Devyani kidnapped and Kaizan unconscious
Hey hiii mayawiyans!!!
Enjoy the update
Yaaar sorry haa Mai gayab hogayi thi
Woh na woh RIVAN wala chapter likhne k baad Mujhe next chapter likhna nahi huwa??????
The way I feel his pain hurts me even more deeply than it hurts him
This chapter might need a few corrections, but my head is hurting like hell right now, so I'm leaving it to you all please ignore the mistakes??
Happy reading??
One question answer me honestly...
Do you guys not like my bold Devu?
She can't stay innocent throughout the whole novel, right?
Some of you want bold Devu,
some want innocent Devu...
???? What do you guys actually want???
Don't be harsh on your author I'm just like Devyani, I'll start crying, okay?
If something feels wrong, you can DM me.
Please don't demotivate me ????
__________________________
The next few minutes felt unreal.
Rivan searched every corridor.
Every guest room.
Every balcony.
Every hidden corner of the haveli that only he knew about.
His voice echoed against marble walls.
No answer.
He checked Kaizan's room.
Empty.
The small blanket on the cradle slightly disturbed.
His heartbeat began to pound so hard it felt like it was cracking his ribs from inside.
This time it wasn't a whisper.
It was a roar.
The Thakur family rushed inside.
Reyansh's face drained of color. "I'll check the east wing."
Rudraksh grabbed bodyguards. "Search the terrace, the storage area, everywhere."
Servants ran in panic.
The once brightly lit haveli glowing with diyas, flowers, laughter now felt like a battlefield under invisible attack.
Rivan's voice thundered
The chanting stopped.
The garden went silent.
Security immediately locked the main gates.
No one in.
No one out.
Guests who had come for blessings now stood frozen in confusion.
Within seconds
The entire haveli was sealed.
Phones were taken from some suspicious entrants.
Security lined up people who had entered late.
Virendra tried to calm the guests, but fear had already spread.
Happy faces had turned pale.
The celebration had collapsed into chaos.
Inside
Reyansh and Rivan stood in the center hall.
Both breathing heavily.
Both trying to think.
"Maybe..." Reyansh said, forcing hope into his voice. "Maybe they're playing somewhere. You know Devu. She hides. She laughs."
Rivan didn't respond.
But for one fragile second
He wanted to believe it.
Maybe she was giggling somewhere.
Maybe Kaizan was crawling behind her.
Maybe this was some stupid hide-and-seek.
He turned toward the staircase and shouted once more
Silence.
Even the air felt heavy.
Rudraksh returned from the west wing.
A bodyguard from the terrace.
Another from the servants' quarters.
Reyansh's hands clenched into fists.
Kaizan was missing too.
That was no game.
Rivan's breathing changed.
Slower.
Colder.
More dangerous.
His panic didn't disappear.
It transformed.
His eyes lost their warmth completely.
His voice was no longer loud.
It was lethal.
The biggest mistake.
He had let strangers inside.
In the name of devotion.
In the name of humanity.
And now
His wife.
His child.
Were nowhere.
The haveli lights still shone brightly.
But inside Rivan Thakur
Something had gone dark.
Outside, in the grand garden where chandeliers still glowed and incense smoke floated in the air, whispers had begun spreading like wildfire.
The guests were no ordinary people.
Industrialists. Politicians. Influential families of Rajasthan.
Men who ruled cities.
Men who commanded security of their own.
And yet
Right now
They were standing inside Rivan Thakur's haveli.
And the gates were locked.
Virendra stepped forward, trying to maintain composure. His face carried authority, but a thin layer of unease had settled over it.
The irony hung heavy in the air.
One of the senior businessmen adjusted his shawl. "Mr. Thakur, if there is anything serious, we can leave and return later."
Virendra's jaw tightened just slightly before he answered, "No one needs to leave."
There was no threat in his tone.
But it didn't need one.
Because everyone present knew something unspoken
This was Rivan's territory.
His land.
His security.
His rules.
Even the most powerful among them understood that walking out without permission would not be wise.
Not tonight.
Not from this haveli.
