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“Hello, Kailash. I trust my men weren’t too rough on you when they abducted you on your way to Alibaug? I’d told them to exercise restraint. I hope they followed my orders.”
“You monster!” Meher shouts, incensed. “Do you really think taking us captive will intimidate us?”
“Silence, woman!” I raise my voice, dismissing her interruption. “Hasn’t your father taught you not to interrupt when elders are speaking? Where are your manners? And although it may not frighten you, it will surely shake Ayaan to see his loved ones at my mercy.”
Kailash struggles against his captors. “You’ve made a big mistake, Tej. My son will never forgive you for this!”
I slam my fist down furiously. “He is MY son, not yours! Stop pitting us against each other.”
An uneasy silence falls across the warehouse.
“Ayaan can never be your son,” Kailash refutes steadily. “I never intended for him to hate you, but because of the unforgivable crimes you have committed and continue to commit, hatred is all he feels towards you. Mark my words. Your obsession with power will ultimately lead to your downfall, and you will regret bringing us here.”
The conviction in his words makes my blood boil. I quickly signal my men to stop Kailash from saying another self-righteous word. They hold him back firmly.
“If you think I have made a mistake, wait until you hear about Pratap’s betrayal.” I look at Pratap slyly, “You haven’t told them anything yet, have you, Pratap?”
His jaw tenses, but he remains silent.
“Just as I suspected. You’ll never change, Pratap. Even now, you’re trying to maintain your holier-than-thou facade in front of your family, pretending to be selfless,” I say, turning to glare at Meher. “Allow me to reveal the true face of your father. Your esteemed father came to me two days ago, begging for my help and revealed Ayaan’s entire plans for today to us.”
Meher’s eyes widen, her gaze oscillating between Pratap and me. Poor girl looks stricken. Kailash is equally horrified to hear this. They both turn towards Pratap, who averts his gaze in shameful confirmation.
“Dad... is this true?” Meher whispers, looking hurt.
Pratap stands resolute, taking refuge in the silence.
“He needs my support and power to increase his chances of winning the elections, lest his selfless act of announcing Vishnu as his son before the world receives a backlash. And he wants something else too...” I nod at Kailash, “...he wants to stop the approval for the Mashaal Project that Aksh has revived. Isn’t that right, Pratap?”
Enraged, Pratap lunges at me, but my men forcefully hold him back. As he continues to struggle, one of them strikes him hard across the face.
“Don’t touch him!” Meher cries, trying to intervene, only to be thrown back ruthlessly.
In a blur, Trisha, Meher’s bodyguard, springs into action, her leg swinging out to topple two of my men who are restraining her. She charges at Pratap, firmly decking his opponent. Before she can do more damage, my men grab her once again.
I scoff derisively. “Impressive moves by Meher’s bodyguard. But these are seasoned Bat syndicate enforcers, child - you pose no real threat.”
“Release me, and I’ll show you a real threat!” Trisha snarls back angrily. When she attempts to break free again, one of my men punishes her with a vicious backhand that splits her lip.
“Trisha,” Meher screams. “Just stop it. Don’t hurt her, Tej,” she yells at me.
I shout over the commotion.
“You will show respect, Meher! Don’t forget, I’m Ayaan’s biological father.”
“You are not Ayaan’s father,” Meher retorts scornfully. “You are simply the man whose blood he shares. But the integrity and righteousness Ayaan possesses could never come from you. You probably have no idea such virtues exist.”
“Morals, values, righteousness… everything is useless when it comes to blood ties. And you’ll see that today, Meher. Ayaan is going to choose me today.”
Suddenly, there is a commotion on the outside.
“We have more guests,” Raghav sniggers as he points to the door.
We all turn towards the door and see my men dragging Vishnu and Aksh Walia inside.
“I can’t believe the Rook and the Knight got caught so easily,” I burst into uncontrolled laughter as Vishnu and Aksh Walia are dragged inside, both glowering heatedly. Bruises and wounds mar their bodies—proof of the brawl they foolishly engaged in outdoors against my guys. Dismay clouds their faces as they find their loved ones already imprisoned.
“They probably saw us bringing their family here. That’s why these idiots rushed straight into the lion’s den without a thought!” Raghav says with a smirk.
