Zoya's hands were still trembling. On her phone screen, the picture of Fahad with Nazli was clear as day.
She wanted to rush and show it to Ilyas… but before she could reach the hall, the crack of gunfire echoed from outsid
A blast tore through the main gate of the Mafia House, and Nazli's men stormed in.
Ilyas grabbed his gun at once and shouted,
"Hold your positions! Don't let anyone through!"
Zoya armed herself and stood beside him.
But a bullet ripped through Ilyas's shoulder, forcing him back with a stagger.
"Ilyas!" Zoya cried, dragging him into a side room for cover
Amid the chaos, Fahad appeared—flanked by Nazli's men instead of their own.
"Khan… your time is up."
Ilyas's voice thundered despite his wound,
"Fahad… I treated you like a brother!"
Fahad's tone was cold.
"Brother? You kept me in your shadow, never letting me step forward. Nazli gave me the respect you never did."
Zoya's eyes burned with fury.
"Respect or treachery… you struck at Khan's home, and at his wife."
With effort, Ilyas turned to her.
"You'll take command now… I can't fight anymore."
For a heartbeat, Zoya hesitated. Then her gaze sharpened—the gaze of a leader.
"Listen up! We don't retreat. Guard every door, and shoot anyone who tries to enter!
Zoya's First Operation
She split their forces—snipers on the roof, guards at the gates.
She herself took position at the main hall entrance.
Nazli's men threw themselves into the assault.
Bullets hissed through the air, smoke curled thick, chaos roared all around—but Zoya's eyes stayed locked on each target.
Then she saw Fahad darting toward the rooftop.
"He won't stop," she thought, and sprinted after him
The wind howled across the roof.
Fahad smiled when he saw her.
"You could have been mine one day… but you chose Khan."
"I chose honor," Zoya replied. "And that was never yours."
They fired at the same moment—Fahad's bullet missed her by inches, while hers struck his chest.
As he collapsed, he gasped,
"Khan… now you're at Nazli's mercy."
Ilyas's Vow
The battle was over, but the cost was heavy.
Ilyas lay on the bed, his shoulder bandaged, his face grim.
"Zoya… today, you saved my home."
"But Nazli still breathes," she said quietly. "And now, she'll thirst for my blood more than yours."
He took her hand.
"Next time, we strike her first… and strike to end it."
On the far side of the city, Nazli traced a finger over a map.
Beside her stood the same masked figure.
"The next target?" she asked.
He replied,
"Break Khan's heart. And his heart beats for one person—Zoya."
Nazli's smile turned sharper, deadlier.
"Then in the next war… she doesn't come back alive."
The Game of Nazli Begins
On a deserted edge of the city, Nazli sat in an old warehouse with her closest men.
In the dim light, dust particles floated in the air, and on the wall hung a large map of the city.
In front of her stood a man, face covered with a mask but eyes gleaming — the same informant who was inside the mafia house.
"You said you were close to her," Nazli said in a slow but dangerous tone.
"Yes," the informant replied, "Zoya trusts me. She thinks I'm her well-wisher."
Nazli smirked, spinning a knife on the table.
"Good… stay close to her, gain her trust. But remember — the moment you get a chance, she should stop breathing."
"What if Ilyas gets suspicious?" the informant asked hesitantly.
Nazli tossed the knife into the air and lodged it straight into the wooden table.
"Then you both get buried together."
After the recent attack, security at the mafia house had doubled.
Armed guards at every door, snipers on the roof, and rows of cameras in the main hall.
Yet Zoya's heart remained restless.
She was reading a file in the library when suddenly a voice came from behind,
"Madam, Khan is calling you."
It was Rehan — the man who had joined the mafia house only a few months ago and whom Zoya had hired herself on recommendation.
Zoya smiled lightly. "I'm coming."
After Rehan left, Zoya noticed a page missing from the file on the table.
She thought it might have fallen somewhere, but deep inside, a strange suspicion awoke.
In his room, Ilyas Khan was speaking to his right-hand man, Hamza.
"Zoya is not safe," Ilyas said seriously. "I know Nazli is planning something."
Hamza replied, "So we strike first?"
Ilyas smiled faintly. "We'll make her think her plan succeeded… but she'll be the real prey."
He drew a sketch on the table — a fake location map, where Zoya would be "sent alone" as bait so that Nazli's killer would reveal himself.
The Web of Trust
The next day, Zoya was having breakfast in the kitchen when Rehan quietly approached.
"I've been hiding something from you… but it could be a conspiracy against Khan."
Zoya froze. "What do you mean?"
Rehan slipped a small paper into her hand — it had a secret place and time written on it.
"Tomorrow night, Nazli's men are gathering here. I want you to see it for yourself."
Zoya thought for a moment, then said, "If I tell Khan, he won't let me go… I'll go alone."
A strange gleam lit Rehan's eyes.
"As you wish, Madam.
The next night, dressed in black and armed, Zoya set out.
She reached the secret location — an old mill that looked abandoned from the outside.
