The private jet moved steadily through the night sky.
Inside the cabin, Kashvi sat motionless.
Her phone screen was still dark after the call with Kriday, but his words kept repeating in her mind.
"There was a man outside the house."
"He asked if my name was Kriday."
"He said I look like my father."
Her fingers slowly tightened around the armrest.
Whoever that man was… he knew too much.
And if he had already spoken to Kriday once, he could come again.
That thought alone was enough to make Kashvi change her plans.
She pressed the intercom.
"How long to London?"
"Five hours and forty minutes, ma'am."
Too long.
She leaned back but sleep didn't come.
Instead, her mind drifted somewhere else—
London — Earlier That Evening
Kriday had just returned from football practice.
His backpack hung loosely from one shoulder as he walked toward the gate of the house.
The security guard nodded at him.
"Good evening, young sir."
Kriday nodded back and was about to walk inside when he noticed someone standing near the sidewalk.
A man.
Tall. Calm.
Watching.
Not in a creepy way.
Just… observing.
Kriday slowed down slightly.
The man stepped a little closer but still kept a respectful distance from the gate.
"Kriday?" he asked.
Kriday blinked.
"Yes."
The man smiled faintly.
"So it is you."
Kriday looked confused.
"Do I know you?"
"No," the man said calmly.
Then he studied Kriday for a moment.
Almost like he was noticing details.
The shape of his eyes.
The way he stood.
"You look… familiar," the man murmured.
Kriday frowned.
"From where?"
The man didn't answer immediately.
Instead he asked, "How old are you?"
"Ten."
The man nodded slowly.
"That makes sense."
Kriday tilted his head.
"What does?"
But the man had already stepped back slightly.
"You should go inside," he said. "It's getting late."
Kriday hesitated.
"Have we met before?"
For a brief moment, the man's eyes softened.
Then he gave a small smile.
"No."
A pause.
"But I knew someone who looked exactly like you."
Kriday's curiosity immediately sparked.
"Who?"
The man looked at him for a second longer.
Then quietly said—
"Your father."
Kriday shrugged.
"My dad died before I was born."
The man's expression changed slightly.
Not shock.
Not denial.
Something more complicated.
After a moment he simply said,
"Not everything you hear is true."
The security guard called from the gate.
"Kriday! Your grandmother is waiting."
Kriday turned for a second.
When he looked back—
The man was already walking away.
Back in the jet, thousands of feet above the ocean—
Kashvi finally opened her eyes.
Something about Kriday's description felt disturbingly familiar.
The calmness.
The controlled words.
The way the man had looked at him.
Not like a stranger.
Like someone who already knew him.
Her phone vibrated again.
Another message from the unknown number.
"Did Kriday enjoy meeting me?"
Kashvi's eyes turned ice cold.
Because now she knew one thing for certain.
Whoever was playing this game—
Had already stepped into her son's life.
And that was a move she would never forgive.