Next Morning – District Collector Office

(Manvi apne cabin mein baithi hui thi. Desk par coffee ka mug rakha tha aur uske saamne wahi file padi thi jo kal raat se uske dimaag par chhayi hui thi—Hospital Project. Anonymous complaints, land acquisition issues, funding concerns aur political pressure. Lekin in sabke beech ek naam baar-baar saamne aa raha tha—Ashutosh Malhotra.)

Woh file kholkar dobara har document ko dhyaan se dekhne lagti hai. Project details, financial reports, construction approvals, environmental clearances aur audit records—sab kuch bilkul systematic tha. Itna systematic ki Manvi ko us par bharosa karne ke bajaye shak hone laga. Real world mein koi project itna perfect nahi hota.

Manvi: Keshav.

Keshav: Yes, ma'am?

Manvi: Complete report aa gayi?

Keshav: Ji ma'am. Media coverage, audit reports, inspection records aur site updates... jo bhi available tha sab collect kar liya hai.

(Manvi report dekhne lagti hai. Jitna zyada woh padh rahi thi, utna hi uska confusion badhta ja raha tha. Har inspection pass. Har clearance approved. Har report positive. Lekin complaints bhi lagataar aa rahi thi. Aur sabse ajeeb baat yeh thi ki har approval unusual speed se process hua tha. Illegal kuch nahi tha, par normal bhi nahi tha.)

Manvi: Strange...

Keshav: Kya hua ma'am?

Manvi: Ya toh ye project sach mein perfect hai... ya phir koi bahut smart game khel raha hai.

(Keshav chup rehta hai. Woh jaanta tha ki jab Manvi kisi cheez ko lekar itni serious ho jaaye, toh uske paas koi strong reason zaroor hota hai.)

Manvi: Car ready karwao.

Keshav: Site visit?

Manvi: Exactly.

Indore – Malhotra Group Headquarters

(Ashutosh apne cabin mein baitha laptop screen par hospital project ka progress dashboard dekh raha tha. Numbers aur reports perfectly track par the, lekin uska dimaag kahin aur hi tha.)

Tabhi bina knock kiye Veer andar aa jata hai.

Veer: Good morning, Mr. Workaholic.

Ashutosh: Kya chahiye?

Veer: Breakfast.

Ashutosh: Wrong cabin.

Veer: Thodi respect bhi chalegi.

Ashutosh: Wo bhi wrong cabin.

(Veer dramatic sigh karta hai aur saamne wali chair par baith jata hai.)

Veer: Tu sach mein impossible hai.

(Ashutosh uski baat ignore kar deta hai.)

Veer: Waise ek update hai.

Ashutosh: Bolo.

Veer: Collector personally project review kar rahi hai.

(Ek second ke liye Ashutosh ka haath keyboard par ruk jata hai. Bas ek second. Phir uska expression wapas normal ho jata hai.)

Ashutosh: Expected.

Veer: Tujhe tension nahi ho rahi?

Ashutosh: Mujhe tension kyun hogi?

Veer: Government inquiry hai.

Ashutosh: Maine kuch galat nahi kiya.

(Uska jawab simple tha. Seedha aur confident. Veer jaanta tha ki Ashutosh corruption mein involved nahi ho sakta. Lekin woh yeh bhi jaanta tha ki Ashutosh kuch chhupa raha hai. Kuch personal. Kuch aisa jiski wajah se yeh hospital project uske liye sirf business project nahi balki ek mission ban chuka tha.)

Hospital Construction Site

(Manvi site par pahunchti hai. Usne irregularities dekhne ki umeed ki thi, lekin jo usne dekha usne uski expectations hi badal di.)

Workers disciplined the. Safety measures proper the. Equipment high quality tha aur construction progress reports se bhi better lag rahi thi. Har cheez records ke according thi.

(Manvi workers aur local villagers se baat karti hai. Sabka feedback positive tha. Dheere-dheere uski suspicion kam hone lagti hai. Shayad complaints fake thi. Shayad kisi ne unnecessary issue create kiya tha.)

