The entire day passed in tension.
Aria tried to focus on writing in her notebook, but her mind kept drifting back to the same thought.
Dev Khanna's press conference.
Whatever he planned to reveal tonight could change everything.
Across the room, Rohan was on the phone with Kabir, speaking in a low voice.
"Yes… keep monitoring the news channels," he said."Call me the moment the conference starts."
He ended the call and looked at Aria.
"It begins in one hour."
Aria closed her notebook slowly.
"So this is it."
Rohan nodded.
"Probably."
Aria stood up and walked toward the large television in the villa.
"Then we should watch."
An hour later, the screen lit up with live news coverage.
Several reporters stood outside a hotel conference hall in Mumbai.
Behind them, cameras flashed as journalists rushed inside.
Aria's heart pounded.
"This feels like the finale of a movie."
Rohan crossed his arms.
"Let's hope it doesn't end like one."
A few minutes later, the broadcast switched to the stage.
Dev Khanna walked in confidently, wearing a dark suit and a smug smile.
The reporters immediately started shouting questions.
"DEV! IS IT TRUE YOU HAVE A SECRET ABOUT ROHAN MALHOTRA?"
"ARE YOU ABOUT TO EXPOSE HIS MARRIAGE?"
Dev raised his hand dramatically, asking for silence.
Then he leaned toward the microphone.
"Thank you all for coming," he began calmly.
Aria held her breath.
Dev continued,
"Today, I want to reveal something shocking about one of the most famous actors in this country."
The reporters leaned forward eagerly.
Aria whispered,
"He's really going to do it."
On the screen, Dev pulled out his phone.
"For the past few weeks," he said, "the media has been celebrating the sudden marriage of Rohan Malhotra."
The reporters nodded.
Dev smiled slowly.
"But what if I told you that marriage… is not real?"
Aria's heart dropped.
The reporters erupted with questions.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN?"
"ARE YOU SAYING IT'S FAKE?"
Dev raised his phone slightly.
"I have proof that this marriage is nothing more than a business agreement."
Aria grabbed the remote tightly.
"That's the contract," she whispered.
But just as Dev was about to show the screen—
The conference hall doors suddenly opened.
Someone walked inside.
The reporters turned around in surprise.
Dev frowned.
"Who—?"
Then his expression changed.
Because standing at the entrance of the hall was Rohan Malhotra.
Aria's eyes widened.
"Wait… he's there?"
She turned toward Rohan.
But the man standing beside her in the villa wasn't surprised at all.
He was watching the screen calmly.
"Of course I'm there," he said.
Aria blinked.
"You were here two seconds ago!"
Rohan smirked slightly.
"That's a recording."
Aria looked back at the television.
On the screen, the real Rohan walked confidently toward the stage.
The reporters went wild.
"ROHAN IS HERE!"
"WHAT IS GOING ON?"
Dev looked furious.
"You weren't invited."
Rohan stopped beside him and spoke into the microphone calmly.
"Neither were you to my personal life."
The entire room went silent.
Aria stared at the screen in shock.
"You planned this?"
Rohan didn't answer.
Instead, he kept watching.
On the stage, Dev raised his phone again.
"You're too late," he said. "I already have the proof."
Rohan smiled slightly.
"That photo?"
Dev froze.
"Yes."
Rohan nodded calmly.
"The fake one?"
The reporters gasped.
Dev's expression changed instantly.
"What?"
Rohan looked directly at the cameras.
"That contract photo circulating online is edited."
The reporters began whispering loudly.
Dev looked furious.
"You're lying."
Rohan shrugged.
"Then show the original."
Dev hesitated.
For the first time since the conference started…
he looked uncertain.
Back in the villa, Aria slowly turned toward Rohan.
"You set him up."
Rohan nodded slightly.
"I suspected someone would try to leak the contract."
"So you made a fake version?"
"Yes."
Aria stared at him in amazement.
"You're terrifyingly smart."
But on the television screen, Dev still looked angry.
And even though the trap had worked for now…
Aria had a feeling this war between them was far from over.
Because people like Dev Khanna rarely gave up so easily.
End of Chapter 19
Next Chapter: The Hidden Enemy