"Yes, please."
He provided the number and held the receiver to his ear. After about half a minute, the operator's voice came through, "Your number, please."
A voice from the other end responded, "Hello?"
The stranger asked, "Who is speaking?"
A trembling voice replied, "It's Lata speaking."
"Lata, my child! It's me, Seth Oberoi."
A shocked exclamation followed, "What? Daddy? How is this possible? You were critically injured in a car accident, and Shekhar was taking you to Houston in a chartered plane."
Seth Oberoi, furious, said, "I just heard this nonsense on TV."
"Are you really…?"
"Lata! Don't you recognize your father's voice? Should I tell you the code to our home safe? Or the names of your grandfather and great-grandfather?"
"Oh, Daddy… You… Where are you?"
"I'm at Picnic Point, in Hotel Sea Bridge, Room 785. But I didn't register under my real name."
"Oh my God, Daddy! This must be a deep conspiracy against you. But your car is still there…"
"I haven't checked yet. Maybe it was stolen from the parking lot."
"Oh no, Daddy! Please stay there. Don't make any more calls—I'll call you. So far, dozens of condolence calls have come in. Before that, people were inquiring about your well-being."
"Alright, but inform me quickly."
"I will call you as soon as possible. Oh, Daddy, I can't believe you're alive! Wait… Is Shekhar with you?"
"Shekhar? Why would he be with me? Where was he?"
"Someone called me. They just told me he was going to see you. I assumed you had called him."
"But how did you find out about my car accident and the chartered plane? Did Shekhar tell you?"
"No, Daddy. The hospital suddenly informed us that you were injured today and were being flown to America by Dr. Vasudev in a chartered plane, which then crashed en route."
"So Shekhar never told you that my car had crashed and that I was seriously injured?"
"No, Daddy. Also, I wasn't home between 3 PM and 7 PM. But even if Shekhar had called, a servant would have informed me."
"This means someone deceived Shekhar into coming there, and he might be in a situation where he can't even contact you… Oh, Lata, my child, this is a huge conspiracy. I am alive and here at Sea Bridge."
Lata's voice trembled, "Oh God, what if something happened to Shekhar…?"
"Stay calm. Continue telling everyone that the accident really happened, and immediately contact Commissioner Uncle. But don't say anything on the phone—he must have already heard the news. Maybe he'll come himself."
"Alright, Daddy. Oh, someone's at the door—I'll call you back."
The call was disconnected. Seth Oberoi placed the receiver down. His forehead creased with tension.
Suddenly, the door swung open, and…
Seth Oberoi's eyes widened in astonishment. His lips uttered in surprise, "Shekhar! You…?"
Shekhar stepped inside, shut the door, and spoke softly, "There's no time, Daddy. We need to leave here as soon as possible. It's good that you used a false name in the register."
"But how did you know I was here?"
"You can ask later. Right now, death is looming over both of us—we must leave the hotel immediately."
Seth Oberoi quickly got up and went to the inner room to change clothes.