Page 259 of The Redemption
There she is on the screen, helping Siya’s mother into a vehicle. I stare at the footage, unable to believe what I’m seeing. Out of everyone at RK Estate, Kriti is the last person I would have expected to betray us.
“Play it again,” I order.
The footage starts rolling from the beginning. Kriti was one of the few people at the estate who knew where Siya’s mother was kept, which explains how she reached her without raising suspicion. But why the hell did she go there in the first place?
I watch Rukmini Vardhaan walk out with her willingly. No struggle. No resistance. She simply follows Kriti towards the waiting vehicle, believing she is there to help her.
My hands curl into fists. What the hell?
Ayaan’s face darkens immediately. “Isn’t that Kriti, our sommelier?” he asks. “I always felt something was off about her.”
My mind is already racing, trying to make sense of what I’m seeing. Why would Kriti do this?
And then, suddenly, everything begins to click into place. I remember Siya telling me that Kriti liked me, and I’d dismissed it without much thought. At the Shivtara Mata event that night, Kriti was ready to put a lily garland around my neck and propose to me, but I ended up marrying Siya instead. Now, as I stare at her face on the screen, every strange glance, every unnecessary concern, and every attempt she made to insert herself into my life comes rushing back.
“But why would she do this?” Trisha asks.
“Maybe Samarjeet blackmailed her,” Ayaan guesses. “Maybe she didn’t have a choice and—”
“She helped him willingly,” I cut him off.
They all stare at me. “She didn’t do this under pressure or because Samarjeet forced her.” I don’t take my eyes off the footage. “She wanted Siya gone. She wanted to take Siya’s place in my life. She wanted me.” The realisation makes my blood boil. “Helping Samarjeet was her best bet tohurt Siya. She wanted to destroy my marriage, and break my family.”
Ayaan exhales in disbelief. “You’re saying she betrayed us because she’s obsessed with you?”
Yes.I give him a grim nod, and somehow, admitting it only pisses me off more. Because I trusted her. Not as a family, but as someone I could rely on when it came to this estate. I was so wrong. I should have seen this coming. Siya had warned me. I should have taken her words seriously instead of brushing them aside.
“Wait.” Krish suddenly interrupts, his fingers already flying across the keyboard.
Ayaan frowns. I turn to Krish to know what he’s got. Krish opens a folder and turns the laptop towards us. There are photographs, around three years old, of Kriti in France with Samarjeet Vardhaan, holidaying at some exotic location, looking very much in love.
What the f*ck are they doing together?
“I found these while cross-referencing Samarjeet’s known contacts,” Krish tells us.
Ayaan’s eyes narrow. “Don’t tell me—”
“Yes, they dated.” Krish confirms. “They were together for almost two years.”
I stare at the photographs again. Everything makes sense now. Samarjeet couldn’t infiltrate RK estate, couldn’t get past my security, my network, or my people. So he found someone who already had access. Someone nobody would suspect.
Ayaan mutters a curse under his breath.
Trisha shakes her head. “Obsessed women really are more dangerous than trained killers.”
Yes, and I’m going to make sure she regrets this. Ayaan notices the rage building inside me and quickly redirects the conversation. He points at the map of the valley displayed on another screen.
“Our priority right now is Samarjeet,” he says. “Our teams are already searching the entire valley. Every road, every exit, every village.”
I nod, knowing Samarjeet cannot leave Shivtara Valley anymore. With his jet gone, his escape route has been erased. Every border checkpoint has been alerted, and my men are hunting him. This means he is still here somewhere, hiding and buying time. He must be plotting another escape plan. And that gives us a window.A small one.We need to find him before he disappears again, taking Rukmini Vardhaan with him.
How the hell do we find one man hiding somewhere inside an entire valley in such a short amount of time?
I begin pacing again, trying to think, my fingers automatically reaching for the pendant around my neck. My thumb brushes over it absently until my gaze suddenly falls on the bracelet around my wrist.Shamsher Vardhaan’s bracelet.The one Siya’s mother gave me on the day I remarried Siya.
I remember Siya telling me later that her dad had bought two pieces for their first anniversary, this bracelet for himself and a solitaire ring for his wife. A matching set that they’d worn for years. I still as a thought takes shape in my head. I immediately pull the bracelet from my wrist, turn to Krish, and place it on the table in front of him.
“Tell me this is trackable.”
