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“I’m ready to share their plan with you, Tej so that you can take necessary measures to ensure the success of your deal. But I don’t want anyone from my family to be hurt in this, including Ayaan, because, like it or not, he is still Meher’s husband and my son-in-law. If something happens to him, I’ll lose my daughter forever. So, take any action you want to save your deal this Sunday, but in return, you have to promise you won’t hurt my kids and also help me with the elections and the Mashaal Project issue.”
I exhale, rubbing my jaw, thinking hard about my response. I don’t want to rely on Raghav’s input here because he will never trust Pratap. However, it’s necessary to know what Ayaan has planned to foil my deal with Rana. Additionally, if Ayaan is going to expose the identity of my Bat Syndicate, which I have successfully managed to hide so far, then this deal will be very beneficial for me.
“Fine,” I nod. “I accept your conditions.”
Pratap breathes a sigh of relief. Raghav, on the other hand, marches back to the bar counter, unhappy that I agreed to shake hands with Pratap Walia again!
“But remember, Pratap, one wrong move from you, and you’ll lose every single member of your family. That’s my promise. Now tell me, what has he planned?”
Pratap nods in acceptance.
“Ayaan and Krish will be infiltrating your warehouse where the deal is going to happen on Sunday. They will have well-trained spy agents to assist them. Vishnu will handle the sharpshooters surrounding the warehouse, and Aksh will block the route to the warehouse, ensuring that even if you call for additional help that day, they won’t reach you.”
As Pratap outlines Ayaan’s bold strategy, I can’t help but admire my son’s crafty thinking. He has a brilliant tactical mind; there’s no doubt about it. I notice Raghav’s evident frustration from the corner of my eye over Ayaan’s proposed approach. His face reddens in anger, and he clenches his jaw. He almost speaks up to protest but decides against it for the time being.
“That’s a clever plan,” I say with a grin. “It’s this sort of bold strategising that makes me eager to match wits against Ayaan. He makes me proud.”
Raghav scoffs under his breath and rolls his eyes dramatically before taking another large swig of his drink. He slams the empty glass down with annoyance and turns back toward us.
“We’ll handle this,” I declare confidently to Pratap, who gives a nod, his tense shoulders relaxing slightly at my reassurance.
“I want Ayaan and the rest of my children safe,” Pratap says for the umpteenth time. “Regardless of how you choose to deal with this, no harm should come to them.”
“Of course, you have my word,” I vouch.
Pratap checks his watch again and sighs. A hint of lingering apprehension is still evident on his furrowed brow. “I must go before Vishnu or anyone else becomes suspicious that I went out alone despite your looming threat.”
Having the Shergills and Walias under my control makes me feel so powerful. And with Pratap now allied with us, the game moves to an even higher level. I signal to one of my men to safely escort Pratap back to his car, and then stand beside a ticked-off Raghav.
“You shouldn’t trust an enemy who has already betrayed you once. That’s a foolish gamble,” Raghav says heatedly.
“I’m not foolish enough to trust Pratap,” I scoff at Raghav’s response. “I’m only taking necessary precautions. If Ayaan is indeed planning what Pratap suggests, we must prepare a solid plan to counter it effectively. But I have no intention of supporting Pratap’s political aspirations. I pause, a new scheme formulating in my mind. In fact, I plan to frame him for the entire weaponry deal once we thwart Ayaan’s plot on Sunday. We’ll plant evidence to make it appear that the arms belong to Pratap. That scandal alone will put him behind bars for life.”
As I explain my plan, I see comprehension dawning in Raghav’s widening eyes.
“That will be my revenge for how Pratap and his brother Nilesh betrayed me in the past over arms trafficking allegations,” I explain. “Despite our partnership, Nilesh exposed me to protect himself while Pratap later cleared Nilesh’s name of any connection. Finally, I can make Pratap suffer the consequences of his two-faced scheming.”
Raghav frowns, unconvinced. “What about your promise to safeguard the Walia family?”
My face hardens.
“They will die too if they try to interfere with my deal. Each one of them, except Ayaan. But right now, we need to strengthen the security at the warehouse on Sunday.”
Raghav tenses a bit.
“But our men would take 2-3 days to prepare and take position here.”
“We don’t have that much time, Raghav,” I argue, contemplating something else. “Rana,” I suggest.
“I’ll request Rana’s assistance instead,” I counter after a moment’s thought. “Instruct him to assemble as many of his forces as possible a day before the delivery.”
Raghav reads what I have in my mind, and a devious smile crosses his face.
“Let Ayaan come,” I declare. “We are prepared for it. He thinks he is coming here for a battle, but what he doesn’t know is that his father is bringing a war to him.”
My laughter echoes through the empty halls, Raghav’s deeper chuckles soon joining in—our shared mirth echoes with the promise of victories yet to come.
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