I was walking toward the lobby when I got a text from Ajay.

“We got a black envelope at 7:00 in Waterfall…”

A shiver ran down my spine. A sudden meeting out of nowhere — and right now? Waterfall is the codeword for my basement office.

I glanced back to see her trailing behind, looking lost. Not to mention the stunt she pulled — saving my stupid self. I can’t believe she caught one of the biggest blunders like it was nothing. In, what, ten minutes? It was the first time she read that clause out loud in front of me… Maybe being my financial overseer will actually be useful. Lately my staff lack fire. It’s my dad’s so‑called “trusted” people. I rolled my eyes and held the office door for her.

She looked up with those glassy eyes and mumbled a small thank you.

“You sure you’re going to be fine here? You can go home, you know. I have to organize one more meeting today and it could take long,” I said. I don’t want her waiting; these surprise meetings always stretch weirdly.

“It’s okay… I’ll wait.” Her eyes screamed please. I’m a goddamn lucky man she didn’t say it out loud.

“Okay. Just stay here. Don’t go anywhere, okay? And—” I checked my watch. It was almost seven. We left the mansion after breakfast and she hadn’t eaten properly because, of course, she wanted to look like a goddess straight out of a painting. I’m a jerk. I’m an asshole. She must be starving. I called my secretary.

“Meera, tell the cafeteria staff to bring decent food to my office. If anything special is available, bring that. Not anything too heavy and no drinks.”

“Right away.”

I hung up and turned to her. “The food will be here soon. Don’t bother with the formalities. Tell Meera if you want anything, okay?”

She stared for a beat, then nodded. “T‑thank you.”

I sighed. Does she know any other words besides “sorry” and “thank you”? I shook my head and left. I took the other lobby, entered the lift after pressing the code, and rode down to where I needed to be. It felt unusual to get a direct call for a meeting from the Krishna Group. When they had a deal, they usually sent men, or used old‑school papers and letters. I don’t even know who’s running the group now, but something felt off. I told Aaisha she could go home. For whatever reason she insisted on staying. For whatever reason I couldn’t say no.

I made my way toward the lift, heading down to my underground office while Dialing Ajay’s number.

“I’ll be there… I’ll be there, I’m on my way,” he said the moment he picked up.

“Why all of a sudden?” I asked.

“I don’t know. One of the goons showed up out of nowhere, handed me an envelope, and left… call it a dramatic entrance. Still, whenever they do that it’s kind of cool,” he said.

“Get your ass here, fast,” I muttered and hung up.

I walked through the lobby toward the black-room gate. The guards opened it and I saw everyone — the whole squad. Rakshit, Ranbeer, Ashrit, Abhimanyu, Anamika, Devansh, Aaishvarya, Daksh, Amayra, Lakshya, Aliya, Kunal, Samira, Akshat — all of them were there.

Something’s up…” I breathed before stepping into the room, clenching my fist to stop my hands from trembling. If all of us are here, it only means one fucking thing — they have a lead on the Rakt Chakras.

After all, they’re the reason every single life in this room suffered.

When was the last time we were all in one room like this? What is going on? “Looks like Krishna is going to blow the city again?” I said, taking my seat.

“Or worse — blow us,” Ranbeer added dryly.

“That would be bad for your son, wouldn’t it?” Abhimanyu said, stretching like he was bored.

“No — he’s got better people than me to look after him,” Ranbeer replied.

“A father is a father, though…” Aaishvrya said.

“I’m not ideal. Never was,” Ranbeer said flatly.

“Dude, how long are you going to—” Abhimanyu started, but Rakshit cut him off.

“That’s why I never wanted kids,” Abhimanyu grumbled.

“Then what’s this I’m hearing about you sharing a home with a woman and a four-year-old then?” Amayra asked, and every head turned to Abhimanyu.

“Is it true?” Rakshit asked, shocked.

“You didn’t know about it?” I asked Rakshit.

“You did?” Rakshit asked me.

“No! I mean, you should know—I thought…” I waved it off, shrugging.

They’re best friends — friends long before any of us showed up. So I assumed he would know.

We both looked at Abhimanyu, who chucked the box of tissues on the table. Amayra dodged it like a pro. “It’s true then,” she said.

“You guys haven’t changed a bit,” Aliya said, shaking her head.

“What is this about, really? Dude, were you secretly married or something?” Lakshya asked.

