Page 93

Story: Substitute Bride

One after another, men are being whipped, and the air is filled with continuous screams. Viren Chandel has gone mad with rage, and in his fury, he keeps thrashing people with a whip while shouting in anger.

“You people can’t even catch that one little tiny girl, and I wonder why I’ve even invested my money in you all. I don’t understand the point of training you so extensively when you can't even catch a small girl!”

The man immediately folds his hands, sits down before him, and begins to plead.

“Sir, you're not understanding our situation. Trying to touch that girl is like inviting death. Vikrant Dhanraj's entire security team is dedicated to protecting that girl and her family. She is never, not even for a moment, left alone. In such circumstances, it is extremely difficult to kidnap her. Moreover, Vikrant has been missing for the past ten days with this same girl. So you can imagine why. Given Vikrant's increased interest in her, wouldn't you agree that he is likely to enhance her security to ensure her protection? If we want to capture her, we’ll first have to remove Vikrant from the picture, which is impossible for us. I fully understand your anger and your thirst for revenge, but I urge you to consider the situation. Your rage is completely justified,and your desire for revenge is valid. But extracting this girl from Vikrant’s tight security circle is an incredibly difficult task.”

“She must be free for at least two minutes sometime. I can’t believe that a girl isn’t free even for two minutes! No security can be that perfect. There must be times when she goes to the washroom—so why can’t she be captured at such a moment?”

“Sir, two minutes is a very short time. Don’t you realize that if we try anything during that time, Vikrant will not leave a single one of us alive?”

“Then all of you should die! I’ve done so much for you people; now it’s your turn to do something for me! Either bring that girl to me alive or torture her to death right in front of my eyes; only then will I believe you are loyal to me. Otherwise, I’ll personally set fire to all of you along with your families. Until today, I’ve been the one saving your lives; now I’ll be the one ensuring your deaths!”

Everyone present is shaken by Viren Chandel’s words. They know all too well that when Viren decides to take action, he doesn't care whether he's killing a child or a woman. All he needs is someone standing in front of the bullets from his gun. Fear is visible in everyone’s eyes, and they just silently nod their heads.

Viren Chandel’s men are keeping a very close watch on Vikrant. Currently, he is having lunch with Mr. and Mrs. Dixit. All of their attention is fixed on Jhankar, because Viren Chandel no longer cares about anyone else; he just wants to get Jhankar into his clutches, torture her, and take revenge for his humiliation.

Suddenly, they notice Jhankar gets up and starts heading toward the washroom, drawing everyone’s attention. They know very well that there is a janitor stationed in that area, and because of that, all of them start smiling. They are well aware that at thismoment, no one will be able to save Jhankar from falling into their trap because they are completely prepared. The moment Jhankar sets her foot inside the washroom, the plan will begin. All of them start running toward the back of the hotel because they need to reach there as quickly as possible.

Smiling, Jhankar walks toward the washroom. She turns once and looks back—Vikrant is still smiling at her and talking to her parents. Jhankar is extremely happy about everything and is feeling more than just good—she’s radiant with joy. A heavy wave of smoke immediately strikes her as she opens the washroom door and steps inside. In the next second, she collapses onto the floor. The two janitors with masks working there waste no time; they quickly grab her hands and legs, lift her up, and carry her further inside. From there, they plan to push her out through the window to make a swift escape.

