Episode------ 41
Rain turned Kolkata's narrow lanes into rivers of shadow and light, neon signs bleeding across wet stone.
In a nameless tea shop hidden under crumbling arches, Aria sat hunched over a cracked table. Across from her, Ayan's gaze swept every doorway, every silhouette outside. Lina kept a hand curled around a rusted iron rod hidden under her shawl.
Aria's voice trembled, yet stayed steady: "His name's Abbas. Rajveer's accountant. If anyone can prove Rajveer struck first, it's him."
"And if he won't talk?" Lina whispered.
Aria swallowed. "Then we remind him what Rajveer did to people like us."
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Ayan's jaw tightened. "You realize, if Abbas talks, every family Rajveer owed money to will come after us."
Aria met his gaze, eyes shadowed but unflinching. "Then we keep running. But we don't stop."
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Outside, a battered Ambassador car waited. Rust flaked from the hood; its driver, face hidden by scarf and rain, drummed restless fingers on the wheel.
Ayan slid into the front. "Drive. And no names."
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In the back seat: Aria's pulse roared under bruised skin. Lina's hand brushed hers — silent comfort.
"You okay?" Lina whispered.
"No," Aria breathed. "But he's in a cage because of me. So 'okay' doesn't matter."
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Elsewhere, in the lock-up:
Steel bars painted shadows across Raian's face. Sweat traced old scars under flickering light.
Footsteps echoed — sharp, measured.
A figure stopped outside his cell: grey suit, gold ring glinting on manicured hand.
"Raian Khan," the man drawled. "You remember me?"
Raian's eyes lifted, cold and sharp. "Arif Malik," he rasped.
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Arif's smirk curved like a blade. "Old friend of your father's. And now… your last hope."
Raian said nothing. Silence pressed tight.
"I can buy your freedom," Arif murmured, leaning closer, voice oiled and dangerous. "Judge, witnesses — all have a price."
"And the cost?" Raian rasped.
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Arif's smile never touched his eyes. "Your loyalty, Raian. Kneel to the Malik family. Become my sword. Forget the doctor, forget redemption — be what you were born to be."
Raian's breath caught. Aria's tear‑stained face burned behind his eyes.
"And if I refuse?" he asked, voice low.
Arif's smirk grew colder. "Then you rot here, and watch the girl you love die next."
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For a breath, Raian felt the old cold rage stirring — the part of him that bowed to nothing, killed without doubt.
Then softer memory cut through: Aria's trembling whisper: "Then fail forward."
Raian's voice cracked. "Get out," he rasped.
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Arif's gaze narrowed. "Think carefully, boy. Love won't save you."
Raian met his stare, grey eyes haunted but unbroken. "It already did."
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The city, hours later:
Rain slicked cracked concrete outside a warehouse lit by a single bare bulb.
Ayan led the way, hand inside his coat. "Abbas should be here," he muttered.
"Should?" Lina whispered, nerves tight.
"He runs accounts for half the city. He never misses payday," Ayan said.
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Inside, the air stank of wet wood and cigarette smoke.
A portly man in rumpled white shirt counted bundles of stained rupees on a crate.
Abbas.
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Ayan stepped forward. "Abbas. Need a word."
The man's eyes flicked up, sharp and rodent‑quick. "And you are?"
"Friends of the man Rajveer tried to kill," Ayan rasped. "We know you kept his books. And we know you know the truth."
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Abbas's hand hovered near a drawer. "Get out. Before you get dead."
"We don't want money," Aria said, voice trembling but firm. "Just truth."
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Abbas snorted. "Truth won't buy me a grave big enough."
"But silence will get you killed by the next boss who rises," Ayan snapped. "Rajveer's dead. Raian's in jail. But the families still want someone's head."
Abbas hesitated, sweat beading on his brow. "And you want me to what? Testify?"
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Aria stepped closer, rain‑damp hair clinging to her face. "Rajveer came to kill us first. Raian killed to protect. Tell the court what you know — or at least give us the ledgers."
"And when Malik's men come?" Abbas hissed.
"We'll be dead anyway," Lina murmured. "So choose who you fear more: the man in chains, or the truth itself."
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Silence pulsed, thick and ragged.
Then Abbas's hand moved — not to the drawer, but to a rusted metal box under the table.
"I kept a copy," he muttered. "Because men like Rajveer never stay on top forever."
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He passed the ledgers to Aria.
"Now get out," he rasped. "And pray the truth is faster than death."
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Outside, rain washed sweat from Aria's face.
Lina let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd held. "We have it," she whispered.
Ayan's hand closed around Aria's shoulder. "One step closer."
Aria hugged the ledgers to her chest, paper damp against her heartbeat. "One step," she breathed. "For him."
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In the cell, night fell.
Raian sat unmoving, chains cold against skin.
But in his chest, something fragile refused to die:
A doctor's promise.
A chance he didn't deserve — but still wanted.
And far across the rain‑soaked city, Aria kept her promise alive.
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Teaser for Episode 42:
Ayan, Lina & Aria plan how to get the ledgers to court — but Malik's men move first, forcing them into hiding. Raian faces his darkest night, haunted by ghosts of every man he's killed.