Tabhi uski nazar ek supervisor par padti hai.

Manvi: Ye supervisor kitne time se project par hai?

Worker: Ma'am, jab se project start hua hai tab se ye yahin hai.

(Manvi sir hila deti hai aur wapas gaadi ki taraf badhne lagti hai. Lekin tabhi ek elderly worker jaldi se uske paas aata hai. Uski aankhon mein ghabrahat saaf nazar aa rahi thi. Woh aas-paas dekhta hai jaise kisi se bach raha ho.)

Bina kuch kahe woh ek folded paper Manvi ke haath mein de deta hai.

Worker: (slowly) Sach dekhna hai toh files se bahar dekhiye, ma'am.

Manvi: Rukiye—

(Lekin tab tak woh bheed mein kahin gayab ho chuka tha. Manvi ne ek baar phir crowd mein nazar daudayi, hoping to catch a glimpse of him, lekin woh kahin dikhai nahi diya.

Keshav: Ma'am, we should leave. We're getting late.

Manvi: But—

Woh baat adhuri chhod deti hai. After one final look through the crowd, she turns away and gets into the car.

Inside The Car

(Manvi folded paper kholti hai. Uske andar sirf do lines likhi hoti hain.)

"The project is clean."

"The people around it are not."

(Manvi ka expression serious ho jata hai. Yeh warning Ashutosh ke khilaaf nahi lag rahi thi. Yeh kisi aur ke baare mein thi.)

Manvi: Keshav.

Keshav: Yes, ma'am?

Manvi: Mujhe Ashutosh Malhotra ki complete background report chahiye.

Keshav: Sirf business profile ya detailed?

Manvi: Everything. Family background, previous projects, political connections, legal records, media reports... sab kuch.

Keshav: Ji ma'am.

Manvi: Aur anonymous complaints ko bhi cross-check karo. Mujhe assumptions nahi, facts chahiye.

Keshav: Right away, ma'am.

Three Hours Later..........

(Keshav ne corporate records, government databases, previous project files aur trusted sources ke through jitni information legally collect ki ja sakti thi, sab gather kar li. Jab woh wapas Collector Office pahunchta hai toh uske haath mein ek thick file hoti hai.)

Keshav: Ma'am, report ready hai.

Manvi: Give it.

(Keshav file desk par rakh deta hai.)

Manvi: I hope this contains everything.

Keshav: As much as we could legally access in three hours, ma'am.

(Manvi file kholti hai.)

Manvi: Start.

Keshav: Ashutosh Malhotra. Age thirty-two. Managing Director of Malhotra Infrastructure Group. IIT graduate. MBA from London. Took over the company a few years ago and transformed it completely.

Manvi: Family background?

Keshav: Well-established. No major controversies.

Manvi: Business reputation?

Keshav: That's where things get interesting.

(Manvi ki attention aur focused ho jati hai.)

Keshav: Multiple large-scale projects. Government contracts, private developments, public welfare initiatives. Aur surprisingly, almost every project has a clean record.

Manvi: Almost?

Keshav: No major violations. No corruption inquiries. No blacklisting. Nothing significant.

(Manvi bhaunhein sikod leti hai.)

Manvi: That doesn't sound normal.

Keshav: Exactly my point.

Manvi: Political connections?

Keshav: Influential logon ko jaanta hai. Lekin direct political affiliation ka koi record nahi.

Manvi: Personal life?

Keshav: Extremely private. Sab usse jaante hain, lekin koi usse sach mein nahi jaanta.

(Room mein kuch pal ki khamoshi chha jaati hai.)

Manvi: Either he's genuinely clean...

Keshav: ...or very good at hiding things.

(Manvi dheere se file band kar deti hai.)

Manvi: People who look perfect usually have the most carefully hidden secrets.

