CHAPTER 18 #2
For a second, nobody speaks. Then Ayaan leans back in his chair and drags a hand through his hair.
“I swear, one day I’m going to punch that arrogance right off your face,” he says through gritted teeth.
I slowly roll my sleeves higher over my forearms before flexing my fingers once.
“Try it,” I dare him. “Because right now, even my hands are itching to break someone’s jaw.”
Ayaan gives me a dangerous look from the other side of the screen. For a beat, neither of us says a word.
Then Krish groans loudly. “Fantastic. Here we go again. Can both of you stop behaving like mafia psychopaths for five minutes? One is the Dark Prince, the other acts like God’s personal hitman, and somehow, I’m the one stuck babysitting both of you.”
But neither Ayaan nor I look away from each other.
“Guys,” Trisha finally interrupts. “Relax. We have important matters to deal with right now.”
That’s when I look away from my brother and meet Trisha’s gaze because she’s right.
“You’re going to Cape Town tonight,” I tell her.
The room falls silent.
“To do what?” Ayaan asks sharply.
“To extract Siya and her mother from the Vardhaans before the wedding,” I bite out.
Trisha gives a small nod, already aware of the plan to get Siya out of there. I told her about it yesterday. But Ayaan looks ready to explode. The veins along his neck stand out sharply as he stares at me, looking one second away from popping one in pure frustration.
“What do you mean extract Siya?” he demands. “She is a mafia princess, Raghav. Why would you do that?”
“Because she wants out of that world,” I say coldly. “Siya wants a fresh start for herself and her mother. With new identities, clean records, and no traces left behind for the mafias to ever find them again.”
Everyone falls silent.
Krish leans back in his chair and lets out a long breath. “What exactly do you think GLEN is?” he mutters, looking at me. “We can’t keep rebuilding identities for everyone needing a fresh start. Your case was different. You were Ayaan’s brother. You were his priority. But Siya—”
“She is my priority.”
The words leave my mouth before anyone else can speak.
Ayaan, Krish, and even Trisha go completely still for a second, staring at me as if I’ve just detonated a bomb in the middle of the room. Ayaan’s face hardens even more, while Krish slowly lifts both brows before shrugging. “Well… then I rest my case.”
“We are not doing this,” Ayaan says immediately. “You are not getting involved in mafia matters again, Raghav. And definitely not for this. You can’t risk exposing your identity to the underworld if something goes wrong. I wouldn’t let you do that, even if Siya herself asked you for that help.”
Krish almost chuckles beside him. “Sorry. But that sounds like a double standard coming from you.”
Ayaan shoots him a glare, which Krish completely ignores. “Have you forgotten what you did when Meher was kidnapped? When she needed help, despite being your father’s enemy’s daughter?”
“Exactly,” Ayaan shoots back. “She was the enemy’s daughter. Not mafia royalty.”
His gaze shifts back to me.
“Siya Vardhaan is trouble. For all of us. Especially for you.”
“Trouble or not,” I say darkly, “I’m bringing her out.”
Ayaan lets out a frustrated groan. But I don’t care.
“I want her out of that place before she marries Parag Reddy. And if there’s anyone I trust to pull this off, it’s Trisha.”
I glance at Trisha, who gives me a brief nod. “I’m in.”
Krish groans softly under his breath, and Ayaan stares at her in disbelief. Then, his attention shifts back to me again.
“You are making a big mistake, Raghav. You help Siya, and everyone from your past will come knocking at your doorstep. You’re not just risking your life. You’re risking this entire family. What happened to family first, Raghav?”
My jaw clenches hard.
“Don’t twist this into something it isn’t,” I say sharply. “Family will always come first.”
“Then act like it.”
“I am acting like it,” I fire back. “I won’t let any harm come to this family or RK Estate because of Siya. But this is happening.”
Ayaan studies me silently, still not convinced, before finally asking, “When’s the wedding?”
“In five days. That’s all the time Trisha has to infiltrate the Vardhaan Syndicate and bring Siya out before the wedding.”
Ayaan’s eyes flick towards Trisha.
“I cannot approve this. That’s not enough time.”
“It is for her,” I argue. “Trisha has handled missions far more complex than this. And I trust her to pull this off without any trouble.”
Before Ayaan can argue further, I continue. “Parag has already requested a female bodyguard for Siya from Black Vipers Security in Cape Town.”
That gets everyone’s attention.
“He wants eyes on her at all times now that the wedding is close. He doesn’t trust Samarjeet’s guards anymore after Siya kept slipping past them inside RK Estate.”
Trisha uncrosses her arms slowly, already knowing this.
“That’s our entry point,” I say. “Trisha gets access to Siya by becoming that bodyguard.”
Ayaan’s brows pull together sharply while Krish straightens in is chair beside him.
Trisha finally speaks. “I made contact with the Black Vipers network yesterday. They’re willing to send me in under a different identity and vouch for my credentials as trained private security.”
Ayaan’s gaze shifts between both of us, not liking that we bypassed him and moved ahead without his approval.
“You already planned this?” he asks.
Neither Trisha nor I answer immediately, which is answer enough.
Ayaan drags a hand down his face before asking coldly, “And what exactly are the Black Vipers getting in return for risking their necks and keeping their mouths shut?”
For the first time, Trisha hesitates slightly before checking with me.
“Their drug consignment is moving through Naples next week,” she says carefully. “They want guaranteed clean passage for the delivery.”
Ayaan stares at us in disbelief.
“Absolutely not.”
“Let the delivery happen,” I cut in before he can say anything else.
His eyes lock onto mine immediately.
“My men will intercept the shipment after the exchange is completed.” I lean back slightly in my chair. “The Vipers get paid for a successful delivery. The buyers get caught with the drugs. And GLEN still confiscates the consignment.”