The room felt colder after the name was spoken. Jayant Singh Rathore. The heir to a family that had erased its sins with wealth and power. A man who had buried the truth beneath generations of silence.
And now, he was hunting them.
Satya exhaled slowly, trying to steady his thoughts. "How much do we know about him?"
Samar rubbed his temples, exhaustion settling into his features. "More than I wish I did." He took a deep breath. "Jayant is not just another descendant living off old wealth. He's powerful—politically connected, dangerously intelligent. If he's decided you're a threat, he won't stop until you disappear."
Saanvi's grip tightened on Satya's arm. "Then we don't let him decide anything."
Aryan scoffed. "You make it sound simple. You realize what this means, right? We're not just looking for answers anymore—we're in a war against someone who has the resources to wipe us out without leaving a trace."
Virendra slammed his fist onto the table. "Then we hit first. Expose him before he buries us."
Samar shook his head. "It's not that easy. You think no one has tried before? Jayant controls everything—his name is untouchable. The moment you go public, you'll disappear like the others who got too close."
A heavy silence followed. Satya could almost hear the weight of centuries pressing down on them.
Then he spoke, his voice quieter than before. "We're not trying to take him down."
They all turned toward him.
Satya met each of their gazes, his mind racing. "We don't need to destroy his power. We need the truth. The truth about Veer Meghawal. About what really happened. And we need to make sure it can never be erased again."
Saanvi nodded, understanding dawning in her eyes. "If we try to fight him head-on, we lose. But if we make the truth so loud that he can't silence it…"
Samar leaned back, considering. "You'd need undeniable proof. Something so big, so irrefutable, that even he couldn't cover it up."
Virendra crossed his arms. "The records we found—"
Samar shook his head. "Not enough. Documents can be dismissed, rewritten. You need something more. Something personal."
Satya's fingers brushed against the edge of the parchment. "Like Veer's own words."
The thought sent a shiver through him. A painting, a letter, anything with Veer Meghawal's unmistakable signature could serve as proof. But they hadn't found anything like that.
Saanvi whispered, "He had to leave something behind."
Aryan frowned. "Then we need to find it before Jayant does."
Samar hesitated. "I might know where to start."
All eyes turned to him.
"I've spent years digging into the Rathore family's past. Jayant has a private collection—documents, artifacts. Things too valuable to be kept in a museum because they hold too many secrets." Samar's voice dropped. "And one of those things might be what you're looking for."
Satya's pulse quickened. "Where?"
Samar exhaled. "In his estate. A place even his closest allies fear to enter."
Aryan cursed under his breath. "So we have to break into a fortress protected by a man who has already put a bounty on us?"
Saanvi's eyes darkened. "Then let's not waste time."
Satya nodded. The past wasn't done speaking yet. And neither were they.