The Reddys.
“GLEN picked up movement near the border region around Nepal,” he continues.
I already know that.
My grip on the phone tightens slightly.
“Since you’re closer to that side now,” he says, watching me carefully, “I thought of checking with you first. Have you heard anything?”
“No.”
I meet his gaze directly as I deliver that lie, but Ayaan doesn’t look convinced.
“Okay. But why do you suddenly look like that?” he asks.
“Like what?”
“Distracted,” he says, shrugging. “Like something is already running through your head.”
“There’s always something running through my head, Ayaan,” I reply. “You know that’s not new.”
He studies me for another second before nodding.
“Fine. But if something this big is moving near the border, I need to know before it turns into something we can’t control. Right now, I’m not asking as your brother, but as the Director of GLEN. I can’t afford to overlook anything at this scale, Raghav.”
I stay silent as he continues.
“We already have eyes on the southern mafia networks. And lately, the Reddys’ name has been coming up far more than it should. Movements. Financial trails. New alliances. None of it feels coincidental.” His gaze locks onto mine. “We’re building something big to dismantle their operations from the roots. But that only works if we stay ahead of whatever they’re planning and not lag behind.”
He takes a heavy pause.
“So if anything on your side connects back to them, I need to know before it escalates into something bigger.”
I don’t answer him right away because I already know enough. Yet I choose not to tell him.
“I’ll let you know if anything comes up on my radar,” I say at last.
Just then, I hear a sharp sound of something hitting the ground. My head turns instantly, my body already alert. Ayaan is saying something through the phone, but I barely register it anymore. Because a few feet away from me is Siya, completely frozen in place. Her phone lies on the ground near her feet, and the look on her face tells me that she has heard enough.
I don’t wait.
“I’ll call you back,” I say abruptly, disconnecting the call as I start to move.
By the time I turn fully towards her, Siya is already running. That alone confirms it. She heard it all. I move fast, closing the distance in seconds , and grab her arm just as she tries to escape.
“Leave me!” she snaps, trying to twist out of my grip in an attempt to break free.
Before she can try anything again, I bend and lift her clean off the ground, throwing her over my shoulder in one swift motion.
“RK!” she yells, hitting my back with her fists as she struggles against me.
I ignore her and carry her straight back into the stable, away from open ground and away from her guards, if they are around following her.
The moment we reach the far end, I push her down onto the haystack. She barely has a second to react before she tries to get up again. But I stop her immediately, grabbing both her wrists and pinning them against the hay as I lean over her, trapping her beneath me.
“Stop,” I snap, my voice sharp enough to freeze her again. “So now you’ve started eavesdropping on my private conversations as well?” I ask, barely holding on to my anger.
Her breathing is uneven from struggling, but the defiance in her eyes shines bright as ever. “I wasn’t eavesdropping,” she snaps instantly. “I was just… taking a walk.”
