A burst of cackling laughter resounded through the silent and luxurious office room. Faizal was looking at the heavy and fleshy person in front of him who was seated in a tall office armchair with a golden swivel base. Ripples of fat could be seen clearly despite the posh velvety suit he was wearing, a golden tooth could be seen as he laughed without restraint.

A light twinkled in Faizal's eyes when he saw this scene but he neither interrupted him nor opposed him. He had already expected this response when he had come here. Actually, he wanted this response because today was the day when he was going to have 'his' moment. It was going to be a memorable day for him. He planned and sacrificed a lot for looking cool today.

The fatty stopped his laughter but the noisy wheezing sound resultant of his heavy laughter did not stop for quite some time. He looked at Faizal with clear, visible disdain as he said, "go and tell Taarini to wash her neck for her execution. The day she refused to follow the Mafia alliance from Mumbai, her fate was sealed." he twirled his golden Rolex watch studded with diamonds as if he did not want to waste any words on a simpleton like Faizal.

Faizal remained unfazed as he smiled and said," you are going off track. My purpose in visiting you today was not to hear your opinion on the present condition of Big Sis, but to ask as to why you have not offered revenue of this Five-Star hotel from the past two months."

Faizal leaned back in his chair as he smirked," Did you forget that this 'Vivanta' was built by Manu big brother for Big Sis and you were placed here as only a formal supervisor. Have you developed some kind of illusion that this property was yours?"

The stout person stood up with great difficulty as he sneered as he peered at Faizal with his pig eyes, "Taarini's? This building was mine, to begin with. I had built this five-star hotel brick by brick by selling my ancestor's property. It was Manu who coerced me into paying this revenue. don't think you would get a nickel from me anymore. I have already come under the protection of people who you can't stir up. What you can do to me?"

Faizal shook his head slowly, "tch, tch, to think that your name was Biswas (faith), your parents really were blind."

"I give my allegiance to those who could profit me, there is nothing wrong with it," Biswas walked on the white fluffy, elegant carpet as he went near the mini bar in a corner as he said," Being under your Big Sis is always full of constraints, no drugs, no human trafficking, no extortion, I sometimes wonder if your Big Sis is a saint or a nun helping those orphans. She clearly is in the wrong field here. Under the patronage of Kasim big brother, I have the freedom to earn a lot of money."

"Okay I heard your words, I will convey them to Big Sis, is there anything that you would like to add?" Faizal stood up as he took out his phone as he checked the time.

Biswas scoffed as he said pointed at Faizal with his golden ringed fingers," Look at you, simple clothes, cheap Chinese phone, are you happy with your life while that Taarini enjoys all the luxury. I know that you are one of the best fighters under her. Come to our side, your image would be transformed in a day. Give me all her information so that it's easier for Kasim Big brother to destroy Taarini. You look at me, look at the wine that I drink," Biswas lifted the elegant bottle as he tried to read the name on the bottle, "Do...Domaine Duga...tby Cham...Chambertin…, whatever it costs more than 2 lakh bugs (around $2800) but I can drink it every day now, and look at these cigars from Cuba, Kasim Big brother gifted me these, this is real living, what is the difference between you and a pig living in a pigsty. Come to our side, what do you say? Take this invitational gift from me" Biswas threw a Wood ford Reserve Bourbon bottle at Faizal.

Faizal did not speak as he caught the wine bottle, looking around the inviting, elegant office with cherry wood panels and stylish decorations as he nodded his head. He tapped on the high gloss and figured Macassar ebony and high grade Italian soft leather office table. He looked at the window wall on the left side of the room which brought in ample amount of sunlight inside as he smiled and said, "Nice view, you can see even Big Sis's Mall from here."

Biswas frowned slightly when he saw that Faizal was diverting from the main topic but he still nodded as he said," Of course, you can see it as Manu had brought this land in prime location, a part of which became the five-star hotel and the remaining was used by Taarini to build the mall in the last year. Are you interested in that property, I could ask Kasim Big brother to allow you a part of shares if you join us now before it is too late. What do you say?" he continued to tempt Faizal as he cut the ends of the Cuban cigar with a cigar cutter.

"These mirror panels are one-way glass, right?" Faizal asked as he took out his 'cheap' Chinese smartphone to take photos of the office without asking Biswas's permission. Biswas frowned when he heard Faizal's doubt and his actions but still nodded," Of course, they are one-way for security purposes and why are you taking pictures?"

Faizal shook his head as he said with a mild laugh," you said that I was one of the top fighters under Taarini Big Sis right, it would have been true if you had said these words in the last week, but now" Faizal rubbed his head with frustration with a bitter smile on his face,"Last week, Big Sis had recruited an anomaly, he defeated me in one day." Faizal looked in the direction of the mall as he gritted his teeth and said," Just one day and I was not even able to catch the corner of his clothes again. Today he single-handedly defeated the three brothers Phani, John and Dhanush, who were most famous in our gang elites for being able to coordinate with each other in a fight."

