The police sirens grew louder.
Aryan didn't run.
Running was what Pintoo did. Running burned calories and earned applause—nothing else.
Aryan walked. Calm. Unhurried. Like a man who already knew how the scene would end.
Behind him, chaos unfolded. Gajender screamed at his men. The crowd buzzed—not afraid anymore, but curious. Curious was dangerous. Curious meant questions, and questions killed tyrants faster than bullets.
> ROI SYSTEM — LIVE ANALYSIS
Gajender's Authority: Destabilized
Crowd Perception: Shifting
Police Arrival: 8 minutes
Optimal Action: Do Nothing
Aryan obeyed.
---
🎭 THE DIRECTOR'S INSTINCT
As he turned a corner, memories from his past life surfaced—standing behind a camera, watching actors overplay anger, watching producers mistake noise for impact.
Real power is restraint, he thought.
And timing.
He stopped near a closed tea stall and leaned casually against the wall.
That's when he felt it.
A gaze.
Not hostile. Not fearful.
Focused.
Aryan turned his head slightly.
Radhika stood across the street, half-hidden behind a shuttered shop. Her dupatta fluttered in the rain. She wasn't trembling. She wasn't crying.
She was watching him like she was trying to understand him.
> ROI SYSTEM ALERT High-Value Emotional Asset Detected Name: Radhika
Risk Level: Medium
Growth Potential: High
Investment Type: Mutual Escalation
Aryan exhaled softly.
"Too early," he murmured.
He met her eyes—just for a second—then looked away first.
Confusion flickered across her face.
Good.
---
🧠 SECOND VARIABLE ENTERS
A black SUV rolled past slowly.
Tinted windows. Government plates.
Aryan didn't need the system to recognize that kind of silence.
The rear window lowered an inch.
A woman sat inside.
Elegant. Controlled. Eyes sharp with exhaustion and something unspoken.
She wasn't looking at him.
She was looking at the aftermath.
At Gajender shouting.
At people laughing.
At a local god being reduced to a joke.
Her fingers tightened on her purse.
> ROI SYSTEM — TARGET IDENTIFIED Classification: Information Node
Designation: Politician's Wife
Leverage Type: Emotional Neglect + Moral Fatigue
Potential Yield: Financial Intelligence / Protection Network
Aryan didn't stare.
He turned and walked away.
The SUV stopped.
Just for a moment.
Then it moved again—slowly—matching his pace.
A mistake.
---
☕ THE SMALLEST SCENE
Aryan entered a small roadside café that was still open, rainwater dripping from his hair.
He ordered tea.
Paid in cash.
Sat where the door was visible.
Thirty seconds later, the café owner stiffened.
The woman from the SUV entered.
No bodyguards. No drama.
She took the seat across from him without asking.
Silence stretched.
Aryan didn't break it.
She finally spoke.
"You humiliated a dangerous man today."
Aryan stirred his tea. "No. I revealed him."
Her lips pressed together.
"People like you usually end up dead."
He looked up then—calm, observant, unreadable.
"People like me," he said, "usually die because they rush."
Another pause.
This one heavier.
"You didn't run," she said quietly.
"No," Aryan agreed. "I invested."
Her brow furrowed. "In what?"
"In time," he replied. "And in you."
The audacity wasn't loud.
That's what made it work.
> ROI EVENT TRIGGERED
Curiosity Established
Power Dynamic Shifted
Communication Channel Opened
She stood.
Left exact change on the table.
At the door, she stopped.
"You should leave town."
Aryan lifted his teacup in a mock toast.
"You should come back," he said gently, "when you need something."
She didn't respond.
But she didn't deny it either.
---
📈 SYSTEM UPDATE
> ROI SYSTEM — PROGRESS REPORT
Influence: +22
Emotional Assets: 2 (Unsecured)
Threat Level: Rising
System Evolution Condition:
Convert social disruption into material capital
Aryan finished his tea.
Outside, the rain had slowed.
"So," he said softly, stepping back into the night,
"let's make some money."