Chapter 11 : The Slap That Silenced Them All
1190 Words
Dhruv and Aroshi arrived at the racing spot.
The moment the girls saw Dhruv, they screamed his name—
“Dhruv! Dhruv!” echoed from every corner.
She had thought that after that day’s defeat, Dhruv’s value would have dropped.
But clearly, he was still as famous as ever.
Anyway, small wins and losses are part of life.
One of Dhruv’s friends, Varun, walked up to him.
“Hey, my buddy! Where have you been these past three days? Haven’t seen you around!”
“Just busy,” Dhruv replied casually.
Meanwhile...,
Aroshi stood there, slightly stunned.
Yes, she had been here before. Yes, she had raced before.
But no one had seen her that day, nor did she know anyone here.
All they knew was—
A girl once defeated Dhruv.
Varun raised his voice to attract everyone’s attention.
“Listen up, everyone! Dhruv, the racing champion, is back at the spot! Now, let’s enjoy the race!”
Dhruv’s eyes fell on Aroshi.
He stepped forward and called out,
“Listen, everyone! She’s our team’s new member. She’s here to race with me.”
At that moment, a guy stepped forward—someone who always burned with jealousy toward Dhruv.
He had always been waiting for a chance to humiliate him.
But Dhruv’s circle was strong; no one dared speak against him.
His grades were excellent too, so no one had a valid reason.
However, ever since Dhruv lost that one race, that guy and his gang had gotten the reason they wanted.
“Oh, look who’s here!” the guy smirked.
“The great Dhruv, the champion! Still not ashamed to show your face after losing to a girl?
What are you here for, huh? Another public embarrassment?”
His gang burst into loud laughter.
Aroshi stepped forward, her voice cutting through the noise.
“Hey, you! With a face like a dirty drain and brains like a donkey,
you think you get to decide who can be here and who can’t?”
The guy flared up.
“Stay in your limit, girl—”
“Shut up!” she screamed.
“Stay in your limit. You dare talk about my worth?
You don’t even have the worth of my sandal!
Do you even know who I am?”
She grabbed his hair and yanked it hard.
“You dare tell me my place? Look at yourself first!”
Dhruv quickly came forward.
“Aroshi, leave him. Don’t waste your time on people like him.”
But before the guy could speak again, Aroshi’s hand whipped across his face—
A loud, echoing slap that silenced the entire racing spot.
Everyone burst into laughter.
Some recorded videos, some clicked pictures.
Chaos erupted—the guy’s gang and Dhruv’s gang were now face-to-face.
Yelling, shoving, building tension—
And then… a sleek Lamborghini screeched to a halt.
Aryan had arrived.
---
Meanwhile, at the office
Kartik was in a rush for a meeting.
As he hurried out, Naina walked in—perhaps to ask something.
The two collided hard.
Naina’s head hit his chest with a thud,
and the file in her hands scattered papers across the floor.
Kartik felt a sting on his hand from Naina’s metal bracelet,
a thin scratch that bled lightly.
But he ignored it—his eyes were only on Naina’s injury.
“Miss Naina, are you alright?” he asked.
“What alright? You should’ve been watching where you were going,” she muttered, wincing.
The manager came running, having witnessed the scene.
“Sir! Are you okay?!” he blurted in a mix of shock and confusion.
Then, he turned on Naina.
“Can’t you watch where you’re going? Sir’s hurt because of you!
Do you come here to work or to create trouble?”
Naina’s eyes welled up instantly.
She was sensitive—too soft to handle harsh words.
What she didn’t know was that soon, life would give her so much love and courage
that all her pain would fade away.
Kartik’s eyes darkened in anger.
“Watch your tongue,” he told the manager sharply.
“Don’t you know how to talk to women?”
Turning to Naina, he asked,
“Miss Naina, is it hurting badly? Should I get you an ice pack?”
Without waiting, he called out,
“Ramesh! Get an ice pack quickly!”
Ramesh ran in with it.
“Here you go, sir.”
Kartik handed it to Naina.
“Here—hold this, you’ll feel better.”
The manager watched in disbelief.
What is it about this ordinary girl?
Many modern, classy, elegant women had come and gone,
but never once had Sir looked at any of them twice.
So why her?
By the door, someone stood watching them… smiling.
---
Rathore Mansion – Study Room
Aryan sat in a large leather chair, one leg crossed over the other.
In front of him stood Dhruv and Aroshi—silent, heads bowed.
“What were you two thinking?” Aryan’s voice was low but dangerous.
“Did you go there to fight? To get yourselves killed?
Why did you go there in the first place?”
He scanned them both, eyes sharp, before speaking again.
“Dhruv?”
“Bhai, I… I…” Dhruv fumbled.
“I asked a question, Dhruv. I want an answer. What was going on there?”
“Aryan, Dhruv wasn’t at fault,” Aroshi stepped in.
“I forced him. I wanted to race. I provoked him.”
Dhruv turned to her.
“Aroshi! Who asked you to speak? I’m talking—”
“That’s enough,” Aryan cut in.
“I’m asking questions and you two are busy arguing?
Do you realize what could have happened if I hadn’t arrived in time?
“And Dhruv—you’re not a child.
If you wanted to go, you should have gone alone.
Why take Aroshi with you? Do you have any idea what I’d tell Bua if something happened to her?”
“Aryan, I’m telling you—” Aroshi began,
but Aryan raised a hand to silence her.
“Do I look like a fool to you?
Even a child would have more sense than this.
You’ve been here barely a day—you don’t know this city.
This is India, not the US. Girls here don’t just run around getting into fights.
“This is my first and last warning to both of you.
Aryan Singh Rathore does not repeat himself—and he doesn’t like repeating himself.
I better not see this kind of behavior again.”
He rose to leave when Aroshi called after him.
“Aryan… please don’t tell Mom.”
“I won’t. But next time, be careful.”
---
What happened at the racing spot that shook Aryan so much?
And why was Kartik so protective of Naina?
No, it wasn’t love.
It wasn’t even sympathy.
He had only defended her because she was Prisha Malhotra’s sister—
the woman who had taught him to respect women.
So when the manager had spoken harshly to Naina,
his sister’s teachings had roared to life.
- Writer
