Chapter 195: The new body guard.. Kuldeep
Next morning monday, 24th Jan 2025, Rohit’s room.
Rohit’s eyes snapped open as the alarm clock rang.
It was 8:00 in the morning.
He yawned and frowned as he glanced at the calendar.
Monday.
A new week.
The day he was supposed to return to school.
The previous week had perhaps been the longest one of his life, even compared to the years before his regression. Yet he felt satisfied.
From saving Akhil to building relationships and expanding his influence across the underworld, political circles, and business sectors, it had been a remarkable week. To say the least, he had achieved major breakthroughs in solving many of the problems that had plagued his predecessor’s life—both at home and at school.
Then realization hit him.
"Damn... I still have to go to school."
The irony struck differently.
He still had countless tasks ahead of him. From sabotaging the drone project to uncovering the secret behind Ragini’s accident, while simultaneously maintaining healthy relations with the various girls he had come into contact with, this week was already packed with responsibilities.
Despite all that, he still had to attend school like any ordinary teenager chasing his first milestone in life.
Was that really necessary?
The question dropped into his mind like a bomb.
Then he remembered the deal he had made with Ragini regarding her visit to her maternal home and shrugged.
"Won’t be that hard," he muttered. "The language is different, but the knowledge should be same."
He walked to the mirror and inspected himself.
The injury on his hand had healed considerably, though a dry scar still remained.
Deciding to test his progress, he dropped down and started doing push-ups.
He managed eighteen painful repetitions before stopping.
Better than the fifteen he had struggled through earlier.
Picking up his phone, he frowned.
The first message was from Seo-yeon, requesting several PDF documents to be translated into Korean. The message had arrived during the night, but he had forgotten about it.
After the messy encounter with Sheela yesterday, he hadn’t felt like dealing with anything and had gone to sleep earlier than usual.
Glancing at the clock, he calculated the remaining time before school.
"Hmm... still doable."
The second message was surprisingly from Naina Chambani herself.
It contained only a single word.
"Hi."
Rohit stared at it for a moment, slightly puzzled about how to respond.
Eventually, he sent a morning flower GIF along with a reply.
[Rohit: Slept early yesterday. Anything on your mind?]
The third message was from Aisha.
Normally she would either be sleeping beside him or occupying his room, but last night she had been busy packing for the upcoming trip.
The message practically radiated excitement.
[Aisha: Loafer... how did you do it? The bitch cancelled our tickets, saying there were no hotel rooms available. Your room was locked. Care to pay me a visit early this morning?]
Rohit chuckled.
He already knew exactly what she wanted to discuss.
Or rather, what she wanted from him.
He would much rather greet her at the breakfast table than waste valuable time satisfying the itch she was currently dealing with.
Scrolling through the rest of his notifications, he found nothing particularly important.
Using Lisa’s assistance, he finished translating all of Seo-yeon’s PDFs into Korean within minutes.
By the time Rohit headed downstairs for breakfast at around 8:30, the dining hall was unusually quiet.
Only three people were present.
Aunt Kalyani sat at the head of the table, acting as the temporary matriarch in his father’s absence, her eyes moving steadily across the morning newspaper. Aisha sat obediently on her right in her school uniform, quietly sipping tea.
On the opposite side sat Tanya, dressed in her usual casual shorts and top, picking at her breakfast with a heavily pouted expression.
Arya and the others were nowhere to be seen.
Rohit pulled out a chair and sat down.
"Good morning, Aunt."
Kalyani glanced at him over the edge of her newspaper as she took a sip from her cup.
No greeting.
No reply.
Just a brief acknowledgment of his presence before returning to the paper.
Instead, Aisha answered enthusiastically.
"Good morning, cousin."
Rohit smiled faintly and sat beside her.
"Where is everyone? The house feels unusually empty."
Aisha smirked.
"You mean Brother Tanuj and his elite friend circle?"
At the mention of their names, Tanya’s expression immediately darkened.
"I hate this," she muttered. "The omelette is too spicy."
Kalyani replied without even looking up.
"Then don’t eat it. No one is forcing you."
Ignoring the interruption, Aisha leaned slightly closer to Rohit.
"Well, they packed up and left early this morning. Only we are left."
Rohit raised an eyebrow, playing his role perfectly.
"Oh? Weren’t you and Tanya supposed to be included in their Jaipur trip?"
The reaction was immediate.
Tanya shoved her plate away so hard it rattled against the table.
Her eyes flashed with humiliation and anger.
"I’m done. I’m not in the mood for this."
Without waiting for a response, she stormed out of the dining hall.
Kalyani watched her leave and rubbed her temple with a weary sigh.
Only after Tanya disappeared from view did Aisha lower her voice.
"She’s furious. Our tickets got canceled at the last minute. Apparently there was some issue securing separate rooms at the resort, and Sheela suggested canceling our bookings because of ’safety concerns.’"
Rohit’s eyes narrowed slightly.
"And Arya?"
Aisha shrugged.
"No idea. She didn’t come home last night. Maybe she stayed back at the corporate office."
Rohit hummed thoughtfully.
So Sheela had complied after all.
Interesting.
A sharp clink suddenly cut through the room.
Kalyani set down her teacup and fixed Rohit with a measured stare.
"Rohit."
He looked up.
