That night, the beach resort was quiet.
The sound of waves echoed softly outside the villa while Aria sat on the balcony, staring at the ocean.
She kept thinking about Dev's words.
"You might want to figure out who betrayed you."
Someone had leaked the contract.
And that meant someone close to them couldn't be trusted.
The thought made her uneasy.
Behind her, the balcony door slid open.
Rohan stepped outside, holding two cups of coffee.
"I thought you might need this," he said.
Aria accepted the cup.
"Thanks."
For a moment, they stood quietly, watching the dark ocean.
Then Aria spoke.
"Dev hates you a lot."
Rohan didn't answer immediately.
After a few seconds he said, "We used to be friends."
Aria turned toward him in surprise.
"Seriously?"
Rohan nodded.
"When we first entered the film industry, we struggled together."
Aria frowned.
"So what happened?"
Rohan took a slow sip of his coffee.
"Success."
Aria raised an eyebrow.
"That's a vague explanation."
Rohan sighed.
"Dev wanted fame quickly. I wanted to work for it."
"And?"
"One day he offered me a deal."
Aria leaned forward slightly.
"What kind of deal?"
Rohan's expression hardened.
"He wanted me to join a group of producers who manipulate movie awards, publicity, and casting decisions."
Aria's eyes widened.
"That's illegal."
Rohan nodded.
"I refused."
"And Dev didn't?"
Rohan looked out at the ocean again.
"No."
The realization slowly hit Aria.
"So when you became successful on your own… he got jealous."
Rohan gave a small nod.
"That's when we became rivals."
Aria crossed her arms.
"That explains the drama."
But then another thought came to her.
"Wait," she said slowly.
"If Dev is connected to powerful producers…"
Rohan looked at her.
"Then he has resources," she finished.
"Enough resources to spy on us."
Rohan didn't deny it.
A chill ran down Aria's spine.
"So this is bigger than just a jealous rival."
Rohan nodded quietly.
"Yes."
Before Aria could say anything else, her phone suddenly buzzed.
A notification popped up.
She opened it.
Her eyes widened immediately.
"What?" Rohan asked.
Aria turned the phone toward him.
A brand-new article had just been published.
"SHOCKING RUMOR: ROHAN MALHOTRA'S MARRIAGE MAY BE A BUSINESS CONTRACT."
Aria's heart started pounding.
"They're getting closer to the truth."
Rohan looked at the article carefully.
"They still don't have proof."
"But Dev does," Aria reminded him.
The wind blew softly across the balcony.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Aria said quietly,
"You know… when I agreed to this contract, I thought the worst thing that could happen was pretending to love you."
Rohan glanced at her.
"And now?"
Aria sighed.
"Now it feels like we're hiding a secret that could destroy both our lives."
Rohan didn't respond.
Instead, he looked down at the ring on her finger.
The small diamond reflected the moonlight.
And suddenly Aria realized something strange.
Despite everything — the lies, the danger, the fake marriage —
she didn't feel like running away anymore.
Because somehow…
this story had already become part of her life.
End of Chapter 17
Next Chapter: The Unexpected Confession