Sharma then pushed a file forward. He took a cigar and lit it.

"I need you to become our eyes and ears," he said calmly, taking a puff. "Find a man connected to your mother, Ragini Singhania."

Rohit’s expression darkened as he opened the file.

The report was dated almost eight years back at AIIMS Hospital, where his mother Ragini was admitted after the accident.

Rohit’s fingers paused for a brief second. So, it was related to Ragini. I didn’t expect she mattered enough to be taken notice by the IB.

He kept reading.

Her body had suffered severe seizures and internal organ failures. The doctors had barely managed to stabilize her.

Then a visitor came to see Ragini. Reported to be in his late thirties.

He had asked for permission to treat her personally. Barely conscious, Ragini had agreed.

Rohit frowned. This is so vague. I doubt any hospital would allow anyone to operate with consent alone.

He re-read the lines, but the report didn’t have much detail, so he continued.

At the same time, another high-profile patient was fighting for her life in the same hospital — former Chief Minister Smita Dikshit. After a heart surgery gone wrong, she developed complications with an atrial septal defect (ASD— hole in heart). The doctors had given up on a second operation.

It was Ragini who recommended the same mysterious visitor.

Rohit paused again. So there was a duration where the treatment didn’t happen. She was most likely about to depart with him for further treatment. Guessing her personality, she must have forced that visitor to take care of the ex-CM first.

Desperate, the family agreed.

The man performed the surgery.

It was a success.

Medical notes later revealed something impossible at the time — the use of advanced bio-placental matrices derived from CDX2 stem cells. Cells that could regenerate heart tissue instead of leaving scar tissue. The technique was still experimental. Even AIIMS didn’t fully understand what he had done.

The man vanished shortly after.

No name. No registration. Only a request for complete anonymity, which the hospital obliged.

Rohit took note of this statement. This is bogus. The hospital must have the footage which they are hiding... They must have been hopeful. In his honor, in an attempt to gain favors, or maybe an extreme donation for Ragini. She has a knack for that.

As he flipped through the pages, he didn’t find any mention of other family members present. The report was too vague, perhaps created days later from interrogation. So far as I recall, Arya wasn’t in the country and Riya... she might have more clues. She wasn’t married at that time.

From that day on, he became known inside intelligence circles as the ’Miracle Doctor.’

Rohit kept flipping through the pages, his frown deepening. The mysterious doctor is becoming too much of a puzzle.

He flipped through the rest of the appreciation notes and turned to the last page to know more about the details.

The file showed the doctor’s supposed academic record which was noted as an AIIMS graduate... and then the report simply ended.

Rohit slowly closed the file, his mind racing. That explains the hospital’s reluctance to share information. They want to monopolise him by labelling him as their own. He must have shared something too valuable.

What kind of man are you?

This wasn’t just a missing doctor. This was a lead — the same kind he had been searching for. It was possibly linked to Ragini’s medications. He had seen her naked and there were no such marks. If she had suffered severe burns back then and showed no signs now, then the IB’s assumptions were most likely accurate.

But then again, why hide it... unless she is indebted and can’t reveal it at her own liberty.

He placed the report back on the table, shaking his head. "This report makes no sense. So many mismatches that I barely got any clear picture. Also, I have no clue what he looks like, and why aren’t you asking my mother directly?"

Sharma cleared the ashes from the tray and replied calmly, "Still enough for us to find what we are looking for. Regarding your question, we did try... many times. But she refused to cooperate and kept giving the same answer — that she isn’t aware."

Rohit leaned in, eyes narrowing. "What makes you think that if my mother refused to share information, I would?" His voice remained calm. "I may like money, but not at the expense of my family. I’m afraid, Director Sharma, I have to deny your request."

Sharma held his gaze for a moment, then calmly pulled out his phone and turned the screen toward him.

A CCTV clip began playing.

Roadside footage.

Rohit watched himself brutally killing two men and beating another half to death — all while protecting Ragini.

His expression hardened. "What is the meaning of this?"

Sharma leaned back slightly, hands open. "Our offer still stands. You will still receive your reward."

Rohit scoffed and stood up. "You think I’m afraid of that?" His tone sharpened dangerously. "Sorry, Director Sharma, but this has cost you whatever respect I had left. Try it... and I’ll see where it ends. I’m leaving."

Kabir didn’t wait. He stepped forward, pulled out his gun, and aimed it straight at Rohit. "You’re not leaving until sir says so."

Rohit froze.

For a brief second, instinct screamed to move. But memory held him in place. He had died once facing a bullet. He wasn’t gambling that again.

Sharma sighed and gestured calmly. "Sit down."

Rohit stared at him for a second, then slowly sat back.

