Izaan got dressed and headed out for work. His body still ached, yet he had no choice—money was both his greatest strength and his biggest weakness right now.
From the bookstore he hurried to the restaurant and began working at full speed.
"Hey, Izaan, take the order for table 05!"
"Yeah, got it," he answered, heading over.
"Sir, may I take your order…?" The moment he reached table 05 his eyes widened in shock. Ved was sitting there—in the usual expensive gray tux, designer shoes gleaming, a sparkling Rolex on his wrist.
Izaan steadied himself. "Your order, sir?"
Ved smiled and gestured across the table."He'll order."
Izaan turned—and nearly yelped."Aah!"
"Oye! Do I look like a scary to you?" the man growled.
Rishabh… Rishabh Yadav… The name flashed through Izaan's mind. A towering brute of a man, thick beard and an intimidating glare.
"What's wrong with you?" another waiter rushed over.
"Nothing… nothing at all," Izaan wiped his sweat.
"Sir, what will you have?" he asked Rishabh.
"Oye, do you not recognize me or are you pretending?" Rishabh rumbled.
Ved chuckled. "… Why don't you smack him? Might jog his memory."
Did Ved just say this hulk should hit me? Izaan wondered how he'd look flattened on the floor.
Rishabh grabbed Izaan's collar and yanked him close."Oye, you're Izaan, right?"
"N‑no, you're mistaken, brother!" Izaan stammered.
Rishabh glanced at Ved. Ved waved lazily. "That's him. Hit his head; he'll remember."
"Is that so?" Rishabh said, and Izaan hastily stepped back.
"Wait—memory's back! I'm Izaan!"
"Good," Ved smiled—and even the smile felt poisonous to Izaan.
"Will you place your order now?" Izaan asked quietly.
"No need—sit here," Rishabh ordered, tugging him down. He called another waiter to take the order. Known as a thug, Rishabh intimidated everyone; no one dared object.
Izaan's pulse hammered. Years have passed, but they're even more dangerous now… Sweat trickled down his back.
"Sure he's Izaan?" Rishabh asked, watching him.
"Got doubts?" Ved arched a brow.
"Our First‑Squad captain… the guy famous for his looks," Rishabh mused.
"And for getting beaten," Ved added. Izaan ground his teeth.
"Who'd believe he's a waiter? I thought he'd end up a movie star—now he's washing dishes…"
"Yeah, his stardom has gone down the drain," Ved twirled a lock of hair by his ear.
These jerks still show me no respect, Izaan fumed silently.
"By the way, the waiter uniform suits you—if only your ribs weren't poking through," Rishabh laughed, gripping Izaan's collar tighter. Izaan felt this might be his last moment.
Move that hand or send me straight to the cemetery… he thought.
Food soon arrived. Ved and Rishabh dug in while Izaan sat quietly in a corner.
"What's wrong? Eat—your favorites are here," Ved smiled.
"I'm not hungry… I need to work," Izaan replied calmly.
"Eat first; work later."
"My manager will be angry—"
"Where is your manager?" Rishabh snarled.
He's treating my manager like raw chicken, Izaan groaned inwardly.
"I said—"
"Oye, call your manager!" Rishabh barked at a passing waiter.
"Yes, sir!" The waiter dashed off.
Moments later the manager arrived—startled to see Izaan seated beside Rishabh.
"You called, sir?" he stammered.
"Yeah. He's my friend." Rishabh pointed to Izaan. The manager's eyes bulged; he stared at Izaan.
"He'll have lunch with us and work when he feels like it. Any problem?"
"N‑no, sir! Even if Mr. Izaan doesn't work, I have no problem!" the manager quaked.
"Hmm… now leave," Rishabh snapped. The manager fled.
"Now eat," Rishabh piled food onto Izaan's plate.
With a deep breath, Izaan began. After the first bite, Rishabh dumped another bowl on his plate.
"Rishabh… I can't eat this much."
"You have to. I can see your bones. Looks like malnutrition has become your victim."
Izaan lowered his head. He longed to smash this bull right now—but who knew where they'd all land once horns locked…
Gradually he grew a bit more comfortable eating.
"Remember—we used to meet after school just nearby?" Rishabh said.
"Yeah, that old ruin," Ved nodded.
"Is it still there?" Rishabh asked eagerly.
"No, there's a new building now," Izaan answered.
"What! That was our hangout! Who dared touch it?" Rishabh smacked the table.
