BLACK WEDDING

Trisha’s POV

I stood in the center of my father’s study, my fingers trembling as I loaded the cold, heavy metal of his gun. Each click of the chamber echoed the frantic beating of my heart. Today, a man was going to die. That man was Vedant Kashyap.

In just one month, the owner of the Kashyap Group had systematically dismantled our lives. He had gutted our business, stolen our peace, and shattered our family. I didn’t care that he was rumored to be a seventy-year-old man; age wouldn’t save him from my fury.

I stormed out of the house, gun concealed, and peeled out of the driveway. As I drove toward the Kashyap headquarters at a breakneck speed, the nightmare of the last thirty days played on a loop in my mind.

A month ago, everything was perfect. I was newly engaged. My sister-in-law was happily pregnant. Dad was healthy, and the family business was thriving. Then came the offer—a deal so massive, a partnership so lucrative, that Dad and Bhaiya didn't think twice. They liquidated everything, pouring every cent of our capital into that single project.

Then, Vedant Kashyap pulled the plug.

The deal was cancelled. Our stocks crashed. Our company vanished overnight. Now, Dad is in the hospital with a dangerously high BP, Bhaiya’s stress has sent his sugar levels spiking, and my pregnant Bhabhi is in premature labor at seven months. My mother does nothing but weep.

I screeched into the Kashyap Group’s parking lot and marched toward the executive elevator. I bypassed the front desk, heading straight for the penthouse cabin.

"Miss, you can't go in there! You don't have an appointment!" his PA shrieked, trying to block my path. I didn't even look at her. Nothing was stopping me today.

The Confrontation

I threw the double doors open. "This ends today, you old bastard!" I yelled.

The high-backed leather chair was turned toward the window, hiding him. I raised the gun, aiming it steadily at the back of the chair.

"You aren't walking out of here alive," I spat, my voice thick with venom. "After what you did to my family, you don't deserve to breathe. I used to respect your name, but today, you’re just a target."

The chair slowly began to rotate. My finger tightened on the trigger, but as the man came into view, my breath hitched. My arms went weak.

"You?" I gasped.

He leaned back, a dark, knowing smirk playing on his lips. "So, you do remember me. I thought perhaps you were too drunk that night to keep my face in your memory."

I shook my head, my brain struggling to connect the dots. "I don’t have time for this. I’m here to speak to Vedant Kashyap. I’ll deal with you later." I looked around the room, shouting, "Where is Vedant Kashyap?!"

The man stood up, his tall, imposing frame radiating power. "I am Vedant Kashyap."

"What? No..." I stammered. "The man we met with... the one my father dealt with... he was an old man."

"He is an employee," Vedant said simply, walking around the desk. "Nothing more."

Fury surged back through me. I lunged forward, pressing the barrel of the gun directly against his chest. "Then you're the one who’s dead."

He didn't flinch. Instead, he slowly raised his hands in a mock gesture of surrender. "Oh, I’m terrified, little kitten."

"What did you just call me?" I hissed, digging the gun deeper into his ribs.

"Nothing."

"I will shoot you!" I screamed. "Why did you do it? This was all a plan, wasn't it? The deal, the crash—all of it!"

"Yes," he admitted, his voice chillingly calm. "It was all a plan."

"What do you want?" I demanded, my voice breaking. "Money? Power? What is left to take?"

He stepped closer, closing the gap until I could feel the heat radiating from his body. He looked directly into my eyes. "You."

"What?"

My shock was so absolute that my grip failed. The gun slipped from my fingers and clattered onto the expensive rug. I stood there, paralyzed.

Vedant reached down, casually picking up the weapon. "Oops... my little kitten. How are you going to shoot me like this?"

"What do you mean, you want me?" I asked, my voice trembling with nerves. "You’re mistaken. That night... I was drunk." I held up my hand, the diamond on my finger catching the light. "I’m engaged, Vedant."

He began to circle me like a predator, his eyes never leaving mine. "I know you're engaged. But I still want you."

Flashback: One Month Ago

It started at the racecourse. My horse had lost the final race, and my friends were determined to make me pay for the bad luck. We were several drinks in at the club's bar.

"You picked the wrong horse, Trisha! Punishment time!" my friend laughed. The rule was simple: I had to kiss the first stranger who walked through the bar doors.

"I can't! I'm engaged," I protested. "It’s an arranged marriage, but still..."

"Exactly! It’s just a business arrangement," they teased. "Once you're married, the fun is over. Just one kiss!"

I relented, thinking it was harmless. Then, he walked in.

I approached him, stumbling slightly. "Hey... my friends gave me a dare. I have to kiss the first person who walks through that door. That’s you. Look, just pretend to kiss me so they see, okay? If you're not comfortable, I'll just wait for the next guy."

He didn't say a word; he just leaned in. I intended for it to be a brief, chaste graze of the lips. But the moment our skin touched, his hand locked around my waist, pulling me flush against him. The "brief" kiss turned into a deep, possessive explosion that left me breathless. I was drunk and confused, but he was forceful, pushing for more. I finally broke away and fled the bar, my heart racing.

I tried to find him later—to figure out who that stranger was—but he had vanished. Until now.

The Present

"Sit down," Vedant said, gesturing to a chair as if he hadn't just admitted to stalking me. "Would you like something to drink? Your favorite coffee, perhaps?"

I snatched the gun back off the table where he’d placed it, pointing it at his heart once more. "That night was an accident! You can't ruin a family’s entire life over a kiss! I'm not a fool!"

"You're smart, Trisha. I always knew that."

A knock at the door interrupted us. The "old man"—the fake Vedant—entered and placed a leather-bound file on the desk. Vedant dismissed him with a sharp nod.

"Sit. Put the gun down," Vedant commanded. "Let’s talk business."

I remained standing, my arms shaking. He slid the file toward me.

"Sign this," he said. "The moment you do, I will reinstate every deal with your father's company. No strings attached, no hidden conditions."

I flipped the file open, scanning the legal jargon. My eyes widened in horror. "What the hell is this? A contract... a marriage contract? You want me to marry you for a business deal?"

"Yes."

I grabbed the file and hurled it across the room. The papers scattered like fallen leaves. "Not possible! Not in this lifetime!"

Vedant calmly retrieved the papers and held out a gold pen. "Choose the pen today, Trisha. You can choose violence some other time. Your family’s future is in your hands. Their health, their home... it all depends on this signature."

"Because of you!" I yelled. I slapped the file out of his hand again. "I will never agree to this. Do whatever you want!"

His expression darkened. His eyes turned a predatory shade of black. He pulled out his phone and sent a quick voice note: "No matter what you hear from my cabin, no one enters. That is an order."

Before I could process the threat, he lunged. He grabbed my wrist, twisting it, and wrapped his other arm around my waist, hauling me against his chest so tightly I couldn't breathe.

"What are you doing? Let go!" I panicked.

"You'll know soon, little kitten," he whispered darkly.

He forced my hand—the one holding the gun—straight up into the air. He held me in a vice-like grip, his body crushing mine, and then his finger found the trigger over mine.

BANG.

The first shot hit the ceiling. My body convulsed with the shock of the sound, but he didn't stop. Using his raw physical strength, he forced my finger to pull the trigger again and again.

BANG. BANG. BANG. BANG. BANG.

Six shots. The clip was empty. The smell of gunpowder filled the room.

He finally pulled away from me, releasing the pressure. My knees buckled; the adrenaline had drained, leaving me weak and trembling. As I began to fall, he caught me, pulling me into his arms.

I lay there against him—shocked, confused, and utterly broken.

To be continued...