Their associates waiting outside had already started removing the glass from the window the moment they saw Jhankar heading to the washroom. Their hands were bleeding, but they didn’t care. All that mattered was completing the task as quickly as possible. Jhankar is immediately handed over to them, and the two men waste no time in jumping out as well. She is quickly put into the car, and the vehicle speeds away down the road without any delay.

~~~~

It felt as if Vikrant had forgotten the entire world. He was driving so recklessly that even if he caused two or three accidents today, it wouldn’t make any difference to him. But just then, all the transmitters embedded in Jhankar’s body began signaling her location, forcing him to look at the vehicle in front of him—just a short distance away. In an attempt to accelerate and reach the car quickly, he presses down on the accelerator, but in thenext moment, he eases off the gas, realizing that if Jhankar is inside the car and it crashes, she might be hurt, and he cannot allow that to happen.

“She’s in the car ahead. The signal is coming in extremely strong. Not a single scratch should come to her; keep that in mind. And not one of these people should escape alive. That’s your responsibility.”

The road is heavily congested, making it impossible to stop the car right there even if they wanted to. So, they continue to follow the vehicle at a controlled speed. Gradually, Vikrant’s convoy of cars begins to surround the target vehicle from all sides. Seeing themselves trapped, the four men inside the vehicle begin to panic. They know very well what’s about to happen to them. In a hurry, they call Viren.

“Sir, just as we told you, we kidnapped Jhankar. But Vikrant is following us. We won’t be able to bring the girl to you.”

“Kill the girl. Right now.”

With that, Viren Chandel hangs up the call. One of the men immediately pulls out his gun without wasting a second. But another man, who has been closely watching Vikrant’s car and can clearly see Vikrant’s eyes, grabs the gunman’s hand and says:

“If you follow Viren Chandel’s order and actually kill her, mark my words, Vikrant won’t just stop with you. He will wipe out your entire bloodline. But if we return the girl alive, at least our families might survive.”

As the men are discussing the situation among themselves, the vehicle ahead of them suddenly comes to a halt. Their own car crashes into it due to the sudden stop. Immediately, their car's four doors fling open, dragging the four men out one by one.They’re trembling in fear, unable to utter even a single word. Vikrant steps out of his car, his eyes fixed on them, and walks toward them with a cold intensity. He stops near their vehicle, places his hand on it, and immediately peers inside. Jhankar is still unconscious. As soon as he sees her, a profound sense of relief fills him.

He then looks behind him, where his men are already placing a “Work in Progress” sign on the road and diverting the oncoming traffic to another route. He is fully aware that in a matter of moments, the entire road will become empty. With a calm expression on his face, he looks at the four men who now know with full certainty that their deaths are inevitable and no one can save them. They try desperately to think of any way to escape, but nothing seems to be working in their favor. One of them, who is younger than everyone, quickly sits down on his knees and begs him.

"Sir, it is all Viren Chandel's plan. If we didn't listen to him, they would definitely kill our family. I love my family. If you want to kill me, punish me, or do anything else, please don't harm my family.

Vikrant was listening very calmly but didn't say a word. As soon as he clears the road of all traffic, Vikrant commences his merciless beating. The men are unable to lift a hand to protect themselves, fearing what Vikrant might do next. Even in the half kilometer of that empty road, there is only the sound of screaming and thrashing. Fifteen minutes later, all four men are lying on the road, drenched in blood, writhing in pain. Vikrant calmly sits beside them and instructs his men:

“Not a single one of them should die. Peel their skin off them alive. Rub salt over their wounds. I want to hear the agony in their screams because they dared to lay a hand on her—she is mylife. I know very well that they are Viren Chandel’s men. Now, nothing and no one can save him from me.”

Vikrant’s men start dragging the four by their legs, tossing them into the waiting vehicles. Vikrant gently picks up the still-unconscious Jhankar in his arms. The moment he looks at her, a soft smile forms on his lips. He quickly kisses her on the forehead and hugs her tightly; he whispers,

“I made a mistake. Didn’t I tell you? Every time I let you out of my sight, something or other goes wrong. That’s the reason I never want you away from my eyes. And now, you will never be away from my sight again.”

~~~~~

As soon as Vikrant enters the house with Jhankar in his arms, Sharda, who was sitting and talking to Ravindra—who had just returned from his foreign trip—immediately stands up upon seeing them in that state. Ravindra, too, looks on in utter shock at the sight of Vikrant carrying Jhankar. But Vikrant says nothing to either of them and walks straight toward his room with Jhankar still in his arms. Sharda rushes after him, but Ravindra keeps his eyes focused intently on Vikrant, his worried face still showing only concern for Jhankar. He then turns to his men, who stand with their heads bowed, and one of them quickly says,

“Viren Chandel tried to kidnap Madam...”