Before Abhimanyu could answer, Ajay barreled in, looking like someone stole his dignity and left the rest on the pavement.

Amayra whistled and snapped a picture. “Who mugged you?” Devansh laughed.

“Don’t you fucking start!” Ajay snapped for the first time — his glare actually sharp, but nobody took him seriously.

“I expected anything but this,” Abhimanyu said, eyeing him.

Every woman in the room whipped out their phones and started taking pictures. I wanted to join in, but I figured he’d declare war. I simply stared.

“DON’T LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT, MAN!” he scowled.

“Like what? Like why the fuck are you dressed like a beggar?” I deadpanned.

“It’s your wife’s best friend… I swear to God, vo ladki mujhe kahi ka nahi chodegi…” he grimaced. (“That girl won’t leave me alone.”)

“Well, that’s a first,” I suppressed a smirk. “Still — tell me why you look like you lost a bet, and what was with the spy act and all that shady business?”

“I have a proper fucking explanation. I’ll tell you everything after we finish this meeting,” he said.

“You guys seem to have something juicy over there,” Aaishvarya teased.

“None of your business,” Ajay blurted.

I tried to suppress my smirk. It’s rare to see this guy embarrassed, so I wasn’t about to waste the moment.

“Laugh and I’ll punch you so hard—” he mumbled. I cracked up.

“Do tell. Why are we all here? It’s unusual for the whole crew to get called in like this,” Amayra asked.

“I heard someone important from Krishna’s group returned with news about some syndicate,” Akshat said.

The air went heavy.

“Oh God,” Devansh breathed.

“Oh God indeed,” Ajay added, burying his face in his palms.

No one said a word after that. But I knew every pair of eyes in the room hoped for the same goddamn news they’d been hoping for seven years. We chased small false leads and found nothing but scraps. All we wanted was one man — Girish from the Rakta Chakra (Red Circle). The man who wrecked our lives, who turned helping people into a prison sentence, who buried our peace and took Guru Dada (grandfather) from us.

The door swung open. A man, nearly our age, walked in with armed men behind him. His aura hit the room like a punch — strong, demanding, serious. Who was he? Does something happen to Krishna’s group? The person behind this kept their identity secret for a reason. My hand slid toward my gun on its own.

“Oh boy… now this is what we call tension,” he said, eyes dancing across each of us like someone taking attendance at a funeral. “I should introduce myself before you all kill me.”

“You definitely should,” Devansh said, voice dropping lower than usual.

“I’m Aryan,” the man said, blunt as a brick. “I work directly under Krishna. And when I say directly… I mean directly. That’s all I can tell you.”

“Why are we all here?” Amayra asked.

“Because we need all your assistance on one of our assignments which, if it succeeds — and that’s a very big if — it’ll give us a huge jump toward the Rakt Chakras (blood circle).”

I saw red. I’m in. Even if there’s a one-percent chance, I’m in. I looked around the room and knew we’d all do anything to get our hands on that bastard.

“We’re all in,” Devansh said without hesitation, not losing a beat.

“That’s what I thought,” he smirked. “So we all must make sure to leave no loose ends. One mistake will cost more than our lives… as we all know, Girish…”

That name made my blood boil. I clenched my fist to steady myself.

Aryan motioned to the guards. Files were handed out and a stack of photos hit the table with theatrical clatter — every picture of the same man, close enough to be annoying: a man nearly our age.

“Who’s this?” Ashrit asked.

“This is Shourya Avasthi,” he said. “Son of Yashraj Avasthi.” He paused long enough for the name to land. “Yashraj Avasthi is an industrialist, a businessman. But behind the curtain he works directly under Girish. We can’t get to that man directly, so we go through this one.” He spread the photos like a deck of doom. “Any ideas? How do we approach him?”

“Why him?” I asked.

“Because he’s the safest passage. His father made him the face of an innocent company, which Yashraj uses to launder money and shield illegal business. Reach him, we reach his father. We get our man — our first alias inside the Rakt Chakra.”

“What else?” Ashrit asked.

“We’re not sure if he’s tied to the Rakt Chakras, but he works at Abhishek Sharma’s company. He’s the only son visible in the light, not like the others…” Aryan scoffed. “We don’t have anything on them — not a single hair. So anyone with ideas?”

“We could kidnap him and trade him,” Devansh offered.

