Agni left the mansion and started walking ahead, stopping only when she was far enough from the mansion that no one could see her. She made a call, and within two minutes, a black van arrived and parked.
Aahuti was sitting inside the van, and the driver's seat was also occupied by a woman.
Aahuti took out her iPad, showing it to Agni and said, "Look, Agni, this is the map of the club, and this is the room where the deal is going to take place today. We need to stop this deal and make it ours."
Agni's face was stern as she looked at the map, watching the finger of Aahuti as it pointed to the room. A devilish smile spread across Agni's face, and with her head leaning against the seat, she said, "Today, it's going to be fun."
Aahuti just stared at Agni, who seemed lost in deep thought.
As they moved ahead, Aahuti noticed Agni's feet, which were limping due to pain. But Agni had not shown any sign of pain on her face. Aahuti bent down and looked at Agni's feet and saw a deep glass shard wound on the sole, making her concerned. She asked in a worried tone, "What happened, Agni? What's wrong with your foot?"
Agni didn't look at Aahuti but shook her head and said, "Mind your business."
Aahuti, seeing Agni's face with no expression, replied, "I am minding my business. You are my friend, and you didn't tell me you were hurt, and now you're going after that man. First, go to the hospital or a clinic. Just because you've been hurt doesn't mean you should hide it. At least apply medicine. What if the wound gets worse?"
Agni, still showing no expression, looked at the ceiling of the van and said, "This wound is nothing compared to the ones in my heart. I'm not in pain, and even if I get a thousand wounds on my body, it won't matter."
Aahuti Vyas, Agni's partner in crime. Both had been to the same school, the same college, and were very calm by nature. But whenever Aahuti got angry, it was terrifying. Agni, however, had always remained calm in every situation, but ever since the incident with her, Agni had changed completely. Aahuti was amazed by the change in Agni. But she had always wanted Agni to show herself. She didn't want her to always appear calm and composed because in this world, calm and composed people were of no value.
Agni didn't want to, but Aahuti insisted. So, the van went straight to a clinic, where Aahuti helped Agni get out and walked her inside.
A female doctor inside examined Agni's foot, checking the depth and nature of the wound. After inspecting it with a magnifying glass, the doctor found glass still stuck in Agni's foot, which was increasing her pain and deepening the wound. The doctor immediately removed the glass, causing Agni to unintentionally scream.
Agni squeezed her eyes shut and clenched the pallu of her saree in her fists, trying to suppress the pain.
The doctor said, "Maybe that's why you were limping. The glass hadn't fully come out. It must have been cracked when it fell, and only half of it was removed."
Agni simply nodded in agreement, not saying anything. Aahuti asked, "How long will it take to heal? We have so much work, and if you can't walk, everything will be delayed."
As the doctor applied ointment to Agni's foot, she said, "At least two to three days of rest. If you start walking now, the wound will worsen, and it could spread poison. There's so much dirt and dust in the air these days. So, don't remove the bandage and avoid walking too much to prevent further damage."
Agni still didn't say anything but nodded. After paying the doctor, Aahuti put the painkillers in her pocket and helped Agni back to the van. But when the van didn't start moving, Agni said, "Why isn't the van moving? Hurry up! I don't want the deal to stop."
Aahuti replied, "Agni, I know every illegal deal in the world is important to you, but this time, take some rest. We get enough information about thousands of deals. We can take on another one. Let this one go, and you can either go home or to the office."
Agni glared at Aahuti like a volcano ready to erupt and said, "Stop lecturing me. I absolutely hate it when someone gives me a lecture. If you don't want to come, go back home. I will make sure this deal is mine. This isn't just a 200 rupee deal, it's a 500 crore rupee deal."
Aahuti remained silent, and Agni turned to the driver and said, "Oh madam, the auspicious time will pass. Drive the car."
Club 72, Bandra, Mumbai, Maharashtra.
The place was crowded! Even though it was daytime, many people had gathered here, partying, dancing, and enjoying themselves.
A guard at the gate was checking everyone as they entered with an invitation, since a well-known businessman had hosted the event, and all these people had been invited by him.
The dress code for the event was Western wear and masks.
As the guard was inspecting the guests, two girls walked in together. One girl, with a ponytail, wore a tank top, pencil skirt, and pencil heels. The other girl, with straight hair, wore a shimmering blue one-piece dress and shorter heels than her companion.
The first girl wore a red and yellow butterfly mask, while the other wore a white mask. They looked like they belonged to the party, and when the guard asked for their invitation, one of the girls handed it over. The guard allowed them to enter.
Their eyes met, and without saying a word, they understood each other. One girl moved toward the corridor, and the other toward the counter.
The girl in the shimmering blue dress went up to the counter and asked a waiter to prepare a drink. Five minutes later, the waiter returned with the drink. The girl took the drink with one hand and then grabbed the waiter's hand with her other hand. He stared at her, confused. She lowered his hand slightly so no one could see, and as she slowly pulled her hands away, the waiter was startled to find a thick wad of cash in his palm.
"What's this?" the waiter muttered, but the girl pressed a finger to her lips and whispered, "Sssshhh."
The waiter understood and, without saying a word, followed her lead, pocketing the money. He led her to a different part of the club and said, "I don't want this money. Take it, do whatever you need, but I don't want to get involved in anything illegal."
The girl's eyes pierced him through her mask. She spoke coldly, "You have a son, right? He's about to finish school, but you can barely afford his fees. Your wife cleans other people's houses, and you're a waiter here. Isn't that right?"
The waiter, shocked to hear such personal details, stammered, "How do you know about my family?"
She laughed, but it was a chilling sound. "I won't do anything to your family, but if you don't listen to me, your son won't make it home today. Your wife, working in Mr. Malhotra's kitchen, will be caught in a blast. And you, you'll lose everything, your little shack will be destroyed, all in the next two minutes."
The waiter's body trembled, and he begged, "What do you want me to do? Please don't hurt anyone."
The girl waved her hand dismissively. "No, no blood. Just a small favor. I need a room key. That's it."
The waiter hesitated, but the promise of money made him relent. "Fifty thousand, huh?"
"Hmmm," she replied calmly, "Just one room key, and I'll take care of your family's needs, your daughter's fees, and even move you to a better place."
"Fifty thousand!" the waiter repeated in disbelief.
She nodded. "I need the duplicate key to the room where the man organizing this party is. That's all."
Without thinking further, the waiter quickly gave her the key.
As she walked away, he warned, "But if you get caught—"
She stopped, turned, and with a smirk said, "Don't worry about me. Just mind your business."
A little later, on the fourth floor.
The elevator doors opened, and the two girls stepped out. The girl who had been at the counter asked, "What did you say to get the key?"
The first girl, walking confidently, replied, "I told him that we'll pay for his daughter's fees, send food to his house, and get him out of this crappy job."
The second girl paused. "Who's going to pay for that?"
The first girl glanced back and teased, "Don't worry about it, darling."
As they reached the room, the first girl knocked on the door. The second girl, confused, asked, "Why are you knocking? We have the key."
The first girl didn't answer, just knocked again. A man in his late 30s, the organizer of the party, opened the door. He looked at them and said, "The party's downstairs. What do you want here?"
The first girl walked in confidently, replying, "I know the party's downstairs, but the real party is happening here. What do you want me to do downstairs?"
The man stepped forward, warning, "Who are you? Leave now, or I'll have to make you."
She locked eyes with him, her hand slowly reaching up to touch his face in a seductive manner. "Darling, I'm not trying to get close to you. You're the one forcing yourself on me. I'm not leaving. Do whatever you can, but I'm staying. I want to see if you have the guts to throw us out."