RUTHLESSLY MINE

HELLO LOVELIES!!! ✨ Don’t forget to vote and comment if you like the story 💖 (Some dialogues may have small mix-ups. I’ll edit them later.) Phase – I ★★★ AARA Delhi Evening “You shouldn’t have slapped him.” The whisper came from somewhere behind me, shaky and almost terrified. I didn’t turn around. My palm was still burning, my heartbeat still uneven, and right in front of me stood the most dangerous man in the room… staring at me like I had just signed my own death sentence. But let’s rewind a little. Because ten minutes ago, I had no idea my life was about to be ruined. “I said no.” I didn’t bother softening my tone as I ended the call and shoved my phone into my purse. If anything, I was more irritated now than before. These people never listened. “Miss Aara, please reconsider” Click. I cut the call before the man could finish begging. I had already said no three times. I wasn’t saying it a fourth. Lawyers, politicians, rich businessmen… all the same. They thought money could buy silence, loyalty, even justice. Not mine. I exhaled slowly and looked around the wedding hall. Lights, flowers, expensive decorations, people smiling like everything in their lives was perfect. It almost made me laugh. I hated weddings. Too much pretending. Too many secrets hidden under glitter and gold. I scanned the crowd, trying to spot the bride. My best friend had insisted I come, and now she had disappeared, leaving me alone in this circus. “Excuse me,” I stopped one of the staff members walking past. “Bride’s room?” “Down the hallway, ma’am.” “Thanks.” I turned toward the corridor, adjusting my shawl slightly. If I could find her quickly, I’d stay for five minutes, smile for a few pictures, and leave. Simple. At least, that was the plan. Until the first gunshot echoed. The sound was sharp. Loud. Too real. For a second, my brain refused to process it. Then the second shot came. And the third. Screams erupted instantly. The music stopped mid-beat. Glass shattered somewhere near the entrance. People started running, pushing, shouting over each other in panic. My body froze where I stood. This wasn’t a mistake. This wasn’t fireworks. Men dressed in black walked into the hall like they had been invited. Guns in their hands. Faces calm. Focused. Like chaos didn’t affect them at all. “Everyone out!” one of them shouted. And just like that, the entire crowd moved. No one argued. No one questioned. Fear did the work for them. But something was wrong. Very wrong. They weren’t letting everyone leave. “No one from the bride or groom’s family moves,” another voice ordered. My brows pulled together slightly. Okay… that was not normal. Instinct kicked in fast. I stepped back into the darker side of the corridor, out of direct sight. From there, I could still see the mandap clearly. The bride’s father stepped forward angrily. “Who are you people? What nonsense is this?” Before anyone could answer, another voice filled the hall. “Relax.” One word. That was all it took. The atmosphere changed instantly. Even the men with guns stepped aside. Like someone important had just arrived. No… not important. Powerful. Footsteps echoed slowly across the marble floor. Calm. Controlled. Not rushed, not nervous. Confident. Dangerously confident. Then I saw him. Tall. Broad shoulders. Black suit. No visible panic, no urgency, no fear. He walked like the entire situation was under his control. Like this chaos belonged to him. “Arjun Rathore…” someone whispered. The name hit instantly. Everyone knew that name. Business empire. Power. Influence. And rumors that went far beyond clean money. And right now… he was standing in the middle of a wedding with armed men surrounding him. My stomach tightened slightly. Something about him felt off. Not just dangerous. Familiar. I frowned. No. Impossible. He walked toward the mandap and stopped, his gaze sweeping across the room once before settling. “Continue the wedding.” The groom blinked in confusion. “What?” Arjun’s gaze shifted to him slowly, and whatever the groom saw made him shut up immediately. “I said continue,” Arjun repeated calmly. Then after a pause, he added, “But change the bride.” The entire hall froze. I blinked once. Then again. What? “What kind of joke is this?” the groom snapped, clearly losing patience. Arjun didn’t raise his voice. Didn’t argue. He just looked at him. And somehow, that was enough. The groom went silent. Completely silent. Fear flashed across his face, raw and undeniable. That was when my chest tightened. This wasn’t normal power. This was something else. Something dangerous. Then Arjun’s gaze shifted again. Scanning