He was oppressed by everyone around him, 'Love and care' were the terms used, for he inherits billions.
His voice was never heard outside the walls of his mind.
It was all until he realised what was happening around him. He started his game so quiet...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
For over a month, Arjun's mind had been consumed by a storm of thoughts, leaving no room for rationality. His life, once his own, now revolved around a family he had no real connection to. The frustration gnawed at him constantly—frustration with the case, with himself, and with the people around him. His love life? Gone. Ever since Vikram's case had fallen into his lap, everything else faded into irrelevance. She had wanted his time, time he no longer had any control over. And it had hurt to let her down. But the case, the endless questions and dead ends, consumed him. And with it, came guilt that weighed heavily on his chest.
Arjun had done everything he could think of to shake loose some clue—talking to people, blending into crowds, even going to extremes by partying and getting stoned, hoping someone, anyone, might slip up and offer a scrap of information about who had tried to kill Vikram. But it all led nowhere.
The nights were the worst. Sleep became a fleeting memory. Night after night, he relived the day in the café with Dev—the hooded man, his cryptic words, echoing in Arjun's mind like a haunting refrain he couldn't escape.
"This is bigger than you think..."
"You think you can escape this?"
Arjun bolted upright in bed, drenched in sweat. His head throbbed as he grabbed it, trying to drown out the echoing voice. Exhaustion had become a part of him, a sickness he couldn't shake. He wanted to let it all go, wanted to retreat to the life he once knew. But that life felt so far away now. There was no going back, no undoing the past.
Stumbling out of bed, he made his way to the balcony, letting the cool night air rush over his face. He inhaled deeply, trying to calm the storm that churned inside. Below, the city thrummed with life, the lights twinkling like stars in the distance. His room, in contrast, was dark—an extension of how he felt. How had it spiraled this far out of control? How had he ended up so lost in this?
His phone buzzed. It was Dev—again. Arjun sighed, expecting more of the same. Useless leads, familiar dead ends. His fingers hovered over the screen, resisting the urge to lash out. He knew Dev was trying. He began typing a response when another message popped up. A video.
Curiosity piqued, Arjun clicked to download.
An hour later, he found himself standing in a desolate underground parking facility on the outskirts of the city. His heart thudded in his chest, adrenaline surging as the cold, eerie silence amplified the tension. The place felt like a trap waiting to be sprung. Dev stood waiting by the entrance, his expression unreadable in the shadows.
"Where is he?" Arjun's voice came out steadier than he felt.
"Basement No. 4," Dev said quietly, as they walked deeper into the structure.
"Where did you find him?"
"Wasted. Some dive bar near the office. He was watching us. I'm certain of it."
Arjun already knew the answer before he asked, "Was he spying on us?"
"Most likely."
"Is he sober?" Arjun didn't want to deal with a drunken fool.
"Three cold showers and two shots of caffeine should've done the trick," Dev replied.
"And the police?" Arjun pressed.
"Not yet."
That stopped Arjun cold. He turned to Dev, his irritation bubbling to the surface. "Why not? You should've called them."
Dev shrugged, his tone sharp. "And let them lose him again? No thanks."
Arjun clenched his jaw. That had been his mistake—the mistake that had nearly cost them everything. "That was on me. I screwed up."
Dev's expression hardened. "Stop buying into the lies, Arjun."
"What lies?" Arjun asked, walking faster to keep pace with him.
"How do you think the police knew we'd be in danger that day?"
"It was a coincidence," Arjun muttered, though even he wasn't convinced anymore.
Dev let out a bitter laugh. "Coincidence? What we did was illegal, Arjun! They should've arrested us on the spot."
"Then why didn't they?" Arjun demanded, his thoughts swirling again, spinning out of control.
"That's the question, isn't it? Why did they let us go? Why are we still walking free?"
"Maybe they're watching us—waiting for us to lead them to someone bigger," Arjun suggested, unsure whether he believed it himself.
Dev shook his head. "If it were that simple, they'd have caught the killer by now. The police have resources, legal power. What or who is stopping them?"
Arjun had no answer. Dev's frustration mirrored his own. If they had gotten this far, why hadn't the police? Were they being used? Had they been pawns all along?
"To confirm my suspicion," Dev said, pulling out a document and handing it over, "Vikram wasn't shot from the front. The medical report shows he was shot from behind."
Arjun's breath caught as he read the report. Everything he had believed about the case was shattered. The truth felt like a lead weight pressing down on his chest.
"Are we even on the right track?" Arjun asked, his voice barely a whisper.
Dev, ever the optimist, grinned. "We are. And we will get there."
Arjun wasn't so sure. Every step felt like they were sinking deeper into a maze with no way out.
In the dim light of Basement, a man sat slumped in a chair, drenched in water, his eyes wide with fear. Arjun stepped forward, anger boiling over.
"Who are you working for?" Arjun snarled, throwing more water at the man's face. The fear in his eyes meant nothing to Arjun now—he was too far gone to feel pity.
"Arjun, stop!" Dev stepped forward, trying to pull him back. "You're going to kill him."
"This bastard's responsible for everything!" Arjun shouted, lunging again, his frustration, his sleepless nights, his fury finally spilling out. Months of dead ends, unanswered questions, and unbearable pressure—all of it, crashing down in that moment.
"Arjun!" Dev yanked him back, forcing him to stop. "Calm down! You're no good to anyone like this."
Arjun stood there, shaking, trying to breathe through the storm inside him. Dev was right. Killing this man wouldn't bring them closer to the truth. They needed him alive—at least for now.
"Let him sober up," Dev instructed the others, his voice steady. "We'll be back in the morning."
Arjun cast one last glance at the man before turning away, but even as he walked out, the sinking feeling remained. The enemy was still out there, watching them.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
