Her Deviant Husband | [✓]

Chapter 29

Reyansh's pov.

The soft clink of glasses, muted laughter, and the faint strains of a violin filled the garden, a perfect backdrop to the illusion I had orchestrated.

Lights strung through the trees twinkled like stars, casting a warm glow on the gathering. To everyone here, this was a celebration.

Tonight, I had claimed my prize.

The engagement was done. Phase one of my plan was complete.

Athira Roy was officially mine.

Not just in the way these people thought—with a ring and a promise of a future together.

No, she was mine in a way no one here could fathom.

She belonged to me, not as a partner or an equal but as my possession. A piece of the empire that would lead to the downfall of everything that came in the way.

She stood across the garden, her head held high, her poise impeccable. The pinkish hue with the pears and white and gold embroidery of her lehenga clung to her figure like a second skin, making her look regal, untouchable. But I knew better. Her fingers toyed with the edge of her dupatta, betraying the tension she so carefully concealed.

I had seen the flicker of fear in her eyes earlier, fleeting but unmistakable, when we exchanged rings. It was enough to tell me that she was beginning to see through the mask I wore.

The tamed fiancé she thought she had agreed for was a façade, a carefully constructed version of me designed to draw her in. But she didn't know the half of it.

And she wouldn't—not until it was too late.

I leaned against the edge of a table, swirling the champagne in my glass as I watched her. "Sweetheart," I murmured under my breath, my lips curling into a smirk, "you're beautiful and extremely smart, no doubt, but you're also a sentimental fool. Underestimating me will be your first and last mistake."

The Roys were untouchable, or so they believed.

Anurag Roy, her grandfather, was the backbone of their empire.

Ruthless, calculating, brilliant—he had brought my family to its knees once upon a time. My grandfather, that proud man, was forced to abandon everything he had built in Mumbai and start over in Delhi because of one bad deal. All thanks to Anurag Roy.

However, by marrying Athira, I wasn't just tying myself to the Roy name—I was embedding myself within their fortress.

With her at my side, I could have information about them much more easily than before and how to influence things to my favour.

And Anurag Roy wouldn't be able to oppose me without risking his precious granddaughter. It was a masterstroke, and I had played my cards flawlessly.

Athira, though, wasn't as easy to manage as I had initially thought. She was supposed to be just another pawn on my board—a means to an end. But somewhere along the way, she had shifted from being a piece in my game to something far more dangerous.

She had become my obsession.
I didn't want to accept it in the beginning but she was something that I needed under me. And in my possession.

I didn't plan for this.
I didn't want it.
But there she was, dominating my thoughts, igniting something in me that I couldn't name. Her strength, her defiance, her fire—it was intoxicating.

And maddening.

The plan was simple: control her, use her, and break her if necessary.

But now, the thought of breaking her felt... wrong. Owning her, though? That was non-negotiable.