Chương 10: Chapter 10: A Father's Outburst
Dheeraj and the leader of Kumar Industries turned red with embarrassment. Riya, now fully aware of the mess she had created, stared at the floor, unable to meet anyone's eyes.
Karna, his anger now mingled with pride, released Dhruvansh from his grip. "Well," he said, addressing the room. "It seems the truth is right in front of us."
Dhruvansh, still burning with residual anger, gave one final glare toward the rich kids, then quietly turned and walked out of the room, leaving the adults to deal with the aftermath.
As Dhruvansh stormed out of the garden, away from the crowd and toward the gate of the Chauhan estate, his mind swirled with rage and confusion. He couldn't bear to stay another second at the party. Everything—the mocking, the lies, the whispers of "orphan"—it all churned inside him like a storm he couldn't control. The revelation of his true origin, something he had overheard late that fateful night, now bled into his thoughts, and it was eating him alive.
Just as he reached the exit, a familiar voice cut through the noise of his thoughts.
"Dhruvansh! Wait, son, please stop!" Karna's voice, full of concern, made Dhruvansh pause for a second.
Devi followed close behind, her voice trembling. "Dhruvansh, please don't go like this. We need to talk."
Dhruvansh paused; his fists clenched at his sides. His heart wanted to obey, but the burning anger inside him held him in place. He felt the war inside him—a battle between the love he had for his parents and the betrayal he felt from the secrets they had kept from him. He turned around sharply, his eyes glistening with a mix of fury and sorrow.
"Why?!" Dhruvansh shouted, his voice breaking. "Why should I stop? Why should I listen?"
Karna and Devi froze. The pain in his voice was palpable, and it cut deep into their hearts. They exchanged a look, both struggling to understand what had caused such a drastic shift in their son's behavior.
Karna stepped forward slowly, his voice gentle yet firm. "Dhruvansh, why are you so angry? Is it because someone called you an orphan? How could you be an orphan when your mother and I are here, right in front of you?"
Devi, her eyes filled with unshed tears, added, "If it's about the kids from the orphanage, you don't need to be upset. They are as much Agastya as you are. We are all family."
But their words, meant to soothe, only poured fuel onto the fire inside Dhruvansh. He gritted his teeth, his head swirling with the truth he had been wrestling with ever since that night. The night they discussed his origins—the night he realized he was not truly their son.
His lips curled into a bitter smile, one filled with self-loathing. "Right… why should I be angry, huh? When what they said was true, right? I am an orphan. A child neglected… abandoned by his real parents," his voice cracked as he continued, "Left behind like I was some unwanted thing... Some mistake, or maybe even an abomination."
Devi gasped, her hand flying to her mouth as the weight of his words crashed over her. Karna's face hardened with shock. They both stared at their son, devastated by his self-deprecating words, each syllable a punch to their hearts.
"Dhruvansh, no! That's not true—" Devi began, stepping forward, but Dhruvansh cut her off.
"Stop!" he snapped, his voice louder, harsher than he had ever spoken to them before. "I know the truth, okay? I know I'm not your real son. I know I'm an orphan, abandoned by my birth parents. You found me… you raised me. But for the rest of the world, I'm just an abandoned kid. And I always will be."
He turned and walked away, his steps heavy and resolute, leaving Karna and Devi standing there, speechless and heartbroken.
As Dhruvansh made his way home, alone, his mind replayed his parents' words, but they couldn't compete with the flood of thoughts about his origins. Why had his birth parents left him? Were they dead, or did they just not want him? Every scenario that played in his mind only made him feel more abandoned.
Back at the Chauhan house, Karna and Devi stood, struggling to process everything their son had just said. Devi's eyes brimmed with tears, barely held back by sheer force of will, while Karna clenched his fists, trying to stay composed.
"We should go home," Devi said softly, her voice trembling. "I can't stay here, knowing he's hurting like this."
Karna wrapped his arm around her to steady her, but his eyes were blazing with anger—anger not at Dhruvansh, but at the circumstances, at the lies they had told to protect him, at the world that continued to remind their son of the painful truth.
"No," Karna said, his voice low and grim. "We'll leave soon. But first, we need to deal with this."