"I received a report that you mistreated Tanuj’s friends in the living room last night."
Rohit tilted his head, his tone half-mocking. "Oh? Did I?"
Kalyani stared at him for several seconds before speaking.
"I am currently in charge of this household, Rohit. If you don’t wish to go directly against your father’s instructions, then I suggest you treat that authority with proper respect."
Rohit calmly put down his fork.
"Sorry, Aunt. I was joking. I meant no disrespect."
There was no point escalating the matter.
Kalyani was in charge while Raj was away, and technically she wasn’t wrong.
The apology cost him nothing.
After a moment, she nodded.
The tension in her shoulders eased slightly.
"Good."
Then she changed the subject.
"Your new bodyguard has been assigned. His name is Kuldeep."
She gestured toward the entrance.
Standing beside the doorway was a young man in a tailored black suit. He had a sharp haircut, a disciplined posture, and the alert eyes of someone constantly assessing his surroundings.
The moment their gazes met, Kuldeep gave Rohit a respectful nod.
"Once you’re finished," Kalyani continued as she rose from her seat, "he’ll be driving both you and Aisha to school."
With that, she picked up her newspaper and left the dining hall.
The moment her footsteps faded into the distance, Aisha nudged Rohit’s elbow.
"Was teasing Mom really necessary?" she asked with a grin. " She was already fired up dealing with Tanya’s non-stop nagging this morning, and then you had to push her buttons."
"Can’t help it" Rohit chuckled as he took his fork up. "She didn’t even bother greeting me."
Aisha rolled her eyes.
"You’re impossible."
"That’s what makes life interesting." Rohit began digging in.
Aisha shook her head, trying, and failing, not to smile.
A few minutes later, they finished breakfast and stood up together, ready to face the high school gates.
***
The Bentley glided through the morning traffic, effortlessly overtaking slower vehicles as it cut across the city.
Behind the wheel, Kuldeep couldn’t deny that he enjoyed it.
Most drivers moved aside the moment they recognized the luxury sedan in their rearview mirrors. The brand carried its own authority, and the road seemed to part before it.
Beneath his polished professionalism, however, Kuldeep was not merely a bodyguard.
He was a junior operative attached to the Intelligence Bureau.
Backed by recommendations from higher-ups, he had been quietly inserted into the private security agency responsible for Rohit Singhania’s protection. His assignment was simple in theory: stay close, observe everything, document routines, and report unusual behavior.
The classified profile he had received painted Rohit as unpopular, impulsive, rude, and potentially dangerous.
Yet nothing he had witnessed so far matched the file.
The household staff spoke surprisingly well of him. In fact, most seemed openly fond of the boy.
Several had even attempted to conceal details of Rohit’s confrontation with the guests the previous night. Kuldeep only learned about it after overhearing Kalyani raising the issue during breakfast.
Even then, Rohit’s response had been unexpected.
No argument.
No hostility.
No attempt to challenge authority.
Just a calm apology that ended the matter immediately.
Adjusting the rearview mirror, Kuldeep glanced toward the back seat.
Rohit sat by the window, seemingly lost in thought.
Beside him, Aisha slept peacefully, her head resting against his shoulder while holding onto his arm. For cousins, the level of physical familiarity felt unusually close.
According to agency reports, Rohit was supposed to be completely isolated and hated within his own family hierarchy.
Yet, this unusual, heavy closeness with his cousin was difficult to quantify.
If their official sibling documentation hadn’t proven otherwise, Kuldeep would have instantly misclassified them as a pair of deeply entangled lovers.
Kuldeep shook the thought away.
No matter how long or closely Kuldeep observed him, Rohit appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary rich teenager—slightly reactive under obvious provocations, perhaps, but dangerous? Certainly not.
Perhaps headquarters was wasting resources.
Perhaps—
Suddenly, Rohit’s eyes snapped upward. His gaze locked directly onto Kuldeep’s reflection in the rearview mirror.
Kuldeep flinched involuntarily.
For a fraction of a second, a violent wave of goosebumps broke across his skin, as if the grim reaper himself had reached in to inspect his soul.
The sensation vanished almost immediately.
Yet his grip tightened around the steering wheel.
Without thinking, he looked away under the pretense of checking the blind spot.
His heartbeat quickened.
When he cautiously glanced back a few seconds later, the feeling was gone.
Rohit had already returned to staring out the window.
The pressure had vanished so completely that Kuldeep almost questioned whether it had existed at all.
Was I imagining things?
"What happened, Kuldeep?"
The sudden question nearly made him jump.
Rohit’s voice was casual.
Normal.
"Everything alright?"
Kuldeep forced a professional smile.
"Nothing, Young Master. Fuel is running a little low. I may need to stop at a petrol station."
Rohit nodded.
"Go ahead."
The conversation ended there.
Still, a faint frown lingered on Rohit’s face.
Moments earlier, his instincts had detected someone watching him with unusual focus. Old instincts had immediately put him on guard.
When he identified the source as his new bodyguard, however, he dismissed it as harmless curiosity and let the feeling pass.
A few minutes later, the Bentley pulled into a nearby petrol station.
Unfortunately, a long queue had already formed.
Kuldeep patiently joined the line and waited.
One vehicle remained ahead of them before their turn arrived.
Then, without warning, a loud commotion erupted near the fuel pumps.
