Chapter 249: The Trap

Shreyash glanced at Robert, who was still watching Rohit with an uneasy expression. He immediately understood what that look meant.

He had felt the same frustration plenty of times during college whenever some other man got in the way of his plans and forced him to deal with the situation personally.

An idea quickly formed in his mind.

He leaned closer to Robert.

"Mr. Robert, if he is still bothering you, would you like me to take care of him quietly?"

Akhilesh immediately tensed.

"That won’t do," he said in a low, cautious voice. "And I strongly advise against using brute force against him, at least not here."

Shreyash barely acknowledged the warning. Instead, he kept his eyes on Robert and lowered his voice further.

"Trust me on this, Mr. Robert. I can handle it without bringing any trouble back to you."

Robert scrutinized him for a moment.

"And what exactly are you planning to do without making a scene?"

Shreyash glanced toward Rohit and grinned.

"Nothing complicated. I’ll put him in a position where he won’t be able to retaliate without making things worse for himself. Once that happens, he’ll be completely at our mercy."

His grin widened.

"And don’t worry. I won’t even need to show my face. I’ll make sure he’s thoroughly humiliated before he’s thrown out of here. By the time he realizes what happened, it will already be too late to do anything about it."

Robert looked at him, then turned his attention toward Rohit again.

For a moment, he considered the offer.

His grandfather’s advice echoed in his mind. He was supposed to remain discreet unless their rivals caught wind of the fact that he had come to India alone.

Creating trouble here would defeat the entire purpose of his visit.

Robert almost dismissed the idea.

He wasn’t afraid of Rohit. He simply had no intention of creating unnecessary problems for himself.

Then Naina moved closer to Rohit.

She held up her phone to show him something on the screen, standing close enough that Robert could clearly see the unnecesary touching between them.

Something inside him snapped.

Robert placed a hand on Shreyash’s shoulder.

"Mon frère," he said, his voice carrying the weight of an agreement, "if you can really do this while keeping our hands clean, I promise you, as an Arnault, that I will make it worth your while."

He paused and gave Rohit one final venomous look.

"Just make sure he is thrown out in such a way that he never dares to come in front of her again."

Shreyash’s lips curled into a smug smile.

"Consider it done, brother."

He extended his hand.

"Let’s shake on it and make it official."

Robert laughed and clasped his hand.

The two exchanged a firm handshake, sealing their agreement.

Akhilesh stood beside them, watching the exchange.

He had wanted to warn them again.

He still knew very little about Rohit’s background, and the fact that his past was so carefully guarded gave Akhilesh an uneasy feeling. There was something about Rohit that didn’t sit right with him.

But he eventually decided to keep quiet.

This was turning out rather well for him.

The sophisticated young master of the Arnault family was willing to personally involve himself in the matter. That alone told Akhilesh that Robert considered Rohit worth dealing with.

And if something went wrong?

Well, Akhilesh had never started anything.

He had simply been standing there.

Besides, Robert and Shreyash clearly seemed confident that they could handle the situation.

As far as Akhilesh was concerned, there was no reason to put himself in unnecessary conflict. He was willing to lend a hand if things remained manageable.

But if the situation somehow spiraled out of control, he would have no problem stepping away.

For now, staying silent while taking a share of the benefits seemed like the safer choice.

After all, there was no point in getting dragged into trouble over someone he barely knew.

***

Meanwhile, away from the prying eyes outside, Rohit was having a surprisingly difficult time keeping himself composed.

Naina’s perfume, the way she spoke, and the ease with which she shared things with him were slowly testing his self-control.

If she had not been the daughter of one of the most powerful families in the country, he might have been far more tempted to take advantage of the opportunity. She was making herself remarkably approachable, almost as if she were unaware of how easily her behavior could affect a man.

At one point, Naina picked up her phone and began showing him pictures of her collection of choppers at home.

Rohit was genuinely dumbfounded.

So was Aisha.

Even the Singhanias owned a few helicopters, but their collection was relatively limited. Naina, on the other hand, seemed to have enough to make the comparison almost embarrassing.

Then Naina bent forward a little to show him something on the screen, and the movement ended up revealing more of her cleavage.

It was hard to control his eyes — whether to look at the phone or at what was beyond the neckline of her dress. It wasn’t every day one got to see the cleavage of a billionaire’s daughter.

For a moment, Rohit cursed his old habits of being obsessed with rich women that still made him drool. But in this life, he was a Singhania. He had to act with some dignity.

Fortunately, Naina soon changed the subject.

"By the way, I heard Aisha recently started her own YouTube channel."

Rohit turned toward her in surprise.

Aisha immediately went red.

"It’s nothing," she said softly, her voice filled with embarrassment. "I just started it."

Naina smiled.

She explained that Aisha had started the channel as a reviewer and, despite having been active for barely a week, had already managed to get it monetized and cross ten thousand subscribers.

