Twin Inferno

26.threatening

The sun was setting, casting an orange glow over the city as I leaned against my car outside Ehaan’s dad’s house. The air felt thick with tension, or maybe it was just my nerves. I had just finished a grueling meeting when I got the call. Ehaan’s dad rarely called for casual chats, and I knew this one was going to be serious.

Walking into his study, I immediately noticed how grave he looked. The usual playful gleam in his eyes was absent. Instead, he looked more like the powerful man I feared and, in a twisted way, respected.

"Rudra," he greeted, gesturing for me to sit. His voice was calm, but the underlying weight was impossible to miss.

I sat down, trying to keep my heartbeat steady. “What’s going on, sir?”

He leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping together slowly. “I need to talk to you about Esha.”

I braced myself, already knowing this wouldn’t end well.

"I know you married her for your convenience, and she isn’t happy about it," he said, his voice measured but cold. "And you very well know what I do when my kids aren’t happy about something."

I chuckled lightly, though inside I was on edge. "Yeah, I do. But you know as well as I do that I’m not that easy to deal with. I didn’t want to pull Esha into this mess—it was your son who started all this."

He sighed but nodded. "I know my son has an equal share of the blame. And I intend to fix his actions. But how are you going to fix yours, Rudra?"

I frowned, leaning forward. "Fix? What exactly do you mean by that?"

He raised an eyebrow, his expression neutral. "My son is officially marrying Siya Kapoor. Her guardian is fine with it, and so is she."

I laughed, though the sound was bitter. "You think I’m stupid enough to believe that?"

Without a word, he passed me his iPad, and my smile faltered. The screen displayed the latest news—a formal announcement of Ehaan and Siya’s engagement, along with photos that screamed ‘happy couple.’ My gut clenched at the sight.

I knew Ehaan must have forced her into this, but it still stung.

"You think Siya is happy?" I asked, forcing myself to look back at him.

He smirked, leaning back. "Do you think I care? Even if it meant burning the whole world, I would do it for my kids."

His words hit hard, but I didn’t flinch. I knew how ruthless he could be. "I heard you know about the secret I’ve been using to control Esha. You really think you can protect her from me?"

He chuckled. "You think you can control my daughter with a secret? You’re a fool if you believe that."

"I have proof," I said through gritted teeth, holding my ground. "You know exactly what I’m capable of doing with it."

He stared at me for a long moment, then gave a casual shrug. "Maybe, but I don’t care. Siya may or may not be happy, but at least she’ll be alive if you don’t meddle with Esha again. If you so much as breathe the wrong way, I won’t hesitate to destroy you, proof or no proof."

His tone was disturbingly casual, as if we were talking about the weather and not threatening each other’s lives. That’s what made him dangerous.

"Fine," I said, standing up. "I’ll keep my distance. For now."

But as I left the house, I knew exactly what I had to do.

---

Back at my office, I immediately set my plan into motion. If Ehaan thought he could get away with this engagement, he had another thing coming. And if Esha thought she could walk away from me, she was in for a rude awakening.

I had been holding onto something that I knew would force her to stay. Grinning to myself, I pulled out the wedding video and marriage certificate that Esha had desperately tried to keep out of the public eye.

It took only minutes to leak the video and the documents online. The internet was ablaze in moments, with headlines splashed everywhere: "Rudra Singhania and Esha Mehrotra: Married in Secret Ceremony!" People congratulated us, social media exploded with support, and shares for both our companies spiked.

It was all perfectly calculated.

I leaned back, satisfied, knowing Esha had no choice now. If she walked away from this, she’d be destroying her business—and, worse, her reputation. Leaving me would mean losing everything, and for what? Pride? Anger?

She wasn’t foolish enough to throw it all away.

---

Hours later, I was still riding the high when the door to my office slammed open. Esha stormed in, her eyes blazing with fury.

"You absolute bastard!" she shouted, throwing her phone onto my desk. The screen was still glowing with the article about our "wedding."

I stood, smirking. "Nice to see you too, Mrs. Singhania."

Her fists clenched at her sides, and I could see the rage boiling over. "You had no right to leak that! You’ve just trapped me in this mess!"

I stepped closer to her, my smirk widening. "Oh, sweetheart, you were already trapped the moment you signed This just makes it official."

She shoved me back, her face a mix of anger and frustration. "This isn’t a marriage! This is a business deal! You’re playing with my life, Rudra."

"And you’re playing with mine," I shot back, my voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "You think you can just leave me? Think again. This is a marriage—whether you like it or not. And the world knows it now."

Her eyes narrowed, and for a moment, we stood there, inches apart, tension crackling between us.

"Why?" she whispered, her voice softer but filled with hurt. "Why do you have to be like this?"

I didn’t answer, just continued smirking as I leaned

Her emerald green eyes pierced my eyes like a sharp sword made of emerald