"𝐑𝐨𝐲𝐚𝐥 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞"

1. Silent Tensions

Aarvi's POV:

The moment Vivaan Chauhan entered the ballroom, the air changed. It wasn't the usual kind of attention someone with his rank drew it was heavier, like the room was holding its breath. He commanded space with a natural ease, the crowd parting around him as if he were something inevitable. And in a way, he was.

I gripped my glass of champagne tighter, forcing myself to remain composed. My heartbeat quickened, but outwardly, I wouldn't give anything away. His presence had always unsettled me a mixture of arrogance and charm that felt both magnetic and suffocating at once. The perfect representation of everything this alliance meant to me. A trap disguised as opportunity.

From the corner of my eye, I tracked him, weaving through the sea of guests with practiced ease, exchanging pleasantries with people eager to earn his favor. He was royalty, yes, but there was something more to Vivaan Chauhan. Something untouchable. And that only made him more dangerous.

I tried to focus on the woman in front of me, her high-pitched voice filling the air with stories of some business venture I didn't care about. My mind kept pulling me back to him where he was, when our paths would inevitably collide tonight. And I knew they would. He had that kind of pull.

"Aarvi, darling, what do you think?" The woman's voice cut through my distraction, her smile too tight, too rehearsed.

I blinked, forcing myself back into the moment. "I'm sorry, what?"

She gave a brittle laugh, her eyes narrowing just a fraction. "The merger. What's your take on it?"

"Right," I nodded quickly, pulling together something vague. "It sounds ambitious. I'm sure it will create waves in the market."

She smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. I was already slipping away, excusing myself before she could draw me into another superficial conversation. I needed air.

Stepping onto the balcony, I welcomed the cool night breeze on my skin, the faint scent of jasmine from the garden below soothing me. Out here, I could almost forget everything the alliance, the expectations. For a moment, I let the stars take me away, away from the ballroom, from the heavy gaze I could still feel on me even though I'd left him behind.

"You always seem to find the quiet corners at these events."

His voice slid through the night air, smooth and uninvited. I didn't turn around. Of course, he'd followed me. Of course, he wouldn't let me escape so easily.

"Sometimes they're more tolerable from a distance," I said, keeping my back to him. I could feel him standing just behind me, close enough that the space between us seemed to hum with unspoken tension.

He stepped closer, his voice low and almost amused. "I couldn't agree more. But duty calls, doesn't it?"

I turned to face him, careful to keep my expression neutral. "Is that why you're here? For duty?"

His lips curved into a slight smile, but his eyes held mine, intense and unwavering. "Partially."

I hated how easily he unsettled me, how his presence felt like a challenge I wasn't sure I wanted to take on. But what choice did I have? We were bound by this arrangement, this alliance neither of us had asked for.

"We don't have to pretend," I said, my voice sharper than I'd intended. "This is just a business transaction. For my family, and for yours."

Vivaan raised an eyebrow, clearly entertained by my bluntness. "You always this direct?"

"Only when I don't have the patience for games."

His laughter was soft, warm, and it irritated me more than I cared to admit. There was something dangerous about that sound, something that made him harder to keep at arm's length.