A politician leaned toward another guest and whispered, "If Rivan Thakur sealed the gates... it means something grave has happened."
The other man swallowed.
Surprisingly
No one protested.
No one demanded freedom.
Instead, one elderly guest stepped forward respectfully.
"Mr. Thakur," he said to Virendra, "we understand. We will wait as long as required."
Another nodded. "If help is needed, tell us."
There was tension.
Yes.
Fear too.
But also respect.
Because everyone knew
If Rivan was silent and the haveli was locked...
Then someone had made a very, very dangerous mistake.
And somewhere inside that brightly lit mansion
A storm was rising.
And no one wanted to be caught on the wrong side of it.
Inside the private surveillance room, the atmosphere was suffocating.
The giant screen in front of Rivan and Reyansh flickered with multiple CCTV feeds garden, main gate, temple area, corridors, backyard.
Reyansh's fingers moved quickly over the keyboard.
"Play from twenty minutes before Devyani disappeared."
The footage rolled.
They saw Devyani walking toward the beggars.
Calm.
Smiling.
Holding the prasad plate.
Then
Three unfamiliar men entered the frame. Dressed like beggars. Faces partially covered. One slightly bent like an old man.
Rivan's jaw tightened.
"Zoom," he ordered.
Reyansh zoomed.
The screen blurred.
The camera glitched.
Static.
Black.
Reyansh froze.
He rewound it.
Again
The moment Devyani stepped closer
The screen distorted.
Snow-like interference.
Then full blackout.
Camera 12 disconnected.
Camera 13 no signal.
Camera 14 recording error.
One by one, the cameras covering that entire blind zone went dark.
For exactly seven minutes.
Seven deadly minutes.
Reyansh's face drained of color. "RIVAN ... someone jammed the signal."
Rivan didn't blink.
His eyes were fixed on the blank screen.
Cold.
Too cold.
"This wasn't random," Reyansh whispered. "They knew the layout."
Meanwhile
Aditya and Rudraksh were running through corridors, checking every locked room, terrace, storeroom, servant quarters.
Nothing.
Back in the CCTV room, Reyansh pulled up the outer boundary cameras.
Main gate secure.
Back gate secure.
But one side wall camera showed something chilling.
A delivery van parked outside the boundary just at the blind angle between two cameras.
It stayed for eight minutes.
Then left.
Number plate?
Covered in mud.
Rivan's breathing slowed.
Which was more terrifying than if he had shouted.
Rivan finally spoke.
His voice was calm. Too calm.
Reyansh looked at him. "Loop?"
Rivan pointed at the timestamp.
"Look carefully. The footage from camera 9 repeated the same five-second clip twice."
Reyansh replayed it.
He was right.
It was pre-recorded footage.
Inserted.
Which meant
Someone from inside had access.
Silence filled the room.
Deadly silence.
Rivan's hands slowly curled into fists.
Outside, the haveli lights still shone bright.
Inside
The lion had just realized someone touched his cub.
And his queen.
And now
Rajasthan would tremble.
The silence in the surveillance room lasted only two seconds.
Then
CRASH.
Rivan's fist went straight through the main monitor.
Glass shattered.
The screen sparked and died.
Blood trickled down his knuckles, mixing with the flickering blue light before the entire wall of screens went dark.
The bodyguards stepped back instinctively.
No one dared to speak.
No one dared to breathe.
"Who." His voice was low.
Too low.
"Who the hell were those people?"
Reyansh moved forward carefully. "RIVAN —"
But Rivan had already grabbed another monitor and hurled it across the room. It hit the wall and exploded into pieces.
His jaw flexed. His breathing turned sharp.
Someone had entered his territory.
Taken what was his.
And walked out alive.
One of the guards stammered, "S-sir... we checked the outer perimeter—"
Rivan turned.
The guard froze mid-sentence.
Rivan's hand was bleeding, but he didn't seem to feel it. Instead, he reached into the drawer of the console and pulled out a gun.
The metallic click echoed like a death sentence.
Reyansh's heartbeat spiked.
His voice was ice.
And that was more terrifying than fire.
