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“Rana means ‘King,’” I reveal. “But I suppose none of you picked up on that subtle hint. This game was never yours to control, although I smartly led you to believe you were the one manipulating the pieces.”
Tej and Raghav continue to stare in disbelief.
“Ayaan,” Krish steps down from the car in which I arrived. “It’s time we spill the beans. I suggest we rewind a bit and start from the beginning. What do you think?”
He’s right! I redirect my gaze to the Khuranas, who are eagerly awaiting explanations.
“It all started the day your men tried and failed to abduct me in Austria. Did you really think I wouldn’t investigate who had sent them or find out about the existence of the Bat Syndicate?” I scoff in derision. “The failed kidnapping conveyed one thing—someone powerful wanted me alive. So, I made it a point to find out who. Then, my father’s accident happened. While I suspected Pratap Walia’s involvement, I couldn’t rule out this unknown enemy. So, Krish and I delved deeper until we identified the group those people belonged to—the international mafia known as the Bat Syndicate. We discovered this a month before my marriage to Meher.”
Tej Khurana and Raghav stare at me with widened eyes, exchanging a disbelieving look. The extent of my meticulous planning is finally dawning on them, catching them off-guard. However, their realisation is merely the tip of the iceberg, for I am about to unleash my masterstroke, and this revelation is merely the beginning.
“It was child’s play infiltrating your organisation once I knew where to look,” I explain. “Krish and I pieced together evidence that the Bat Syndicate had illegally traded arms, smuggled weapons, and evaded law enforcement worldwide for decades. Yet the identity of its elusive mastermind remained a mystery. But I had a strong feeling that they were behind either me or my father. Why was yet to be known. Therefore, we devised a clever strategy to draw the mastermind out of hiding and put an end to their criminal organisation once and for all.”
Tej Khurana’s face twists in anger as my words sink in. I’ve completely outmanoeuvred him — the powerful crime lord who thought himself untouchable.
“We created a new identity called ‘Rana’, giving him a fictitious background with supporting documents to establish his credibility. The process of creating this identity, the ‘Paper Trail,’ as we call it, involved meticulous planning, forgery and manipulation of diverse records to ensure the seamless legitimacy of the new identity. We portrayed Rana’s character as a wealthy mafia figure in India with significant political influence. To add authenticity to his character, we fabricated documents showing his involvement in riots during previous political campaigns. We even gave him a criminal history before making him contact you for smuggling weapons to him in India.”
I direct my gaze towards my henchman, Veer, and say, “It was Veer who contacted you as ‘Rana.’ The offer we dangled was very enticing—double the profit you usually make—and we knew you wouldn’t be able to resist the bait. The paper trail we created proved effective when you tried to verify Rana’s identity and legitimacy. You examined the fake profile we had carefully crafted and saw Rana as a potential ally to help expand your syndicate in India. However, you still wanted someone from your inner circle to confirm Rana’s credibility in this business.”
“How?” Tej Khurana demands, his teeth clenched. “How did you pull it off?”
I laugh coldly.
“One of your loyal allies in Bangkok, Singto, traded his loyalty to have his name removed from Interpol records. We manipulated him into making you believe that he knew Rana and had previously carried out a drug deal with him. The ruse worked, and Singto’s support of Rana made you trust Rana’s authenticity, and you agreed to the deal. I intentionally provided enticing details to stimulate your interest, and you, driven by desperation and greed, took the bait eagerly, never realising you were caught on my hook and were being reeled exactly where I wanted you. Tej Khurana, the supposedly brilliant mastermind of the crime, ultimately exposed his own foolishness and made a spectacle of himself. In pursuit of more power and greater profits, you agreed to carry out a weapons deal with Rana. Driven by the allure of more power and double profits, you even travelled all the way to India to ensure the success of the deal.”
Tej Khurana steps forward, trembling with rage.
“Veer maintained contact with you over the phone, posing as Rana, and came to know that you reached Mumbai the same day as my wedding with Meher.”
I recall that day when Veer told me about the mastermind of Bat Syndicate’s arrival in Mumbai just a few hours before my wedding. I was a bit sceptical that day and questioned myself if bringing this man to my home country would jeopardise my plans and potentially disrupt the peace of my people and countrymen. However, Krish assured me that everything was proceeding according to plan.
“The wedding took place, and then Raghav presented us with those mysterious gifts. The Bat emblem on the gift boxes made it evident that Raghav had some connection to the Bat Syndicate. However, it was still unknown whether he was the mastermind behind it or just another member of the syndicate. Moreover, the fact that someone as mysterious as the Bat Syndicate knew about the past secrets of my father and Meher’s father complicated the situation. But we kept digging for information, and it didn’t take much effort. In your dark world, loyalty is the cheapest commodity one can purchase. Do you know how many of your trusted men are actually on my payroll, feeding me every tiny detail of your operations?” I taunt. “How do you think I got the intel on Raghav being the co-owner of ‘The Roost’ pub? Your men out there sold this information to me, Tej Khurana, and you had no idea about it.”
He takes in a shocked breath. In a burst of rage, Raghav lunges toward me, but my men swiftly hold him back.
“You manipulated us every step of the way,” Raghav growls.
“And a piece of cake it was,” I mock. “But you still had one surprise for me. I wanted some clue on who the mastermind was, and you handed me that information on a platter that night at ‘The Roost’ by personally revealing the true identity of the Bat Syndicate’s mastermind.”
Raghav recalls that night in the basement of the Roost when he pointed to Tej Khurana, proclaiming him as the mastermind of the Bat Syndicate and our father. The revelation from that night still haunts my thoughts.
“I have to admit, you made my job easier,” I smirk.
He reaches for his gun, but my men immediately train their weapons on him.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” I calmly state. “And this is not the end. The best part is yet to come.”
Raghav seethes with anger before lowering his gun.
“For a while, it did disturb me that the man I had been hunting down all this time was not only an international criminal but also my father. But I remembered my dad, Kailash Shergill, always teaching me to choose righteousness above everything else. This strengthened my resolve to bring down your criminal syndicate and expose everyone involved, and that determination intensified when you planned those blasts at the Shergill Mansion and the Walia House. It became clear that you two would never stop coming after us. It was time for a united and decisive action. So, for the first time since their rivalry, both the Shergills and the Walias joined forces to plan this day and expose you two,” I declare. “But do you know what the highlight of it all was?” I glance at Pratap Walia before smirking and shifting my focus to Tej Khurana and Raghav. “Sending my father-in-law, Pratap Walia, to you—the only person you’d still trust out of the entire Shergill and Walia clan, a man known for switching loyalties for his personal gains. The idea was to involve him and have him divulge our entire plan to you.”
Tej Khurana staggers backwards as if struck, the reality of his defeat crashing down on him. His face reddens with fury and humiliation.
“That’s right. Pratap Walia didn’t come to you out of his own will or selfish motives. It was a part of our plan, a shared secret only he and I knew about. He didn’t tell you about our plan; in fact, it was the opposite. We wanted you to know about our plan to instil overconfidence in you that you were in control of everything. And it worked out perfectly in our favour. Since you couldn’t call more men from your syndicate to India in such a short time, you asked Rana to send his men to secure the perimeter here,” I state with a triumphant grin.“My men!”
Tej Khurana shoots a glare at Pratap Walia. “I should have known this. A chameleon never sheds its colours; it simply changes its hue based on ulterior motives. So, this was your way of seeking revenge from me?” he growls.
“Revenge sounds too harsh,” Pratap Walia responds, stepping forward. “I prefer to call it ‘Returning the Favour.’” You have snatched my loved ones from me – first Vandana and then my brother Nilesh.”
