her filled eyes looked devastated, completely against her will. It was obvious she was fighting off her tears. She had a habit—never crying in front of anyone. She wouldn't! She would never show her weak side to anyone!

"Good," Atharv patted Shriya's head but she flinched at his touch.

"Bring Mrs. Malhotra in," Atharv barked an order. "She doesn't want to miss her sister-in-law's wedding, does she?"

'What have I gotten myself into?' Shriya thought, feeling herself engulfed in this killing fear.

And Karan? The eyes that Shriya had never seen shed tears since what happened in their past were shedding tears now, for his little sister. Yes, he had lost to Atharv Singhania.

'If I had known that something like this would happen, I would have never wished for someone to save me from Ajay' Shriya thought as Atharv dragged her towards the altar.

~ * ~

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Thank you for reading,

Nan ~