Avery stared at the text message for a full minute.
Secrets? What secrets?
She barely knew anything about Rohan except that he was rich, arrogant, and wanted to buy her bakery. But secret secrets? The kind that mysterious people texted you about?
This was bad.
Her phone buzzed again.
Unknown: "Room 2847. 9 PM tonight. Don't tell Rohan. This is for your own safety."
"My safety?" Avery said out loud. "What the hell is going on?"
She needed answers. Real answers. Not whatever fake story Rohan was selling.
She got dressed quickly—her clothes from last night were on a chair, neatly folded. She grabbed her phone and headed for the door.
But when she opened it, there was a man standing there. Big. Built like a wall. Wearing a black suit and sunglasses indoors.
"Mrs. Rathore," he said in a deep voice. "I'm James. Mr. Rathore assigned me as your security."
"My WHAT?"
"Your security detail. I'll be with you at all times."
"Like hell you will!" Avery tried to push past him, but he didn't budge. "Get out of my way!"
"I'm sorry, ma'am. Mr. Rathore's orders."
"I don't care about his orders! I'm leaving!"
"I'm afraid I can't let you do that."
Avery's blood boiled. Was she a prisoner now?
She turned and marched back into the room, slamming the door. She grabbed her phone and called the only number she knew would answer.
"Hello?" Her best friend Maya's voice came through.
"Maya! Oh my God, you won't believe what happened—"
"AVERY! Where have you been? I've been calling you all night! Are you okay? Did you get home safe?"
"I'm in Vegas. And I... I got married."
Silence.
Then: "YOU WHAT?"
"I married Rohan Rathore. The billionaire. The one trying to buy the bakery. Long story. Very long story. But Maya, something's wrong. Someone just texted me about his 'secrets' and now I have a bodyguard outside my door and—"
"Wait, wait, wait. Slow down. You married WHO?"
"Not important right now! Maya, I need you to look up everything you can find about Rohan Rathore. His family. His business. Everything."
"Avery, what have you gotten yourself into?"
"I don't know. But I'm going to find out."
After she hung up, Avery looked at the text again. Room 2847. 9 PM.
She had to go. She had to know what this person knew.
But first, she needed to get past the human wall outside her door.
Meanwhile, in another suite across the hotel...
Rohan sat at a desk, his laptop open. Security camera feeds covered the screen. One showed Avery's door. Another showed the hallway.
His phone rang. He answered without looking.
"She got the text," a woman's voice said. "Just like you planned."
"Good," Rohan replied. "Is everything set for tonight?"
"Yes. Room 2847 is ready. But Rohan... are you sure about this? If she finds out you're testing her—"
"She won't. And I need to know if I can trust her." His eyes stayed on the screen showing Avery's door. "If she's working with Arjun, I need to know now. Before this goes any further."
"And if she's not?"
Rohan was quiet for a moment. "Then I'll tell her the truth. About everything."
"Including Mumbai?"
His jaw clenched. "No. Never that. She can never know about Mumbai."
He hung up and stared at Avery's image on the screen.
"Let's see what you're really after, Mrs. Rathore," he whispered.
Back in her room, Avery made a decision.
She was going to that meeting. Bodyguard or no bodyguard.
And she was going to find out exactly what kind of man she'd married.
Even if the truth destroyed everything.
TO BE CONTINUED...