The next morning, Aria woke up to the sound of her phone buzzing again.
She groaned and pulled the blanket over her head.
"I miss the days when nobody knew who I was," she mumbled.
After a moment, curiosity got the better of her. She grabbed her phone and opened the news.
Immediately, dozens of headlines appeared.
"WHO IS ARIA SEN?""THE WOMAN WHO STOLE ROHAN MALHOTRA'S HEART.""ACTOR DEV KHANNA HINTS AT SHOCKING TRUTH ABOUT ROHAN'S MARRIAGE."
Aria sat up quickly.
"Dev Khanna again?"
She opened the last article.
According to the interview, Dev had told reporters that Rohan's marriage was suspicious and possibly fake.
Aria's stomach dropped.
"If people start believing that…" she whispered.
Just then, someone knocked on the door.
Rohan walked in, looking unusually serious.
"I assume you've seen the news."
Aria held up her phone. "Your rival is spreading rumors."
Rohan sighed. "I expected that."
Aria frowned. "You expected someone to accuse us of faking our marriage?"
"He wants attention," Rohan replied calmly. "And he wants to damage my reputation."
Aria placed the phone down.
"Well congratulations. I'm officially part of the drama now."
Rohan leaned against the table.
"You knew this wouldn't be simple."
Aria crossed her arms.
"I thought the biggest problem would be pretending to like you."
Rohan raised an eyebrow.
"And now?"
"Now I have a celebrity enemy."
Before Rohan could respond, Kabir rushed into the room holding his tablet.
"You two need to see this."
Aria sighed. "Please tell me it's not another rumor."
Kabir showed them the screen.
A new article had just appeared online.
"DEV KHANNA CLAIMS HE HAS PROOF ROHAN MALHOTRA'S MARRIAGE IS A LIE."
Aria felt her heart drop.
"Proof?"
Kabir looked worried.
"If he somehow finds the contract…"
Rohan's expression hardened.
"He won't."
Aria looked between them.
"You sound very confident."
Rohan met her eyes.
"Because only three people know about that contract."
Aria nodded slowly.
"You, me… and Kabir."
Kabir sighed.
"And if that secret gets out…"
Aria finished the sentence quietly.
"Everything collapses."
For a moment, the room went silent.
Then Aria picked up her phone again and stared at the ring on her finger.
The symbol of their fake marriage.
She had agreed to wear it for six months.
But suddenly it felt like she had stepped into something much bigger.
She looked at Rohan.
"So what's the plan?"
Rohan's voice was calm but determined.
"We give the media exactly what they want."
Aria frowned.
"And what's that?"
Rohan stepped closer.
"A love story."
Aria stared at him.
"You want us to pretend to be a happily married couple… in front of the entire country?"
Rohan nodded.
"Yes."
Aria sighed dramatically.
"Great."
She looked at the ring again.
"Six months suddenly feels like a very long time."
But neither of them noticed the message that had just been sent from an unknown number to Dev Khanna.
It contained only two words.
"Contract copy."
And if that message was real…
Their secret was about to become a scandal.
End of Chapter 10
Next Chapter: The Perfect Couple Act