A large wooden desk stood cluttered with multiple files, documents strewn across its surface. A nameplate reading 'President' lay upside down, a silent testament to the chaos within the room.
Surya stepped inside, his sharp eyes immediately catching the misplaced board. Without a word, he reached over and adjusted it, aligning it properly.
A voice broke the silence. "It's pointless to adjust the president's board."
Surya turned his gaze towards the man seated behind the desk. Aditya, the president, leaned back in his chair, rubbing his temple with tired eyes.
Surya sighed. "And it's just as pointless to dwell on self-blame, Uncle Aditya. Why did you call me?"
Aditya exhaled and pushed a file across the desk toward Surya. "There's a 99% possibility of a bomb blast. Hollow Pact is suspected to be behind the upcoming attack. Rudra predicted it and has already informed Rathore. Adjustments have been made to the mission plan."
Surya took the file and flipped it open. The first profile he saw was Ayaan Ranade. His eyebrows lifted slightly. "So this is Ayaan Ranade? My old geezer is always insisting you make him the next founder of Shei—"
Aditya cut him off. "Yeah, but I never want involved him in Project M. Still, fate has its own way of pulling him into this mess. That aside, I need you to act as our final trump card in this operation."
Surya continued reviewing the file. On the next page, he noticed another profile—Anaya.
Aditya continued, "I assigned two members from Project M who are closely connected to her."
Surya closed his eyes for a brief moment, rubbing them as if trying to wipe away the emptiness within. "Understood." His fingers flipped through more pages, stopping at the profiles of Riya, Pooja, and Sneha . His expression darkened slightly.
"So that's why you issued an urgent order for the gun with that spear symbol,"Surya remarked as he examined another section of the file.
Aditya nodded. "Yes. It was a selfish decision on my part. Based on that, Rathore approved the request and assigned the gun's delivery to Riya, she's the only ordinary human suited to protect her. As you know, she's not just another survivor, she was also ...."
Surya's eyes hardened. Without waiting for Aditya to finish, he closed the file abruptly. "Uncle Aditya, even though there are still three weeks left, I'm heading to that location now. I'll proceed with the plan. But dragging innocent people into this… it's a mistake."
---
Riya walked through the hospital corridor, her mind tangled with a web of thoughts.
'A bomb blast during the finals…'
'What's the connection between Ayaan, Dev, and that semi-final judge, Rathore?'
'Why did he give me a gun?'
The increased security presence caught her attention immediately. Tension settled in her gut as she tightened her grip on her handbag—the very bag that concealed the firearm Rathore had given her.
At the security checkpoint, an officer gestured for her to step forward. She hesitated before placing her bag on the scanner. The red warning light blinked, and within moments, the security team retrieved the gun.
One of the guards studied it closely, his eyes narrowing at the distinct spear emblem engraved on the weapon. Just as Riya braced for questioning, the guard unexpectedly slipped the gun back into her handbag and handed it to her.
Leaning in, he spoke in a low voice. "we received direct instructions from Captain Rathore. You won't have to go through security checks moving forward."
Riya's breath hitched. 'Captain Rathore?'The name felt unfamiliar yet held an undeniable weight.
Before she could process it further, her attention was drawn to a heated argument nearby.
Pooja and Sneha stood locked in a tense exchange with Dev. Their voices, though hushed, carried enough urgency to hint at something far more serious beneath the surface.
---
Pooja crossed her arms, her expression a mix of frustration and amusement. "Dev, seriously? Flirting with a nurse while we're in the middle of all this?" she scoffed, shaking her head.
Sneha rolled her eyes, stepping in. "Yeah, you really have no shame. It's like you forget there's a whole situation happening around us."
Dev smirked, leaning back against the wall with an exaggerated sigh. "Oh, come on. I was just being friendly. A little charm never hurt anyone. Besides, it's called lightening the mood."
"Lightening the mood?" Pooja scoffed. "We are in a hospital, Dev. Not a college festival."
Sneha nodded in agreement. "And what if that nurse reports you? Then what? You'll get banned from stepping into this place!"
Dev waved a hand dismissively. "Relax. It's not that serious. She was smiling, wasn't she?"
Pooja rolled her eyes, but before she could argue further, Riya, who had been silently observing, finally spoke up.
"Maybe you should stop pretending like you care about things that actually matter," she said, her voice colder than usual.
The shift in her tone made the conversation pause. Dev raised an eyebrow, catching the unusual edge in her words. "And what's that supposed to mean?"
Riya narrowed her eyes slightly, gripping her handbag tighter. The weight of the gun inside felt heavier than before, but her thoughts were heavier still. The conversation she had overheard between Dev, Ayaan, and Rathore at the café played in her mind like an unshakable echo. Something was off about them—about him.
"Nothing," she finally muttered, averting her gaze. "Just that some people don't deserve trust so easily."
Dev tilted his head, his smirk fading just slightly. "Wow, Riya. That's new. What's with the sudden attitude?"
Riya took a deep breath, forcing herself to keep her expression neutral. "Nothing sudden about it. Maybe I've just started seeing things clearly."
Sneha and Pooja exchanged confused glances, sensing the underlying tension but unsure of its source. Meanwhile, Dev studied Riya for a long moment, the lighthearted air around him dimming.
"Interesting," he murmured, a flicker of curiosity in his gaze. "Very interesting."
Riya turned away, unwilling to let the conversation go further. There were too many pieces missing, and until she could put them together, she wasn't about to let her guard down—especially not around Dev.
----
As the argument between Pooja, Sneha, and Dev continued, a familiar energetic voice interrupted with a teasing remark, "Look, Dev, if you want Riya, don't flirt with others."
Before anyone could react, another familiar male voice chimed in, "Yep, I agree."
The group turned toward the voices. Emerging from a patient's room were Anaya and Ayaan.
Pooja and Sneha immediately shifted their focus to Anaya. "Looks like you're back to normal," Pooja said with a relieved smile.
Anaya raised a playful finger to her lips. "Yeah, I was cured by Ayaan's medicine."
Dev, catching the way Anaya leaned slightly toward Ayaan, grinned and gave Ayaan a thumbs-up. Meanwhile, Pooja and Sneha exchanged quick glances, noticing the subtle closeness between the two.
Riya, however, observed differently—her gaze lingered on Ayaan, but it wasn't admiration. It was distrust.
Ayaan stretched his arms slightly. "I'll meet you all later. Need to head home."
Anaya nodded. "Okay. I guess Aunt Tanvi is waiting for you."
Ayaan hesitated for a fraction of a second. Tanvi? He was sure he had never mentioned his mother's name to Anaya, but he shrugged it off and walked out with Dev.
Once Ayaan and Dev left, a brief silence filled the space before Riya suddenly spoke up. Her tone was quieter but firm.
"Why do you trust that person so much?"
Anaya met Riya's gaze directly and answered without hesitation, " he's Ayaan, not 'that person.'" She paused, then smiled. "If you want a reason… you'll understand once you fall in love."
Then, as if switching gears, Anaya smirked and added, "Wait, don't tell me… You've already fallen for Dev?"
Riya's expression twisted in frustration. "Bitch, stop! I will never fall in love with that pervert Dev!"
Anaya laughed softly. "Okay, okay."
But just as she said that, an unexpected image flashed through her mind—one that made her momentarily stiffen.
A fleeting vision of Riya and Dev, married.