Priyanka Ved Part 1 The hospital smelled like sterile cotton and silent prayers. Meera sat on the cold plastic chair, her hands tightly clasped, knuckles pale. Her brother Aarav’s breathing was the only rhythm keeping her grounded. Machines beeped steadily beside him, like they were mocking her helplessness. “Miss Meera Singh?” A voice snapped her back. She looked up to see a middle-aged man in a tailored black suit—sleek, expensive, and utterly out of place in the dull corridor of the government hospital. “Yes?” she asked, standing up, instinctively wary. “I’m Mr. Pradhan. I work for Mr. Veer Khanna.” His…
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Amitav Jadhav Chapter 1: The Secrets of Sinhagad The road to Sinhagad Fort curved like a sleeping serpent, wrapped in mist and memories. As Riya Joshi’s car climbed the last stretch, her phone signal faded, and with it, the last threads connecting her to the buzzing city below. She rolled down the window. The crisp wind of the Sahyadris filled the car, carrying with it the scent of wet stone, forgotten battles, and something else—something metallic and raw. It was supposed to be a simple assignment. A freelance journalist with a reputation for chasing obscure stories, Riya had been tipped…
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Neelesh Arora Part 1: The Widow in Red The rain had begun at dusk, steady and indifferent, as if the city hadn’t just lost one of its most powerful women. Meher Singh lay sprawled across her marble floor, the crimson pooling around her head like a rose wilting in reverse. Her silk robe, the color of old rubies, glistened under the dim lights of her Walkeshwar apartment. The cordless landline still hung off the hook, mid-call to someone who’d never answered. Detective Inspector Jayant Rawte had seen worse in his years with the Mumbai Homicide Bureau, but something about this…