Page 172

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!”