Location: Alibaug Bungalow – Post-Dockyard Bloodbath
There was silence in the bungalow, the kind that came after funerals. Not loud. Not wailing. Just quiet.
Arpan occupied the dining table, a gun taken apart in front of him. His hands moved with precision of a machine—metal on metal, the sound of a man who required routine to submerge his mind.
Samruddhi paced barefoot across the room, blood drying on her sleeves. Not hers. Not today.
They had lost two men at the docks. Loyal ones. Kavya had disappeared. No goodbye. No explanation. Just the lingering aroma of betrayal.
"Say it," she snapped at last.
Arpan did not look up.
"Say it, Arpan. You were wrong. This war isn't just legacy. It's rot. You thought you were above it all—"
"I never thought that."
"You behaved like it."
He clicked the last piece into place. Looked up.
His voice was calm. Too calm.
"I play like the crown is light. Because if I let them see how heavy it actually is, they'll slit my throat as I kneel."
A beat passed.
She sat.
The rage deflated from her chest, leaving behind pain.
"I'm tired of bleeding for ghosts," she whispered.
"You're not the only one haunted," he said.
Elsewhere – Dharavi Slums
Kavya saw the mayhem on a dusty TV screen in a mechanic's hut. No audio. Just titles.
"Dockyard Massacre: 3 Killed in Mystery Gang Crossfire."
"Arpan More Pictured Fleeing Scene—No Statements So Far."
She pressed the glass. The picture was of Arpan, blood on his collar.
She shut her eyes.
"You'll never forgive me for what's next, Arpan," she whispered. "But I didn't betray you. I just finally chose me.
She dug into her bag and drew out the little steel box.
Inside: A red sim card.
A burner phone.
And a number.
+92.
Back at the Bungalow – Nightfall
Arpan and Samruddhi reclined on different couches. Same room. Same thoughts. Worlds apart.
"Do you think I wanted to be this?" Arpan suddenly asked.
She glanced over, not knowing what to say.
"This." he gestured vaguely, ".king of ash. Sitting on a throne of dead men. Every night I ask the same question: What part of me is me, and what part of me is my father?"
Samruddhi sat up slowly.
"I ask that too," she said. "Just with my father's face instead of yours."
He looked at her.
Not as a pawn. Or a threat. But as someone who understood.
"The world made us enemies," he said. "But what if we're just the same wound. mirrored?"
She stood.
Walked to him.
Slowly.
Then sat at the edge of the couch, her eyes fixed on his.
"If we are," she whispered, "then maybe we don't need to keep cutting each other open to prove it."
His breath caught.
A rare pause. Exposed. Deadly.
Then—
A knock.
Three quick raps.
The code.
He stood up at once.
Gun in hand.
Samruddhi trailed behind.
Outside the Bungalow – Storm Winds Rising
Raghav Rao standing at the gate, bleeding.
Knife cut across the ribs. Barely on his feet.
Behind him—two dead bodies. Thugs from a splinter group. One still convulsing.
"You're late," said Arpan icily.
Raghav grinned, blood in his mouth. "You're welcome."
Samruddhi flung herself to him.
"Why did you come here?" she asked.
He gazed at her, eyes heavy.
"To warn you."
Pause.
"Devraj More is missing."
Scene Shift – Devraj's Hidden Vault, Colaba
The vault door slowly creaked open.
Inside: piles of files. Photos. Guns. Gold bars. One revolver on a red velvet cushion.
The figure in the doorway wasn't Devraj.
It was Kavya.
She entered, pulling a suitcase behind her.
Opened it.
Inside: explosives.
A digital clock.
She set the timer.
60:00.
Back in Alibaug – Moments Later
Arpan read the file Raghav handed him. Devraj's whereabouts. A coded map. Names struck through—old friends now suspected traitors.
"Where did you obtain this?" Arpan inquired.
Raghav's expression clouded.
"Your father gave it to me… last week. He said if he ever went missing, it meant that she had come back."
"Who?"
Raghav looked towards Samruddhi.
"Rina More."
She became rigid.
"Your mother?"
"She's dead," Arpan replied chillily.
Raghav shook his head. "Then why is her signature on the new offshore accounts that are financing this bloodshed?"
Arpan remained silent.
Because some part of him… already knew.
Final Scene – Countdown: 57:11
Kavya stood by the vault, gazing out at the city lights.
Said into a voice recorder.
"If you're hearing this… then the More empire is dead.
And I didn't kill it out of hate. I killed it because you all forgot what love costs."
She hesitated.
Pressed stop.
Walked away.
As the storm rolled in over Mumbai like a judgment long delayed.