Singapore — Night
The city lights reflected across Marina Bay as Kashvi entered her suite.
The door shut behind her with a quiet click.
For the first time that day, the room was silent.
No Anvi.
No mysterious calls.
No shadows from the past.
Just stillness.
She placed her bag on the table and loosened the collar of her shirt.
Then her tablet lit up.
Incoming Video Call — Kriday
The tension in her face softened instantly.
She answered.
A messy-haired ten-year-old appeared on the screen, sitting on his bed in London, surrounded by scattered books and a half-finished Lego structure.
"Mumma!" he said brightly.
A rare warmth entered Kashvi's voice.
"Hi, champ."
"You said you'd call yesterday," he complained.
"I got stuck in meetings," she replied gently.
Kriday squinted at her suspiciously.
"You always say that."
She almost smiled.
"How was school?"
"Fine," he shrugged. "But I scored highest in maths again."
"Of course you did."
He leaned closer to the screen suddenly.
"Mumma… something weird happened today."
The word weird instantly sharpened her attention.
"What happened?"
Kriday scratched his head.
"When I came back from football practice, there was a man outside our house."
Kashvi straightened slightly.
"What man?"
"I don't know," Kriday said. "He was talking to the security guard."
Her voice stayed calm.
"Did he come inside?"
"No."
Kriday shook his head.
"But when I walked past him… he looked at me."
A quiet pause filled the suite.
"What did he say?" Kashvi asked carefully.
Kriday thought for a second.
"He asked if my name was Kriday."
Her fingers slowly tightened on the table.
"And what did you say?"
"I said yes."
Another pause.
Then Kriday continued casually—
"Then he said I look like my father."
The air in the room turned cold.
Kashvi didn't move.
Kriday, completely unaware, kept talking.
"I told him Papa died before I was born."
Her jaw tightened slightly.
"And do you know what he said?" Kriday added.
"What?" she asked quietly.
Kriday grinned a little, as if the memory amused him.
"He said… 'Not everything you hear is true.'"
Silence.
Heavy.
Then Kriday suddenly brightened.
"Oh! And nani said you're coming back tomorrow!"
"Yes," Kashvi said slowly. "Tomorrow."
"Good," he said happily. "Because my school has family day next week."
"I'll be there."
"Promise?"
"…Promise."
The call ended a minute later.
The screen went dark.
Kashvi stood still in the quiet suite.
Her mind replayed the sentence again.
Not everything you hear is true.
The same message.
The same invisible player.
But this time—
They hadn't just reached her.
They had reached Kriday.
And Kashvi Mehra had one rule about war.
You could threaten her.
You could expose her.
But the moment someone stepped near her son—
The game stopped being strategic.
It became ruthless.
She picked up her phone and dialed a number.
When the line connected, her voice was ice cold.
"Prepare the jet."
A pause.
"I'm flying back to London tonight."
Because whoever had just approached her son…
Had made the biggest mistake of their life.