Most of it had come from Aisha’s natural charm and her ability to speak comfortably in front of the camera.

What surprised Rohit even more was that Aisha had deliberately avoided mentioning her connection to the Singhania family.

A few viewers had speculated that she came from a wealthy background based on her surroundings and lifestyle, but Aisha had never confirmed anything or revealed any details about her family.

Rohit couldn’t help but be impressed by how quickly she had managed to build an audience.

At the same time, another thought quietly entered his mind.

Naina had met him only today, yet she already knew about Aisha.

That meant she wasn’t simply paying attention to him.

She was keeping track of the people around him as well.

The realization made Rohit slightly uneasy, but he kept his expression calm, maintaining the same pleasant smile.

Naina then pulled up a video of Aisha.

It was a livestream review.

One particular viewer had been leaving disgusting comments, eventually offering Aisha one lakh(one hundred thousand) rupees for a night and suggesting that she wouldn’t have to wear "cheap clothes" anymore.

The other viewers had immediately turned against him, but Aisha hadn’t responded with insults or tried to engage him.

She had simply ignored him.

At least, that was what everyone initially thought.

A moment later, Aisha switched to the other camera on her phone and began showing her wardrobe.

The collection was filled with premium dresses of various styles. Even the cheaper pieces cost around ten thousand rupees, while some of the more expensive ones were worth several lakhs.

Aisha openly admitted that most of them had been gifts from her family.

She simply wanted to earn something through her own efforts rather than relying entirely on her family’s wealth.

The response from the audience had been immediate.

The arrogant commenter disappeared from the chat soon afterward.

Naina paused the video.

"Do you believe that?" she asked with a faint smile. "This actually went viral. That’s how I came across her channel in the first place. And only now did I find out that our little star is actually a cousin from the Singhania household."

Aisha looked thoroughly embarrassed.

"Well, it just happened. Let’s not make a big deal out of it."

She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, doing her best to avoid meeting anyone’s eyes.

"Although, thanks to that video, I actually got monetized much earlier than I expected."

Rohit glanced at the comments.

"Bring the phone closer. I want to read them."

Naina didn’t hesitate.

She stepped closer and held the phone where he could see it clearly. But as Rohit began reading the comments, she subtly pressed herself against his arm.

Her eyes remained on his face.

Rohit immediately realized what she was doing.

She was testing him again.

He considered moving away, but decided against making a fuss over it.

Naina, however, seemed determined to push the test further.

"Look at this one too."

She deliberately moved even closer.

Rohit smiled.

This time, he didn’t move away.

He simply continued reading the comments as though nothing unusual was happening, maintaining his calm expression.

Neither of them realized that, just outside the room, three young men had already made their own decision.

And for Rohit, a completely different kind of trouble was about to begin.

***

About ten minutes later, the crew returned, reminding Naina that it was almost time for the event to start.

Rohit and Aisha parted ways with Naina after exchanging a few more pleasantries, assuring her that they would be there to cheer her on.

After another brief exchange, Rohit and Aisha followed the staff toward the auditorium.

They had barely reached the corridor when a female staff member in a saree approached Rohit.

"Sir, could you please assist me for a moment?"

Kuldeep immediately stepped forward, but Rohit subtly stopped him.

"Take Aisha to the seats. Stay with her and keep an eye on things."

Aisha looked slightly worried.

"Come back quickly."

Rohit gave her a reassuring nod.

"I will."

The woman watched the exchange nervously.

She had been told that Rohit’s background was nothing particularly special. Yet seeing how casually the bodyguard obeyed him and how concerned Aisha seemed about his safety had made her hesitate.

Still, the money she had been promised was enough to suppress her doubts.

"This way, sir."

She led Rohit toward one of the staff changing rooms.

Once they reached the door, she handed him her purse.

"Could you wait here for a moment? I’ll be right back."

Rohit nodded.

A few moments later, she called from inside.

"Sir, could you bring me my purse?"

Rohit entered.

The room was completely empty except some furnitures and wardrobes.

Then the door clicked shut behind him.

The woman approached, allowing the end of her saree’s pallu to slip from her shoulder.

"You look very handsome, young man," she said, leaning closer revealing her cleavage. "Won’t you help quench my thirst?"

Rohit stared at her for a moment before giving her a faint, knowing smile.

"Drop the act. Just tell me what you’re really planning."

The woman froze.

That wasn’t how this was supposed to go.

She had expected him to become distracted and lower his guard. Instead, he looked completely prepared.

Her surprise quickly turned into a cold smile.

"Quite bold of you, kid. Coming here even after realizing something was wrong."

She deliberately smeared her lipstick, pulled at her blouse to make it look disheveled, and suddenly screamed at the top of her voice.

"Help! Help! Someone is trying to rape me!"

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