Page 172
Story: The Deceit
Three Hours Later – Mumbai – Walia Mansion
I pace the length of my father’s study, my fists clenching and unclenching at my sides, my blood boiling with fury. The Walia Mansion is in chaos—police officers moving in and out, reporters swarming the gates, and politicians breathing down our necks, demanding answers. The Chief Minister of Maharashtra has been abducted, and the entire state is on edge. But none of that matters to me. Right now, all I care about is finding my father before it’s too late.
Ayaan stands beside me, barking orders into his phone, coordinating with his secret agents spread all across Mumbai. Abhay is on another call with our security detail, ensuring no lead is overlooked. Meher rushed to Walia Mansion the moment she heard about Dad’s abduction. Since then, she’s been tense, holding herself together as she prays with Devika for his safety and return.
Beyond the study’s closed doors, I can hear the controlled chaos. Aksh is outside, managing the media frenzy, giving carefully worded statements about the Chief Minister’s abduction. The political machinery of Maharashtra springs into action—their leader is missing, and they want answers.
Simran is near the staircase, holding a now-sleeping Veer in her arms. Her tear-streaked face reflects the storm raging within her. She had broken down earlier when she learned how close we came to losing our son today.
The moment I returned to Mumbai from Alibaug with Veer, the doctor was called to check on him. He assured us that Veer was fine—just shaken and traumatised. Amid all the tension, I haven’t even had time to check on my own son, to truly make sure he’s okay. Not when every passing second pushes my father more in danger.
The Walia Mansion buzzes with frantic energy, people rushing around me, but I am oblivious to it all. My eyes are glued to the digital map before me, where the helicopter’s trail ended abruptly near Khopoli. The red tracking line just... froze there. It’s as if the chopper vanished into thin air.
Krish’s face pops up on the large screen mounted on the wall. Even though he’s in Canada, he is fully committed to helping us find Dad. Earlier today in Alibaug, when chaos broke loose and Zayed’s men tried to take us down, Alex had been diligently tracking Zayed’s helicopter. But the signal suddenly disappeared near Khopoli, and the trail went cold, leaving us stuck at a frustrating dead end.
That’s when Krish stepped in, determined to find the technical glitch in our tracking system, hoping to uncover a missing link—one that could point us in the right direction and lead us to Dad.
“How?” I demand, glaring at Krish’s face on the video call. “How the hell does an entire goddamn helicopter vanish?”
My patience is hanging by a thread.
Krish exhales sharply. “They’re using high-tech signal jammers, Vishnu. It’s not something just anyone can get their hands on. Zayed has access to technology that only top intelligence agencies like GLEN and a handful of others possess. We’re working on hacking into their signal encryption, but it’s going to take time.”
“That’s exactly what we don’t have—TIME,” Ayaan snaps, pacing behind me. “Our agents have already locked down every exit from Mumbai—air, sea, and land. But it’s not enough. Not while my father-in-law is out there with that monster.”
“Zayed is a lunatic,” I mutter through clenched teeth. “We don’t even know what he’s doing to Dad right now.” I slam my fist onto the desk, my breath coming in short, angry bursts. “This is all my fault,” I grind out. “I shouldn’t have left him alone. I walked right into Zayed’s trap. I was the bait that let him take Dad.”
Ayaan places a firm hand on my shoulder, his voice filled with determination.
“We haven’t failed yet, Vishnu. As I said, every exit out of Mumbai is locked tight. There’s no way Zayed can move Dad out of the city without us knowing. Which means he’s still here, hiding somewhere in Mumbai. We just have to find him.”
I take a deep breath, trying to suppress the anger rising withing me. Krish and Ayaan resume discussing possible locations on the map.
“The helicopter’s last known position gives us a search radius,” Krish explains, his team at GLEN working furiously behind him. “But the area is still too wide to narrow down just yet—”
His voice fades into the background as my mind drifts—rewinding, replaying, searching desperately for something I might have missed. And then, it hits me. Zayed’s threat echoes in my mind:“Six years ago, you came to my home and pushed my father to the edge—until he saw no way out but death. Now, I’ll return the favour. This time, I’ll come to your home, Vishnu. Within the next six days, I’ll come to your home and make sure your father doesn’t live to see another day. Stop me if you can.”
The pieces click together with chilling clarity. My pulse races as my eyes snap to the map, to that last known location near Khopoli.
The answer was there all along. Right in front of me.
“I know where he’s taken Dad,” I cut in, my voice slicing through the tension in the room.
Ayaan and Krish stop mid-discussion and turn toward me.
“Six years ago, I went to his home,” I say as my fingers tighten into a fist. The room falls silent as everyone turns looks at me. “And now, that’s where he has taken Dad too.”
Ayaan frowns. “Vishnu, what are you—”
I lift my gaze to meet his.
“Qureshi’s Panvel farmhouse.” My finger points at the map. “The same place where all this started. Where Zayed watched his father die—where he believes I drove Qureshi to pull that trigger.”
The memory of that day still haunts me, but now it’s showing us the way. “He’s completing the circle, Ayaan. Six years ago, Qureshi died on this same date. That’s why he chose today, of all days, to abduct Dad. I’m sure of it—that’s where he has taken him. He wants to hurt Dad in the same place where his own father died.”
Ayaan and Krish fall silent, the realisation hitting them at once.
“F*ck,” Ayaan mutters under his breath and starts barking orders into his phone, mobilising teams. “Deploy every goddamn agent we have! Our target is at Qureshi’s Panvel farmhouse!”
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 111
- Page 112
- Page 113
- Page 114
- Page 115
- Page 116
- Page 117
- Page 118
- Page 119
- Page 120
- Page 121
- Page 122
- Page 123
- Page 124
- Page 125
- Page 126
- Page 127
- Page 128
- Page 129
- Page 130
- Page 131
- Page 132
- Page 133
- Page 134
- Page 135
- Page 136
- Page 137
- Page 138
- Page 139
- Page 140
- Page 141
- Page 142
- Page 143
- Page 144
- Page 145
- Page 146
- Page 147
- Page 148
- Page 149
- Page 150
- Page 151
- Page 152
- Page 153
- Page 154
- Page 155
- Page 156
- Page 157
- Page 158
- Page 159
- Page 160
- Page 161
- Page 162
- Page 163
- Page 164
- Page 165
- Page 166
- Page 167
- Page 168
- Page 169
- Page 170
- Page 171
- Page 172 (Reading here)
- Page 173
- Page 174
- Page 175
- Page 176
- Page 177
- Page 178
- Page 179
- Page 180
- Page 181
- Page 182
- Page 183
- Page 184
- Page 185
- Page 186
- Page 187
- Page 188
- Page 189