Kiaan stepped into the dimly lit apartment, exhaustion hanging heavy on his shoulders, but before he could even catch a breath, the sharp voice of Nandita, his stepmother, cut through the silence like a whip. "Where have you been all these six days, Kiaan? Yesterday was your turn to pay the bills, and you didn't even show up!" Her eyes flashed with irritation, no warmth or concern for his well-being.
Shaurya, his stepbrother, leaned casually against the doorway with a smirk playing on his lips. "Probably out gallivanting with those jobless friends of his. Honestly, from where would he get any money? The poor guy can barely keep a dime for himself," he taunted, oblivious to the truth that Kiaan was far from jobless — he was working undercover as a secret agent, hiding a dangerous double life from these very people.
Kiaan silently reached into his pocket and pulled out a thick wad of cash — his entire month's salary — and pressed it into Nandita's hand. She barely glanced at him, her eyes fixated on the money, not bothering to ask if he was tired or sick, or how he'd managed to even earn this amount. She turned on her heel and walked away, leaving Kiaan feeling more invisible than ever.
As Kiaan began to ascend the stairs toward his room, Shaurya's voice stopped him cold. "That money? It's not even enough to cover my school expenses. You think you're some kind of saint, handing over pennies like that?" Shaurya's smirk widened as he watched Kiaan hesitate, confused and frustrated.
Before Kiaan could respond, Nandita's voice echoed sharply from the other room, scolding Kiaan for raising his voice at Shaurya. The tension thickened in the small apartment.
Kiaan sighed, reaching into his left pocket and pulling out a few bills, handing them over to Shaurya with a weary look. "Here. Take it. I can't do more than this right now." Without waiting for a response, he quietly retreated to his room, the weight of unspoken battles pressing down on him.
Meanwhile, miles away in a sleek, shadowed office, Rex and Arav sat silently, watching the live audio feed from Kiaan's hacked phone. Every sharp word, every frustrated sigh was crystal clear through the active microphone. Rex's jaw tightened, a slow, dangerous smile creeping across his face.
Arav leaned forward, whispering with a spark of excitement, "They think they know him, boss. But they have no idea who Kiaan really is, what he's capable of. This... this right here? It's the cracks in his armor. We exploit this, and we take everything away from him."
Rex nodded slowly, eyes never leaving the screen. "Perfect. Let them think he's weak at home. We'll use that to bring the storm crashing down." The two exchanged a look of cold calculation as the echoes of Kiaan's harsh home life played out in the background — a perfect weapon in their hands.