Chapter 252: The Confrontation

Rohit narrowed his eyes when he spotted Naina in the corridor.

She looked completely dumbfounded as her gaze landed on him, still standing inside the room with the agitated crowd surrounding him.

The badmouthing and murmurs about the cruel act he had supposedly committed had never stopped. Naina had already grasped what the situation was about.

Yet Rohit gave her only one look.

That was it.

No explanation.

No attempt to defend himself.

Instead, his attention returned to the woman standing before him, the one who had falsely accused him and caused this entire disaster in the first place.

"Listen, woman. There is one thing I never forgive."

His voice was calm, but his eyes hardened.

"Lying about a crime I never committed."

Rekha swallowed.

"You still have time. Tell me who your accomplices are and confess what you did. Otherwise, when the police arrive..."

He deliberately left the sentence unfinished.

That was enough.

Rekha was already cursing herself for accepting the job from that unknown man.

She had clearly underestimated the person she had been told to frame.

If Rohit really came from a powerful background, then what guarantee did she have that she would walk away safely after this was over?

And where was the man who had arranged everything?

He was nowhere to be seen.

Ten thousand rupees.

That was all she had been promised.

Ten thousand rupees was not worth making an enemy out of someone like him.

But there was another problem.

The media had not arrived yet, and the police had still not entered the scene. Once they did, everything would become much harder to control.

She could still claim it had all been a misunderstanding.

She could back down now, blame the confusion on panic, and perhaps use Rohit’s background to turn the situation into something that would still make people sympathize with her.

But if the police arrived first, she would lose that opportunity.

She hesitated.

For the first time, she seriously considered confessing.

Then a voice cut through the room.

"Or else what?"

The words came sharply, drawing everyone’s attention toward the corridor.

A blond young man in an immaculate suit stepped forward, carrying himself with the confidence and nobility of someone accustomed to being obeyed.

Robert.

Rohit’s eyes narrowed.

He had been expecting someone to step forward eventually.

And judging by the man’s expression, this one had no intention of helping him.

Robert stopped a few steps away from the crowd, with Naina nearby.

"You dare threaten her after what you’ve already done?" Robert continued. "Are you planning to commit another crime in front of everyone?"

Rohit looked at him with open contempt.

"And who are you, exactly?"

His tone remained surprisingly casual.

"I don’t believe we’ve ever met. So why are you so interested in me?"

Robert gave him a smug smile and casually adjusted his coat.

"I am Robert..."

He paused.

He couldn’t exactly reveal his full identity here.

"A fellow guest who came here to enjoy the show."

His eyes shifted toward Rekha before returning to Rohit.

"Though apparently, the real show is happening here."

His expression turned into one of exaggerated pity.

"A woman has been assaulted, and the culprit is now standing here threatening her in front of everyone."

A few people in the crowd exchanged uneasy glances.

Robert turned toward them.

"And yet nobody has restrained him."

Then his voice became louder.

"Is this really how women are treated in this country? No wonder your nation ranks so poorly in women’s safety."

He spread his hands slightly.

"I want to know why the authorities haven’t restrained him yet. Is this really the level of safety and security your country provides?"

The crowd immediately became more agitated.

Murmurs spread through the corridor.

Some people repeated Rekha’s accusation.

Others argued that the situation was not so simple.

One man pointed out that someone had already tried to confront Rohit and had been kicked aside.

Another said they were simply waiting for the police and he should not interefere in other’s internal matters.

Someone else muttered that Rohit would have to be an idiot to do anything with so many cameras pointed at him.

The arguments continued from both sides.

Then Naina spoke.

"Wait."

Her voice wasn’t loud.

It didn’t need to be.

The murmurs gradually died down.

She replied to Robert’s earlier remark.

"Mr. Robert, rape is not a term to be used casually against any country’s reputation. There is no land free from this inhuman curse."

Robert tried to argue back.

"But Ms. Naina, I—"

Naina ignored him completely and looked directly at Rekha.

"Tell me something."

She pointed toward Rohit.

"Is he really responsible for what happened?"

Rekha froze.

Naina stepped forward.

The crowd naturally parted for her. Everyone knew exactly who she was.

She stopped in front of Rekha and gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Believe me. You’re safe here."

Her voice remained calm.

"But I want the absolute truth."

For a moment, she felt like crying for real. She wanted to back out — and now this Robert had to show up. And Naina too...

There was no anger in Naina’s voice.

No shouting.

Just certainty.

And somehow, that frightened Rekha more.

If Naina discovered that the entire thing had been staged, prison would be the least of her worries.

Her chance to withdraw the accusation had disappeared.

Now she had only one option.

Continue the lie.

Rekha lowered her head and began sobbing.

"Ma’am... he came at me so suddenly..."

She clutched the woman security guard beside her as though seeking protection.

Naina’s expression changed.

The softness disappeared from her face.

She looked toward her bodyguard.

"Teach him a lesson. There are rules, and no-one is above them"

The bodyguard immediately stepped forward.

But before he could move any further, another voice exploded through the corridor.

"How dare you?"

Everyone turned.

Aisha pushed her way through the crowd, Kuldeep following closely behind her.

Her usual friendly expression was completely gone.

She marched straight toward Naina and stopped in front of her, arms folded across her chest.

"Just because we came here to appreciate your talent, you think you’re qualified to teach a Singhania a lesson?"

