Sidharth's expression remained impassive. He didn't encourage Mihika's touch, but he didn't stop it either. And that indifference was somehow worse than if he'd welcomed it.
Mihika left in a cloud of expensive perfume, and Advika forced herself to breathe normally. It didn't matter. This wasn't a love match. It was a business arrangement, a treaty signed in marriage vows instead of ink.
She didn't get to be jealous of other women touching her fiancé. She didn't get to feel anything at all.
"As I was saying," Sidharth continued as if the interruption hadn't happened, "the territories will be divided as discussed. North to the Pradhans, South to the Singhanias. We'll share intelligence on common enemies and present a united front to the other families."
"And my daughter?" Yash asked, his gaze flickering to Advika for the first time since they'd sat down. "What assurances do we have of her... safety?"
The words should have been comforting. A father concerned for his daughter's wellbeing. But Advika heard the real question:What assurances do we have that you won't use her against us?
Even now, she was just a chess piece.
"She'll be under Singhania protection," Sidharth said, and finally—finally—his gaze shifted to her. Those amber eyes locked onto hers, and Advika felt pinned in place. "No one will touch what's mine."
What's mine.Not 'her.' Not even 'my wife.'
Possession, pure and simple. A spark of pure, unadulterated rage shot through her.
"Then we have an agreement." Yash extended his hand across the table.
Sidharth shook it, the gesture sealing Advika's fate more effectively than any signature could have. "The wedding will be in one month. My people will handle the arrangements. We'll send over the schedule."
"One month?" Advika's voice came out strangled. She'd thought she'd have more time. “I thought it was two months.”
"Plans changed." Sidharth's attention was already back on her father, dismissing her. "A month is enough time for proper security arrangements. And for the families to... adjust."
Adjust.As if she were a piece of furniture being moved into a new house.
The dinner continued for another agonizing hour. Business was discussed—territory lines, profit shares, how to handle the smaller families who might try to take advantage of the alliance. Advika picked at her food, each bite tasting like ash.
She felt Rishabh's eyes on her occasionally, assessing, but when she met his gaze, he'd look away. Measuring her threat level, probably. Wondering if she was a spy for her father, a Trojan horse inside Singhania walls.
She wanted to laugh. She had no loyalty to Yash Pradhan. But she'd never convince them of that.
Finally, mercifully, the dinner ended. Contracts were signed—actual contracts, like this was a corporate merger and not a marriage. Advika's signature was required in three places. Her hand shook as she signed, the pen feeling heavy as an anchor.
There. It was done. Legal and binding.
"We'll send a car for you the day before the wedding," Sidharth said as everyone stood to leave. He'd barely looked at her all evening, barely spoken to her directly. "Pack light. Everything you need will be provided."
"I have a business to run," Advika said, finding her voice. "Sinfully Sweet—my bakery. I can't just abandon it."
For the first time, something like interest flickered in his eyes. "You bake?"
"I own a bakery," she corrected, lifting her chin. "One of the most successful in the city."
"Cute." Nisha's voice dripped with condescension. "A little hobby."
"It's not a—"
"You'll have time for your hobbies," Sidharth cut her off, his tone final. "After the security protocols are established. For now, your safety is the priority."
My safety. Or my compliance?
But she didn't say it. Didn't fight. Because what was the point? The contracts were signed. The deal was struck.
She was his now, whether she liked it or not.