He walked out of the surveillance room, blood dripping from his knuckles onto the marble floor, gun hanging loosely but ready in his hand.
The corridor felt colder as he passed.
Servants stepped aside immediately.
No one looked at him directly.
By the time he entered the main hall, the once-grand Mahashivratri decorations now looked like mockery flowers, diyas, lights... all glowing in cruel contrast to the chaos.
Payal burst into the main hall, her face pale and eyes wide.
She rushed to Virendra bade papa, "Bade papa, even Jinal didi is missing!" she blurted out, her voice trembling.
Everyone turned to her, the room falling silent. conversations dying mid-sentence.
Reyansh, stepped forward, his usual calm demeanor cracking. "What do you mean she is also not here?"
Payal's breaths came heavy, her chest heaving as she clutched her dupatta. She'd searched everywhere the rooms, the verandas, even the kitchens. "No, Rey bhai, she is nowhere. Even her phone is switched off."
That was the spark. Both men awakened to the grim reality someone had really kidnapped them. Rivan didn't wait a second. His hand shot to his waistband, pulling out his sleek black pistol with practiced ease. He stormed toward the garden without a word, his jaw set like iron.
To everyone's shock, Reyansh followed suit, yanking his own gun from a hidden holster under his jacket. He never reacted this fast violence wasn't his way; he preferred words over weapons. But tonight, loyalty burned hotter than his reluctance.
They burst into the garden, the cool night air thick with tension. Recent beggars ragged men who'd slipped in earlier, begging for scraps huddled near the fountain, their eyes darting nervously.
Reyansh didn't think twice. He raised his gun, aiming straight at the closest one.
The beggars cried out, dropping to their knees. "Nahi, malik! H...hum ne nahi kuch kiya!" one stammered, hands raised in plea.
Reyansh's finger tightened on the trigger, his face twisted in fury. "Dare you lie I'll fucking peel the skin off your bones!"
Rivan's voice cut through like a blade, low and dangerous, sending chills down every spine. "No one is going outside without my permission. One step, and I'll chop your heads clean off."
Every guest trembled in the shadows of the guest house doors, peeking out but too terrified to move.
They knew Rivan's reputation the man who'd crushed rivals without blinking, his hands stained from deals gone bloody. No one uttered a word; the air hung heavy with fear.
But Rivan wasn't done. His eyes locked on the lead beggar, the one who'd spoken up, a wiry man with a scarred face.
Suspicion boiled in Rivan's veins; these weren't just strays they reeked of setup. Without warning, he grabbed the man by the throat, slamming him against the garden wall. The beggar's feet dangled, choking gasps escaping as Rivan's grip crushed his windpipe.
"You think you can hide in my house?" Rivan snarled, his free hand drawing a jagged knife from his boot. In one brutal motion, he pressed the blade to the man's cheek, slicing a deep gash from ear to jaw.
Blood sprayed hot and red, the beggar screaming as flesh parted like wet paper.
Rivan didn't flinch; he twisted the knife, carving a deliberate line down the neck, stopping just short of the artery.
The other beggars whimpered, collapsing further, while guests gasped from afar, some turning away in horror.
Reyansh lowered his gun slightly, watching in stunned silence as Rivan's brutality unfolded, the garden now painted in the metallic tang of blood.
The night had only just begun its descent into hell.
The beggar's scarred face twisted in agony, his body convulsing against the garden wall as Rivan's iron grip on his throat tightened.
Blood trickled from the fresh gash on his cheek, mixing with the sweat beading on his forehead.
He gasped for air, his voice a ragged wheeze escaping through crushed vocal cords.
That was the lie that snapped something primal inside Rivan.
He scanned the man's face more closely the lines too sharp, the grime too even. With a swift yank, Rivan ripped off the beggar's wig, revealing a head of neatly trimmed hair underneath, the makeup smearing away to show smooth, unweathered skin.
This wasn't some desperate street rat; he was young, maybe mid-twenties, disguised to blend in.
The realization fueled Rivan's fury like gasoline on flames. "You lying piece of shit," he snarled, his free hand dropping the knife and yanking his pistol from his waistband in one fluid motion.
