CLASSHERO SESSION
Chapter 10: Broken Trust
Surya's birthday began quietly.
Aditi and Rishi had secretly decorated an empty classroom with balloons and a small chocolate cake. Aman wasn't there.
Surya noticed the empty seat but said nothing.
As everyone prepared for the surprise, Aditi's phone vibrated.
A message from an unknown number.
«Come alone if you want to help Aman. Don't tell Surya.»
Attached was a blurry photograph.
Aman was sitting on the floor of an abandoned factory, his hands tied with rope.
Aditi's face turned pale.
Before she could react, another message arrived.
«Thirty minutes.»
She quickly left the classroom without telling anyone.
---
Five minutes later, Surya returned from the library.
"Aditi?" he asked.
Rishi looked around.
"She just disappeared."
Surya noticed Aditi's notebook lying open on the desk.
Inside it was a hastily written note.
Factory 17...
His expression changed immediately.
---
On the outskirts of Mumbai...
The abandoned factory stood silent beneath dark clouds.
Aditi entered carefully.
"Aman!"
No answer.
Instead...
The giant iron gate slammed shut behind her.
Slow applause echoed through the building.
Dev Chauhan stepped out of the shadows with Nikhil and Samar.
"There is no kidnapped Aman."
"It was you we wanted."
Aditi stepped back.
"You used him as bait."
Dev smiled.
"And Surya will walk into this trap."
---
Outside the factory...
Surya arrived on his motorcycle.
He heard Aditi scream from inside.
Without hesitation, he kicked open a side entrance.
Several men rushed toward him.
The first attacker swung a chain.
Surya ducked and drove his elbow into the man's ribs.
Another charged with a wooden stick.
Surya blocked the strike with his forearm and knocked the stick away before landing a sharp punch.
Within seconds, three men were on the ground.
But more kept coming.
The fight spread across the factory floor.
Surya was struck across the shoulder by an iron pipe.
Blood trickled down his arm.
Still...
He kept moving.
He finally reached Aditi and untied her.
"Can you run?"
She nodded.
"What about you?"
"I'll catch up."
---
At the university...
Raghav Rana learned about the trap from one of his gym contacts.
His face darkened.
"This isn't a challenge..."
"It's an ambush."
He immediately headed toward the factory.
---
Meanwhile...
Aman discovered Dev's real plan.
"You lied to me!"
Dev laughed.
"You were useful."
Nothing more."
Aman rushed to the factory as fast as he could.
---
When Aman arrived...
He froze.
Surya was surrounded by attackers.
His shirt was stained with blood.
Yet he was still standing.
"Surya!"
Aman charged into the fight, knocking one attacker aside.
Surya looked at him in surprise.
"You shouldn't be here."
"I should've been here from the beginning."
The two friends stood back-to-back.
For the first time in weeks...
They fought together again.
Just then, Raghav Rana burst through the main entrance.
With precise strikes, he forced the remaining attackers to retreat.
Dev realized the plan had failed.
"Move!"
His group fled through the back exit.
---
As the sirens of approaching police echoed in the distance, Surya finally lost his balance.
He collapsed to one knee.
Aditi caught him before he fell completely.
"You're hurt!"
Surya gave a weak smile.
"As long as you're safe..."
"...it was worth it."
Aman looked down at the blood on Surya's sleeve.
Tears filled his eyes.
"I'm sorry..."
"I forgot what a real friend was."
Before Surya could answer...
A black SUV stopped outside the factory.
A masked man stepped out.
He looked at Dev, who had returned from the shadows.
"You failed."
Dev lowered his head.
The masked man replied coldly,
"Then I'll handle Surya myself."
He glanced once toward the injured Surya before disappearing into the night.
The war was no longer about campus rivalries.
A far more dangerous enemy had entered the game.
To Be Continued...