Together, they re-entered the garden, walking back into the sea of faces. The once lively party had turned quiet after the incident. Most of the guests were still trying to process what had happened with Dhruvansh and the rich kids. Whispers filled the air, but as Karna and Devi approached, the murmurs died down.
What they heard next only stoked Karna's anger further.
"We're sorry, Dheeraj," one of the rich parents said, trying to justify their child's actions. "Kids will be kids, you know. It was just a prank. Nothing to get too upset about."
"Exactly," said the father of the Kumar boy who had been knocked out. "They're just kids. But my son was beaten unconscious for a little prank. I demand some justice!"
Karna's temper, already frayed, finally snapped.
"Enough!" His voice boomed across the garden, making everyone stop in their tracks. His eyes burned with fury as he glared at the parents. "Justice? You dare talk about justice? You bunch of arrogant fools. Do you even hear yourselves right now? Your kids weren't just playing some harmless prank—they were bullying mine! And instead of raising children with respect and decency, you've raised a pack of entitled brats who think they can get away with anything just because of who their parents are."
The other parents looked shocked, but Karna wasn't done.
"You think you can bully my children because you believe they're orphans? You think I'm just some old man running an orphanage, that my kids need your pity or handouts? Let me remind you," Karna's voice dropped to a dangerous level, "I am Karna Agastya. My name still carries weight in the Force Council. If I wanted, I could dismantle every single one of your empires with just a phone call."
The rich parents, who moments ago had been haughty and indignant, now looked terrified.
"My children are not weak. They bear the name Agastya, and you should be grateful I've taught them restraint. What Dhruvansh did today? That was just a glimpse. The others could do the same—and worse—if they weren't holding back."
Dheeraj, seeing the situation spiraling out of control, tried to step in. "Karna, calm down, please. I know this got out of hand. I apologize on their behalf, truly."
But Karna wasn't having it. "If it weren't for our friendship, I would have left this party a long time ago. But now the damage is done. He knows, Dheeraj. Dhruvansh knows."
Dheeraj looked confused. "Knows what? What do you mean?"
Karna's voice dropped, filled with cold anger. "Dhruvansh knows. He knows the truth now. About who he is."
Riya, standing nearby, gasped. "Wait, you mean he knows about his parents? The truth about how they were killed in the Kashi Complex incident five years ago?"
Karna shook his head. "No, he doesn't know that. But he believes he was abandoned. And now that he knows there's more to the story, he won't stop digging until he uncovers everything."
Riya, standing beside her father, spoke up. "Isn't it better that he believes he was abandoned by his birth parents? Isn't that kinder than the truth—that they were killed in the Kashi Complex incident five years ago?"
Karna shook his head, his expression grim. "You don't understand. Dhruvansh is too curious. He won't stop until he finds the truth. And once he decides on something, not even we can stop him, as you've already seen with the AI on his wrist."
Dheeraj and Riya exchanged worried looks. They had seen the power of the AI, and now they realized that Dhruvansh's thirst for answers might lead him down a path no one could control.
Dheeraj, eyes still wide with curiosity, asked, "That AI… the wristwatch… What was that? Eye, you called it? What exactly is it?"
Karna and Devi, looking exhausted from the night's emotional turmoil, replied with a sigh. "It's… complicated. Eye is an advanced AI system that Dhruvansh has access to. But this isn't the time to discuss it. I'll explain more later."
Dheeraj pressed, "But the way it hacked the CCTV system so easily, that's no ordinary tech."
Karna stepped in, his voice firm. "We'll talk about it some other time, Dheeraj. For now, we need to end this party and leave. Dhruvansh is in no state of mind, and we need to be with him."
Devi, her voice tired and strained, stepped in. "Yeah, we'll talk about the AI some other time. Right now, we just want this party to be over. We need to go home."
Karna, still simmering with anger, nodded in agreement. "Just finish up with your guests, Dheeraj. We'll leave as soon as possible."
As the Agastya couple turned to leave, Diya, who had overheard part of the conversation, stood frozen in place. The party had fallen into an eerie silence. The faces of the rich leaders were a mixture of fear, embarrassment, and anger. But Diya's expression was one of shock. The Agastyas weren't just a couple who adopted some orphans and ran an orphanage—they were something much more.
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