Chapter 248: The Trio Dilemna

Outside the dressing room, three young men in suits stood at the intersection of two corridors, their attention fixed on the scene unfolding inside.

Each came from a prominent family, but their reasons for being there were different.

The one standing at the front was Robert Arnault, the youngest young master of the Arnault family.

Youngest or not, Robert belonged to the main branch of the family. He had grown up knowing exactly where he stood in the hierarchy, and he had never been particularly fond of anyone who made him feel otherwise.

Today, he had come with a specific purpose.

The Chambani family had yet to finalize the terms of Naina Chambani’s marriage, but the Arnault family had already made it clear that they wanted Robert to be considered. Naina was the sole heir of the Chambanis, a family widely regarded as one of the wealthiest in India.

For Robert, getting close to Naina was more than a personal matter. It was a connection that could strengthen his own position within the Arnault family.

Unfortunately, his first attempt had gone nowhere.

He had tried to introduce himself to Naina earlier, only to be politely stopped by her bodyguards.

That alone had irritated him.

Then he had met two young masters from prominent local families who happened to have business interests connected to Naina.

The first was Akhilesh Goenka, the eldest son and heir of the Goenka family.

Akhilesh had come to the gala to discuss several business matters, including a possible deal connected to an upcoming expo. He had only recently become acquainted with the other man standing beside him, Shreyash Mittal, but their families already had business ties through a railway project.

Shreyash was the second son of Pramod Mittal and belonged to the third generation of the Mittal family. He had spent most of his time in Singapore and had little interest in taking over the family’s businesses. His elder brother, Rajesh, had already been groomed for that responsibility.

Shreyash had other ambitions.

He had spent much of his college life cultivating relationships within wealthy and influential circles, hoping to eventually secure himself a comfortable marriage into one of them.

Things had been going smoothly until his father delivered some unpleasant news.

His cousin Jayesh had died.

The news had forced him to return to India and deal with a family dispute that his father considered more important than whatever life Shreyash had built for himself overseas. Worse, his father had assigned him the task of repairing the strained relationship between the Mittal and Goenka families.

The Goenkas had previously entered into several deals with the Mittal Group, but following Jayesh’s death, Shreyash’s uncle, Aditya Mittal, had begun neglecting their meetings and demands.

His father saw an opportunity.

Shreyash saw an inconvenience.

Then his father offered him another incentive.

If he helped strengthen the relationship with the Goenkas, Ishita, Akhilesh’s sister, could potentially become a suitable marriage partner for him.

That had been enough to change his mind.

And so, Shreyash had come to Delhi determined to make an impression.

Everything had been progressing smoothly.

Until Rohit walked into Naina’s dressing room.

At first, the three men had paid little attention to him.

They had assumed he was perhaps a technician, an assistant, or someone from the event staff. But the longer they watched, the less convincing that explanation became.

Rohit was speaking to Naina far too casually.

More importantly, he had been given access to her private dressing room without resistance.

Robert’s expression gradually darkened.

He leaned forward, his face reddening as several veins stood out around his forehead.

"Do you know that guy?" he asked through clenched teeth. "Why is he getting so close to her?"

Shreyash and Akhilesh had been more focused on maintaining their conversation with Robert and making a good impression on him. Now, both turned their attention toward Rohit.

From their position, they could also see Aisha and Kuldeep standing nearby.

Neither man knew who they were.

Akhilesh tried to get a better look at Rohit, but his angle made it difficult to see his face clearly.

"Maybe he’s a bodyguard," he suggested. "I can’t really see his face from here."

Shreyash glanced at Rohit’s clothes.

There was nothing particularly flashy about him. No obvious display of wealth, no formal suit, and none of the usual accessories that Shreyash associated with young heirs from powerful families.

Noticing Robert’s displeasure, Shreyash immediately tried to reinforce it.

"Maybe he’s just some nobody who got lucky enough to get inside," he said dismissively. "You know how these events are. There are always people trying to show off some mediocre talent and get donations or investment."

Robert narrowed his eyes.

"You sure?"

Before Shreyash could answer, Akhilesh suddenly froze.

His eyes widened.

"Fuck..."

Shreyash turned toward him.

"You alright?"

Akhilesh barely heard him.

He had finally caught a glimpse of Rohit’s face.

There was no mistaking it.

"That’s him."

Robert frowned.

"Who?"

Akhilesh swallowed.

"The kicker guy."

Shreyash stared at him.

"The what?"

Akhilesh quickly composed himself and lowered his voice.

"It’s the guy I told you about from the dojo."

He then recounted what had happened, carefully leaving out the humiliating details of their own confrontation. In his version, Rohit had been the mysterious newcomer who had appeared out of nowhere, demonstrated absurd fighting ability, and left everyone talking about him.( chk chp-178 for reference.)

There was one particularly strange detail.

The instructors at the dojo had explicitly forbidden the others from asking questions about Rohit’s background.

Akhilesh himself still hadn’t managed to find out who Rohit actually was.

Robert listened quietly.

By the time Akhilesh finished, some of the irritation had left his face.

"So he’s a bodyguard?"

He slipped both hands into his pockets.

"One who’s good at fighting and kicking."

Akhilesh nodded.

"Pretty much."

Then his eyes shifted toward Aisha.

"If I’m not mistaken, he came here with that girl."

He studied her for a moment before giving a faint grin.

"She doesn’t look ordinary either."

Robert followed his gaze.

Akhilesh continued casually.

"Maybe you could help us get introduced. If things go well, we could all plan a trip to Goa sometime."

Shreyash gave a knowing smile.

Robert’s attention remained fixed on Aisha for a moment before returning to the dressing room.

Inside, Rohit was still talking comfortably with Naina.

And for some reason, that sight bothered him far more than it should have.𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