“Yeah, that’s the catch. They’re not amateurs; that play will blow our cover faster than you can blink,” Aryan said.

“Kidnapping the son of someone who works for the syndicate that runs worldwide smuggling — basically the godfather — it’s too much risk,” Ajay agreed. (Yes, he agreed to himself. The room collectively rolled their eyes.)

“I volunteer,” Amayra stood up like someone pressing an invisible button.

“For what exactly, Miss Dixit?” Aryan asked, reclining with practiced boredom.

“Marrying him.”

Every head snapped toward her.

There we go, I muttered under my breath, closing my eyes for one dramatic second. I looked at Ajay. He shook his head, disappointment written across his face.

“What is it, love at first sight?” Rishabh teased.

“Amayra, I think you should—” Rakshit started.

“Yashraj Avasthi is under my debt. Huge debt,” Amayra said calmly. “In exchange for that debt, I’ll bribe him to arrange a marriage between me and his son. It’s not like that bastard is giving me my money back. He’s desperate. I’ll marry the son, infiltrate the family, finish the mission.”

“I hope it’s as easy as it sounds,” Ajay said.

“It is,” Amayra deadpanned.

“No, it’s not. What about the questions that will arise from this sudden arrangement?” Ashrit demanded.

“It’s too dangerous, Amayra. What if they find out?” Rakshit fretted.

“There’s no doubt Amayra can handle it, but we can’t just trust Shourya either. What if he’s working for them?” Lakshya said.

“Then we remove one more member of the syndicate that destroyed all our lives,” Amayra said. “I’ll end him and his father if either gets in the way.”

Silence swallowed the room.

“How is he under your debt?” Anamika asked.

“Every spoiled politician, industrialist, and businessman is in my debt, because anyone could be useful. It wasn’t hard,” Amayra said, cool as ice.

“Money,” Ajay scoffed.

“If there’s any way I can do anything… Abhisekh Sharma’s company — he just inherited it from his father in exchange for marrying a girl his father chose. Looks like he’s in it for the money. If I can somehow make him transfer Shourya to my company, maybe I can… but then I’ll be on his father’s radar.” I clenched my jaw.

“We all know what we’ve been through, and this is the shot we get to get closer to them… I’m volunteering because I want to end what they started,” Amayra continued.

“Amayra… we’re not against you on this, but at least think it through,” Ranbeer started.

“You’re talking about going straight into enemy territory… it’ll only be you against their people,” Daksh said.

“And not to mention, if they trace this back to us—” Aaishvarya started.

“I’d rather die than give us away,” Amayra said.

“That’s why we don’t want you to go in directly—” Lankshya began.

“The safest hands are our own,” she interrupted, cutting him off.

I looked at Ashrit. He shook his head—no. His jaw tightened.

“I’m doing this, guys. Whether you like it or not. I don’t give a shit about my life, it’s useless anyway. I volunteer. I’ll marry him and infiltrate his house.” Her voice landed like a dropped plate. Everyone froze.

“You’ll get everything on him by morning at your doorstep,” Aryan said.

“Still, it’s way too dangerous to carry this out alone. It’s a two-person job. Anyone else want to join the lady just to keep an eye out for possible threats?”

“I volunteer,” Akshat said without blinking.

“And what will you do, Mr. Verma?” Amayra spat.

“I’ll run a small bakery or café in front of your husband’s building. I won’t be there all the time — my men will be — but I’ll pop in to keep an eye out,” Verma said, calm as if he offered tea rather than danger.

Before Amyra could retort, Aryan cut in, “You’re in.” He gave Amayra a look. “Consider this direct orders from Krishna.”

She clenched her jaw and stormed out of the room.

“If somehow all of us can—” Lankshya started.

“The more people involved, the more dangerous it is. These two will do fine,” Aryan said. Murmurs of agreement circled the room.

“There’s something else,”he continued, and the room went still.

“From six years of infiltrating small syndicated brothels and gangs, we found most of them tied to one of the bigger networks. Call it another branch — not the one Yashraj runs. This is the biggest human-trafficking web: the Red Room, the Torture House — everything. It’s a whole city off the map, unknown to the government.” He let out a chuckle that didn’t reach his eyes. “Well, who am I kidding — the government is aware but wouldn’t dare touch it because it’ll mess them up big time. Krishna and I don’t know who runs it, and there’s a possibility whoever is behind it already has Krishna on his radar.”

