unknown danger

Announcer:

"And now, the final and most prestigious award goes to Mira Sharma, who has secured third place in the World Mathematics Contest. I would now like to invite Mira Sharma to please come up on stage..."

Silence.

"Mira Sharma, please come on stage."

One minute... two... five minutes passed.

No one appeared.

Noticing the delay, Mr. Rathi repeated the announcement.

"Mira Sharma, please come on stage..."

Still, no one came.

Seeing this, Riya grew anxious and muttered under her breath,

"What the hell is Kavya doing? If Mira delays any further, this program will end right here. All her hard work will go to waste."

Another three minutes passed.

"Come on, let's go outside. Something's definitely wrong," Riya said, turning toward the seat beside her—only to find it empty.

"Maya's already left? And here I am, ranting like an idiot..." she cursed herself and sprinted outside.

When she reached the exit, Mira, Kavya, and Maya were nowhere to be seen. She looked toward the main gate and noticed two girls standing and talking. They were too far away to identify, but from their outfits, she guessed it was Kavya and Maya.

Riya bolted toward the gate.

Panting heavily, she finally reached them.

"You two? What are you doing out here? And where's Mira?"

Seeing Riya arrive, Kavya spoke up,

"Good, you're here. I'll explain everything later. Right now, we need you to check the nearby shop CCTV cameras. If Mira shows up in any of them, let us know immediately."

"CCTV... wait a second—you don't know where she is?" Riya asked, panicking.

Kavya lowered her head.

"This is not the time for questions," Maya cut in sharply. "Just go check the footage."

"Do you really think they'll let me look at their CCTVs?" Riya asked, glancing at Kavya's lowered head. Then she said firmly, "Fine. I'll try. Meanwhile, you two keep searching the area."

With that, she ran out the main gate.

"You go left. I'll go right," Maya said, and the two split up to search for Mira.

—

Meanwhile, unaware of the chaos behind her, Mira stood in Chatrapati Park, scanning the area restlessly as if she were waiting for someone. Her eyes revealed what her heart already knew—the one she was looking for was far away. Too far. Beyond the reach of sight, in a place where only blurry visions reside.

The park was beautiful. At its center stood a massive peepal tree, surrounded by a circular bench. People were sitting there—some even asleep. Christmas plants adorned the corners of the park. There were swings and rides for children, and tall trees scattered throughout the grounds. But none matched the size of the central peepal tree. Beneath these trees were more benches, and the air was filled with the joyful shouts of children. Some people walked the paths, others lounged on the soft green grass.

But Mira was lost. Not in the park, but in her thoughts.

She took out her phone and went from person to person, showing a picture of her brother, asking them if they had seen him. But the answer she so desperately longed for never came. Fatigue weighed heavy on her. Her face had gone pale. Finally, she spotted an empty bench and sat down.

Suddenly...

"Excuse me,sister..."

A childish voice broke her thoughts. Mira looked up and saw a boy, about 11 or 12, holding a transparent plastic bag. Inside was a small box—no bigger than her palm.

"This is for you. Brother.. said to give it to you," the boy said, extending the bag toward her.

When Mira hesitated, he gently placed it on the bench beside her.

She asked him, "Who was he?"

"I don't know. He was really handsome. He tried to give me a Dairy Milk chocolate, but I didn't take it—my mom always says not to accept things from strangers. Then he gave me twenty rupees, so I took it. Anyway, I've done my part. I have to go now—my friends are looking for me."

"Wait! Where did you see him?" Mira asked quickly.

"Umm... over there." The boy pointed to a spot now completely empty.

"What's your name?"

"Raghav. Raghav Roy," he replied with a smile, then walked away.

Was it really my brother? Mira wondered.hesitated but then She opened the bag and took out the box.

Inside was another, slightly larger, colorful box with the words:

"CONGRATS MIRA"

...and a few hand-drawn smiley faces.

Without hesitation, she opened that box too.

Inside was a pure white box with a single word:

"SORRY…"

Mira's pupils contracted as she quickly opened it.

Inside was a circular white metal box that resembled a lunchbox. On top of it lay a golden spoon and a neatly folded piece of white paper.

She picked up the spoon—it looked like real gold.