Without hesitation, Rivan jammed the barrel into the man's open mouth, the cold metal clanging against his teeth.
The beggar's eyes widened in pure terror, muffled pleas bubbling around the gun as he shook his head frantically.
Rivan pulled the trigger. The shot exploded like a thunderclap, the bullet tearing through the back of the man's skull in a spray of bone, brain, and blood that painted the garden wall in a gruesome arc.
His body jerked once, then slumped lifelessly, held up only by Rivan's unyielding grip before slumping to the ground in a heap, dark blood pooling around his shattered head.
It was horrible a visceral eruption of violence that ripped through the night. Guests flinched violently, some retching into the bushes, others covering their eyes as screams echoed faintly.
The family members, clustered inside the hall, felt their hearts clench like vices.
Payal pressed a hand to her mouth, tears streaming down her face, while Virendra's jaw tightened.
This was Rivan Thakur without Devyani the man whose soul had been tethered by her gentle touch, now unleashed as a monster.
His hands were all bloody, slick with crimson that dripped from his fingers onto the grass, staining the earth like an omen.
Anger surged in Reyansh's chest, hot and blinding, erasing the man who preferred negotiation over bloodshed.
He raised his own gun, pointing it at the lifeless body, and fired.
The first gunshot cracked through the garden like thunder splitting the sky.
Then another.
And another.
And then it wasn't shooting anymore.
It was execution.
Bullets tore through the body in a relentless storm chest, shoulder, thigh fabric shredding, marble splintering, blood misting into the air like a red veil. Each impact echoed against the haveli walls, ricocheting into stunned hearts.
Reyansh didn't stop.
He couldn't.
"You thought—"
Another shot.
"—you could touch them?"
Another.
"You thought—"
Another.
"—you could walk into our house?"
Click.
The magazine emptied.
But the rage didn't.
He stepped forward anyway, breathing like a man dragged out of hell. Smoke curled from the barrel of his gun. His jaw trembled, not from fear from restraint.
The man on the ground didn't even look human anymore.
Silence fell.
Not normal silence.
The kind that suffocates.
Somewhere in the distance, a woman fainted. The thud of her body hitting the floor sounded unnaturally loud.
Reyansh lowered the gun slowly.
His hands were shaking.
Not weak.
Not scared.
But because something inside him had broken open something feral.
The calm, funny man the family knew the one who teased with lighthearted jabs and played had vanished, replaced by a haivaan, a demon straight from the underworld.
Even Thakur family felt the shock: Virendra's face paled slightly, a rare crack in his stoic facade, while Payal and aradhya whispered prayers under her breath.
The air thickened with the metallic scent of blood, and in that moment, the evils within Rivan and Reyansh stirred fully awake, coiling like serpents ready to strike without mercy.
Finally, Rivan straightened, wiping blood from his face with the back of his hand, leaving a smeared streak.
He pulled out his phone, dialing a number with blood-smeared fingers.
The call connected instantly. "Listen to me," he barked into the receiver, his tone brooking no argument.
He hung up without waiting for a reply, his chest rising and falling with barely contained rage.
Within minutes, the city transformed under Rivan's iron command.
Sirens wailed in the distance as barriers slammed down across major highways, police swarming like ants from their stations.
Drones buzzed overhead, scanning the dark streets, while undercover teams raided known hideouts.
The lockdown was total shops shuttered, traffic halted, the pulse of the metropolis grinding to a fearful stop.
Whispers spread through the underground: Rivan Thakur was on the hunt, and no one escaped his wrath.
Reyansh, still gripping his empty gun, shook off the haze of his outburst and dialed another contact, his voice steady but edged with steel.
"Track Jinal's phone. Last known location, everything pull the towers, hack the carrier if you have to." He paced the bloodied grass, frustration mounting as the voice on the other end hesitated.
"Her phone's switched off," came the report. Signal's dead. No pings, no GPS. It's like she vanished into thin air.
Reyansh's jaw clenched.
"Then get creative. Check CCTV from the garden perimeter pull footage from nearby streets, traffic cams. Cross-reference with Devyani last sighting.
