Outside Regal Club, Neelima Menon's hand cracked across Vikram Malhotra's face, the sharp slap echoing through the rain-soaked street. "Enough slandering Robin," she snapped, her voice a whip, defending him as her ally. "Your accusations are baseless—he's my friend." Her words, fierce and unyielding, escalated tensions, Vikram's face reddening as Aisha Seth's eyes flashed with fury.
Aisha, humiliated by Neelima's rejection and her defense of Robin, clenched her fists, her voice trembling. "You're betraying me for him?" she hissed, her mind grappling with Robin's newfound influence. The shadow of their divorce loomed, her past with him a bitter regret as Neelima's loyalty shifted.
Vikram, enraged by the slap and seething with jealousy, glared at Robin. "You deceived her," he spat, his voice dripping with venom. "Charming your way to her liquor deal—it's all lies!" His hatred intensified, convinced Robin's success with Neelima was a trick, his pride stung by the public rebuke.
Neelima cast a flirtatious glance at Robin before turning to leave, her lehenga shimmering in the neon glow. The look, laden with ambiguity, fueled whispers of a deeper connection, stoking Aisha's fury and Priya Reddy's unease. Priya's hand tightened on Robin's arm, her eyes narrowing, her insecurity flaring at Neelima's provocative gesture.
Aisha stepped forward, confronting Robin, her voice sharp with accusation. "You used your charm to steal Global Exports' supply," she said, her tone venomous. "Your Regal Club will never outshine my bar." Her words were a desperate grasp at dominance, her non-tech ventures teetering under Robin's coup.
Robin's gaze was steel, his voice cutting. "Your success was my gift, Aisha," he said, his tone cold. "I shielded your bar from the underworld. Without me, it's finished." His warning severed their ties completely, his resolve to let her face the consequences unshaken, the storm outside mirroring his words.
Priya stepped beside Robin, her voice taunting. "Regal's the future, Aisha," she said, her eyes gleaming. "Exclusive liquor at cost price—your bar's done." Her words, reveling in Robin's victory, crushed any hope of reconciliation, though privately, she worried about Neelima's interest in him, her possessiveness simmering.
Inside Regal Club, the staff buzzed with awe, viewing Robin as a hero for securing Global Exports' deal in a single night. "He's turned it around," one whispered, their morale soaring, the club's revival now within reach. Chetan Rana, grinning, rallied them to prepare for the influx of liquor, his faith in Robin solidified.
Robin turned to Arjun Desai, his old underworld ally, his voice low. "Spread the word," he said. "I'm withdrawing my protection from Aisha's bar." Arjun nodded, his eyes sharp, knowing the move would expose Aisha's ventures to underworld threats Robin once shielded her from.
Robin's decision to let Aisha's bar face "storms" reflected his resolve to make her face the consequences of underestimating him.