The city was no longer calm.
News channels were silent, but underground networks were screaming.
Rudra Rathore's empire was being attacked… piece by piece.
Aanya stood near the window, watching police sirens far away.
But her mind wasn't outside.
It was inside Rudra's silence.
He hadn't spoken for hours.
Just standing near the table… reading encrypted messages.
Cold again.
Gangster again.
Aanya finally broke the silence.
"You said Riya is preparing you… what does that even mean?"
Rudra didn't look up.
"She's not destroying me randomly."
A pause.
"She's mapping me."
Aanya frowned.
"Mapping?"
Rudra's eyes darkened slightly.
"She knows every weak point I ignored."
A pause.
"And she's hitting them one by one."
Aanya whispered,
"Why would she do this… just to hurt you?"
Rudra finally looked at her.
And said quietly—
"Because she doesn't think she's hurting me."
A pause.
"She thinks she's correcting me."
Silence.
Aanya stepped closer.
"Correcting you?"
Rudra's jaw tightened.
"She believes I became weak… because of you."
Aanya froze.
Rudra continued,
"And in her mind… if she removes you from the equation…"
A pause.
"I go back to what I was."
Aanya's voice trembled.
"And what were you?"
Rudra looked at her for a long moment.
Then answered honestly—
"Empty."
Silence shattered again.
Suddenly—
A private alert came on Rudra's system.
A red signal.
High-level breach.
Rudra's expression changed instantly.
"Too fast…"
Aanya panicked.
"What now?!"
Rudra grabbed his coat.
"They're inside my financial network."
Aanya followed him.
"Who?! Riya?"
Rudra stopped.
Slowly turned.
And said—
"No."
A pause.
"She wouldn't do this alone."
Aanya felt a chill.
"Then who is helping her?"
Rudra's voice dropped.
"Someone who knows me before you."
Silence.
Heavy.
Unforgiving.
Aanya whispered,
"You have more enemies?"
Rudra gave a faint, almost painful smile.
"I have more past than enemies."
Suddenly—
His phone rang.
Unknown number.
He answered immediately.
A voice came.
Female.
Calm.
Familiar.
"I told you… she would ruin you."
Aanya's eyes widened instantly.
She recognized that voice.
But couldn't place it.
Rudra's face hardened.
"Why are you involved in this?"
The voice replied softly—
"Because I created the version of you she is breaking."
Silence fell like a blade.
Aanya whispered,
"Rudra… who is that?"
Rudra closed his eyes for a second.
Then said the truth slowly—
"My past."
A pause.
"The one I buried."