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“Thank you, Aunty. So glad you came.”
“Do you remember Dhruv, Bianca?” My mom introduces us with that same sparkle I saw earlier. Twice as bright now. “He just returned from London and is set to work in your father’s firm.”
Alarm bells start to ring in my head as my mother’s voice takes on a high quality, her expression almost sickly and adoring as she gazes at Dhruv. He certainly looks like he’s enjoying the attention, or maybe it’s simply because she’s his future boss’s wife.
My intuition, on the other hand, screams something fishy is happening. I would excuse myself if it didn’t seem rude. So, masking my annoyance, I play along. “I remember. My dad must think highly of you.”
“I’m just honored he took me under his wing,” he replies and while he gazes at me, I get a queasy feeling in my chest. It rises to my throat like smoke when my mother speaks.
“I was thinking you could show him around the city, beta. A lot has changed since he lived away for years.”
Oh hell no. I sharply look at her and that’s when I recognize the earlier spark for what it is. My own mother is trying to set her very married daughter up on a date. No, not a date. A freaking affair. Dhruv suddenly looks hopeful and salivating at the prospect.
Dude. You’re literally at my wedding reception party.
“Oh no, she doesn’t have to,” intervenes Mrs. Patel, albeit reluctantly.
“I wish I could but my work is hectic at the moment,” I immediately cut in before my mom could.
Dhruv isn’t deterred. “How about a dance then?”
“Don’t be rude, Bianca. One dance won’t hurt.” Then my dearest mother all but thrusts me into his arms before I have a chance to politely decline.
Dhruv doesn’t notice my reluctance or simply chooses to ignore it as he boldly rests his hand on my back and guides me to the dance floor. My heart thunders behind my rib cage as I nervously search for Dash.
He isn’t going to take kindly to another man dancing with his wife. Especially after his intimate confession that has settled like an intoxicating elixir in my veins.
“I almost didn’t come to the party but I’m so glad I did,” says Dhruv flirtatiously as he pulls me close and takes my hand to lead the dance. “You’re more gorgeous than I remember.”
“You do realize I’m a married woman?” I scornfully ask. Politeness be damned. “And this is my wedding reception party, not a season ofBachelor in Paradise, right?”
The jerk laughs before revealing, “That’s not what your mom said.”
“Excuse me?”
“She told me your marriage isn’t going to last once you realize Dash is not the perfect partner for you. She would like us to be together, someone close to your age, and a man your father respects with a family, not an orphan like your husband.”
Each word is an arrow viciously stabbed in my back.
Everything fades into the background until a searing pain beats in my heart. My mind is so disoriented that I miss the atmosphere in the room shift until a cold chill sucks all the warmth. It raises the hair on the back of my neck and I feel his presence before I hear his granite voice.
“Hands. Off. My. Wife.”
Chapter Fifty
BIANCA
Dhruv, who apparently has a death wish, doesn’t remove his hands at Dash’s threatening command brimming with unleashed violence. Dash’s hard chest presses against my naked back and I can feel the tension radiating from his body and seeping into my own.
Without giving a foolish Dhruv a chance, one strong and possessive arm circles my waist. One tug and I’m free of the other man, who finally develops the sixth sense that tells him my husband isn’t someone to be messed with. That he made a big fucking mistake.
Panic swells inside my chest when Dash steps forward, going toe to toe with him while holding me flush against him. His size and physical strength, intimidating, especially with the dark expression he’s wearing as he stares Dhruv down.
My heart skips a scared beat when a vicious smirk graces his lips. Goosebumps rake on my skin when he speaks in a low and mocking voice, “So you think you’re a better man for my wife?”
Oh no. He heard everything. He has to know it means nothing. That I don’t believe it.
Dhruv has the decency to look uncomfortable, especially with the guests pausing and watching the whole scene like a train wreck waiting to happen. Even the others have stopped moving on the dance floor.
