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Kabir hit the ground hard, his body rolling to absorb the impact as shards of glass rained around him. The night air was sharp against his skin, carrying the faint scent of wet earth. He staggered to his feet, adrenaline coursing through his veins. The muffled shouts of guards faded behind him as he darted into the dense cover of the forest surrounding the resort.
A Narrow Escape
The forest was a labyrinth of shadows, each step muffled by the carpet of leaves beneath Kabir’s feet. His breaths came in sharp bursts, his body aching from the night’s exertions. He could hear the distant barks of dogs, their handlers closing in.
Kabir’s sharp eyes scanned his surroundings. His instincts kicked in, honed by years of surviving the streets of Kolkata. He climbed a nearby tree, perching silently among the branches. The barking grew louder, the dogs sniffing furiously as they passed beneath him.
The guards cursed under their breath, frustrated by the lack of a trail. “Spread out! He couldn’t have gone far!”
Kabir waited, his muscles coiled like a predator’s, until the guards moved deeper into the forest. Once the coast was clear, he descended carefully and resumed his escape, heading toward the safehouse where he was supposed to meet Ananya.
The Safehouse
Ananya sat in the dimly lit room, her hands trembling as she clutched the tablet containing the recordings. She had replayed Kapoor’s words several times, her anger growing with each listen. Project Lotus wasn’t just a scheme—it was a declaration of war on everything the Rathore Empire stood for.
A faint knock at the door snapped her out of her thoughts. She rushed to open it, relief flooding her face as she saw Kabir standing there, disheveled but alive.
“You made it!” she exclaimed, pulling him inside.
“Barely,” Kabir said, collapsing into a chair. He winced as he examined the cuts on his arms from the broken glass.
Ananya grabbed a first-aid kit and began cleaning his wounds. “You’re reckless, you know that?”
Kabir smirked despite the pain. “And you wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Ananya rolled her eyes but didn’t reply. Instead, she placed the tablet on the table. “We have everything. The files, the recordings—they’re enough to expose Kapoor and his entire operation.”
Kabir’s expression hardened. “Not yet. If we go public now, they’ll use their connections to bury the story. We need to hit them where it hurts.”
The Stakes of Project Lotus
As Kabir reviewed the files again, new details emerged about the scale of Project Lotus. It wasn’t just about smuggling or corruption—it was about power. Kapoor and Devendra’s plan involved:
“This isn’t just a land grab,” Kabir muttered. “It’s an empire grab.”
Ananya frowned. “What’s the plan, then? We can’t take them on directly—they have money, influence, and an army of loyalists.”
Kabir leaned back, his mind already working through the possibilities. “We dismantle them piece by piece. Expose their weakest link first, sow discord among their allies. Once they start turning on each other, we’ll deliver the final blow.”
The First Target
Kabir’s eyes settled on the name of one of Kapoor’s key allies: Rajiv Malhotra, a corrupt bureaucrat whose role was to ensure that illegal clearances for Project Lotus went through smoothly.
“If we take him down,” Kabir said, “it’ll slow the project and send a message to Kapoor that he’s not untouchable.”
“How do we do that?” Ananya asked.
Kabir tapped the screen, pulling up Malhotra’s schedule. “He has a private meeting tomorrow at his farmhouse. If we can intercept him there, we’ll get what we need.”
Ananya hesitated. “Intercept him? Kabir, that sounds like a trap waiting to happen.”
Kabir smiled faintly. “Which is why we’ll make it his trap—not ours.”
Kapoor’s Countermove
Back at the resort, Kapoor paced the lavish conference room, his temper barely contained. The guards had returned empty-handed, and the news had only worsened since.
“He escaped,” Kapoor growled, his voice dripping with venom.
Devendra shifted nervously. “But we’ve tightened our security. He won’t get another chance.”
Kapoor slammed his fist onto the table. “This isn’t about security! This is about control! If Kabir Singh Rathore thinks he can challenge me, I’ll show him what happens to people who cross Vikram Kapoor.”
He turned to Devendra, his eyes cold. “Double the bounty on him. I want every bounty hunter, every mercenary in this city looking for him. And put his family under surveillance. If we can’t catch him, we’ll force him to come to us.”
Devendra nodded, though a flicker of doubt crossed his face.
The Calm Before the Storm
As the night deepened, Kabir and Ananya finalized their plans. The farmhouse was isolated, and security would be tight, but Kabir had a knack for finding cracks in even the most impenetrable defenses.
Before they turned in for the night, Kabir spoke, his voice quieter than usual. “Ananya… thank you. For sticking with me through all of this.”
Ananya looked at him, her expression softening. “We’re in this together, Kabir. No matter what.”
As Kabir closed his eyes to rest, the weight of the coming confrontation pressed on him. He knew the road ahead would only grow more dangerous. But if he was to reclaim his family’s legacy and stop Kapoor’s ambitions, he couldn’t afford to falter.