Page 102 of The Redemption
“What does Siya want?” he cuts me off. “Have you asked her that? Does she want to go ahead with New Zealand or not?”
Now I freeze. I glance towards the closed door, remembering the excitement on Siya’s face when she got to know where we are taking her…to Queenstown.
“She wants it,” I admit quietly. “She looked genuinely happy about going there.”
“Exactly,” Ayaan says instantly. “The girl wants it. I want it. And honestly, it’s the best possible outcome. So, you will followmyorders, Trisha. Consider this an official order.”
I rub my forehead slowly. “I can’t betray Raghav. He specifically sent me there to bring her back to RK Estate.”
“And I specifically overruled that decision.”
“Ayaan,” I warn, “you should talk to him before this blows up.”
A dry laugh leaves him.
“I know exactly what will happen if I tell him before the extraction,” he says. “Which is why I’m not doing it.”
I stay silent.
“And you’re not telling him either,” he warns. “Raghav shouldn’t know where you’re taking Siya. You’ll extract Siya and her mother, take them to Queenstown, hand them over to my people, and only after they are safely settled there will I deal with my brother myself.”
“He’ll lose his mind when he finds out.”
“He can lose it later,” Ayaan mutters. “Right now, I care more about keeping everybody alive.”
That shuts me up for a second. Then he adds, calmer this time, “Follow the orders you’ve been given, Trisha. You know how we operate in GLEN. We don’t let emotions influence operational decisions. Take care and good luck.”
The line goes quiet after a second but my heart is beating wildly. This doesn’t feel like a simple extraction mission anymore. I’m stuck in the middle of two brothers heading towards a collision neither of them is ready for. Because I know Raghav. He’s not going to take this well. Although, I also understand why Ayaan is doing this.
And moreover, Siya herself has no intention of returning to RK Estate. Somewhere she too believes that going back there would ruin the peaceful life Raghav has built after leaving the mafia world behind.
To her, this isn’t just an escape from the Vardhaans. This is a new beginning far away from him too.
Which means if I forcibly drag her back to RK Estate just because Raghav wants it, then I’d be choosing his feelings over her choice.
And that feels so wrong.
Ayaan’s call has left me with a pounding headache. I stare at the burner phone in my hand for a long moment before finally making my decision. No matter what happens next, I can’t blindside Raghav like this. Not after he trusted me with this mission. If nothing else, he at least deserves to know what’s happening. So, before this turns into an even bigger disaster, I scroll to his number and press call.
Raghav picks up almost immediately.
“How’s Siya?” he asks, almost impatient. Like he’s already handling ten things at once while waiting for bad news from an eleventh.
“She’s fine. Everything’s set,” I reply, before taking a short pause. “But… there’s been a change in the drop plan.”
Silence greets me from the other end. Not calm silence but the kind before an explosion.
“I’m not bringing Siya back to RK Estate after the extraction.”
“What?” His reaction is instant, and that single word cracks through the line. “Who gave you the authority to changemyextraction plan?”
“Raghav, Siya wants this too. She doesn’t want to come back to RK Estate. She herself told me that. She is happy with this new drop location.”
“Who, Trisha?” Raghav repeats, this time his voice growing darker than before. “Who the f*ck changed my plan?”
“You’re not listening to me,” I shoot back. “I can’t bring Siya to you against her wishes.”
“WHO?” he roars on the phone so loud that I literally feel my heart in my mouth.
