The Royal Chauhans

CHAPTER 3

AUTHOR POV

Adrika was returning from the office with Abeer when she suddenly spotted an ice cream parlor and exclaimed, “Stop!”

Abeer hit the brakes abruptly and asked, “What happened?”

She replied excitedly, “Ice cream!”

Hearing that, Abeer looked at her and teased, “It’s cold outside, and you want to eat ice cream?”

She nodded eagerly like a child.

Abeer sighed but didn’t say anything more. Instead, he started the car again and drove straight to the mansion.

Once they arrived, Adrika went straight to play with the adorable little Simba.

Later, Abeer and Adrika went to their room to prepare for an important meeting with the Rajawats scheduled for the next day.

While applying hand cream, Adrika glanced at Abeer through the mirror. He was sitting on the sofa, focused on his laptop. Dressed in a white T-shirt and gray sweatpants, he looked devilishly handsome.

Realizing she had been staring at him for too long, Adrika quickly looked away and returned to her routine. Eventually, she drifted off to sleep.

❀

Morning:

Everyone was having breakfast when Suhana broke the silence and said,
“Vardaan, you have to drop Aarohi at her home for the Paghfera ritual.”

He simply nodded in acknowledgment.

After breakfast, everyone left for work. Aarohi was getting ready to go back to her home when Vardaan entered the room and said,
“Let’s go.”

Aarohi thought to herself,
"I thought he doesn’t even speak. Anyway, why should I care? I’m just going to my home!"

The entire car ride was quiet, with neither of them saying a word. When they reached her house, Vardaan dropped her off outside and left without saying anything.

Aarohi had expected him to come inside with her, but he didn’t.

She stepped into the house and saw her uncle, aunt, and cousin Aarav engrossed in a discussion. As soon as they noticed her, their faces lit up with joy.

Aarav ran to her, hugged her tightly, and said,
“Didi, I missed you so much! It’s so good you’re here now. Otherwise, I was about to come and get you myself—but mom and dad wouldn’t let me!”

Aarohi laughed and replied,
“Now that I’m here, tell me properly how much you missed me! See? I told you you’d miss me a lot!”

Aarav smiled warmly.

Aarohi hugged her uncle and aunt, and the four of them sat together, chatting and catching up like old times.

❀

After finishing their breakfast, Adrika and Abeer left for the office, as they had a very important meeting with the Rajawats.

While Abeer was in his cabin, Adrika was busy arranging files. Breaking the silence, she said, "Sir, we have the next meeting in 30 minutes."

Abeer stood up from his seat and suddenly pinned Adrika against the wall. She was startled and frightened by his unexpected action.

In a firm tone, Abeer said, "You don't need to call me 'Sir'."

Regaining her composure, Adrika pushed him back and replied, "We're in the office, so I have to call you 'Sir'."

She turned to leave, but Abeer grabbed her wrist and repeated, "Don’t call me 'Sir'."

After a brief moment, he loosened his grip, allowing her to walk away.

As Adrika stepped out of the room, she accidentally bumped into someone. Her file fell to the ground. Without looking up, she quickly apologized and hurried toward her cabin.

Thirty minutes later, everyone gathered in the conference room. Abeer entered, followed by Adrika, who stood quietly behind him.

Jayant and Abhishek, two of Abeer's employees, began their presentation.

Impressed, Mr. Rajawat finalized the deal and said, "Mr. Chauhan, you have very hardworking employees in your company."

Abeer chuckled softly.

Glancing at Adrika, Mr. Rajawat added with a sly smile, "Why don't you send one or two of them to my company? I'll hire them for double the salary."

Abeer smirked and replied coolly, "They work with honesty, and they’re happy with the salary they get here."

He then gestured for all the employees to leave the conference room, and they complied.

As Mr. Rajawat stepped out of the conference room, he walked straight toward Adrika. Grabbing her hand, he said smugly, "Where are you going, sweetheart? Come with me—I’ll hire you at double the salary."

Adrika stopped and replied coldly, "I'm going to die. Want to join me?"

Mr. Rajawat clenched his fists and muttered through gritted teeth, "You must be new here—you clearly don’t know how things work yet."

Without responding, Adrika walked away. Tears welled up in her eyes as she made her way to the washroom.

Her phone rang. It was Abeer. She hesitated for a moment before answering.

His voice thundered through the line, "COME TO MY CABIN. RIGHT NOW!"

Adrika froze, scared by his tone. She took a deep breath, splashed cold water on her face, and walked toward Abeer's cabin.

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