But as soon as she entered, a light switched on above, and there stood Nazli.
"I knew you would come, Zoya Khan."
Zoya immediately aimed her gun. "Why are you here?"
Nazli laughed. "To witness your death."
Footsteps echoed from behind — Rehan, gun in hand, was walking straight toward Zoya.
"So you…" Zoya said in shock.
Rehan replied coldly, "I'm only doing what's necessary to survive."
Just as Rehan tried to fire, the windows shattered and Ilyas Khan's team stormed in with an explosion.
Hamza tackled Rehan to the ground, while Ilyas aimed his gun at Nazli.
"This trap was for you, Nazli," Ilyas said. "Zoya was just the bait."
Nazli stepped back. "You can't kill me, Khan… you need me alive so the rest of your enemies get scared."
Ilyas smirked. "If I let you live, you'll strike again… and I'm not letting that happen."
He was about to pull the trigger when Zoya stopped his hand.
"No… we have to take her alive. That's the only way to break her network."
Everything seemed under control — but Rehan pulled a small remote from his pocket and pressed a button.
The mill's walls began to shake — bombs were planted everywhere.
"Everyone out!" Ilyas shouted.
Hamza dragged Nazli, while Zoya and Ilyas grabbed each other's hands and ran.
The mill exploded into rubble.
When the dust cleared — both Nazli and Rehan were gone.
On the way back to the mafia house, Zoya broke the silence.
"They're both alive… and now more dangerous than before."
Ilyas took a deep breath.
"Yes… and now they know our rules. Next time… it'll be either us or them."
The Hint of the End
On the other side of the city, Nazli and Rehan sat in a car.
"Khan thinks he's smart," Nazli said, "but next time I'll kill his wife before he even sees it coming."
Rehan smiled. "Then Khan's world will be over."
The car vanished into the darkness… and the next chapter of the war drew closer.
The Silent Storm
It was eleven at night. The mafia house was unusually quiet, even though only two days had passed since Nazli and Rehan had escaped.
Zoya sat on the balcony of her room, sipping tea. The air was slightly chilly, but her heart carried an uneasy tension.
At that moment, there was movement in the lawn below. A shadowy figure slipped quietly between the guards, as if invisible to them.
Zoya narrowed her eyes, trying to see clearly, but couldn't make sense of it. She was turning to go inside when she heard the faint crack of glass behind her.
As soon as she stepped into the room, she froze — a figure dressed in black, face hidden behind a mask, a gleaming dagger in hand.
Without hesitation, he lunged toward her.
Zoya reached for the gun on the table, but the attacker was already upon her.
They both crashed to the floor, the dagger stopping just an inch from her face.
Summoning all her strength, Zoya twisted his arm. The dagger clattered away, and she leapt to her feet.
"Who are you?" she demanded, breathless.
The attacker didn't answer. Instead, he pulled a small device from his pocket — smoke began to billow out, clouding the room in a dense fog.
The smoke had barely spread when the door burst open and Ilyas Khan stormed in, gun in hand.
"Zoya!" he shouted.
Through the haze, he spotted a shadow and fired, but the bullet struck only the wall.
The attacker had already leapt out the window into the lawn below.
Ilyas handed Zoya the gun. "Are you hurt?"
She shook her head slightly. "It's him… Nazli's hired man."
Without wasting a second, Ilyas took off after him. Two guards lay injured in the lawn, shot as the intruder passed.
By the time the man reached the gate, he had started a motorbike — but Ilyas's bullet hit the front tire.
The bike swerved, yet the attacker jumped off and ran.
Moments later, they stood face to face in an empty alley.
"Remove the mask," Ilyas ordered.
The man laughed and pulled it off — it was Rehan.
"Did you really think you'd get rid of me that easily, Khan?"
Rehan pulled a small vial from his pocket and smashed it to the ground. A cloud of toxic smoke spread instantly.
Ilyas put on a mask and fired, but Rehan had already melted into the darkness.
Back at the house, Ilyas told Hamza,
"This wasn't just an attack… it was a warning to unnerve us."
Zoya stepped in, "We need to catch him… but this time, I'm coming with you."
Ilyas gave her a sharp look. "This is war, Zoya… and in war, even those who walk beside you can fall."
The next morning, a black car rolled up to the mafia house gate.
A tall, lean man stepped out — white shirt, blue eyes, and a strangely calm expression.
"I'm Aryan," he told the guards, "an old friend of Khan… and your new protector."
The moment Ilyas saw him, he froze. "That's impossible… you were dead."
Aryan gave a faint smile. "A dead man is the greatest weapon against an enemy, Khan.
That night, Aryan sat in the library writing something when Zoya entered.
"Are you truly Ilyas's friend?" she asked suspiciously.
Aryan replied, "A friend… and a foe, if the time demands it."
Zoya noticed the faint scent of gunpowder on his fingers, as if he had recently fired a shot.
Was Aryan really here to protect them, or was he a new threat?
And was Rehan working alone, or was someone else standing behind Nazli?