“I want a volunteer with me to infiltrate that city. Two of my colleagues will join too. It’ll be a fresh start, no loose ends. Know this: if we get caught, we won’t make it out. I won’t allow anyone with a wife, kids, parents, or family. No women — no way in hell. I know you all are strong, but that place is no joke.”

“It’s a good thing Amayra left,” Aaishvarya muttered, glaring at Ajay.

“Exactly…” Ajay mumbled.

“I volunteer,” Devansh said.

Aryan’s voice dropped. “I need you to be sure.”

“I don’t have anyone… all by myself there are no loose ends for me,” Devansh replied.

“Devansh—” Rakshit started.

“I don’t need a second to rethink this. I’m in. All of you have people relying on you still.” He slammed his palm on the table like punctuation.

That same heavy silence rolled across the room.

“That’s all, people. You’ll get updates from us and Krishna. Let’s crush the Rakta Chakras to the ground,” Aryan said, standing and leaving us to our thoughts. One by one we took our cues and left the room.

I stood and started texting my squad, telling them to pull everything they could on Shourya, Abhishekh, and everyone tied to them.

I always wanted this: to get close to that man… to kill him slowly in every way — gut him like a fish. But the closer we came, the more terrified I grew of losing these people volunteering for the worst missions. They matter to me. They matter. My chest ached with a selfish wish to jump in, but when I pictured it—out of nowhere—Aaisha’s face flashed in front of me. I shook it off hard.

I have to focus on finding the other branch fast.

“Well, that was intense…” Ajay said, draping an arm around my shoulder as he headed for the door.

I sighed and pushed him away. “You first tell me where the hell you were.”

“I told you I was following Wicky. That guy’s shady as hell because I saw him at Aaisha’s home. I don’t know what he was doing there though.”

“That still doesn’t explain why you look like a beggar,” I said.

“That reminds me — I need to change. I’m going home. These clothes itch, bro.”

“I ASKED WHY?” I snapped.

“What do you know about infiltration ethics?” he deadpanned.

“Someone forced you to wear these?” I shot back.

Silence.

“Who?” I pressed.

“NO ONE!!” he said too fast.

“No shit, asshole — no one can force you to do shit… but someone did, and I want to know who.”

“It’s… uhh… gibberish.”

“I DON’T UNDERSTAND UKRAINIAN.”

“IT’S AMRITA, OKAY!!”

“Aaisha’s friend?” I raised a brow.

“Best friend.”

“NOOO SHIT… now I’m curious,” I smirked.

“Don’t be… she’s scary. Dude, she’s gonna haunt me in my dreams.”

“What else did you find out?”

“If it wasn’t for her in my way, I would’ve found a lot more,” he groaned.

“Okay, listen, I need you to keep your mind off unnecessary stuff and focus on the real thing. There are way too many serious things for us to do other than obsessing over a woman who came into my life two days ago,” I said.

“UNNECESSARY STUFF? SHE IS YOUR WIFE, MOTHERF**KER!! You selfish bastard!”

“Why the hell do you care? She’s my wife — I’ll handle it!”

“YOUR ANGER ISSUES WON’T LET YOU!! I HAVE TO SAVE THAT INNOCENT SOUL FROM YOUR ASS BECAUSE—”

“Because what — she made you some cookies?”

“Reason enough!!” he said, and stormed toward his car and drove off.

“Saving her from me… bullshit. What am I gonna do, kill her?” I mumbled, heading back to the green room.

Shit — I didn’t realize it took us five hours. It was almost 9:30 at night.

As I neared the room, I heard clattering and loud singing. What is going on? Annoyance crawled up my spine, and I quickened my pace and pushed the door open.

Aaisha stood on top of my desk, brandishing a file like a microphone and belting a tune like she owned a stage. All my staff — my secretary included — kneeled before her like court fools. (Well, she dressed like a queen.)

Aaisha struck a dramatic pose. “Behold! Bow to me, commoners!” she announced, and everyone complied. What the hell is going on? Who the hell does she think she is?

“WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!” I snapped. Heads turned. My team scattered, dusted their clothes, and pretended nothing happened as I walked past. I planned to deal with them later, but right now—

“AAAARRRRJUUUUNNN!!!!!!” she screamed my name and leapt off the table.