Page 89 of The Redemption
Ayaan gives me a dangerous look from the other side of the screen. For a beat, neither of us says a word.
Then Krish groans loudly. “Fantastic. Here we go again. Can both of you stop behaving like mafia psychopaths for five minutes? One is the Dark Prince, the other acts like God’s personal hitman, and somehow, I’m the one stuck babysitting both of you.”
But neither Ayaan nor I look away from each other.
“Guys,” Trisha finally interrupts. “Relax. We have important matters to deal with right now.”
That’s when I look away from my brother and meet Trisha’s gaze because she’s right.
“You’re going to Cape Town tonight,” I tell her.
The room falls silent.
“To do what?” Ayaan asks sharply.
“To extract Siya and her mother from the Vardhaans before the wedding,” I bite out.
Trisha gives a small nod, already aware of the plan to get Siya out of there. I told her about it yesterday. But Ayaan looks ready to explode. The veins along his neck stand out sharply as he stares at me, looking one second away from popping one in pure frustration.
“What do you meanextract Siya?” he demands. “She is a mafia princess, Raghav. Why would you do that?”
“Because she wants out of that world,” I say coldly. “Siya wants a fresh start for herself and her mother. With new identities, clean records, and no traces left behind for the mafias to ever find them again.”
Everyone falls silent.
Krish leans back in his chair and lets out a long breath. “What exactly do you think GLEN is?” he mutters, looking at me. “We can’t keep rebuilding identities for everyone needing a fresh start. Your case was different. You were Ayaan’s brother. You were his priority. But Siya—”
“She ismypriority.”
The words leave my mouth before anyone else can speak.
Ayaan, Krish, and even Trisha go completely still for a second, staring at me as if I’ve just detonated a bomb in the middle of the room. Ayaan’s face hardens even more, while Krish slowly lifts both brows before shrugging. “Well… then I rest my case.”
“We are not doing this,” Ayaan says immediately. “You are not getting involved in mafia matters again, Raghav. And definitely not for this. You can’t risk exposing your identity to the underworld if something goes wrong. I wouldn’t let you do that, even if Siya herself asked you for that help.”
Krish almost chuckles beside him. “Sorry. But that sounds like a double standard coming from you.”
Ayaan shoots him a glare, which Krish completely ignores. “Have you forgotten what you did when Meher was kidnapped? When she needed help, despite being your father’s enemy’s daughter?”
“Exactly,” Ayaan shoots back. “She was the enemy’s daughter. Not mafia royalty.”
His gaze shifts back to me.
“Siya Vardhaan is trouble. For all of us. Especially for you.”
“Trouble or not,” I say darkly, “I’m bringing her out.”
Ayaan lets out a frustrated groan. But I don’t care.
“I want her out of that place before she marries Parag Reddy. And if there’s anyone I trust to pull this off, it’s Trisha.”
I glance at Trisha, who gives me a brief nod. “I’m in.”
Krish groans softly under his breath, and Ayaan stares at her in disbelief. Then, his attention shifts back to me again.
“You are making a big mistake, Raghav. You help Siya, and everyone from your past will come knocking at your doorstep. You’re not just risking your life. You’re risking this entire family. What happened to family first, Raghav?”
My jaw clenches hard.
