The word kept echoing in their minds.
Geneva.
Inside the secure operations room, Akanksha projected global financial data onto the screen. Offshore accounts. Shell companies. Defense contracts routed through humanitarian fronts.
Preyajeet folded his arms.
"Switzerland. Neutral ground. Global banking hub."
Akanksha zoomed in on a name that kept repeating.
Helix Global Strategies.
Registered as a conflict-resolution consultancy.
Funded by multiple defense manufacturers.
"And look at this," she said quietly.
Quarterly transfers — massive amounts — routed toward unidentified regional assets.
One of those assets was linked to Rana.
Another… to Director Two.
Preyajeet's voice lowered.
"So Phoenix Circle isn't creating war."
"They're monetizing instability," Akanksha finished.
A message pinged on the encrypted drive recovered from the warehouse.
A hidden file unlocked automatically.
Board Meeting – Helix Global – Private Maritime Summit – 48 Hours
Location coordinates appeared.
Mediterranean Sea.
Luxury summit yacht.
International waters.
Preyajeet looked at her.
"This is bigger than we thought."
She nodded.
"If Helix funds Phoenix Circle, then the remaining directors will be there."
He didn't hesitate.
"We intercept."
Two days later.
Mediterranean coastline.
Wind whipped across dark waters.
Under forged diplomatic identities, Preyajeet and Akanksha boarded a sleek private vessel transporting summit delegates.
Formal attire replaced tactical gear.
But danger felt closer than ever.
Inside the grand hall of the yacht—
Politicians. Corporate magnates. Military consultants.
All smiling.
All powerful.
At the far end of the room stood a silver-haired man addressing a small elite group.
Chairman Viktor Hale.
Founder of Helix Global.
Calm. Refined. Dangerous.
Akanksha's pulse quickened.
"He's one of them."
Preyajeet kept his expression neutral.
"We don't move yet."
Suddenly, Hale's gaze shifted.
Directly toward them.
He smiled slightly.
"Captain Preyajeet," he called across the room smoothly. "And Agent Akanksha. I was wondering when you'd arrive."
The music softened.
Conversations slowed.
Their cover was gone.
Preyajeet stepped forward calmly.
"You've been expecting us?"
Hale lifted a glass.
"When you start removing my directors, I naturally grow curious."
Akanksha's voice was steady.
"You fund wars for profit."
Hale chuckled lightly.
"No. I fund balance."
He gestured toward the sea.
"Conflict stabilizes markets. Predictable tension keeps global powers aligned. Without controlled instability, nations collapse into uncontrolled war."
Preyajeet's eyes hardened.
"You play with lives like numbers."
Hale's smile faded slightly.
"Emotion is expensive, Captain."
Suddenly—
The yacht engines roared louder.
Security teams quietly surrounded the hall.
Hale set down his glass.
"You came here without jurisdiction."
Akanksha subtly pressed a hidden transmitter on her bracelet.
Backup satellite link activated.
Evidence files began uploading automatically to international media servers.
Hale noticed the small light blinking.
His calm expression shifted.
"What did you do?"
Preyajeet smiled faintly.
"You said emotion is expensive."
He stepped closer.
"This is investment."
Outside—
Military patrol vessels appeared on the horizon.
Multiple nations.
Simultaneously alerted.
Hale realized too late.
His private summit was no longer private.
Guests began panicking.
Security teams scrambled.
Akanksha faced Hale directly.
"You created directors to hide behind. But you forgot one thing."
"And what is that?" Hale asked coldly.
"You underestimated two people who stopped a war once already."
Before Hale could escape, international authorities boarded the yacht.
Arrests began.
Media feeds exploded globally.
Helix Global's secret funding network exposed live.
Phoenix Circle's backbone shattered.
Later that night.
On the quiet deck.
The sea calm now.
Preyajeet stood beside Akanksha.
"It's over," he said softly.
She looked at the horizon.
"Is it?"
He turned to her.
"No more directors. No more hidden funding."
She finally allowed herself to breathe.
"For the first time… there's no one chasing us."
He smiled gently.
"Then maybe we can stop running."
She looked at him.
Not as a spy.
Not as an agent.
Just as Akanksha.
"You still choosing me?" she asked quietly.
He stepped closer.
"Always."
The wind carried away the last echoes of conspiracy.
No borders tonight.
No missions.
Just two hearts that survived politics, bullets, betrayal—
And chose each other anyway.
But far away—
In a dark office—
A single screen flickered.
Phoenix Circle – Archive Node – Active.
A backup protocol.
Someone unknown watching the news.
And smiling.