Page 11 of The Redemption
As soon as she leaves, Michael steps forward and hands me his phone. I snatch it from him, realising ‘he’ is on the line, and press it to my ear.
“I’ve reached,” I snap. “And you don’t need to check on me every damn hour when your men are already feeding you updates every minute. So, relax. Let. Me. Breathe.”
I hang up without waiting for a reply and shove the phone back into Michael’s hand. His expression doesn’t change. He’s used to both my temper and my commands.
“Since this is a cottage suite,” he says calmly, “a guard will be stationed outside the front entrance. Not right at the door, but close enough to monitor the ins and outs. The rest of the team is positioned around the property gates and along the main road.”
I lean casually against the bedpost, listening.
“You won’t be going anywhere without security,” he continues. “If you want to go to the lobby, the vineyard, or anywhere else on the estate, you call for the buggy, and we accompany you.”
He looks around briefly before continuing.
“We’re also integrating with RK Estate’s CCTV system. I’ll personally be monitoring the cameras. So don’t try anything clever.”
My lips twitch.Try your luck.
“Get out, Michael.” I dismiss him with a flick of my hand.
He hesitates but then walks out. The door clicks shut behind him, and as silence settles over the suite, I turn the lock myself.
I’m finally alone.
The journey from Cape Town to India had been long enough to drain, even with the brief halt in Dubai to refuel. My body craves sleep, but first, I need a hot shower.
I step into the bedroom, my fingers reaching instinctively for the little annoyances first. The earrings come off, followed by my bracelet. Then I reach back and pull the zipper of my red dressdown. It slips off, pooling at my feet, leaving me in nothing but red silk lingerie.
That’s when I see it.
The large RK logo etched above the bathroom mirror.
Hisinitials.Hisworld.Hisempire.
It’s engraved in almost every corner of this suite. But the one above the bathroom mirror… it stands out. Like it’s mocking me. Like it has eyes of its own, tracing over every inch of my bare skin. I snatch a tissue from the side, then walk out and pick up the glue tube from the stationery tray, and spread it over the tissue.
“I know this is your world,” I murmur as I reach the bathroom and press the glued tissue firmly over the mirror, covering the RK logo. “But no one gets to follow me into my shower.”
Only then, I strip off the lingerie and turn on the shower. Within minutes, the steam begins to rise, and I allow myself to relax. It’s been a long time since I’ve known this kind of relief. Nine months of waiting and starving for the taste of freedom again. Though this isn’t the freedom I once dreamt of, it still feels like something I can finally breathe in.
The moment I stepped into Shivtara Valley, I knew I’d already broken free from half the chains that once held me back. Fifty percent of my troubles are now behind me. And the rest isn’t too far now.
RAGHAV
Four hours later
I’m standing by the tall glass window of my cabin, my gaze fixed on the garden beyond. The cabin is a cottage turned intoan office, set a little away from the main reception area. It is my private space from where I run the workings of the RK Estate.
Outside, the Vardhaan men in their dark suits are mapping this place for exits and cover, for vantage points and chokeholds. They’re spread out like hunters: one is watching the driveway, another is checking the staff entrances, while two of them are scanning and monitoring staff movement, planning who protects their princess, who watches over her, and who shadows the rest. The sight ofthemonmygrounds grates on my nerves.
Earlier, in the lobby, they had watched me the way trained security personnel watches any unfamiliar male standing too close to their principal. But none of them looked at me twice or with suspicion. They didn’t recognise me. They never would.
Even in the past, I was never the face that moved across the borders, shaking hands and sealing deals. That was Tej Khurana. My father liked visibility. I preferred the shadows. Even when I executed rival men, it was in the darkness where vision blurs. CCTV cameras only captured bits and pieces. Low angles, grainy footage, a shadow stepping forward… and then the sound of a gunshot. And if at all my face reached rival clans, it was never clear. Just blurred images and whispered descriptions.
Two and a half years is a long time in the underworld. Long enough for fear to turn into folklore. Long enough for a face to fade. My body has changed since then. It’s become broader, harder. My hair is shorter. And most importantly, I’m here asRaghav Kundra, not the heir to a dead empire. They see exactly what I want them see.
A vineyard owner.
Besides, these men are of lower rank—loyal, efficient, trained to follow orders, not to think beyond them. They know of the Dark Prince, of course, but only by name. There was never any official confirmation of his death. As per them, when the head of the Bat Syndicate, my father, died, the Dark Prince died alongwith him. But I’ll have to be careful around Michael. His gaze had lingered a second longer than necessary. Not long enough to raise alarm, but long enough for me to notice. But I know even if Michael decides to dig deeper, Haider will intercept him long before he gets close to anything worth discovering.