"We are not threatening you," Sharma said evenly. "If we wanted to destroy you, we could have done it already. We didn’t."

He slid the document back and closed the file.

"You will receive your reward. I’ll personally approve it. A link will be sent to your email."

Sharma then took out a plain white card from his pocket and slid it across the table.

"My personal number. If you come across anything related to the Miracle Doctor... contact me directly."

Rohit picked up the card after a brief pause and gave a small nod. Sharma smiled and extended his hand once more. Rohit shook it firmly before turning and leaving the room without another word.

Once the door closed behind him, Kabir couldn’t hold back any longer. He frowned deeply.

"Sir, I don’t understand. Why did you go the extra mile for him? We had him completely in our hands with that subway footage."

Sharma took one last deep puff of his cigar, then scoffed lightly as he crushed it under his boot.

"You still don’t get it, Kabir. He’s not a regular citizen. Even if we tried to convict him using that video, he’d be out on bail within a week and most likely receive a pardon later. The Singhania name still carries significant weight."

Kabir’s frown deepened. "Then... will he even comply?"

Sharma leaned back in his chair with a confident smile.

"He won’t. At least not directly." He tapped the closed file on the desk. "But did you notice? He read through that entire file in fifteen minutes, the same file it took our analysts five minutes — just to understand and give up later. That boy has hunger. Real hunger."

Sharma stood up and patted Kabir’s shoulder.

"Put someone close to him. Someone he can rely on. Once he starts digging on his own... we’ll get our lead naturally."

***

Outside, Akansha waited in the car, fingers drumming restlessly on the steering wheel. Anxiety coiled tight in her chest. She hated this — being used first as a tool in bed, now as a driver. If not for the blackmail video Rohit still held over her, she would have driven away long ago. Still, she found him human enough to treat as a partner and not a slave.

Yet, as the minutes stretched beyond thirty, something unexpected stirred inside her. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

At first, she had only wanted to take advantage of whatever good heart he might possess — find some secret, some leverage she could use against him later. But the more time she spent with him, the more her view began to shift.

She knew he was on a deeply personal quest to find Akhil. The bruise on his lips, the ruthless hacking of her step-son’s phone — everything pointed to that single obsession.

At one point she had seen him as nothing more than dangerous. Now she recognized the strange duality in him: cruel enough to show no mercy to strangers like her, yet fiercely protective of his own people.

That contrast, combined with the raw intensity of what they had shared earlier, had slowly carved a reluctant soft corner in her heart.

Would he ever care about me if I became someone important to him? The thought slipped in uninvited, making her pout.

She glanced at the clock again. Thirty-five minutes had passed. The faded Aadhaar center looked too quiet. She debated whether to call him or walk inside when the door finally opened.

Rohit stepped out, his face dark with barely contained anger. The same cold intensity she had seen when they first met near the hotel door was back in full force.

He walked straight to the car, checking something on his phone. Akansha quickly opened her purse and took out the gun to return it, but Rohit gestured for her to keep it.

She watched him settle into the passenger seat, jaw tight.

"What now?" she asked, keeping her voice steady. "Do you want me to drop you home, or do you have other plans?"

Rohit didn’t answer immediately.

***

Few moments ago, before coming out of door

Humiliated at gunpoint... after they invited me. Shameless fuckers.. I will remember this.

The IB had shown their true colors. They were willing to use any leverage, no matter how dirty. Someone must have been tailing his mother — and failed. Then the image of Chanu’s suspicious Nokia phone flashed in his mind.

Rohit cursed himself silently for even considering relying on them. Still, the meeting hadn’t been entirely fruitless. He now had money, Sharma’s personal number, and most importantly — a real clue about his mother Ragini’s accident.

As he connected to Lisa via Bluetooth, notifications flooded in.

[Balwindar: Young Master, Aisha has refused to return home and insisted on staying at the hotel. I am staying with her. Please let me know if you need anything.]

[Aisha: Stupid jerk. I can’t even walk properly and you want me to return home? At least send the pills. I don’t want to get pregnant.]

[Akansha: It’s already past 30 minutes. What should I do?]

[Robin: Sir, I’m at Baba Saheb Welfare Hospital. I found the ambulance and the patient details. He is registered under the name ’Binod’ in the general ward. Sending the photo.]

Rohit opened the car door and slid in, still scrolling. He tapped on Robin’s message and zoomed in on the attached photo.

He froze.

It was Kasim lying bandaged on the bed, unconscious.

The man he wanted to find and kill with his own hands.

Akansha noticed his sudden stillness and reached over, gently patting his hand.

"Hey... I’m asking you a question. Don’t ignore me."

Rohit stared at the photo a moment longer, then said flatly.

"Drive. Baba Saheb Welfare Hospital."