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

"who is it?" Biswas was so stunned when he heard Faizal's words that he stopped cutting the cigar and looked at Faizal with wide-open eyes but then he regained his composure as he leered," So what if he is a strong fighter, can he stop bullets? This is the era of firearms, no kind of martial prowess can stand in front of hot burning steel." he resumed cutting his cigar. If it was the time when Manu's rules applied in the underworld of Bangalore, he might have been spooked but not now.

"Firearms, hot burning steel?" Faizal looked at Biswas as if he was looking at an idiot. He shook his head as he stated," Well, anyway I suggest you to stop sitting in that chair anymore. If you want to sit in that chair, you better pay your dues to Big Sis." he prepared to walk away after pointing at the tall armchair which was the Boss's chair.

"Oh, why? You think you can scare me with these words," Biswas scoffed at Faizal as he waved his hands and said," Get lost, you just lost your golden chance."

Crack!

A crack sound was heard along with a muffled sound which frightened Biswas so much so that he dropped the cigar in his hand as he gave a yelp like a slaughtered pig and fell face down on the floor as his fat ass trembled with fear.

Faizal knew that his chance at acting cool had come but he was also submerged in the feeling of awe when he looked at the hole in the middle of the armchair that Biswas had sat previously. He was reminded why he had become a fan of Aditya in the first place as his hairs stood on end and he clenched his fists with excitement.

"What happened?" Biswas cried in a trembling voice as he tried to stand with his shaking legs. He took the support of the wine cabinet as he climbed up slowly.

"Well, look for yourself," Faizal shrugged as he pointed at the chair. Biswas's heart froze when he saw the bullet hole on the chair. Faizal had imagined this scene when Munna handed over this job to him which was why he felt so hyped when he came to deliver a warning to Biswas. When he was going to make a cool exit like a boss, a message popped up on his phone which popped Faizal's fantasy. He turned around to look at the frozen figure of Biswas as he said awkwardly," can I borrow these cigars, you can cut there cost from the due, okay?" Faizal went and grabbed the set of cigars as he left hastily before Biswas recovered.

In a secret place on the top, Stellar Mall

"Angle of the target, Ballistic coefficient, Spindrift, Coriolis effect, temperature, wind speed, humidity, mirage effect, altitude and distance" Aditya murmured as he looked at the Five Star hotel in the distance as the wind moved his hair towards the side as he breathed in the cool evening air. Since he did not receive any message from Faizal, his shot was a success by default. All the parameters required for his shoot were pretty easy to calculate, the only thing to note was the one-way mirror which was solved with Faizal's low-quality photos. With these photos and his view, Aditya could easily reconstruct the scene inside and shoot.

He looked at the USMC M40 bolt-action Sniper rifle which was used in the Afghanistan war by the US military, don't ask as to how it landed in the hands of Taarini.

".308 Winchester Magnum calibre," Aditya played with some rounds as if they were marbles, producing tinkling sounds, while he leaned against the wall and looked at the traffic below which looked like an illuminated snake from above.

The picture of a beautiful face of Hamsa surfaced in his mind as he recalled the discussion he had with Saanvi in the morning.

"What! You are asking to allow Hamsa to stay in my place for a few days?" Aditya asked as he looked at the bright eyes of Saanvi. What was this situation?

"Yup," Saanvi replied simply, "She does not have any place to go right now, only a few days. After that, I will take her away even if you don't want."

"Is she fine with living with me, there are only two rooms, one is a kitchen which I haven't been using, the only place to sleep is in the remaining room, you can't expect me to start sleeping outside like yesterday, right? I would die of cold, especially the winter is setting in." Aditya laid down all the practical problems in one sentence. Aditya was sure that if it was any other person who slept out last night, he would have been broken definitely. He was able to manage because Tya could manipulate his body to some extent. So he felt warm even in the chilly cold climate as he slept on a dry plank.

"I know, she knows and accepted. You don't have to adjust for her, do things like you always did, just keep an eye on her and provide some food. That's it, I don't expect too much from you," Saanvi said with a smile on her luscious lips.

"Cool," Aditya nodded. He was a man. If anyone has to be afraid, it had to be Hamsa. If she was okay with it, why would he whine like a woman?

A pack of cigars flew across the air as Aditya caught them while he looked in another direction in a daze as he thought about Hamsa. 'what kind of a corner, a conservative woman like Hamsa had to be pushed into so that she would rather stay with a hot-blooded teenager rather than other places?" Aditya pitied her as he took a cigar out and read the label.

"Oh, Cohiba Cigars," Aditya's brows raised in mild surprise as he twirled the cigar between his thin fingers. It was one of the most popular and expensive brands of cigars from Cuba.

"What happened elder brother, your mind seems to be somewhere today?" Faizal came and sat beside him as he also looked at the traffic below enjoying the cool air.

Aditya shook his head as he did not want to talk about this issue as it was not about him. He cut the end of the cigar and lighted it. Aditya immediately realized the difference between smoking a cigar and cigarette.

A cigar felt so much more satisfying than a cigarette. After taking in the first breath, Aditya thought that a cigarette was rough, cheap and chemical tasting, whose only duty is to provide you with enough nicotine before your next urge to smoke. Cigar gave a long experience of smoking and flavour on the other hand.

Aditya took in a large puff as he thought," Ma, I have smoked a Cigar today. I miss you and Pa."