Chapter 254: Is this how you repay me?

It was around 2:25 in the afternoon.

Rohit sat in front of a small roadside stall that sold tea and basic snacks. The location was a quiet stretch of road cutting through a landscape of tall trees — the beginning of the forest area near the ordinance factory he was scheduled to visit.

The cab he had booked had dropped him ten minutes early. Now he was waiting for Robin.

The stall owner brought over a small glass of tea. Fortunately the place wasn’t crowded, so Rohit took a seat on one of the empty benches, folded one leg over the other, and sipped slowly.

The tea wasn’t as good as the ones he usually preferred, but it was manageable. With free time on his hands, his mind drifted back to the events of the morning.

Someone had deliberately tried to frame him and destroy his reputation with such a strange tactic. Even in his previous life, his enemies had never gone after him this way. They either tried to kill him or capture him. This time, the goal had clearly been to make him lose face.

As he turned the details over, a few things began to connect.

The contrast was obvious. The earlier attempts had been meant to stop him from taking revenge. This one felt different — as if someone wanted him temporarily removed from the scene, or perhaps thrown off balance before a more serious move.

He leaned forward slightly, trying to understand the psychology behind it. The type of person who would use a false accusation like this was most likely someone who saw him as an obstacle at that particular moment. But an obstacle to what? He hadn’t been involved in anything significant except meeting Naina.

That thought struck him.

He remembered Robert — the foreigner’s over-enthusiasm, and the fact that he somehow knew the exact location of the incident even though it was a restricted area that event staff weren’t supposed to share freely. Then Robert had conveniently shown up as a passerby.

It made more sense now. Robert clearly had some business with Naina, and Rohit taking up her time could have easily angered him.

It was still only a guess, but it fit the situation better than any other theory, especially when he considered what the police had later uncovered.

Then he remembered the other man who had forced Robert to back down.

Rohit hadn’t gotten a clear look at him, but the mystery confirmed one thing: the conspiracy involved more people than just Robert. The real question was why they had suddenly retreated. Robert hadn’t been afraid of the police — he had even mocked the idea of them arriving. That meant something else had scared them off.

Rohit tried to recall who had appeared after Robert left. Then Aisha’s face flashed in his mind, and his eyes widened. He drained the rest of the tea in one go as the pieces fell into place.

The mystery was almost clear.

The man who approached Aisha must have been the same person who informed Robert about Rohit’s background. And based on what Aisha said, that man has a connection to third guy who had known him from the dojo.

They had spotted him earlier, assumed he was nobody important, and decided to pull the stunt. Once they learned he was a Singhania — someone far more dangerous or troublesome to mess with — they had fled.

There was a good chance the third guy didn’t exist.

But the more he thought about it, the higher the probability of their existance became. Otherwise they wouldn’t have confirmed him as a random nobody in the first place. And Aisha had mentioned they knew him because of someone else — so the third person was definitely there.

That also explained the strange, double-edged apology the man had given Aisha.

Rohit scoffed quietly, twirling the empty glass in his hand. As if he would simply let it go.

Once he figured out who at the dojo had been working with them, the rest of the chain would fall into place. The cleanest way would be to ask Naina for the guest list of her event. But their relationship was still new. It wasn’t wise to drag her into this yet.

It would be better to have Kuldeep handle the quiet digging instead. The man was from the IB and always tried to be useful, yet somehow ended up in embarrassing situations. Giving him a concrete task would help maintain his confidence — and more importantly, it would stop the agency from deciding he was ineffective and replacing him with someone new.

Having an unknown agent watching him would be far more dangerous than a known one.

Meanwhile, Robin arrived in his second-hand car and parked at the GPS location. He checked the time and frowned — 2:32. He was two minutes late.

He scanned the area and spotted Rohit immediately. The young master was sitting with an empty tea glass, lost in thought, a faint sly expression on his face.

Robin’s scalp prickled with sweat. He still remembered how displeased Rohit had been when he shared certain secrets with Priya against orders. He decided to stay professional and avoid the topic unless forced.

At worst, Rohit would scold him, and he could try to deflect using the matter of Sheetal. That was precisely why he had given her that alochol flask earlier. Judging by their mood when they left, something might have happened. Maybe he could even turn it to his advantage.

