CHAPTER 36! CHAOS #2
The family members shifted, the tension finally breaking as they began grabbing their bags and heading down the long corridors.
Aadhira disappeared down the hallway without looking back, her heart hammering against her ribs.
Aryav tracked her progress until the last strand of her hair vanished around the corner.
Only then did he turn toward his right-hand man, who had slipped back into the room.
"Vivaan."
"Sir?"
"Double the security."
Vivaan paused, his expression shifting into a quiet, alert focus.
"Any specific threat?"
Aryav looked toward the empty corridor where Aadhira had disappeared.
"Carelessness."
The riverbank was chaos.
Tourists crowded the rafting base camp, guides shouted instructions over the roar of the Ganges, and somewhere in the distance, someone was already screaming halfway down a rapid.
Aryav and Vivaan had disappeared toward the registration office to finalize the tickets, leaving the rest of the group entirely unsupervised.
It was a catastrophic security decision.
"Last warning," Tara announced, pointing a stern finger at Reyansh.
"Do not start trouble."
"I never start trouble."
"That sentence alone is proof you're lying."
Reyansh looked offended. Before he could defend his honor, a stray football rolled across the gravel and struck his leg.
He picked it up automatically.
A group of local boys nearby whistled, gesturing aggressively.
"Ball."
Reyansh tossed it back.
One of them deliberately let it drop into the dirt.
"Can't aim, rich kid?" The mocking grin on the boy's face was all it took.
Reyansh narrowed his eyes. "Oh, you're one of those."
"One of what?"
"The irritating type."
The boy stepped closer, squaring his shoulders. "And what will you do?"
Tara immediately appeared beside Reyansh. "Nothing."
Reyansh pointed at her.
"See? My lawyer has arrived."
The boy laughed mockingly.
"City people."
"Village people," Reyansh shot back.
"Reyansh," Myra warned, stepping up.
"He's talking."
"You're talking too."
"Because he started it!"
The argument escalated rapidly, as arguments involving Reyansh always did.
Meanwhile, Ayaan stood beside Aadhira, watching the petty exchange with visible disappointment.
"Noisy," the seven-year-old muttered under his breath.
Aadhira almost smiled.
Then, one of the local boys shoved past them-hard.
Ayaan stumbled backward, his small body hitting the gravel.
Everything stopped.
The smile vanished from Aadhira's face. Slowly. Dangerously.
The boy barely had time to straighten up before a sharp SLAP echoed loudly across the riverbank.
A heavy silence fell over the crowd.
Even Reyansh blinked in shock.
The local boy touched his burning cheek, utterly stunned.
Aadhira stepped directly in front of Ayaan, her eyes completely murderous.
"You touch him again. I dare you."
The boy's expression darkened instantly into pure rage. He pulled out his phone, his eyes boring into hers.
"We'll see if you scream this loud after."
"Excellent," Shaurya sighed heavily.
"Suno jagda badane ka koi fayda nahi."
Myra buried her face in her hands, while Tara looked ready to commit murder herself.
Kashvi simply pulled little Vaani closer, her eyes scanning the perimeter.
Five minutes later, the roar of engines broke through the sound of the river.
Three motorcycles arrived.
Then another. Then another. A group of rough-looking men climbed off the bikes, flexing their muscles.
The arrogant smile instantly disappeared from Reyansh's face.
"Those are... more people than expected."
"How's the confidence now?" Tara asked dryly.
"Konsa confidence?."
The largest thug stepped forward, cracking his knuckles with menacing intent. "Who slapped him?"
Reyansh pointed.
Then Arjun.
Then Aarush.
A second later, Shaurya joined them.
Aadhira stared at her so-called family in betrayal. "Gaddar kahi ke."
"Honesty" Reyansh corrected smoothly.
The giant thug started walking forward. Aadhira looked at him, looked at the oncoming horde, and made an executive decision.
"RUN!"
She grabbed Ayaan's hand.
Then Ruhi's.
Myra immediately latched onto Tara, while Kashvi scooped little Vaani securely into her arms.
Chaos erupted. The girls bolted first. The boys stared in disbelief for one glorious second before reality hit.
"Oh hell."
"RUN!"
Suddenly, the entire Rai Shinghania and Agrawal contingent was sprinting down the riverside road.
They dashed past food stalls, past shocked tourists, and past thoroughly confused rafting guides.
The thugs roared behind them,
"STOP THEM!"
"No!" Reyansh shouted over his shoulder, completely breathless.
"I respectfully decline!"
Arjun knocked over a stack of plastic chairs to create a barrier.
Aarush sent a large metal trash bin rolling directly into their pursuers' path.
Shaurya grabbed a heavy advertising stand and dropped it flat on the pavement.
"Jo mile feko unpar!" Shaurya yelled.
"You destroyed someone's shop!" Tara shrieked as she ran.
"We'll pay for it later!"
Ahead, Aryav and Vivaan finally emerged from the registration office holding the tickets.
Both men stopped dead in their tracks.
Aryav took in the scene instantly: his family sprinting for their lives, a mob of angry local thugs chasing them, and madness unfolding on a public street.
Aadhira's eyes widened as she spotted him. "Aryav, run!"
Without thinking, she lunged forward and grabbed Aryav's hand as she barreled past.
Aryav didn't move for half a second, his brain processing the sheer audacity of the situation. Then she yanked harder.
"WHY ARE YOU STANDING THERE?!"
Kashvi tightened her grip on Vivaan's wrist as she ran past.
"Run! They are behind us"
Vivaan glanced at the approaching men, looking profoundly unbothered.
"I can see."
"Then run!"
"Why?" Vivaan replied, slowing to a complete stop.
"STOP." Aryav commanded.
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an unyielding authority that halted the entire family in their tracks.
The running stopped instantly.
The thugs stopped too, breathing heavily as they surrounded the perimeter.
Aryav ignored the crowd entirely.
His dark eyes locked onto Aadhira.
His expression was cold, unreadable, and still.
"What happened?" he asked.
Aadhira didn't hesitate.
"He pushed Ayaan."
Aryav crouched. He brushed the gravel from Ayaan's palm. His thumb came away red.
He stared at the blood for one silent second.
When he stood, the temperature on the riverbank seemed to drop ten degrees.
The lead thug smirked, completely blind to the sudden shift in the air.
He took a single step toward Aadhira.
"You should not touch them," Aryav said, his voice quiet. His gaze settled heavily on the man.
The thug laughed. "Oh I am scared?"
Aryav unfastened his watch with deliberate precision.
The metallic click sounded unnaturally loud in the quiet. He handed it to Vivaan without looking.
"Not again." Aryav murmured.
The thug laughed again, stepping directly into his space.
Aryav tilted his head.
At the back of the mob, an older man's face suddenly drained of color entirely. His phone slipped from his trembling grip, clattering against the stones.
"Get back," the old man whispered, taking an involuntary step backward into the shadows.