She set it aside and unfolded the paper. Written in black ink were the words:

"Ha... I don't even know where to begin.

Um... you already know I'm terrible at writing letters, so if I mess this up, please don't take it the wrong way.

When I left, you were just a fragile little girl. You used to cry over the tiniest things.

Three years have passed. You've grown up so much.

How are you...?

Wait, no, that's a silly question. Of course you're doing well.

You've made such amazing friends.

Just wait a little longer. I'll be back soon.

Maximum three months.

Actually... no, scratch that—two months.

Well, I probably don't have the right to ask this, but I still can't stop myself...

Are you still angry at me?

You have every right to be.

What I did—there's no excuse.

Even "sorry" feels too small a word.

But still...

Sorry. Sorry for everything."

Tears began to roll down Mira's cheeks, soaking into the paper she held trembling in her hands.

Meera unlatched the old metal lunchbox with trembling fingers. As the lid creaked open, her eyes widened in shock. Tears were still streaming down her cheeks, but a fragile smile broke through the sorrow. It was a smile as tender as it was tragic. Perhaps it was hope… or perhaps something else entirely. But then, suddenly, she screamed:

"If you don't come this time… I'll never forgive you!"

Her voice echoed across the park, loud and fierce. Startled joggers paused mid-stride, old men napping on benches woke up with a start, and a few even fell over.

"Has she lost her mind?"

"Is she crazy or something?"

"Did she escape from an asylum?"

Ignoring the murmurs of the crowd, Meera turned and strode out of the park. Just as she crossed the gates, a pair of arms wrapped tightly around her. Startled, she turned—and there stood Kavya.

Meera didn't move. Then, faint sobs reached her ears.

"You're crying…?" Meera asked.

"You're asking that? Seriously?" Kavya pulled away, her eyes glistening.

"Sorry, I—"

"Sorry? Really? Do you have any idea how worried we were? And what the hell were you thinking just disappearing like that? The program ended, you lost the prize money, and the professors from Princeton left!"

Kavya had barely finished when Meera, stunned, interrupted:

"Princeton? You mean… Princeton University?"

"Yes, that one."

Meera looked down, her voice soft. "I never expected that. But… it doesn't matter anymore. I don't want to go now."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. I don't need to anymore."

No one, not even her closest friends, knew how hard Meera had worked for Princeton. Not for academics alone—but because someone was there. Someone she needed to find. Rudra.

"Hmm… Okay. But wait a minute…" Kavya narrowed her eyes, studying Meera. "Just a few hours ago you were a mess, sobbing like a river, and now you're… refreshed? What happened? Did you… see him?"

"Um… not exactly. But…" Meera explained everything.

"Alright, come on, it's getting late. Let me tell the others—you've got half the gang looking for you."

In a luxurious Mumbai club, known for being the playground of the city's spoiled elite, chaos reigned. Loud music shook the walls. Plush leather couches lined the corners, glass tables glimmered under the lights, and in the center, girls danced in short dresses on a raised platform. Around them lounged young men—some barely out of college, others in their forties—sipping red wine, with women draped around them like trophies.

Among them sat three strikingly handsome men. Two of them had brightly dyed hair—one red, one silver. They were Mohan and Shaurya. Between them sat a third man, dressed head-to-toe in black: shirt, pants, leather shoes. Everything about him screamed wealth and power.

Rahul Choudhary.

Heir to Choudhary Industries.

"So, Rahul…" Shaurya asked, sipping wine, "What happened with your proposal? Mohan said you proposed to Meera in front of the whole university?"

The girls seated near them gasped and turned toward Rahul. These weren't ordinary girls—they came from Mumbai's elite families. And yet, none had ever imagined Rahul—the arrogant, untouchable Rahul—proposing to anyone.

"Wait, what? You actually proposed?" asked the girl in the red dress beside him.

Rahul didn't respond, but Mohan smirked and chimed in.

"Oh, he did. But she rejected him. Right there. In front of everyone."

"No way!" the girl gasped. "And he's just sitting here calmly?"

"Why wouldn't he?" Mohan chuckled. "She rejected him so sweetly, you'd think she was flirting. If you'd seen his face… priceless. Want to know what she said?"

"Shut up." Rahul snapped, his voice low and dangerous.

