A Rival's Wedding Bells

The embossed invitation felt like a tiny, gilded weapon in Aadhya’s hand. “The Sangeet of Shalini Kapoor and Rohan Khanna,” it announced in elegant script. Kapoor Hotels, their fiercest competitor, was celebrating. And, naturally, Aadhya Mehta and Vihaan Rathore, the newly minted co-CEOs of a union nobody understood, were expected to grace the occasion.

“A rival’s wedding,” Vihaan drawled, leaning back in his chair, his usual effortless charm a thin veneer over something sharp. “Just what our fledgling partnership needs. More opportunities for public scrutiny and passive-aggressive smiles.”

Aadhya’s jaw tightened. “We’re not attending to admire Shalini’s choice of floral arrangements, Mr. Rathore. We’re attending to project an image of unity. To show the industry that Mehta Hotels and Rathore Resorts, however unlikely, are a force to be reckoned with.” She tapped the invitation with a perfectly manicured nail. “And to ensure they don’t think we’re too busy ‘merging’ to keep an eye on our competition.”