Dussehra was coming. Mumbai was buzzing. Shops sold giant effigies of the demon king Ravana. The air smelled of fireworks and sweets. For Rajendra, it was business as usual. But a problem had popped up.
His film, Pyaar Ki Jeet, was finally moving. But a big-shot producer, Karan Seth, had his eyes on Madhuri Dixit. Seth was famous for two things: making hit films, and being a wolf with young actresses.
Ganesh brought the news. "He's offering Madhuri-ji a solo-heroine film. Big money. He's calling our project a 'joke by a cloth merchant.' He's invited her to his farmhouse in Khandala to 'talk script.'"
Rajendra understood. This wasn't just competition. This was a predator marking his territory.
Prakash Mehra, the director, was worried. "Seth doesn't listen to reason. He only understands power. And right now, he has more than us."
Rajendra dug deeper. He found out Seth had a secret. His last two films had bombed. He owed bad people from Dubai a lot of money. He was desperate. Madhuri wasn't just another actress to him; she was his financial lifeline. A desperate man is a dangerous man.
Rajendra couldn't use the System for this. This was an Earth problem. He needed an Earth solution. And Dussehra, the festival where we burn the bad guy, gave him an idea.
He found out Seth's other vice: illegal high-stakes card games at his farmhouse. Important people played there—politicians, police, businessmen. Seth's whole life was a house of cards.
Rajendra decided to tip the first card.
He made an anonymous call to a crime reporter. He hinted about the card games and the Dubai links. But he knew that wasn't enough. He needed proof.
Using some of his Void-Coins, he bought a tiny listening device from the System. It looked like a small bindi. It could record for five hours.
The night before Dussehra, there was a big party at Seth's Juhu bungalow. Rajendra got himself invited, posing as a rich mill heir curious about films.
The party was loud and flashy. Seth held court, laughing too loudly. Rajendra watched him carefully. He saw the fear in Seth's eyes when certain quiet, cold-eyed men looked his way. The Dubai men.
During the party, Rajendra "accidentally" spilled a drink on a young, nervous actress near Seth. While apologizing, he secretly stuck the bindi listening device under the sofa where Seth was sitting. The girl left soon after, but the device stayed.
For the next few hours, it recorded everything. Seth's bragging about fixing police cases. His ugly talk about actresses. And most importantly, a terrified phone call to Dubai, where Seth promised, "The Madhuri Dixit film will solve everything. Just give me more time."
Rajendra had his proof.
On Dussehra morning, two deliveries went out.
First, a bouquet of roses and a note to Madhuri's house. "The script for Pyaar Ki Jeet is ready for you. Karan Seth will not trouble you again. Today, we burn the problems. Happy Dussehra. – Rajendra."
Second, a package containing the recording and a typed transcript went to the Police Commissioner's office and to the crime reporter.
Then, Rajendra went to Shivaji Park for the big Ravana burning. The ground was packed. Giant, colourful effigies of the demon king and his brothers stood tall. The excitement was electric.
As the sun set, the ceremony started. Priests chanted. A man dressed as Lord Rama shot a flaming arrow.
Whoosh!
The arrow hit Ravana's chest. Fire exploded. The giant effigy went up in flames, fireworks popping and cracking inside it. The crowd roared with joy.
In the middle of this noise and fire, Rajendra saw a small commotion in the VIP area. Plainclothes police moved in. They went straight to Karan Seth, who was sitting there with a smug smile, enjoying the show.
The smile died. The officers spoke to him quietly, then took him by the arms. Seth tried to protest, but his words were lost in the sound of the burning demon. He was led away, his head down, as Ravana collapsed into a heap of ash behind him.
The crowd saw only the fireworks. Rajendra saw justice, dressed in festival clothes.
That night, Prakash Mehra called, his voice happy. "Madhuri signed! She heard about Seth's arrest! She's with us!"
Diwali came two weeks later. The city was a fairyland of lights. Rajendra's MANO company held a "Diwali Bazaar" at the mill. They sold pressure cookers and showed off the beautiful fabrics from the Karjat weavers. Shanti was there, managing the stalls, her face glowing in the lantern light. She looked happy.
Rajendra walked through the crowd, smiling, shaking hands. He saw Elena Volkova across the yard. She was studying a silk saree, a faint smile on her face. She was working for him now as a consultant. She caught his eye and nodded slowly. Things were progressing.
Shanti found him in the crowd. "It's a hit!" she said, her eyes bright. "We've sold so much today!"
"Good. This is just the start," he said.
"You sound like you want to light up the whole country, not just lamps," she laughed.
"Maybe I do," he smiled back.
For a moment, with the lights and the laughter, he felt normal. Just a young man building a business.
Then, a chill touched his spine. His System pinged. A private message.
It was from Vex.
His heart jumped. He thought the Glyth deal had ended things with the psychic drug lord.
He opened the message. It was a picture. It showed a dark, glowing crystal shard floating in space. Next to it was a small, familiar object.
An empty Biological Stasis Pod. The same kind he had used to send the tulsi plant to the Mad Scientist.
Under the picture, Vex had written:
"Found this floating near Glyth. It smells like your world. You're shipping more than just old movies, Merchant. What else are you sending out there?"