The success of Sia's Heavenly Bites had sent ripples through the city, but within the walls of the Thorne mansion, it had sparked a different kind of revolution. Sia was no longer just the "forced bride" who sat in silence. She was a woman who returned home with flour on her cheeks and a tired but triumphant smile. She had started refusing the lavish, five-course meals prepared by the mansion's chefs, preferring to eat a simple piece of her own artisan bread with a cup of black coffee.
To Reyansh, this was the ultimate insult. Every time he saw her eating that "common" food, he felt her slipping further away from his control. But while his heart hardened with possessiveness, the rest of the Thorne family was beginning to soften.
Savitri Dadi had started visiting the bakery in secret, sitting in a corner booth and watching with pride as Sia managed the customers. Even Vikram, Reyansh's younger brother, had become her biggest fan, often bringing his friends to the shop. But the most surprising change was Gayatri—Reyansh's mother.
One evening, Sia had returned home to find Gayatri sitting in the living room with a pounding headache. Instead of ignoring her, Sia had gone to the kitchen, brewed a special herbal tea she used to make for her father, and gently massaged Gayatri's temples.
"I don't need your help, Sia," Gayatri had whispered, though her eyes were closed in relief.
"I'm not doing this as a Thorne daughter-in-law, Gayatri ji," Sia had replied softly. "I'm doing it because you look like you're in pain."
Slowly, the ice around Gayatri's heart was melting. She began to see not the daughter of a rival, but a girl who was selfless and hardworking. She had even started calling Sia "beta" when Reyansh wasn't listening, a small shift that Sia cherished more than any diamond.
However, the peace was short-lived.
"There is a gala tonight," Reyansh announced, walking into the bedroom where Sia was organizing her bakery's accounts. "The annual Business Excellence Awards. The entire board will be there. You are coming with me."
Sia didn't even look up. "I have orders to fulfill for tomorrow morning, Reyansh. I don't have time for your vanity parties."
Reyansh walked over, his shadow looming over her desk. He reached out and closed her ledger. "It wasn't a request. Dadi and Mom are already getting ready. If you aren't ready in an hour, I'll have my men shut down that bakery for a 'safety inspection' tomorrow morning. Permanent safety inspection."
Sia's pen snapped in her hand. She looked at him, her eyes burning with a hatred that was becoming dangerously mixed with something else. "You are a monster."
"I am a Thorne," he corrected coldly. "And you are my wife. Dress like it."
He pointed to a large, velvet box on the bed. Inside was a designer saree of deep emerald silk, embroidered with real silver threads. It was breathtaking, expensive, and looked like a beautiful trap.
An hour later, Sia stood in front of the full-length mirror, struggling. The saree was exquisite, but the blouse had a complex series of silk ties at the back that she couldn't reach. Her fingers were trembling with frustration and exhaustion.
The door opened. Through the mirror, she saw Reyansh. He had changed into a charcoal-grey tuxedo that made him look lethally handsome. He stopped in his tracks, his breath catching as he saw her. The emerald silk clung to her curves, and her bare back was a map of creamy skin that made his blood surge.
"I can't... I can't reach the ties," Sia muttered, her face flushing with embarrassment.
Reyansh didn't speak. He walked toward her, his footsteps silent on the plush carpet. When he stood behind her, the heat radiating from his body was like a furnace. Sia froze, her gaze locked with his in the reflection of the mirror.
His large, calloused hands reached out, his fingers brushing against her spine. Sia let out a sharp, involuntary gasp. The "Unwanted Romance" between them was no longer a spark; it was a forest fire. Reyansh's touch was slow, deliberate. He took the silk ties, his knuckles grazing her skin with every movement.
"Your skin is like ice," he murmured, his voice low and raspy.
"Then let go," Sia whispered, though she didn't pull away.
