Page 60 of The Pursuit
As the evening wound down, Ratan uncle turned to mewith that same inscrutable mask once more. “Trisha, if you don’t mind, I’d like to have a word with you in private before we retire for the night.”
Krish stiffened almost subtly beside me, but I met his troubled gaze and gave him a reassuring nod. I knew he was worried after the last time his father had spoken to me privately as it had ended with him forcing us to go our separate ways. But I refused to let old fears and miscommunications haunt us any longer.
I followed Ratan uncle through the dimly lit corridors out to a serene courtyard terrace overlooking the snow-capped peaks beyond. For a long while, we simply admired the view in silence, the tension building with every passing second.
Finally, he turned to face me fully, his expression softening into something almost paternal.
“Krish has already informed me of his intentions to make you his wife,” Ratan uncle began gruffly. “I want to know—will you continue your work with GLEN after the marriage? Your skills are far too valuable to lose.”
“Of course,” I replied without hesitation. “GLEN and the life of an agent will always be my priority.”
A ghost of a smile played across his weathered features. “I’m pleased to hear that. But I must also ask—will you give the same unwavering dedication to my son and your future marriage?”
I opened my mouth to respond, but he held up a hand to stop me.
“Please, let me explain. When you two were... involvedbefore, I made the regrettable decision to interfere based on some misguided attempt to ‘protect’ my only son from potential heartbreak and make him focus only on his work.”
He shook his head remorsefully. “It was a horrible misjudgment on my part, born of my own selfish fears. I’m sorry, Trisha, for everything that you and Krish had to endure because of me. What I failed to understand is that Krish is more than capable of balancing his commitment to this organisation with building a life with someone he loves.”
Stepping closer, he grasped my hands tightly in his weathered ones. “You make my son happier and more grounded than I have ever seen. For that, you have my eternal gratitude and respect, Trisha.”
My eyes burned with relieved tears at his words. “Thank you. You have no idea how much that means to me.”
He gave my hands one final paternal squeeze before turning to look back towards the manor. Krish appeared, unable to stay away any longer.
His father turned to him, pulling him into a hug. “You have always made me proud, Krish. Now, I cannot wait to see how you both flourish in your love while continuing to work together at GLEN.”
Krish looked at his father, his eyes shining with gratitude. “Thank you, Dad. I promise we won’t let you down.”
His father pulled away and looked at us both. “The wedding should take place next month, if you’re both ready. After the wedding and a month for your honeymoon, I have a very critical mission awaiting thetwo of you. Are you ready for it?”
Krish and I exchanged a look, then nodded in unison. “We’re always ready,” we said together.
Ratan uncle’s approving nod and answering smile were all the further blessings we needed.
“Good. Now, let’s head back inside. We have much to prepare for.”
Krish and I exchanged knowing glances, the corners of our lips quirking up in matching smiles. No matter what life threw our way, we were ready to face it head-on—as partners, as spies, and as a couple madly in love.
Epilogue (Euphoria)
KRISH
Ten months later
I stepped out of the monitoring van into the inky blackness of the abandoned Sandport Dockyard somewhere in Southern Africa. The cold coastal air carried a tinge of salt, and a vaguely ominous feeling seemed to permeate everything here. The dockyard was a sinister place, long abandoned and eerily silent, with shadows cast by the few flickering lights. It had once been a bustling hub but now served as a den for one of the most dangerous drug lords in the world. The remnants of old, rusted shipping containers and the skeletal frames of dilapidated buildings added to the foreboding atmosphere.
My eyes scanned the area, finally landing on the decrepit warehouse squatting in the distance. That was our target—the dilapidated headquarters where the nefarious drug lord known as“El Sangre”ran his vast underground empire. Despite his Spanish name, intelligence suggested El Sangre was originally from Thailand before expanding his illicit trade across multiple continents.
This sadistic individual was always one step ahead of us, operating his network in shadows through an impenetrable army of corrupt officials and merciless henchmen. El Sangre had been our white whale for months now, ever since we’d taken down the drugkingpins Ron and Aziz in Asia. But tonight, that would finally change.
Our sources from deep undercover indicated El Sangre himself would be overseeing a massive product shipment arriving here within the next few hours. It was the perfect opportunity to strike and sever the head of the legendary snake once and for all. Of course, given how repeatedly El Sangre had slipped through our grasp before, we weren’t taking any chances.
I turned back to survey our tactical team assembled in the shadows. Highly trained GLEN operatives blended in seamlessly with the dockyard’s shadowy infrastructure, weapons raised in silent readiness.
As I stepped out of the monitoring van, Ayaan’s voice immediately crackled over the comms. “Are we set for tonight, Krish?”
Ayaan was in Manhattan, overseeing another critical mission. It had been a few months since we met now, but we were constantly on each other’s speed dial whenever needed.
