Rohan continued, his voice thick with malice.
"In the next few weeks, fake reports and evidence will flood social media. The story we made up about your enterprise, Nav-Yuga, pretending to donate to the poor, it'll cause chaos. People will believe it. Your own customers will file a class-action lawsuit. Tens of thousands will join in against you."
Jay's eyes widened. His heart pounded as he listened. The thugs surrounding them stayed silent, their eyes fixed on Rohan.
"During the trial," Rohan went on, his grin widening, "none of the charities or people you supposedly helped will back you up. Some will even testify against you. They'll say they never got anything, that Nav-Yuga threatened them to lie in court."
"You'll lose. The court will hit you with a penalty so big that even if you sold everything you owned, it wouldn't be enough. That's the start. Your stocks will crash. The company will sink."
Rohan stepped in closer, his face just inches away. His breath was hot and foul.
"After that, everyone will see Nav-Yuga as a scam. Sales will drop to nothing. Bankruptcy will follow. And when you're down there, drowning, none of your relatives or family friends will help you. They'll cut you off and act like they never knew you."
Jay stared back, blood on his face, pain tightening his chest. But his eyes didn't break.
Rohan smirked.
"You'll be helpless. You'll see just how weak and worthless you are compared to someone like me."
His eyes gleamed with madness. Then he pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket, unfolding it with shaky hands. The page was filled with disturbing sketches, dark scribbles, jagged lines, and outlines of limbs marked for removal.
"I planned this while I was in the hospital," Rohan muttered, almost to himself. "First, I'll chop off your arms. Slowly. Then your legs. Then I'll take your ears, your nose, your tongue… leave you as something no one can even look at."
He took a deep breath, his voice shaking with twisted excitement.
"Then I'll scrape the skin from your body. Puncture your muscles. Finally, gouge out your eyes. How's that sound? To me, it sounds delicious."
He laughed. Loud, wild, unhinged. Even the goons around him shifted uncomfortably. Some looked away. Others glanced at each other, unsure. The bodyguards remained still, but the unease was clear on their faces.
Then Rohan kicked Jay.
The sound of the impact echoed through the concrete garage. Jay grunted in pain, trying to brace himself, but the next kick landed just as hard. And the next. And the next.
Rohan laughed between each blow, his foot slamming into Jay's ribs, his legs, his back. The thuds were sickening.
Jay's vision blurred further. Every hit sent waves of pain through his broken body. His ribs screamed. His muscles were on fire. But through it all, the worst pain came from Rohan's words, words that tore through his mind.
His thoughts spun wildly; his family, his grandfather, Nav-Yuga. Everything he had worked for. Everything now hanging by a thread.
Rohan leaned over him, smiling down.
"Look at you, Jay. Pathetic," he sneered. "How does it feel to know that everything you care about is going to be destroyed? That you'll lose it all?"
He kicked Jay again, this time with more force. Jay gasped, the air knocked from his lungs.
The noise stirred Jay's cousin, Lokesh, awake. He blinked, groggy, and looked around. Then he shouted, "What the hell is going on? Who are you people?"
Rohan paused mid-kick and turned to him with a grin. "Well, look who finally woke up. I heard you don't get along with your cousins. Can't blame you. Those three are freaks with their weird talents. Since we're on the same page, why don't you show me how much you dislike him with your fists? Make him pass out, and I'll let you be on your way. What do you say?
Lokesh rubbed the back of his head, remembering how he had been knocked out right after parking his car. His vision cleared as he sat up, trying to make sense of what was happening. But it didn't take long.
He saw nearly thirty unconscious goons lying scattered across the ground. And there was Jay, bloody, bruised, but still awake, lying on the floor with his eyes open, staring straight at him.
Lokesh stood in silence for a moment, assessing everything around, and understood that it was all Rohan's doing.
Rohan's tone turned impatient. "Decide quickly. I don't have all day."
Seeing Rohan's bodyguards inching closer, ready to beat him down if he refused, Lokesh made his decision.
He gave a nod to Rohan standing beside him, then turned his attention to Jay.