"What? I'm not lying—"

"I said shut up!"

Mohan froze. Everyone knew Rahul's temper. No one wanted to taste it.

Silence fell.

Rahul took a slow sip of wine. "Sorry. Sorry, Mohan. Let's just forget it, alright?"

Mohan nodded reluctantly.

But Shaurya wasn't letting it go. "You're mad at her, so you take it out on your friends? Mohan was just trying to lighten the mood. What you're doing isn't okay."

Even the girl in black beside Rahul agreed. "Shaurya's right. Yelling at your friends because some girl rejected you? Not cool. Though, I have to admit… I saw her. She's gorgeous."

She leaned closer, voice dripping with suggestion. "Say the word, and I'll have her brought here. Do what you want with her. That's all you wanted, right?"

But before she could finish, she felt a tight grip around her throat.

She looked up, horrified. Rahul's eyes were bloodshot—rage or alcohol, it didn't matter.

Mohan and Shaurya jumped to stop him, but the girl in black shouted first.

"R-Rahul! Let her go!"

"Hush," he said coldly, pressing a finger to his lips. "Sit down."

They froze. But Shaurya had had enough.

"Do you even realize what you're doing? Do you know who she is? If anything happens—"

"I don't give a damn," Rahul growled.

"What? You want your dad to hand over the business to your younger brother?"

"Let him! But she dared to talk about Meera like that. She'll pay."

Rahul tightened his grip. The girl's breath came in gasps.

Shaurya lunged and forced Rahul's hand away.

"Enough! You've lost it. You need a psychiatrist."

Rahul stood, fists clenched.

Just then—

"What the hell is going on here?"

A dusky-skinned boy in a blue shirt and black pants stepped in.

"You? What are you doing here?" Rahul growled.

That was Vinod. A nobody—but an expert in flattery.

"I… I have bad news."

"Spit it out."

Binod hesitated for some moment but eventually said,

"Meera… she already has a boyfriend."

"What… did you just say?"

Vinod, terrified, stepped back and handed Rahul his phone. A video played—Meera, in the park, frantically looking for someone. A boy. Her desperation was obvious.

"When was this?"

"Today. I saw her while I was with my girlfriend. No idea who the guy is—but she clearly cares deeply."

Rahul's jaw clenched. His pupils narrowed. Mohan turned pale.

"She's done for," he whispered to himself.

Rahul calmed himself down a bit and asked suspiciously,"why is there no sound in the video,".

his voice so sharp,that sent chill down his spine.binod was terrified.seeing his reaction Rahul suspicion grew and coldly asked,

"Are you perhaps hiding something,".

Binod was suddenly taken aback.he cleared his throat and said,"no..no.. actually its the fault in my phone.my phone fell from the terrace of university.i took it to the repair but it was greatly damaged.the technician told me that it was beyond repair.he repaired it a bit but most of the function were malfunctioned.so I took the phone for memory backup.the video I made was through that phone and the the phone you are holding is new one."

Rahul stared a him.took a deep breathe and dialed a number.

"Get a wedding setup ready. One hour. No delays."

He ended the call, stared down the gathering crowd, and everything resumed like nothing had happened.

"Vinod," he said, returning the phone, "can you kidnap her?"

"It's not that simple. That damn German is always with her. No one dares go near her outside University."

"The dog?"

"Not just the dog. The whole gang. They're loyal. They roam in packs."

"Then get outsiders. How many?"

"Twenty. Should be enough."

"Cost?"

"Two lakhs."

"I'll give you three. But bring another girl too. We'll need leverage. Otherwise Meera might die—but she won't agree to the wedding."

"Who?"

"A friend of hers."

"Riya?"

"No. She's in the hostel. Too risky."

"What about… Maya?"

At that name, everyone went quiet. Mohan paled.

"Are you insane? Do you even know who she is? One slap from her and you'll spend a year in the ICU."

No one disagreed.

"Anyone else?"

"Only Kavya remains. But we don't know much about her."

Rahul sipped his wine, deep in thought.

"Take her. No other option. Once the wedding's done, not even Maya can stop me."

He pulled a sleek card from his pocket and tossed it to Vinod.

"Give this to the club manager."

"W-What?"

"did You not hear me!"rahul said coldly.