"No." Reyansh leaned down, his lips ghosting over the shell of her ear. The scent of his expensive cologne mixed with the lingering smell of vanilla from her skin. He pulled the ties tight, his gaze never leaving hers in the mirror. "You look beautiful, Sia. It angers me."
"Why?" she asked, her voice trembling.
"Because I want to hide you away," he confessed, a dark honesty breaking through his mask. "I don't want those men at the party looking at you. I don't want them thinking they have a chance to talk to the woman who belongs to me."
"I don't belong to you," she snapped, but the conviction was fading.
Reyansh turned her around, his hands gripping her waist. The emerald silk bunched under his fingers. He leaned in so close that their foreheads touched. For a long, agonizing minute, they just breathed each other in. The hatred was there, but the raw, primitive attraction was winning. Reyansh wanted to kiss her until she forgot her own name, until she forgot why she hated him.
"You are only mine to look at tonight," he warned, his eyes dark with a possessive fever. "Remember that."
He pulled away abruptly, leaving Sia breathless and shaken.
The gala was a sea of flashing lights and high-society whispers. As Reyansh and Sia entered, the room went silent. They were the "Power Couple" of the year. Reyansh kept a firm arm around Sia's waist, his grip a silent reminder of his ownership.
Gayatri and Dadi were already there, and for the first time, Gayatri walked up to Sia and adjusted the pallu of her saree with a motherly touch. "You look beautiful, beta," Gayatri said loudly enough for the socialites to hear. "The Thorne emeralds finally found a worthy wearer."
Sia's heart swelled. She felt a glimmer of hope that she might have found a mother in this house of stone.
But the tension returned when a young, charismatic man approached them. It was Aryan Malhotra, a rising star in the hotel industry and a regular at Sia's bakery.
"Sia! I didn't expect to see the city's best baker here," Aryan said, ignoring Reyansh's murderous glare. He turned to Reyansh. "You're a lucky man, Thorne. Your wife has a gift. Her sourdough is the talk of my hotel staff."
"She is full of gifts," Reyansh said, his voice dropping to a dangerous, icy level. He pulled Sia closer, his fingers digging into her side.
"Sia, would you grant an old customer a dance?" Aryan asked, extending his hand.
The air around them turned freezing. Reyansh's jaw tightened, his eyes flashing with a jealousy so intense it was almost visible. Before Sia could even open her mouth to politely decline, Reyansh stepped in front of her.
"She doesn't dance with strangers," Reyansh hissed.
"I'm not a stranger, I'm a friend," Aryan replied, undeterred.
Reyansh didn't wait. He grabbed Sia's hand, his grip like iron, and pulled her toward the center of the dance floor. The music was a slow, haunting waltz. He swept her into his arms, his hand splayed across her open back, pulling her so tight against his tuxedo that there wasn't a breath of space between them.
"You're hurting me," Sia whispered, though she was mesmerized by the fire in his eyes.
"You smiled at him," Reyansh growled, spinning her around. "You never smile at me, but you smiled at him."
"He's kind to me! He doesn't treat me like a prisoner!"
"He looks at you like he wants to take you away from me," Reyansh said, his voice thick with a dark obsession. He dipped her low, his face inches from hers. "And I will burn this city to the ground before I let anyone take what is mine."
As they danced under the crystal chandeliers, Sia realized with a terrifying jolt that the man holding her didn't just hate her anymore. He was obsessed with her. And in his eyes, she didn't see a captor—she saw a man who was drowning in a love he didn't know how to express, turning it into a cage of emerald silk and silver threads.
✨ Author's Note ✨
Possessive Reyansh is officially in the building! 🔥 Did you feel the heat in that dance? And what about Gayatri calling Sia "beta"? Things are getting complicated!
If you're loving this journey of hate turning into obsession, please Add this to your Library 📚 and show your support with some Power Stones 💎. Your comments and votes are what keep me writing these long, juicy chapters!
What should happen next? Should Aryan make another move, or should Sia find out a secret about Reyansh? Let me know in the comments! 👇