Rishi called Vijay again, his voice calm but carrying a dangerous undertone.
"Vijay," he said smoothly, "if you really want all your problems to disappear, you'll have to delete the entire project data — and hand it over to me."
Vijay froze, unable to believe what he was hearing.
"Sir… I can't do that," he said quietly.
"Listen, Vijay," Rishi coaxed. "I know you're scared, but think about this — I can get you a job in our company. You'll never have to worry about money again. Just copy the data from the server, delete it from theirs, and hand it to me. Simple."
Vijay took a breath. "No, sir. I can't. I won't."
And with that, he hung up.
Rishi's expression hardened. Fury flashed in his eyes. He called in his men, slammed a folder on the desk, and said coldly, "This is his address. Go there — scare them. But remember, no one gets hurt. Especially not the women."
The next morning, while Vijay was at the office, ten of Rishi's men arrived at his house.
Inside, Vijay's wife Kavita was helping their little boy get ready for school when the doorbell rang. She opened the door — and froze. Ten strangers stood outside, their eyes cold and calculating.
"W–who are you looking for?" she asked nervously.
"Your husband isn't home, is he?" one of them asked.
"He's gone to the office," she said, voice trembling.
"No problem," the man smirked. "We can talk to you instead."
Kavita's heart pounded. "Look… whatever this is about, you can talk to him when he returns."
"We don't have that kind of time," the man snapped.
Kavita quickly slammed the door shut and locked it. For the next ten minutes, the men banged on it furiously, shouting threats. Then, finally, they left — but not before one of them growled, "We'll be back tomorrow."
Kavita leaned against the door, shaking. Through the window, she watched until they were truly gone. Then she hugged her son tightly, tears forming in her eyes, and called Vijay.
At the office, Vijay was neck-deep in work when his phone rang.
"What is it, Kavita?" he asked, slightly impatient.
Her trembling voice relayed everything that had just happened.
Vijay went silent. Then, trying to sound composed, he said, "Okay… I'll take care of it. Don't worry." He hung up — but his mind was racing.
Who could've done this?
Before he could think further, his phone rang again. Unknown number.
He hesitated, then answered.
"Well, Vijay," the voice said mockingly, "did you like my little surprise?"
"What?" Vijay's heart dropped. "You sent those men?"
"Of course," the voice said with a cruel chuckle.
"But why? What have I ever done to you?" Vijay demanded.
"Oh, come on, Vijay. You still don't recognize me?"
Vijay frowned. "What do you mean?"
"I'm Rishi," the voice said, laughing softly.
"Sir… please. I can't do what you're asking. Leave me alone."
"Keep refusing," Rishi threatened, his tone icy, "and my men will come knocking every morning."
Vijay swallowed hard. "Fine, sir. I'll do it. But promise me your people won't come near my house again."
"Relax," Rishi said. "They won't. But you have two days. Finish the job."
He hung up.
Two hours later, Vijay called him back.
"Sir," he said, voice steady now, "I'll do what you asked. But how much will you pay me?"
Rishi smiled to himself. "We'll give you ₹1.5 crore — and if you want, a job in our company."
"I don't want the job," Vijay said. "I want ₹5 crore."
Rishi was stunned. "Five crores? That's too much."
"Come on, sir," Vijay said coolly. "This project will earn your company over a hundred crores — maybe more. I'm only asking for a fraction of that."
"That's a huge amount, Vijay."
"Sir, if you can take over this entire company using my data, then ten crores is nothing."
Rishi paused, thinking. "Wait ten minutes," he said finally, and hung up.
He went straight to Ramakrishna's office and explained everything.
Ramakrishna leaned back in his chair, deep in thought. "So this man says he can give us information that will hand the company over to us?"
"Yes, sir," Rishi said. "He might even know something that could shift control entirely."
"Can he be trusted? What if he feeds us false data?" Ramakrishna asked.
"I don't think so, sir. Besides, he's also asking for a job. He won't risk losing both money and opportunity."
Ramakrishna nodded slowly. "The job isn't an issue. But ten crores is a lot."
"With respect, sir," Rishi said, "this deal might be our best chance. If we don't act now, we might lose everything."
Ramakrishna exhaled. "Fine. Approve the deal. But make sure he hands over the data first."
Rishi smirked. "Understood."
He dialed Vijay again.
"Vijay, we've agreed," he said. "But on one condition — you'll give us the data now."
"Only if I get six crores first," Vijay countered.
Rishi covered the receiver and looked at Ramakrishna.
Ramakrishna thought for a moment, then gestured with his hand: Get the data first.
"Listen, Vijay," Rishi said, "we'll transfer your money right after you send the data."
"No," Vijay replied sharply. "Money first — then the data."
"If the information is as important as you claim," Rishi said, "we'll pay. But we need proof first."
"Fine," Vijay said after a pause. "I'll give you half the information. If it's valuable, then you'll get the rest — but only after I receive payment."
"Deal," Rishi said. "Tell me what you know."
Vijay took a deep breath. "It's about the company's finances. When this company was founded, there was a secret investor — one no one knows about. That person holds sixty percent of the shares. If you can get those shares, the entire company will be yours."
Meanwhile, at Shiv's office, a meeting had just begun.
"Is everyone here?" Shiv asked.
"Yes, sir," Ranjit said.
"Good," Shiv said, looking around the room. "Let me explain why we've gathered."
Everyone nodded attentively.
"We've got only two days left," Shiv continued. "We must present our prototype by then — or the project goes to the next bidder. We can't afford that. So I need everyone's best work. No delays."
"Yes, sir," the team responded in unison.
Back on the call, Rishi asked, "Are you sure this information is accurate, Vijay?"
"Yes, sir," Vijay replied. "But I'll reveal the rest only after the transfer."
So… who is this mysterious investor holding sixty percent of the company?
And will Shiv discover the betrayal unfolding right under his nose — before it's too late?