And Kaizan any trackers? I want eyes on every warehouse, every abandoned building.
Bribe who you need to, threaten the rest. Find them, or I'll come for you next. "
He hung up, slamming his fist into a nearby tree trunk, bark splintering under the blow.
Drones mapped heat signatures in industrial zones, while hackers breached security feeds from private estates. Every lead, no matter how thin, was pursued with ruthless efficiency.
But the bodyguards Rivan's own men, stationed at the guest house drew Reyansh's ire next. He stormed back toward the main entrance, spotting three of them huddled near the gate, looking sheepish and disheveled.
"You worthless!" Reyansh exploded, charging at the nearest one a burly guard. He grabbed him by the collar and headbutted him square in the nose, the crack of bone echoing as blood sprayed.
He staggered back, clutching his face, but Reyansh wasn't done. He drove his knee into the man's gut, doubling him over, then followed with a brutal uppercut that sent teeth flying.
The guard stammered, trembling. "S-sir... we thought they were part of the invited—"
The marble pillar behind him exploded into dust.
Reyansh moved before anyone could breathe.
He grabbed the second guard by the collar and slammed him against the wall. The impact echoed like a drumbeat of war.
"You thought?" Reyansh snarled, eyes blazing. "You get paid to think?"
The pistol struck across the man's jaw with a brutal thud. Blood sprayed across the white stone. The guard collapsed to one knee, groaning.
The third tried to step back.
Big mistake.
Reyansh caught him by the shoulder and drove him to the ground, fist crashing into his ribs. Once. Twice. Again.
The dull crack of bone carried through the courtyard.
"Neglecting your duty?"
The guard curled into himself, coughing blood.
"... sir..."
But Reyansh wasn't hearing pleas.
And the silence now swallowing all of it.
He stood abruptly, chest heaving, blood dripping from his knuckles onto the stone floor.
"Get up," he ordered coldly. "Search."
The guards scrambled up, limping, faces swollen and terrified.
"Search," he repeated quietly, "or I'll bury you in the same ground you failed to protect."
They scattered into the night like hunted animals.
The garden reeked of fear and iron.
And then
"Enough."
Virendra's voice cut through everything.
Sharp. Controlled. Absolute.
He stepped forward, hands clasped behind his back, posture rigid like a general inspecting a battlefield.
"You both stop this nonsense and search for them. Brutality won't bring them back. Focus your rage where it counts."
His words were a whip, snapping Rivan and Reyansh from their bloodlust, though the air still hummed with violence.
Rivan gave a short nod to Virendra, but the movement was mechanical.
Inside, there was no calm.
Inside, there was a storm.
He walked away from the chaos of voices and commands, toward the far edge of the garden where the fairy lights flickered against the dark sky. The laughter that had filled the haveli just an hour ago now felt like a cruel memory.
His steps were slow.
Measured.
But his mind
His mind was tearing itself apart.
Devyani.
Her name echoed in him like a wound.
The way she had smiled during the pooja... the way her fingers had curled around his when he told her not to leave his hand. The softness in her eyes when she whispered that he looked good.
Now that same hand was missing from his.
And the absence felt violent.
He ran a hand through his hair, jaw clenching.
Leaving her even for a moment had been a mistake.
A mistake he should have known better than to make.
He had enemies. He had buried men. He had destroyed businesses, reputations, bloodlines. He had made powerful people kneel.
Did he really think the past would not come knocking?
What if this was retaliation?
What if someone had finally decided to hurt him where it would break him?
His breathing deepened.
What if she was scared right now?
The thought snapped something inside him.
Devyani who still asked innocent questions about the world. Who giggled over small things. Who believed festivals were meant for "every human being in this world." Who thought babies could be requested from doctors like sweets from a shop.
She didn't even understand cruelty.
And he had dragged her into it.
His fists tightened until his knuckles turned white.
If this was because of him...
If someone had touched her because of him...
The darkness that he kept chained the one she had softened, tamed, distracted began to rise again. Not loud. Not explosive.
Silent.
Deadly.
He stopped walking.
Closed his eyes.
For one brief second, the image of her laughing under the temple lights flashed before him.
