The Reward: His Love and her smile

The Reward (Installment 3): The Aftermath- A Dark Billionaire Romance (Scintilla)

Hey, this is an excerpt of my next book – The Aftermath (Installment 3: The Reward of the Scintilla Series)

This installment of The Reward is going to be a game-changer for the series. Trust me, it’s gonna bring a lot of destruction—and the aftermath will shake Aayansh and Tisha forever.

“You are the most beautiful bride I have ever seen, sweetheart.”

His voice was soft, dangerously soft—the kind of tone he reserved only for me, the kind that curled around my heart and made it stutter.

My devil. My tormentor. My love.

Warmth spread through me, slow and honeyed, seeping into the very marrow of my bones. His words had always had that effect on me, slipping under my skin, taking root in the deepest parts of me.

I had never just liked his compliments—I craved them.

Like an addict chasing that perfect high, because when he said them, when he gave them to me, he meant them. There was never anything casual about the way he worshipped me.

He leaned in, his nose skimming along my temple before he buried his face in my hair, inhaling deeply, possessively. His arms tightened around me, pulling me closer, locking me against him like he never wanted to let go. Maybe he really didn’t. Maybe, if he could, he’d keep me like this forever—trapped in the circle of his arms, his hold a silent vow that I was his. Always his.

I pulled back slightly, just enough to look at him, and the way his gaze darkened made my stomach tighten. His eyes—God, his eyes—burned with something raw, something unshakable, something that made my knees weak. Love. Obsession. That dark, all-consuming devotion only he could give. I had never doubted it. Not even when I should have. He was mine. All mine.

My arms curled tighter around him, and he let me.

“You need to go so I can finish getting ready,” I murmured against his chest, reluctant but firm.

“I don’t want to.”

I pulled back slightly, tilting my head up to meet his gaze. “You don’t want to marry me?” I teased, knowing the answer but still wanting to hear it.

His jaw flexed, the muscle ticking, and his fingers dug into my waist, possessive, unyielding. “You know that’s not true,” he said, his voice low, rough, dragging over my skin like gravel. “I just… you don’t need makeup. You look gorgeous enough already, and your glow could light up the whole damn Paradise. Let’s just go and get this over with.”

I laughed softly, shaking my head. “No. I want to look my best for you… so—”

I never got to finish my sentence.

His lips crashed onto mine, stealing my breath, swallowing my words, owning me in the way only he could. It was brutal, like always—desperate, consuming, full of unspoken promises and darkness, the darkness I had fallen in love with.

My lips would be swollen, bruised, but I didn’t care. I never did. Because the way he wanted me, no one else ever could. I knew that. I had always known that. God only made one person for you, and if not him… then I’d have to settle, accept someone else, someone dull, someone safe. Someone I would never love the way I loved him.

That’s it for now. Thank you for reading it. The Reward (Installment 3): The Aftermath- A Dark Billionaire Romance (Scintilla) is coming soon.

Author Payal Dedhia independently publishes books on Amazon Kindle. You can check her collection by clicking here.

If you like Dark Romance Fiction, do read my Sctintilla Series. Click here to read.

Scintilla Series (The Chase, The Possession, The Submission, The Reward) by Payal Dedhia

Aayansh Ahluwalia isn’t just a billionaire business tycoon—he’s the kind of man who haunts people’s nightmares. The world may recognize Scintilla Corporations as a legitimate empire, but Aayansh isn’t confined to the light. In the shadows, he commands an empire of fear, power, and blood. He rules over the underdogs, the darkness that terrifies everyone else.
Ruthless and untouchable, they call him a devil for a reason—he doesn’t flinch, doesn’t hesitate, doesn’t blink when it comes to taking lives.
His existence is fearless. His power, unmatched. Yet beneath the wealth and carnage lies a void—a darkness so complete it consumes him. There’s no light, no hope. Just emptiness stretching endlessly, leaving him hollow.
Then, one night, everything changed.
He saw her—a woman so radiant, so full of life, she made his chaos stand still. She erupted into his world like a dream, settling in his heart and claiming it as her own.
Tisha Chopra.
Aayansh hadn’t been searching for her, hadn’t asked for her. But the moment he saw her, he knew—she would be his.
She didn’t belong in his world, and that only made him want her more. Her laughter, her light—it wasn’t meant to survive the darkness he thrived in, yet it pulled him in, unrelenting. Like a predator to prey, he followed. He didn’t want her to save him. No. He wanted to ruin her, piece by piece, until she belonged to him completely. He would drag her down, crown her queen in his Devil’s Paradise, and make her sit beside him on the devil’s throne while he ruled the world.

What unfolds is a story steeped in obsession, control, and desire—a dangerous game where love is a battlefield, and submission comes at the cost of a soul.
Scintilla isn’t just the name of Aayansh’s empire; it’s the pulse of this saga—a place where power thrives and morality dies.

The series is divided into four phases:

🔥 The Chase – Where the predator finds his prey. Click here to read.

The Beginning – A collision of worlds. A spark ignited.
Unveiling Paradise – Her light tempts the darkness.
The Masked Guy – Secrets wear masks. So do devils.
Unleashing the Demons – Once awakened, there’s no turning back.
The Winner – Victory tastes sweeter when claimed by force.

The Chase

🔥 The Possession – Where obsession takes root. Click here to read.

New Beginning – The chase ends. The real game begins.
The Rules – Boundaries are set, only to be broken.
Gilded Cage – Possession doesn’t feel like freedom.
Unleashed Fury – When control falters, chaos reigns.
Ensnared Hearts – Hearts trapped, souls scarred.

The Possession

🔥 The Submission – Where surrender is demanded, not given. Click here to read.

Her Resistance – Light fights back. Darkness pushes harder.
Her Confession – Truths whispered in the dark.
The Good Times – A fleeting calm before the storm.
The Devil Struck – The predator strikes. The angel shatters.
Angel’s Judgement – When love turns to reckoning.

The Submission

🔥 The Reward – Where love and darkness collide, leaving nothing unscarred. Click here to read.

The Storm – Chaos erupts, tearing apart the fragile ties of love and power.
The Punishment – Sins are judged, debts are paid, and vengeance claims its due.

The Reward

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