The bedroom door opened without a sound.
Farhad stepped inside like a shadow, closing it gently behind him. He never knocked. He never needed to.
The room was dim, curtains half-drawn. City lights shimmered faintly beyond the glass. Runi stood by the window, porcelain cup in hand, steam rising slowly from her coffee.
She didn't turn.
Farhad's eyes rested on her for a brief moment before lowering to his shoes.
Silence stretched between them.
"Did you finish it neatly?" Runi asked.
"Yes, ma'am."
"Did it look as it should?"
Farhad hesitated.
The ticking of a distant clock filled the room.
Runi slowly turned. Her expression was calm, but her eyes were sharp.
"Answer me. Damn it."
"You know the answer," he said quietly. "I warned you about the risk. If this continues, someone will notice."
"I didn't ask about the risk," she replied evenly. "I asked if you completed it without leaving any trace."
A pause.
"The pills were present," Farhad said. "Enough to support the conclusion. And the rope was positioned exactly as required."
"And the scene?"
"Undisturbed. No foreign prints. No inconsistencies."
It would read as self-inflicted.
Clean.
Controlled.
Convincing.
Runi studied him for a moment longer, then gave a small nod.
"You can leave."
Farhad exited as silently as he had entered.
The door clicked shut.
The room felt heavier.
On the bedside table lay a matte black envelope. No address. No seal. Just a single word pressed faintly into the surface:
INSIGNIA
Runi's gaze lingered on it.
She did not open it.
She never opened them immediately.
The last instruction had been short.
No deviation.
Insignia did not repeat orders.
They did not tolerate mistakes.
Even she answered to something.
She took a slow sip of her coffee.
Then-
Her phone rang.
The sound sliced through the stillness.
Runi glanced at the screen.
Caller ID:
UNKNOWN PROTOCOL - 0X-17
That channel activated only when containment risk escalated.
She answered.
"What are you doing... and why is DID interested in you?"
Runi's fingers tightened slightly around the phone.
"DID?" she repeated calmly.
"Department of Investigative Defense. Dhaka HQ. They've opened a quiet inquiry into the recent incidents."
For a brief second, her mind recalculated.
"They were isolated cases," she said smoothly.
"They don't think so."
Silence.
"Who is handling it?" she asked.
"A young officer. Name: Juny."
Runi's expression remained unreadable.
"What should I know?"
"Do not underestimate her. She has a one hundred percent success rate. She does not abandon cases."
The words settled heavily in the air.
"I will handle it," Runi replied softly.
"You better."
The line disconnected.
The room returned to silence.
DID was unexpected.
An investigator with a perfect record was inconvenient.
But Insignia-
If they believed she had drawn unnecessary attention-
That would not be inconvenient.
That would be fatal.
Runi slowly walked back to the window. The city lights flickered below, unaware of the quiet forces shaping its stability.
She picked up the black envelope and turned it over in her hand.
For the first time that night, her coffee had gone cold.
And somewhere far away-
A file had been opened.
The board was shifting.
And the next move would decide everything.