Then another image followed
Her afraid.
And that was enough.
When he opened his eyes again, the torment had transformed.
The guilt was still there.
The regret was still burning.
But above it all stood something colder.
Resolve.
His voice was low. Almost calm.
Devyani had prasad still in her hands when she slipped away from the crowd.
"I'll just meet Kaizan and come back," she had told Rivan with a small smile.
The garden was glowing behind her lights, chants, people talking. But as she crossed the side corridor toward the inner wing of the haveli, the noise slowly faded.
It was quieter here.
Too quiet.
She adjusted her saree pallu and walked faster.
"Kaizan?" she called softly.
Before the name could fully leave her lips
A hand.
Rough. Sudden. Crushing.
It clamped over her mouth from behind.
Her body froze.
Her eyes flew wide.
The prasad plate slipped from her fingers, hitting the floor with a dull metallic clang.
"Mmmph—!"
She tried to scream, but the sound died against a palm that smelled of sweat and something chemical.
Panic exploded inside her.
Her heart began pounding violently against her ribs.
She kicked backward blindly, her bangles clinking wildly. She tried biting the hand, tried twisting, but another arm locked around her waist—iron tight.
"Stay quiet," a harsh whisper hissed near her ear.
Her breathing turned frantic. She shook her head violently, tears filling her eyes.
This was wrong.
This was very wrong.
They dragged her toward the darker side of the property, near the unused storage area behind the garden.
Her sandals scraped against the stone floor.
She clawed at the arm around her waist, nails digging into skin. The man grunted but tightened his grip.
There were more of them.
Her vision blurred with fear.
She tried to stomp on his foot hard.
He cursed under his breath.
For a second, the grip on her mouth loosened just enough
"Pa—!"
But the name never fully came out.
The hand pressed harder, suffocating her voice.
Her chest burned.
Her brain screamed.
Pati ji.
She thought of him instinctively.
The way he had told her not to leave his side.
The way he held her hand.
Regret hit her like lightning.
Why didn't I listen?
They half-carried, half-dragged her behind the large decorative tents stacked near the outer boundary wall.
One of them pulled out a cloth.
She saw it.
Shook her head violently.
No.
No no no
The cloth pressed against her nose.
A sharp, strange smell filled her lungs.
She thrashed harder now, wild, desperate.
Her fingers clawed at the air, at their arms, at anything.
Her heartbeat roared in her ears.
Everything began to tilt.
The lights in the distance blurred into streaks.
The voices around her sounded far away.
"No... please..." she tried to whisper, but her body was weakening.
Her limbs felt heavy.
Her vision darkened at the edges.
The last thing she saw
The glowing lights of the haveli.
The place she had just begun to call home.
Then
Darkness swallowed her whole.
Jinal had just stepped away from the main crowd, adjusting her dupatta as she walked toward the inner corridor.
She was still irritated from the earlier teasing.
Her mind was elsewhere.
That's when she heard it.
Her brows frowned.
She turned toward the darker passage that led toward the storage side of the haveli.
And then she saw
A flash of red.
A saree.
Being dragged.
Her heartbeat skipped.
"Devu...?" she whispered.
Then she saw clearly.
Two men.
One holding Devyani limp against his chest.
Another walking ahead, scanning surroundings.
Her blood ran cold.
"HEY!" Jinal shouted instinctively and ran toward them.
The men stiffened.
One turned sharply.
Foreign face.
Cold eyes.
Not local.
Not someone from around.
Jinal didn't think twice. She sprinted forward.
"KAIZAN!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.
She knew shouting Rivan or Reyansh was useless from this side of the property. The music, the chants, the crowd her voice would drown.
But Kaizan often roamed nearby.
Her scream sliced through the side lawn.
Kaizan.
He frowned when he heard Jinal's panic.
Then he saw it.
His mother.
Being dragged.
Something inside him snapped.
"MUMMA!" he shouted and ran toward them.
Jinal reached the men first and grabbed one attacker's arm.
The man shoved her violently.
She stumbled but didn't fall.
She picked up a broken wooden pole lying nearby and swung it with full force.
