Episode 2: “Bitter Truths”
Read Previous Update: Strength Of love On Insider Tv Episode 1 : Meet Kiara
Kiara storms into Aarav’s corner office and throws the coffee‑stained business card onto his desk. She doesn’t pause for pleasantries. “I’m here to work,” she says, voice tight. Aarav looks up from his papers, surprise flickering in his dark eyes. “Work?” he repeats as he straightens his tie. Kiara throws open her leather portfolio and lays out six full‑page sketches—each one a burst of color, each one screaming the words Strength Through Adversity. She doesn’t explain the symbolism; she lets the art speak. Aarav picks up the first sketch—a sunrise exploding over a jagged skyline—and runs a finger along the brush strokes. “You’re bold,” he says, voice low. “You’re not afraid.” Kiara meets his gaze. “My father wasn’t afraid of hard work either,” she replies. “Until your company cut him loose.” Aarav’s hand tightens around the sketch. He leans forward. “Tell me,” he says quietly, “what happened to him?”
Kiara breathes in fast, remembering the weight in her father’s shoulders the day they came to raise his fees. She steadies herself. “He owned three small hotels in Goa. You bought them out, jacked the rates beyond his reach, and left him with nothing. He felt ashamed. He killed himself.” Her words hit the room like a hammer. Aarav’s jaw clenches, and for a moment Kiara braces for anger so fierce it could burn. Instead, he closes his eyes and lets out a shuddering breath. When he opens them, they’re wet. “I never knew,” he whispers. “I’m sorry.” Kiara feels the sting of those two words but she holds her ground. “Sorry doesn’t fill graves,” she says. He slides a contract across the desk—a real, legal document offering her full pay to design the Mumbai flagship mural under her own name, theme locked in: Strength Through Adversity. “Sign,” he orders. “Show me you mean business.” Kiara picks up the pen and signs without hesitation. Every stroke is a promise: she will work, and he will face the damage he caused.
That night, Kiara stands in her tiny studio, surrounded by her new sketches pinned to the walls under a bare bulb. Her chest still burns with the confrontation, but something else stirs—a cautious hope. She touches the edge of the sunrise mural, imagining it towering on a hotel wall, reminding guests that pain can bloom into power. A buzz on her phone pulls her out of reverie. It’s Rohan: “Why are you working for him?” Attached is the very photo Aarav’s assistant snapped of Kiara and Aarav studying her art. Before she types a reply, there’s a knock. Rohan storms in, his blazer flapping behind him. He rips the photo from her table and crumples it in his fist. “Who is he, Kiara?” he snarls. His voice is dangerous, like a blade. Kiara steps forward, heart pounding. “He’s the man who ruined my family,” she says. Rohan’s face twists. “Then why are you signing for him?” he spits. Kiara squares her shoulders. “Because I’m not running from my past. I’m shaping my future.” She doesn’t back down. Rohan stares at her, torn between fury and something like respect, then storms out, leaving Kiara alone with the crumpled photo and the first real spark of control she’s felt in months.
Precap
Kiara arrives at the Mumbai site on day one only to find her mural wall sabotaged. As she scrambles to protect her work, Aarav must decide whether to back her publicly—or guard his company’s image at her expense.