"Sorry, Jay. I have no choice. Don't hold it against me," he said calmly.
Jay looked up, his breathing heavy, his eyes hollow from pain.
Lokesh stepped closer.
Rohan chuckled. "First your lover, then your friends, and now your own family. I wonder how long you can last before breakin…."
He didn't get to finish.
Lokesh's fist came fast and landed square on Rohan's nose with a solid crack. Rohan yelled in pain, stumbling back, hands to his face.
Before anyone could react, Lokesh shoved the two goons holding Jay aside and shouted, "Run!!!"
Jay didn't waste the moment. He pushed his battered body up and ran with every bit of strength left in him.
Rohan screamed in anger, wiping blood from his nose. "Urghh!! That bastard!!" He turned to his bodyguards. "What are you standing there for? Are those guns just for show?! Shoot their damn kneecaps! Let's see where they run off to then!"
Jay and Lokesh didn't run straight into the open. They dashed into the maze of parked cars, weaving through tight gaps and narrow lanes, making it harder for anyone to aim. The two bodyguards and the remaining eight goons gave chase.
Jay's body was a mess. Every step felt like fire. But he didn't stop. The adrenaline kept him moving, kept him upright.
Behind Jay and Lokesh, heavy footsteps followed. The pursuers were spreading out, trying to trap them.
Seeing that Jay was struggling on his own, Lokesh stepped in and offered support, draping Jay's arm over his shoulder to help carry some of the weight.
They ducked low as they moved through the maze of parked cars, trying to stay hidden. The voices of the pursuers grew louder with every second.
"Over here!" one of the goons shouted.
A shot rang out. The bullet struck a car nearby with a sharp metallic ping, ricocheting off the hood.
"This way," Lokesh whispered quickly, pointing to a narrow space between two large SUVs.
They slipped through the tight gap. For a brief moment, they were out of sight. The garage felt endless, but they couldn't stop. Not now.
After a long and arduous stretch of sneaking around, they finally emerged on the other side and moved ahead as fast as they could.
"We're almost there," Lokesh said, breathless, his eyes locked on the entrance to the third basement level up ahead.
But the footsteps behind them were getting louder. Jay could hear the sharp barks of orders, and the rapid thuds of boots hitting the concrete floor.
Just as they neared the stairwell, a goon stepped out from behind a parked van, blocking their path. Jay tried to stop, but his momentum nearly made him crash into the man.
Before he could react, Lokesh stepped forward and kicked the goon hard in the knee. The man let out a yell and crumpled to the ground.
More figures emerged. The rest of the group had caught up, surrounding them from all directions.
Jay and Lokesh stood back-to-back, cornered. Jay's chest heaved, as he drew painful breaths. He looked at the wall of enemies around them and clenched his fists.
"Get ready," he muttered.
The first goon charged. Jay ducked a punch and countered with a jab straight into the man's ribs. He felt the impact vibrate through his arm. Lokesh grappled with another, their bodies twisting and shoving in the narrow space.
Grunts and punches echoed across the garage. Jay knocked one down but was immediately tackled by another. Lokesh held his own, blocking and striking, but the pressure was building.
Jay hit the wall hard, pinned by a heavy goon. His muscles burned as he struggled. Then, in the corner of his eye, he spotted something, just a few feet away on the wall.
A fire alarm.
He shifted, trying to break free, his eyes locked on the red handle.
Just as he was about to push himself up, a thunderous roar echoed through the garage.
A sleek black Lamborghini burst into view from the ramp, its engine growling as it tore down the lane. Behind it came two heavily armored vehicles, their headlights piercing through the dim lighting.
The sudden noise brought everything to a halt.
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Author Note:
The revamped version of Volume 1, 2 & 3 are now live on Kindle. You can find it on Amazon by simply searching the book title. Thank you for your support, and I hope you enjoy the new editions!
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Exclusive artwork for every free chapter is now available on my PATRE0N page! You can find the link in my Discord server.
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Discord Link for 'Earth's Alpha Prime' :
https://discord.gg/maQC7xDBYZ
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