Same Evening – Indore

(Ashutosh office se nikalne hi wala tha ki uska phone ring karne laga. Screen par unknown number flash hua. Normally woh unknown calls avoid karta tha, lekin is baar usne bina soche call receive kar li. Dusri taraf se aayi awaaz sunte hi uska expression badal gaya. Uski grip phone par aur tight ho gayi aur kuch seconds tak woh bina kuch kahe khamosh khada raha.)

Ashutosh: Hello.

Voice: Sir... he is missing.

(Ashutosh ki aankhon mein ek dangerous sa calm aa gaya. Bahar se woh utna hi composed lag raha tha, lekin andar kuch aur hi chal raha tha.)

Ashutosh: What do you mean he's missing?

Voice: We've checked everywhere, sir. His apartment, usual contacts, even the places he visits regularly. There's no sign of him.

(Ashutosh dheere se khidki ke paas chala gaya aur neeche chamakti city lights ko dekhne laga. Kuch pal tak cabin mein sirf khamoshi thi.)

Ashutosh: A grown man doesn't just disappear.

Voice: We are trying our best, sir.

Ashutosh: I don't want your trying.

(Uski awaaz unchi nahi hui thi, lekin uski thandi tone hi kaafi thi saamne wale ko dara dene ke liye.)

Ashutosh: Just find him. I don't care how much it costs. Use every resource we have.

Voice: Yes, sir.

Ashutosh: And when you find him... bring him to me.

(Call disconnect ho jata hai. Ashutosh kuch der tak wahi khada rehta hai. Raghav eklauta insaan tha jo project ke baare mein poora sach jaanta tha. Agar woh galat logon ke haath lag gaya, toh sirf project nahi, bahut kuch khatre mein pad sakta tha.)

Night – Manvi's Room

(Manvi apne room mein baithi hui thi. Uske saamne wahi folded paper rakha tha jo use site par mila tha. Pata nahi kyun, lekin usse lag raha tha ki us note mein abhi bhi kuch missing hai. Woh paper ko dobara uthati hai aur lamp ki light ke saamne karti hai. Is baar uski nazar paper ke back side par padti hai, jahan kuch faint words dheere-dheere visible hone lagte hain.)

Aur jo usne dekha, usse uska saans ek pal ke liye ruk gaya.

"Trust Ashutosh Malhotra."

"Don't trust the people working for him."

(Tabhi Manvi ka phone vibrate karta hai. Screen par Unknown Number flash hota hai. Ek second ke liye woh screen ko dekhti hai aur phir call receive kar leti hai.)

Manvi: Hello?

Unknown Caller: Hospital Project ki investigation band kar do.

Manvi: Excuse me?

Unknown Caller: Aur cancellation file approve kar do.

Manvi: Aur agar na karun toh?

Unknown Caller: Toh tumhare liye achha nahi hoga.

Manvi: Oh, so you're threatening me now?

Unknown Caller: Dhamki nahi de raha.

Unknown Caller: Warning de raha hoon.

Manvi: Sun...Na toh main teri warning se darrne wali hoon aur na hi teri dhamki se. Saamne aane ki himmat nahi hai tere andar, isliye chhup-chhup ke phone kar raha hai.

(Kuch seconds tak dusri taraf se koi awaaz nahi aati.)

Unknown Caller: Zubaan bahut chalti hai tumhari.

Manvi: Aur tumhari aukaat sirf phone ke peeche chhupne tak hai.

Unknown Caller: Tum is case ke jitna andar jaogi...Utna hi mushkil hoga wapas nikalna.

Manvi: Bad luck for you Kyunki ab main peeche hatne wali nahi hoon.

Unknown Caller: Tum samajh nahi rahi ho kis se baat kar rahi ho.

Manvi: Mujhe farq bhi nahi padta.

Manvi: Main investigation tab tak nahi rokne wali jab tak mujhe pata na chal jaye ki yeh sab kaun kar raha hai aur kyun kar raha hai.

Unknown Caller: Bahut mehenga padega yeh attitude.

Manvi: let's see.....................................(call disconnected)

To  be continued.

Thank you for reading Chapter 2! ✨

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