He was completely wrong.

The man sitting there had already almost pieced together the masterminds and their motives through simple deduction while sipping tea. Two faces were still hidden, but Rohit already had a plan to uncover them — and when the time came, he would collect the debt with interest.

As Robin approached, Rohit’s attention snapped toward the sound of his footsteps.

Robin raised a hand.

"Hi, Boss. I’ve arrived."

Rohit glanced at his watch, his tone flat.

"You’re late."

Robin’s smile froze.

"Sorry, sir. Traffic."

Rohit gestured for him to sit nearby.

Robin took a seat at a respectful distance, fully aware of the predatory calm radiating from the young man. He waited.

Rohit called the stall owner over for another round of tea and nodded toward Robin.

"One more tea here."

Robin immediately panicked and tried to refuse.

"No need, sir."

Rohit simply stared at him.

"Take it. We need a reason to stay seated."

Robin nodded and accepted the glass when the owner brought it.

As he took a cautious sip, Rohit asked about the progress of the investigation teams.

Robin straightened, feeling more confident on familiar ground.

"We’ve confirmed that Hari Kaka goes into the forest alone almost every evening. But whenever the team follows, he just walks around for a while and returns to the city by the same road, as if he only went for sightseeing."

Rohit nodded once.

"That means he’s already aware he’s being followed. He’s not going deeper because of it."

"Exactly," Robin agreed. "The teams are hesitant to keep trailing him. Getting spotted repeatedly is too awkward, and we’re worried he’ll stop going out altogether."

Rohit shook his head, clearly disappointed.

"He’s already figured it out. The forest is just a diversion — or more accurately, his way of toying with all of you."

Robin looked startled.

"But how can that—"

Rohit raised a hand, cutting him off.

"It’s fine. Rookie mistake. Use drones. You have the budget. Switch to full technical mode. Don’t change the pattern of following him on the ground — just add drones when he least expects it."

Robin nodded, already thinking it through.

Rohit continued.

"Also use a drone to follow him deeper into the jungle. Make it look like your men gave up mid-pursuit but continue using drones. We might get a surprise."

Robin frowned.

"But sir, what if he notices?"

Rohit gave him a look that suggested he was explaining basic arithmetic to a child.

"He won’t. The drone can fly high enough to only track movement. We don’t need his facial expression."

Robin made a mental note.

Then he brought up the other target — Sheetal’s uncle.

"That uncle teaches at a primary school after voluntary retirement. Since it’s a military district, surveillance is difficult. The entire area is filled with officers’ residences, and restrictions are tight."

Rohit nodded.

"Leave it for now. its too risky to get caught by military. I’ll ask Sheetal myself when the time is right. Tell the teams responsible to stay on standby. I’ll send some materials soon. Have them study. It will come in handy."

Robin’s brows furrowed.

"You mean... courses?" He found it strange that college students who hadn’t even graduated yet needed additional courses.

Rohit waved it off.

"It’s important. Not compulsory, but those who complete them will be rewarded. I need people with certain technical skills for future work."

Robin’s eyes lit up with restrained excitement. He had seen Rohit’s proficiency with technology — on-the-spot hacking and surveillance. The courses were most likely practical and related to those skills.

Trying to sound cautious rather than curious, he asked:

"By the way, sir... I was a little worried about Sheetal ma’am. Since you mentioned asking her directly, does that mean she’s already close enough to fully trust? Or do you still want me to keep a few boys watching the old man, just in case?"

Internally, Robin was delighted. He had framed the question purely around the task, not his personal curiosity about whether the drink had worked.

Rohit gave him a knowing, smug smile. He had already seen through the real reason behind the question.

"The school you’re trying to teach in," he remarked lightly, "I already retired as the principal."

Robin blinked, taken aback.

"Sorry, sir... I didn’t get that."

Rohit changed the subject without warning, his tone turning sharp.

"First, answer me this. Why did you let Priya know about the matter without my approval — despite my clear warning? Is this how you repay me after winning my trust?"

Robin’s face fell. A cold sense of dread settled in his chest. He had no idea how to answer his way out of this one.