It hit one of them across the shoulder.
He growled.
Another man stepped out from behind the tent.
Then another.
Four.
They moved with trained coordination.
Not random criminals.
Not desperate thieves.
Their movements were precise.
Disciplined.
Foreign accents when they muttered to each other.
Jinal felt it instantly.
These were not ordinary people.
She tried to reach Devyani again but one of them caught her wrist mid-air and twisted.
Pain shot up her arm.
She gasped but kicked his shin hard.
He hissed in anger.
Meanwhile
Kaizan reached them.
His small fists clenched.
His eyes burning.
He charged at the man holding Devyani and bit into his forearm viciously.
The man cursed loudly.
He was furious.
He ran again.
This time toward the man holding Jinal.
The attacker pulled out a gun.
Everything slowed.
Jinal's eyes widened.
The gunshot echoed.
Sharp.
Deafening.
Kaizan's body jerked.
For a second, he stood still.
Then he fell to the ground.
Jinal screamed.
A raw, broken scream.
Blood began to spread on the stone floor beneath him.
The men didn't hesitate.
Two of them grabbed Jinal forcefully now.
She clawed, scratched, kicked.
One slapped her across the face to silence her.
Another picked up Devyani fully into his arms.
"Move. Now," one of them ordered coldly.
Within seconds, they dragged both women toward the outer boundary where a black vehicle waited beyond the blind spot of the main gate cameras.
Kaizan lay on the ground.
Unmoving.
The sound of distant temple bells still echoing in the background.
As if the world hadn't noticed.
As if celebration was still ongoing.
One of the masked men crouched beside Kaizan's fallen body.
He checked his pulse.
The child was breathing faint... but alive.
He pressed a cloth against the wound to slow the bleeding, then pulled out a satellite phone from his jacket.
The line connected instantly.
"Sir," he spoke in a low, controlled tone. "There is a panther here."
A pause.
On the other end, a slow chuckle echoed.
Deep.
Cruel.
The man glanced at Kaizan, whose fingers were still curled like he was ready to fight again.
Silence.
Then the voice turned colder.
Another pause.
The man blinked once. "Alive?"
A dark laugh came through the receiver.
A slow inhale.
The words turned poisonous.
A pleased exhale.
The line disconnected.
The kidnapper smirked beneath his mask.
He grabbed Kaizan and drag him.
Blood stained the marble beneath him.
Jinal, still struggling between two men, froze when she heard that conversation.
Her face drained of color.
They weren't here just for money.
This was personal.
Very personal.
One of the men shoved her toward the vehicle.
Another picked Devyani, unconscious and limp.
And the one holding Kaizan looked down at the boy.
"You chose the wrong man to bite, cub," he muttered.
The war had officially begun.
The van sped through the outer lanes of the city, headlights off, engine growling low like a predator moving in the dark.
Inside, Devyani lay unconscious, her bangles clinking faintly with every bump on the road.
Jinal's hands were tied, her mouth covered, eyes burning with helpless rage.
Kaizan was placed beside them, barely conscious, blood seeping through the cloth pressed against his side.
The men didn't speak much.
They were trained.
Precise.
Within minutes
The entire city erupted.
Police sirens.
Barricades slamming down.
Highways sealed.
Checkposts activated.
Phones buzzing.
Every exit from the city locked under Rivan Thakur's orders.
But those minutes...
That was enough.
The van didn't leave the city.
It vanished inside it.
They took narrow service roads, slipped through an abandoned industrial belt near the outskirts an old textile mill shut down years ago. Broken windows. Rusted gates. No electricity. No human movement.
Perfect.
The gates opened just enough to swallow the vehicle.
Then closed.
Silence returned.
Nothing.
No movement.
No response.
Reyansh's breathing turned frantic.
"Aditya... kuch kar... kuch kar na!" his voice cracked, desperation pouring out.
Aditya quickly checked his pulse fingers shaking.
"...Pulse hai... weak hai—but hai!" he said quickly.
That was enough to keep Reyansh from completely breaking.
But barely.
______________________
How's the chapter?????
Dil dhak dhak karne laga??