CHAPTER 45
RAGHAV
Next Day
We are in Siya’s mother’s room. Siya has just told her that Samarjeet was the one behind Shamsher Vardhaan’s assassination.
Initially, her mother couldn’t believe it, insisting that someone must have forced him to do so.
But then she broke down, crying bitterly, as deep down, she knew that her son was capable of committing this horrific act.
The room falls silent as Siya wraps her arms around her mother, trying to console her.
I remain where I am, watching, because there’s nothing I can possibly say that would lessen this grief.
The two women before me are my family, and seeing them shattered like this feels as though someone is slowly twisting a knife inside my chest.
Finally, I move towards them and stop in front of Siya’s mother.
Her shoulders are still trembling, and the tears refuse to stop no matter how many times she wipes them away.
She is no longer the formidable woman who stood beside Shamsher Vardhaan through decades of bloodshed, wars, and power struggles.
Today, she simply looks like a wife who has lost her husband because of her evil son.
I gently take her hands in mine. “I know this is impossible to accept.” She shuts her eyes, but I continue anyway.
“Siya and I can never truly understand what you’re going through right now.
But the ugly reality is that Samarjeet killed his own father, and he has no regret...
” I choose my words carefully. “What he did is a sin, and it cannot be forgiven.”
She looks up at me teary-eyed.
My grip tightens around her hands. “I’m not asking you to choose sides or to choose justice over blood. I know how difficult it will be for you. Samarjeet will have to face the consequences of murdering his father.”
My gaze hardens. For a long moment, she says nothing. Then, slowly, she nods. The grief and heartbreak are still there, but so is something else.
“Yes. If Samarjeet really did this…” She closes her eyes briefly before opening them again. “Then he stopped being my son the moment he decided to kill his own father.”
Siya freezes beside her. Rukmini Vardhaan wipes her tears from her face before looking at us. “And for what he has done, he deserves the same punishment as any other murderer.”
For a moment, neither Siya nor I say anything. We are proud of her. Despite the pain ripping her apart, despite the fact that the man we are talking about is her own son, she refuses to let her grief blind her to the truth. She refuses to shield him even if she’s still hurting.
When tears spill down her cheeks once again, I step forward and pull her into my arms, holding her close as she finally allows herself to cry against me.
For every tear that falls from her eyes today, Samarjeet will pay.
Until now, every enemy I have killed has been for power, territory, money, or survival.
This time, it’s different. This time it’s about the tears of the mother in my arms, whose love, trust, and entire world have been shattered by the one person who should have protected it.
And I’ll not let that crime go unanswered.
What awaits Samarjeet now is no longer punishment. It is reckoning.
SAMARJEET VARDHAAN
Two days later – Shivtara Valley
The valley is drowning in the last light of the evening sun.
I stand beside my SUV, staring at the distant silhouette of RK Estate perched atop the hills.
From here, it looks peaceful and untouchable.
But that won’t last for long. Within the next few hours, RK Estate will turn into a graveyard, and Raghav Khurana will be dead.
Tonight, I’m taking back everything he stole from me.
Siya. My mother. My respect in the underworld.
And if blood must flow through these mountains for me to take it all back, then so be it.
I don’t care how many bodies fall tonight.
I don’t care whether they belong to his men, his staff, his guests, or innocent fools unfortunate enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Anyone who stands between Raghav and me dies. Simple.
My men already have their orders. There should be no survivors, no escape routes, no mercy shown.
Raghav had marched into my territory with his army.
He had turned my world upside down, waged war on me, married Siya right under my nose, and walked away victorious.
Tonight, I’m returning the favour. Except I won’t make the mistake of leaving him alive.
A cold smile pulls at my lips. Once this is over, before dawn breaks, Siya and my mother will be on the private jet waiting for us at an airstrip ten kilometres from here, far away from public eyes. We will be out of Shivtara Valley before anyone has the chance to stop us.
My plan is foolproof. Every detail, every possibility has been carefully mapped out.
Parag, Singhal, and I didn’t arrive together because three mafia empires moving as one would instantly attract attention.
That’s why we split our forces. Parag and Singhal are approaching from the southern side of the valley with their men, while I came in from the north with mine.
A perfect trap.
RK Estate now sits right in the middle of death.
No matter which direction Raghav runs or where his men try to escape, someone will be waiting for them.
If they flee north, they run straight into me.
If they head south, Parag and Singhal will be there to finish them off.
There’s no way out, and that’s the beauty of this plan. Not a single soul walks away.
I glance at my phone. Still nothing. The signal from Parag and Singhal is yet to come. We had agreed that once all three forces reach their assigned positions, we would confirm it over the phone. One signal, and the war begins.
Around me, my men wait in absolute silence, their weapons loaded, their eyes sharp, every one of them ready for my command.
The pieces are already on the board, and the trap has been set.
Now all that remains is for the Dark Prince to walk into his own execution.
And this time, there will be no one left to save him.
Michael tries Parag’s number again. When the call still doesn’t connect, a curse escapes his lips as he lowers the phone and looks at me.
“Network is spotty here, Boss,” he says.
I snatch the phone from his hand and try Parag myself.
Nothing. I call Singhal next, but the result is the same.
Dead silence. My irritation spikes. I didn’t come all the way here to stand around waiting for a bloody phone signal.
Every second Raghav breathes is a second too many.
I shove the phone back into Michael’s hand.
“We move.”
Michael frowns. “Without their signal?”
“This is my plan, not theirs. So yes, we move without them.”
He nods.
“The moment the shooting starts, they’ll know exactly what’s happening. They’ll hear the gunfire from the southern end, and that’ll be signal enough,” I add, looking towards the distant silhouette of RK Estate, completely unaware of the army moving towards it. “I’m done waiting.”
Michael understands. He gives me a small nod, and within seconds, he begins dividing the men into two formations. Half move behind him while the rest remain with me.
Michael steps forward and waits for my final instructions.
“Hit the resort first,” I tell him. “The lobby. Reception area. Guest cottages. Every public section of RK Estate.”
A dangerous grin spreads across his face. He knows exactly what I mean. Create panic and chaos. The more confusion there is, the easier it will be for me to reach Raghav before anyone realises where the real attack is headed.
Michael gives me one final nod before disappearing into the darkness with his men, taking a different route towards the main resort area.
Unlike the rest of us, he knows this place inside out.
He has been here before with Siya, so he already knows every trail, every blind spot, and every approach route.
I watch them disappear between the trees.
Then I turn and motion for my men to move.
My target is the private villa sitting at the highest point of RK Estate, where Raghav resides.
My source inside the estate confirmed just two hours ago that neither Siya nor Raghav had left.
They are both still there, completely unaware that death is already climbing the mountain towards them.
We leave the road behind and move deeper into the forest. This is the one side of RK Estate nobody expects an attack from.
It’s the same route Singhal once used to send his hitman after Siya.
The dense trees and massive rock formations provide natural cover and is perfect for infiltration.
The estate’s main security is focused around the gates, not out here in the woods, which is exactly why I chose this route.
My men move silently behind me, with weapons loaded and safety catches off. A few minutes later, I finally catch sight of the outer forest barricade surrounding RK Estate.
The first obstacle. The first line of defence.
And the first thing that’s about to fall.
I tighten my grip on my rifle and raise one hand.
Every man behind me freezes instantly. No voices.
No movement. Just predators waiting for the command to hunt.
My eyes lock on the estate beyond the barricade. This is where it begins…
We cross the barricade and enter RK Estate. The moment my boots hit the ground beyond it, a gunshot cracks through the silence. The bullet tears through the darkness and slams into the tree beside me.
“Take cover!”