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I suppress a sigh. Krish’s playful nature is one thing when it’s aimed at Ayaan, but dealing with it myself… it is... hmm, challenging.

“I need your help with something.”

“I’m all ears, Mr. Stoic.”

I roll my eyes at the nickname he’s given me.

“There’s a situation in New York that requires someone with your technical skills. I know it’s beneath your current position, but given your history with... specialised security systems...”

“Oooh… I’m touched I was your first thought,” Krish interrupts, clearly enjoying himself. “What kind of trouble are you brewing? That too in New York?”

I hesitate for a moment, wondering if he knows about Simran and Veer. Did Ayaan tell him anything? Before I can respond, he continues.

“Please tell me it’s something more exciting than babysitting. By the way, congratulations, Vishnu! Let me wish you now, before you spring another surprise baby on us. Haha! You’re now officially in the Dad Club and are about to join the Husband Squad. Ayaan and I have been waiting for this moment! It’s about time we had another poor soul in the ‘Married Club.’ We’d even placed bets—you or Raghav. But I always knew you’d bite the dust first. You just had that ‘early joiner’ vibe, you see.”

I grit my teeth, ignoring his relentless teasing. “Can we save the stand-up comedy for later and focus on why I called?”

“Oh, I’m all ears. I wouldn’t dream of wasting your precious time.” His smug voice practically floats through the line.

I roll my eyes so hard it almost hurts, then dive straight into the reason for my call.

“I need someone to bypass a high-level security system. It’s on an apartment door, and the alarms can’t go off. We need to get in and out without leaving a trace.”

“What the hell, Vishnu!” Krish sputters, his laughter echoing through the phone. “You want me to help you break into somewhere? I’m the Director of GLEN, for God’s sake. I can’t just hack security systems like some small-time thief.” He pauses for dramatic effect. “Also, whose place are we talking about? This sounds juicy.” I can already imagine him rubbing his hands in glee.

I rub my forehead, mentally bracing myself for his theatrics.

“It’s related to the threats against Simran. Her friend-slash-client, Zane. I need to rule him out as a possibility.”

Krish goes quiet for a moment.

“Does Simran know about this little adventure of yours?”

“No.”

“Oh man, this is so f*cked up.” He sounds delighted. “You’re snooping into her friend’s life behind her back. When she finds out—and trust me, she will find out—she’s going to chew you up and spit you out like a bitter piece of karela.”

I clench my jaw, already imagining the mess that would unfold. “Are you helping or not?”

“Hmm... I don’t usually involve myself in such petty tasks, you see...”

“But you’ll do it because Ayaan’s your best friend, and I am, after all, his brother-in-law,” I cut in, knowing how to play this.

His laugh is genuine this time.

“No, man. Wrong guess. I’ll do it because you’re Meher’s brother. If she finds out I refused to help her dear big brother, she’ll murder me the next time I’m in India. And trust me, I’m not ready to die just yet. So, be grateful—I’m doing this for her.”

Despite myself, I laugh at his response. It’s classic Krish. And the way he’s so scared of Meher always amuses me to no end. My little sister does love to bully him.

“Alright,” he says, his tone turning serious. “How soon do you need this done?”

“Day after tomorrow,” I reply without hesitation. “The morning of my wedding. That’s when Zane will be away from his apartment.”

Krish whistles again. “Talk about perfect timing. You sure know how to keep life interesting, Walia.”

I roll my eyes. “But how will you do it? You’re not even in New York.”

“You’re forgetting something, Vishnu,” Krish says with mock offence. “We’re GLEN. We have resources all over the world. My team will coordinate with yours when they go in. We’ll take care of the alarm system and the CCTV.”