đź’” The Contract Groom
Rain crashed violently against the black vehicles surrounding the house.
Thunder growled across the sky.
But nobody moved.
Because the moment Professor Veer Malhotra stepped out of the car—
the atmosphere itself changed.
Even the Circle operatives stood straighter.
Silent.
Disciplined.
Almost fearful.
Inside the broken house, Sasmita felt an unnatural chill crawl through her body.
Not because the man looked violent.
He didn't.
That was the terrifying part.
Professor Veer looked calm.
Civilized.
Refined.
The kind of man who could destroy lives while sipping tea peacefully.
Dr. Prem stared at him through the shattered window without blinking.
And memories—
violent memories—
kept slamming into his mind.
A laboratory room.
Bright white lights.
A hand resting on his head gently.
"Extraordinary…"
Then another memory.
Children crying in nearby rooms.
Locked doors.
Needles.
His breathing became uneven.
Nandu stepped in front of him immediately.
"Stay back."
But Professor Veer simply smiled faintly through the rain.
"A loyal dog until the end, Nandu."
Nandu's jaw tightened instantly.
"You lost the right to speak his name years ago."
Professor Veer ignored the insult completely.
His eyes remained fixed only on Dr. Prem.
Or rather—
Aryan.
"You've grown beyond expectations," he said softly.
Sasmita's fingers tightened around the gun.
"Don't come closer."
Professor Veer finally looked toward her.
And for the first time—
his smile changed slightly.
"Ah…"
A pause.
"…the Black Cat."
Sasmita froze instantly.
Nobody outside hidden circles should know that identity.
Nandu's expression darkened immediately too.
"How much do you know?" Sasmita asked coldly.
Professor Veer chuckled softly.
"My dear…"
Lightning flashed across his face.
"…I know things about you that even you don't know yet."
Those words sent genuine danger through her instincts.
Dr. Prem stepped forward slowly now.
"No more games."
Professor Veer's eyes returned to him instantly.
Proud.
Interested.
Almost emotional.
"There he is," he whispered softly.
"The real Aryan."
The Circle operatives behind him remained completely motionless.
Like statues.
Dr. Prem's eyes darkened.
"You experimented on children."
"No."
Professor Veer's voice remained calm.
"I saved humanity's future."
"That future involved killing people?"
"Sacrifice is the cost of evolution."
The answer came without hesitation.
Without guilt.
Sasmita felt disgust rise instantly.
"You're insane."
Professor Veer smiled slightly again.
"That's what ordinary people call vision."
Another sharp silence followed.
Then—
unexpectedly—
Professor Veer took one slow step forward.
Every gun around him immediately aimed tighter.
Even Nandu's men became tense.
"Careful," Nandu warned coldly.
Professor Veer ignored him completely.
"Aryan," he said softly, "do you know why your intelligence frightened everyone?"
Dr. Prem remained silent.
"Because your mind adapted faster than ours."
A pause.
"At age six, you predicted financial collapses from raw data."
"At seven, you solved military simulations built for trained strategists."
"At eight…"
His smile deepened faintly.
"…you manipulated adults without realizing it."
Sasmita looked toward Dr. Prem slowly.
Shock growing stronger with every word.
No human child should be capable of that.
Professor Veer's eyes glowed with obsession now.
"You were never meant to become ordinary."
Another memory hit Dr. Prem violently.
A young version of himself staring at computer screens while men applauded behind glass.
Then suddenly—
his mother screaming.
"He's not your property!"
Pain exploded through his head instantly.
He staggered slightly.
Sasmita moved toward him instinctively.
"Hey—"
"I remember her," he whispered.
Everything froze.
Professor Veer's smile disappeared instantly.
"Who?"
Dr. Prem slowly lifted his eyes.
For the first time—
anger burned inside them.
"My mother."
The storm outside roared louder.
Professor Veer watched him carefully now.
Calculating.
Interesting.
Dangerous.
Then—
unexpectedly—
he sighed softly.
"She ruined everything."
The sentence shattered something inside Dr. Prem instantly.
Nandu's men tightened their grips on weapons.
Sasmita's finger moved against the trigger.
Professor Veer continued calmly.
"She made Ravan weak."
Another dangerous silence filled the air.
"Ravan was supposed to help lead the project," Veer said quietly.
"But then he fell in love with her."
Sasmita's eyes widened slightly.
"And love," Veer murmured coldly, "makes intelligent men irrational."
Now everything connected.
Arav's mother.
Ravan.
The betrayal.
The escape.
Dr. Prem's fists clenched slowly.
"You killed her."
For the first time—
Professor Veer became silent.
Then finally—
he answered.
"She chose the wrong side."
That was enough.
Dr. Prem moved before anyone realized it.
Fast.
Terrifyingly fast.
He crossed the distance instantly and grabbed Professor Veer by the throat violently.
The Circle operatives raised weapons immediately.
Nandu's men did the same.
But nobody fired.
Because the atmosphere itself had become unstable.
Professor Veer looked shocked for the first time in years.
Not because of the attack.
Because of the speed.
The instinct.
The rage.
Aryan had fully awakened.
Dr. Prem's eyes burned with fury now.
"You destroyed my life."
Professor Veer stared directly into his eyes despite the grip tightening around his throat.
Then—
slowly—
he smiled again.
Proudly.
"…Perfect."
That single word made the situation even more terrifying.
Because Professor Veer wasn't afraid of Aryan becoming dangerous.
He had always wanted him that way.
And somewhere deep inside—
Dr. Prem suddenly realized the horrifying truth.
Project Aryan was never finished.
It had only been waiting for him to remember who he was.