CLASH OF DESTINY

CHAPTER 12

Malhotra House

The mansion was bustling with preparations, yet there was a suffocating silence in Ishinita's room. Draped in an elegant yet heavy bridal outfit, she sat motionless, her eyes staring blankly at the reflection in the mirror. The makeup artists had given up on making her look like the glowing bride she was supposed to be.

Her heart no longer fought against the chains binding her fate. She had accepted it. A forced marriage, a deal struck between ruthless families, and her as the pawn.

Amrita and Rishi had tried to reason, to fight, to argue, but what could they do when she herself had surrendered? What was left to fight for? The fire in her had died the moment she realized no one was coming to save her. No one. Not HIM.

But why did his image keep flashing in her mind? His sharp gaze, his commanding presence, the way he had always challenged her, always pushed her. Why, in this moment of complete despair, did she think of Aadvik Singhania? Her boss. The person of she fought, she hated everything about, his anger, his discipline, his authoritative self. But don't know why she thought him, maybe just maybe if she could contact him then he might have helped her even if out of pity.

The man who had humiliated her, competed against her, controlled every situation. And yet, her heart betrayed her mind. Was it longing? Was it...expectation? Was it something unknown brewing...

No. She shook her head violently. Aadvik wasn't coming. He wasn't the hero in her story.

Or was he?

The Den

Aadvik stood before a large screen, his fingers tapping rhythmically against the wooden desk. Ankit and Sameer stood beside him, their expressions mirroring his own—anger, determination, and a thirst for justice.

"We need to go in now," Sameer growled. "We storm in, take her away, and destroy those bastards."

"No." Aadvik's voice was sharp, commanding, final.

Ankit frowned. "We can't wait, Aadvik. She needs us."

"She needs us to be smart," Aadvik corrected. "We can't just barge in. If we take her forcefully, it will be her dignity that will be questioned. Do you want people to call her a runaway bride? A disgrace? She already has the weight of this deal on her shoulders. I won't let her reputation be ruined."

Sameer exhaled sharply, pacing the room. "Then what's the plan?"

Aadvik's lips curled into a smirk, but his eyes held no humor. Only cold, calculated resolve. "We destroy the Singhs from the inside. Leak every dirty secret they have, make sure they are crumbling by the time the wedding takes place. And then...we expose the forced marriage to the media."

"And by the time the news spreads—" Ankit caught on, a grin forming on his face.

"The wedding will already be over," Sameer finished, eyes gleaming. "Except, she won't be married."

Aadvik's jaw clenched. He had never planned a mission so personally. His brain told him that this was a calculated move—destroying his rivals and saving a girl who had unknowingly been dragged into the power struggle. The only girl who could solve his insomniac problem. He tried to convince himself that he was saving her so he could find the reason behind her being his solution. He was being selfish and nothing else

But his heart? His heart told him a different story.

Ishinita. He could see her in his mind, not as his rival, not as the girl who had challenged his authority—but as a woman trapped, defeated, broken.