the room. Searching. And then It stopped. Right where I was standing. Our eyes met. And something changed. His expression didn’t show shock. It showed recognition. Like he had just found something he had been looking for… for a very long time. My heart skipped. Why was he looking at me like that? Before I could move, he started walking toward me. Slowly. Each step deliberate. My instincts screamed at me to step back. But I didn’t. I stayed there. Watching him approach. Closer. Closer. Until he stood right in front of me. Up close, he was worse. More intense. More real. And that strange feeling returned again. Familiar. “You,” he said quietly. I frowned immediately. “Me?” His jaw tightened slightly. “You finally showed up.” I blinked. “Okay, I think you’ve got the wrong person.” But instead of responding, he reached out and grabbed my wrist. Firm. Controlled. Not hurting me… but not letting me go either. “What are you doing?” I snapped, trying to pull away. He didn’t release me. “I’ve been looking for you,” he said. That irritated me instantly. “Well congratulations,” I shot back. “Now let go.” “You don’t remember me.” It wasn’t a question. That made it worse. “I’ve never seen you before.” Something dangerous flickered in his eyes. “Is that so?” And that was it. My patience snapped. Before I could think My hand moved. SLAP. The sound echoed across the entire hall. Silence followed immediately. Every single person froze. One of his men stepped forward, but Arjun lifted his hand slightly, stopping him without even looking. Slowly… very slowly… He turned his face back toward me. And smiled. Not a normal smile. Not even close. This one was calm. Cold. Like he had just confirmed something. He leaned closer, his voice dropping so only I could hear. “You shouldn’t have done that.” My chin lifted slightly. “Then don’t grab people without permission.” For a second, I thought he might get angry. Instead… His smile deepened. “Congratulations.” My brows furrowed. “For what?” His grip on my wrist tightened just a little. “For making this easier.” Something about the way he said that made my stomach twist. “What are you talking about?” He straightened, his gaze shifting to the entire hall. Then he said something that made everything stop. “This is the bride.” The room erupted. “What?!” someone shouted. “This is insane!” the groom snapped. But Arjun didn’t even look at them. His attention was still on me. Only me. “You ruined my life once,” he said quietly. My breath caught. “What?” “And now…” his voice dropped lower, “…you’re going to fix it.” My mind raced. Nothing he was saying made sense. “I don’t even know you!” His eyes darkened. “You will.” Something flickered in my memory. Rain. A road. Headlights. A crash. My chest tightened suddenly. No. No way. It couldn’t be He saw it. The moment realization hit me. And his expression changed. “You remember.” My voice came out barely steady. “That night…?” “Yes.” My heart started pounding. “That was you?” He didn’t hesitate. “Yes.” The air felt heavier. “You know I didn’t “You destroyed everything,” he cut in. The words hit hard. “I didn’t kill anyone!” His expression didn’t change. “We’ll see.” Before I could argue further, everything started moving too fast. The priest was dragged forward. The rituals began. “What are you doing?” I demanded, trying to pull away again. “Fixing a mistake,” he replied calmly. “This is insane!” “You have two choices,” he said quietly. “Walk… or get dragged.” I held his gaze. Trying to find hesitation. Doubt. Anything. There was none. And that scared me more than the guns. My pulse pounded as the ceremony continued around us. Voices blurred. Hands moved. Garlands exchanged. Everything felt unreal. Until gunshots exploded again outside. Louder. Closer. Arjun’s head snapped toward the entrance instantly. His expression changed completely. Cold. Deadly. One of his men rushed in. “Sir… they’ve arrived.” Arjun’s grip on me tightened. “Of course they have.” “Who?” I demanded. But he didn’t answer. Instead, he pulled me closer. Protectively. Possessively. Like I belonged to him. Then the doors burst open. And a man walked in. Calm. Smiling. Dangerous in a completely different way. His eyes landed on me immediately. Like he had been searching for me. “Well,” he said slowly, glancing around the ruined hall. “This is quite the wedding.” Arjun stepped forward slightly. “Raghav.” The name sent a chill down my spine. The man smiled wider. “And there she is.” My stomach dropped. Why did he look like he knew me too? And why did it suddenly feel like… This marriage wasn’t the worst thing that had happened to me tonight?