A special thank you to my inline commenters who are spamming my notifications every time I log in to Wattpad, I love your support! I hope I get enough time to respond to each of you today <3

Reading them is my favourite form of procrastination :P 

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Two weeks later...

Mists of salted water clung to his face as a humid breeze flew by, slicking his hair back. Overseeing the surrounding darkness scantily lit by glimmering dots in the distance, Harshad gripped the rails on the deck while the majestic luxury cruise en route Cochin crashed every wave near the shore and finally entered calmer waters.

He glanced at his watch and turned around, facing two narrow stairways reaching a landing above that housed two more floors. Beneath the landing and between the staircases was a well-lit tinted glass chamber buzzing with social activities. Harshad observed the clumps of women, decked with the most sparkling stones and bouncing their freshly permed bops, chattering away on tables on either side of the deck with glasses of wine.

One of the husbands emerged from the interior chamber and leaned into a woman, muttering something after which she excused herself and wrapped her arm around his.

It was about time he went in as well. The meeting was supposed to take place in the next ten minutes, he would not be late and keep his guest waiting.

Harshad adjusted his suit, crisply creased at the blazer flaps, which seamlessly blended him in with the rest of the wastefully affluent folk who were ready to throw wads at anything and everything they saw. Tossing his lit cigarette into the soothed seas below, he blew his puff and majestically graced himself through the tall glass door with a gold embossed handle... the main entrance to the hall.

Along the perimeter of the bustling pub room were curved boomerang-looking tables that showcased a variety of flavours of crackers, some of the most exquisite types of cheeses, and a plethora of exotic fruit and vegetables cut into aesthetic sticks for the guests to indulge in as they met and greeted fellow passengers.

A short, clumsy attendant hurried as quickly as he could from one side entrance to the other in a semi-circular path, ushering people away from the main doors. "Mr. Malhotra is on his way, please clear the alleyways," He half-commanded, half-pleaded to nobody in particular, looking clearly out of place in such a classist environment.

Having locked eyes with a man who appeared distasteful, the attendant seemingly crossed a line when he uttered politely, "Can you please pass on the message?"

"Main koi waiter nahi hoon, khud karlo jo karna hai," Harshad flicked his hand in a dismissive, derogatory motion striking the attendant with personal aversion.

He moved to the side opposite to where the attendant came from in search of someone, and his eyes fell on a familiar woman who had swung through the other side entrance, picking a glass of red wine from one of the attendants and sipping. A beautiful black satin slip-dress hung over her petite frame, elegantly displaying her left thigh through a slit. Attracted to a certain spot under her neck, Harshad checked out the heavy breasts that nearly spilled out of her V-neckline.

Intuitively realising she was being watched, Mukti's attention darted to the impeccably dressed man and blinked to register that she was indeed not dreaming. Had he come in search of her? But how? She had hardly revealed any information of her lineage.

With a suggestive smirk that sought those answers for herself, she took slow steps as she sunk his appearance in. The two met beside a table with a cheese board and before either of them could utter a word, the tall embellished glass doors opened, pausing their game of seduction.

A silence that could deafen fell over the whole room. A group of men dressed in white shirts and blue trousers encircled a middle-aged salted and peppered hair man, fully clad in white excluding a royal blue bowtie. Harshad noted that the oldie exuded power, some form of invincibility as he stood protected by his assistants and finally made it to the cavity in the centre of the room.

"It's a pleasure to see so many of you here tonight." He said with a charming smile that reminded Harshad of someone... he was unable to put a finger on whom.

Mukti leaned into Harshad. "Do you know who he is?"

"I don't care," He snarkily remarked in her ear and brushed his lips on them, sending a jolt down her body. "But since you insist, I'm all ears." His sly smile could have spoken volumes had Mukti not been already aware of his intentions.

The old man addressed the crowd at the party with an air of mystery and secrecy... delving just enough into the specifics of why the celebration was taking place without giving away too much detail about the 500 kilograms being exported across the border, or the various teams appointed to make the smuggling operation a huge success. This tactic further fascinated the young new entry, who had nearly shelved his plans to meet with a reputed source merely for a chance to get lucky with Mukti... for real this time.

"Shrikanth Malhotra... he owns this ship, and if I'm not wrong... several boathouses, luxury garment chains, and private beaches along the western coastline–many acquired primarily through illicit means. A multi-million inheritance, at the least. Unfortunately, without an heir."

Harshad was usually a curious man, and getting his nose into others' business seemed to be what kept his days adventurous. Wrapping an arm around her waist, he used the opportunity of their proximity to slowly lower his hand towards her butt.

Mukti continued talking over his shoulder in a low mumble, "Rumour has it that he chose his riches over his wife every single time, fuelled by greed and dissatisfaction for anything less than the best. He left her with no option but to demand a divorce and wash her hands off his sins."

"What a tragedy!" He said sardonically, his hormones wanting nothing more than to bed the girl and return the favour for the unsolicited information that could prove beneficial to him.

Claps echoed in the luxurious hall, dispersing some who were waiting for the speech to end. Her focus shifted to two men walking in their direction, their shoulders brushing as their steps fell in sync. Whispering that she had to use the bathroom, she handed her glass to Harshad and disappeared into the crowd.

He eyed the glass skeptically, unwilling to waste free liquor but at the same time knowing full well that half a glass of wine would have absolutely no effect on him. Regardless, he gulped it down in one go, set it by the cheese platter, and headed towards the panoramic bar counter for a more manly drink.

Startled by cutting the two men, who were holding whiskeys in their glasses, in their trails, Harshad took a step back reflexively as did they.

The Professor studied the muscular man and beamed with a smile, "Nice to see you around here," His companion eyed the two of them, garnering any hints of sparks that could potentially jeopardise his romantic rapport with his boss.

Harshad viewed the surroundings in a fleeting motion. "Yeah, it's... bigger than I expected." He was wary of how generous he was with his praise, reminding himself that people who saw such wealth on the regular were often ignorant of it... and did not regard it in splendour.

The Professor shifted to his senses and gestured to his companion, "Oh, this is Cabir, he works in Romano... Cabir, this is Harshad, our new recruit in Rossi." Two of the many clans under the Professor's jurisdiction, both of which were responsible for different functions within the successful mission.

"How's it going, man?" He wanted to brush off Harshad's appearance as just a coincidence, that they happened to be working for the same boss just by chance, but his jealousy for how Harshad captivated his lover's attention overpowered him.

Cabir grasped his hand for a firm handshake, careful not to narrow his eyes, let his suspicion show, or threaten the opponent in any way.

Harshad shifted his weight from one leg to another at the steady scrutiny of a man three-fourths his size in terms of both muscle mass and height when someone in his line of sight passed by, alternating a look between him and a certain chamber behind the bar.

"I was about to grab a drink actually," Harshad said with a small smile, directing his attention back to the Professor as he caught the hint from the guest he was to meet.

"Yeah yeah, please help yourself to whatever you would like."

"Excuse me," Side-stepping the two men after a slight nod, Harshad strode towards the busy bar, glancing once at Cabir and catching his gaze.

Harshad sheepishly smiled as he continued in his path, steeling his jaw. He would have to be discreet if he needed his plan to work. 

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I wonder what Harshad is upto now! Hmmm :P

Who else saw Jio's trailer and is excited for tomorrow? The concept lowkey feels like a crime plot and I'm beyond thrilled to see how it turns out!