That catches her completely off guard.
“What? RK estate?” she blurts out. “Why would I go back there?”
I freeze.
“There’s nothing for me at RK Estate,” she continues slowly. “And honestly… going there would only create more problems for Raghav. I don’t want that for him.”
The certainty in her voice surprises me. Siya hands my phone back before settling deeper into the couch again.
“My entire goal is to leave the mafia world behind,” she says. “Not run from one mafia family straight into the house of an ex-mafia Prince.”
Ex-mafia Prince.
God.
If only she knew how possessive that ex-mafia prince already sounds whenever her name comes up.
“I want a fresh start, Trisha,” she says softly now. “A real one. I think New Zealand is perfect. The kind of life I’ve imagined for myself…” Her fingers lightly tap against the burner phone still in her hand. “I can only have that someplace like this. I think I can actually breathe there. Start over. Build something normal with Mom. Queenstown feels like the kind of place where my life can finally belong to me.”
I swallow hard, suddenly understanding the problem. Raghav doesn’t want Siya disappearing into another country. He wants her back with him at RK Estate. Back within his reach.
And Siya… she has absolutely no idea. She genuinely believes Raghav is helping her escape because he wants her free. Safe. Happy somewhere far away from this mafia world.
The innocence of that belief almost hurts.
Because the girl sitting in front of me is dreaming about a peaceful new life in Queenstown, while back at RK estate,Raghav is probably counting down the hours until he can bring her home the second she’s out of the Vardhaans’ hands.
I stare at her quietly for a moment longer before finally standing up. “I need to make a few calls regarding the documents,” I tell her casually. “I’ll be back.”
She nods immediately, still distracted by the thought of her new life. The moment I step out of that room, I already know exactly whom I need to call first.
Ayaan.
I enter my room, lock the door behind me, and pull out my burner phone. Ayaan picks up on the second ring.
“I got the documents,” I tell him immediately. “Passports too.”
“Good,” he says without hesitation. “Then you know the drop point. The rest of the extraction plan stays the same.”
I lean against the table, lowering my voice further. “But Raghav told me to bring Siya back to RK Estate after the extraction. Not fly her halfway across the world to New Zealand.”
“To hell with what Raghav wants,” Ayaan snaps.
I blink.
“This operation falls under GLEN,” he continues sharply. “You aremyfield resource, Trisha. And I know exactly what’s best for my brother.”
His tone hardens further.
“You will take Siya and her mother to Queenstown exactly as instructed. My team will receive them there, settle them safely, and erase every trace leading back to the Vardhaans. After that, you return. That’s all.”
“And what about Raghav?” I ask, exhaling slowly. “He’s not going to like this.”
“I don’t care,” Ayaan shoots back immediately. “Siya is a mafia princess. I’m not risking my brother, RK Estate, or my family by keeping her anywhere near Raghav.”
So that’s the real issue. It’s not hatred. It’s fear. Ayaan fears that Raghav is walking too close to the same darkness he barely escaped from if Siya is with him.
“Ayaan,” I say carefully, “Think again. Raghav specifically wanted—”
