Aria stared down at the beach in disbelief.
Dev Khanna stood there casually, hands in his pockets, smiling as if he had just run into old friends.
"This guy seriously has no boundaries," Aria muttered.
Beside her, Rohan's expression had turned cold.
"He's doing this on purpose."
Dev waved again from below.
"Are you two going to invite me up," he called loudly, "or should I just assume the honeymoon suite is private?"
Aria turned to Rohan.
"Please tell me he's joking."
Rohan didn't answer. Instead, he walked toward the stairs leading down to the beach.
Aria followed him quickly.
When they reached the sand, Dev greeted them with a dramatic clap.
"Beautiful location," he said. "Very romantic."
Rohan stopped a few steps away from him.
"What do you want, Dev?"
Dev smiled.
"Relax. I'm on vacation too."
Aria crossed her arms.
"That's funny, because it looks more like stalking."
Dev laughed.
"I like her," he said, glancing at Rohan. "Your wife has attitude."
Rohan's voice turned sharp.
"Say what you came to say."
Dev pulled out his phone and casually scrolled through something.
Then he turned the screen toward them.
Aria's heart dropped instantly.
It was the photo of their contract again.
Dev tilted his head slightly.
"Interesting document," he said.
Aria tried to stay calm.
"You shouldn't snoop through other people's things."
Dev smirked.
"Oh, I didn't snoop."
Rohan narrowed his eyes.
"Then how did you get it?"
Dev shrugged.
"Let's just say… someone was willing to help me."
Aria felt a chill run down her spine.
Someone had betrayed them.
Rohan stepped closer to Dev.
"What do you want?"
Dev's smile slowly widened.
"Nothing dramatic."
He slipped the phone back into his pocket.
"I just want to see how long this little love story lasts."
Aria frowned.
"Why do you even care?"
Dev looked at Rohan with cold amusement.
"Because his perfect image is built on lies."
He turned to leave, then paused.
"Oh, and don't worry," he added casually. "I haven't shown the media yet."
Aria's heart raced.
"Yet?"
Dev looked over his shoulder.
"But if I get bored… I might."
Then he walked away along the beach.
The sound of the waves filled the silence between Aria and Rohan.
After a moment, Aria spoke quietly.
"Well."
Rohan didn't respond.
Aria sighed.
"This fake honeymoon just became a blackmail situation."
Rohan looked out at the ocean, his expression unreadable.
"Dev wants a reaction," he said.
Aria frowned.
"So what's the plan?"
Rohan turned to her.
"We don't give him one."
Aria blinked.
"You're telling me to just ignore the man who's threatening to expose our entire marriage?"
Rohan nodded.
"Yes."
Aria stared at him for a moment.
Then she sighed.
"You know what?"
"What?"
She pointed toward the ocean.
"If we're already stuck on a fake honeymoon with a villain watching us…"
She grabbed his arm and started pulling him toward the water.
"We might as well make it look convincing."
Rohan looked surprised.
"You want to go swimming?"
Aria smirked.
"Smile for the cameras, remember?"
For the first time since Dev arrived, Rohan laughed softly.
But neither of them noticed the man standing far away on the beach, secretly taking pictures.
Pictures that would soon appear online with a shocking headline:
"ROHAN MALHOTRA AND HIS WIFE'S ROMANTIC BEACH MOMENT."
And when Dev Khanna saw those photos…
He would realize something even more dangerous.
The fake marriage might not be as fake as he thought.
End of Chapter 15
Next Chapter: The Unexpected Moment