Only You

14•

FLASHBACK
~ 8 YEAR'S AGO ~

(Who is Riya !!)

The dusk had begun to settle over the city, washing the skyline in hues of burnt orange and grey. From the 31st floor of the high-rise building, Rudra stood with his hands tucked behind his back, gazing at the shimmering skyline with eyes that missed nothing. The city looked peaceful, but Rudra knew better. Peace was often the calmest mask chaos wore.

A man of strategy and silence, Rudra had built his empire not just on influence, but on foresight. Every plan, every move, every associate—he calculated it all like a chessboard where he rarely lost. But this time, something was off.

He turned from the glass, a tablet in his hand, its screen flashing with coded documents. His new plan—a security protocol so intricate it could have changed the game—had been compromised.

"Again, from within," he muttered.

A few minutes later, his phone buzzed.

Rohan.

He answered with a clip, "Yes."

"Boss, your suspicion was right. Internal leak. Three suspects. Want me to handle it discreetly?"

Rudra’s voice was cold. "Meet . Tonight. Bar K-47."

"Understood."

Rudra ended the call. Rohan was good—clever, loyal, and sharp. But Rudraksh? He was different. A man molded in shadows, trained to strike silently and vanish. If Rudra was the mind, Rudraksh was the hand that executed judgment.

The betrayal stung—not because of the plan, but because it came from someone inside. And Rudra hated treachery more than failure.

Tonight, something would change.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The air in Bar K-47 was thick with smoke and deceit. Low music droned in the background, a bass-heavy rhythm matching the pulse of the men watching the entrance. It was the kind of place where secrets were currency and loyalty was always negotiable.

Rohan arrived first, his blazer barely covering the gun holster beneath. He wasn’t nervous, just alert. Every eye that flicked toward him was met with a blank stare.

Five minutes later, the atmosphere shifted.

Rudraksh entered.

Tall, built like a storm, and dressed in black, he walked in with a presence that made the room exhale in silence. No introductions needed. People moved out of his way like instinct.

He nodded at Rohan, and they took a private booth.

"Three of them," Rohan began, pulling up encrypted files. "They sold parts of the new protocol to someone overseas. We’re not sure who yet. They’re meeting someone here tonight."

Rudraksh looked over the profiles.

"What time?"

"In twenty minutes."