Transcendent Love (Sequel: A Namesake Couple)

Rescue Operation

Advitya POV

Advitya stood hunched over the metal table, palms braced against its cold surface, eyes fixed on the digital map projected in front of him. Red markers blinked—possible locations, dead ends, decoys. Imtiaz Siddiqui had covered his tracks well.

Too well.

Behind him, Aaryan sat on a crate, legs dangling, clutching a water bottle with both hands. Silent. Watching. Too mature for a child his age—something Advitya hated that this world had forced upon him.

The door creaked open.

Sarin Sir walked in.

Calm. Sharp. Unshakeable.

The man who had once dismantled crime syndicates with nothing but patience and pressure.

"You're thinking like a husband," Sarin said, studying Advitya. "That will get you killed."

Advitya didn't look up. "I need her alive."

"And you will," Sarin replied evenly. "If you start thinking like a strategist."

Advitya finally turned. "He's unpredictable. Obsessed. He doesn't want money or power. He wants control."

Sarin nodded. "Which makes him sloppy."

Advitya frowned. "Obsessive men don't confess."

"They do," Sarin said quietly, "when they believe they're winning."

Silence settled.

Aaryan looked up. "Confess to what?"

Advitya's heart clenched. He moved to him instantly, crouching. "Buddy—"

"It's okay," Sarin interrupted gently. He knelt too, meeting Aaryan at eye level. "Your papa is trying to catch a very bad man. To do that, we need him to say something he shouldn't."

Aaryan thought for a moment. "Like in Mumma's shows? When the villain talks too much?"

Sarin smiled faintly. "Exactly like that."

Advitya exhaled sharply. "Sir, what's the plan?"

Sarin straightened, eyes hardening. "Imtiaz Siddiqui didn't just lose his wife. He killed her. We were never able to prove it—no body, no weapon, no confession."

Advitya's jaw tightened. "Adhya found his weakness. Naaz."

"Yes," Sarin said. "And that's where we strike."

He tapped the table. A device slid forward.

A compact recording unit. Military-grade.

"We don't rescue first," Sarin continued. "We extract a confession. Live. On record. Once he admits to killing Naaz, his empire collapses. He won't be untouchable anymore."

"And Adhya?" Advitya demanded.

"She's stronger than he thinks," Sarin said firmly. "And smarter. She will keep him talking—if we give her the right push."

Advitya closed his eyes for a brief second.

Trusting someone you loved with danger was the hardest thing a man could do.

"I'll be bait," Advitya said suddenly.

Sarin studied him. "Explain."

"I go to him. Alone. I let him believe he's won. That I'm desperate." His voice hardened. "Men like Imtiaz don't confess to the law. They confess to rivals."

Sarin considered it. Then nodded slowly. "You provoke him. Make him relive it. Make him talk about Naaz."

Aaryan's small voice cut through the tension. "And Mumma?"