Naina too was furious.

Not at Rohit.

She had never believed Rekha’s accusation in the first place. She knew Rohit well enough to understand that whatever his flaws were, he would never do something this stupid.

But that did not mean she could simply stand there and do nothing. Not when everything was against him.

Robert was still present, and he had already made it clear that he had come to India partly for business involving his family. Regardless of his status and influence, if he left this event with a negative impression of the Chambanis, it could reflect badly on her family.

Someone had to take responsibility.

Someone had to take a stand.

Her intention had never been to punish Rohit. She simply wanted him removed from the crowd and taken somewhere private until the matter could be settled properly. This was all act. Sure could be little rough but better than being held to police.

Then Aisha had appeared.

And instead of helping calm the situation, she was turning it into another confrontation.

Naina clenched her fist.

"Don’t make this more difficult than it needs to be," she warned deliberately. "I only want him moved to a separate chamber for everyone’s safety until the police arrive."

Aisha stood her ground, both hands resting on her waist.

"As if I would let you."

Her voice was sharp.

"You have no authority over him. Or over any of us, Ms. Naina Chambani."

Rohit’s eyes narrowed.

So Aisha knew.

She had probably learned who Naina was when the host introduced her earlier.

Under normal circumstances, Aisha might have been intimidated by the Chambani name.

But this was hardly the time to back down.

If news of this scandal spread, her mother and uncle would tear her apart for allowing it to happen under their watch.

She had originally thought about asking her sister Tanya to handle things out of habit. But their relationship wasn’t good, Tanya was not here, and the situation was urgent.

Now she had no choice but to step forward herself.

And, if she was being honest with herself, there was another reason.

She simply didn’t believe Rohit had done it.

Especially after looking at Rekha.

Compared to the women Rohit usually surrounded himself with, the whole accusation seemed absurd.

If he really had wanted a woman, why would he choose someone like her?

The thought was almost insulting to her own standards.

Before either woman could say anything else, Rohit spoke.

"Enough."

Both of them turned toward him.

Rohit rubbed his temples and sighed.

He already understood why both women were acting this way.

Naina was trying to save her face.

Aisha was doing what she always did when she thought someone was threatening her interest.

But if they continued, this could become a confrontation between the two families.

And that was the last thing he wanted.

His mother had repeatedly emphasized how important the Chambani connection was to the Singhanias.

He raised both hands, voice calm.

"Both of you, please. Let’s just wait for the police. Nothing has been proven yet."

Surprisingly, that worked.

Naina reluctantly stepped back.

Aisha moved closer to Rohit instead, standing beside him protectively.

Robert scoffed.

"This guy... seriously?"

He shoved his hands into his pockets.

"I’d also like to see how confident you remain when the police—"

He stopped.

A hand had landed on his shoulder.

Akhilesh.

He shook his head and leaned closer, whispering something while holding his phone in his other hand.

Robert’s expression changed immediately.

His face reddened.

For a moment, he looked as though he had swallowed something bitter.

He clenched his fist and whispered an angry reply, but Akhilesh remained firm.

After several seconds, Robert finally exhaled heavily.

He gave Naina one last look.

"It seems our time is rather short, Ms. Naina."

His voice was controlled again.

"I hope we meet again."

Then his gaze shifted toward Rohit and Aisha.

The venom in his eyes returned.

Without saying another word, he turned and left with Akhilesh.

The crowd remained restless.

Murmurs continued to spread through the corridor as people speculated about what had happened.

Rohit narrowed his eyes.

He had noticed the man in the blazer whispering into Robert’s ear.

He couldn’t make out, who the person was or what he had said because of the doorframe and the crowd, but clearly, they had learned something that had convinced Robert to back away.

Whatever it was, Rohit wasn’t complaining.

The fewer people trying to interfere, the better.

Fifteen minutes later, the police finally arrived.

A patrol team entered the corridor, most of the officers appearing young, likely recent recruits.

They maintained a professional demeanor. They had clearly dealt with enough high-profile incidents to know better than to be intimidated by the crowd surrounding them.

"What is going on here?" one of them asked firmly. "We received a report that a woman had been assaulted."

Immediately, several people began talking.

Staff members and guests started explaining their version of events, most of them pointing toward Rohit.

The officers listened without interrupting.

Then one of them turned toward a young woman wearing glasses.

"Madam, you were here when this started?"

She nodded and explained what she had seen after hearing the scream.

The police listened carefully.

Until then, Rohit, Aisha and Naina remained silent.

Finally, the officer turned toward Rekha.

"And you?"

Rekha swallowed.

She began explaining how she had been inside the room when Rohit followed her, how she had been cornered, and how she had screamed for help.

But her story was far less convincing than she wanted it to be.

She hesitated repeatedly.

She stammered.

Aisha’s cold stare never left her face.

Rekha knew she was being watched.

But what choice did she have?

She couldn’t tell the police that she had deliberately lured Rohit into the room and staged the entire thing.

There was no CCTV footage showing the moment she had approached him, and she was counting on the remaining footage being enough to support her version.

She just needed to finish the story.

She lowered her head and prepared to break down again.

Then Rohit stepped forward.

"Officer."

Everyone looked at him.

He reached into his shirt and pulled out a small button camera.

"I suggest you watch this first."

He held it out toward the officer.

"Perhaps that will clear up exactly what happened."