It wasn't our father's property… it belonged to the government, Izaan replied calmly.
"Who the hell is this government!" Rishabh roared.
Ved grinned. "Our government."
"What nonsense… our government isn't Rana?" Rishabh frowned.
"He's only Shadow Venom's vice president. We're talking about the country's government," Ved explained.
"Whatever," Rishabh mumbled around a giant burger.
After eating, Rishabh and Ved stood. "We'll drop by your place tonight. Cook something," they said.
"What!" Izaan's eyes bulged.
They left. Izaan began clearing the table when the manager hurried over.
"Sir, why're you doing this? And why didn't you say you're with Shadow Venom? Forgive my mistakes!"
Unbelievable, Izaan thought, then said aloud, "Sir, it's nothing like that."
"From today, I appoint you as manager—please accept!" The man practically fell at his feet.
"Please, sir, don't—"
"So you accept my offer?" the manager pleaded.
"…All right," Izaan sighed and set the plates back on the table.
Izaan's Flat
It was 8 PM. Izaan had worked hard to clean the entire house and was now in the kitchen, humming to himself while cooking. Maybe for the first time, he actually felt happy in this flat. Ever since he had moved in, his life had felt like the wheel of a bicycle—spinning endlessly in the same direction, without any change. But today… today, something felt different.
The doorbell rang.A smile spread across Izaan's face. He rushed toward the door, and as soon as he opened it—
7–8 people barged into his room.
"What the hell…?!" Izaan shouted.
"Oye, it's us…" Rishabh growled.
You fat bull... Izaan cursed him in his head, then looked around at the others.
Besides Rishabh and Ved, a few more of their gang had come along:
1. Aviral TyagiWearing a shiny silver shirt, grey pants, and grey-tinted shades — a guy obsessed with grey. He was so into the color that he had even dyed his hair in a grey shade.Aviral was Izaan's childhood school friend. Izaan had known him since the days when scraped knees were a daily affair.
2. Sauryansh KhannaWearing a yellow T-shirt under a blue jacket, constantly chewing gum. His hair was a bit long, tied up in a small bun, though a few strands always dangled over his face.Sauryansh had met him in the Shadow Venom group, but ever since they'd become friends, their bond had turned into something deeper—like family.
3. Aryaman ChauhanThe mayor's son. Broad, muscular build. An off-white T-shirt layered with a deep brown coat.His hair was soft, silky, medium-length, and his eyes — a pale greyish slate color — carried a kind of quietness that seemed to hold unspoken words.
4. Kavin MathurHe walked in munching on chocolate. His light almond-colored eyes sparkled with mischief.Wearing a loose white T-shirt with grey stripes over it, black jeans, and a constant, cheerful smile.Izaan's childhood buddy — practically brothers in arms!
5 Kaustubh RaiJust like his name, he was a rare person. Black eyes, hair shaded with black and light brown streaks. A slim-fit coat over a turtleneck T-shirt.His face, as always, was calm and cold.His eyes spoke more than his words.
Izaan stood at the door, completely stunned — as if his entire old world had just barged into his flat…
"This is so boring… let's do something fun," Kavin said, popping the last bite of his chocolate like he was about to set off fireworks.
Aviral waved his hand and asked, "Do you recognize me?"
Izaan scrunched his nose and replied,"What's there to recognize? Your face hasn't changed at all."He felt like these guys were a storm crashing into the quiet river that had become his life.
"And me?" — Kavin jumped in too.
"Of course, you are Kavin Mathur… my junior..."Izaan rolled his eyes as if he'd just been scolded like a naughty kid.
"So I guess there's no need for introductions anymore…" Aryaman said in his deep voice."Let's talk business now."
Everyone gathered around the same table.
Izaan brought some tea and snacks and quietly sat beside them — still unable to process what was happening.
"We're here to talk about Yugant," Sauryansh began, and Izaan's eyes widened.
"Hmm... Yugant Gamra — Shadow Venom's President. He's been missing for five months now," Aviral added in a deep tone."Where he is, who he's with… we don't know anything. Whether he's even still alive…"He left the sentence hanging, and everyone's gaze turned toward him.
"Nothing can happen to our President!" Rishabh growled."If anyone even dares to touch him, I'll kill them...!!"
Izaan raised his hand to calm everyone —"One minute! This is your Shadow Venom business. Your gang's matter — so you guys deal with it.What am I doing here?"
Now all eyes were fixed on him.
Sauryansh quietly said —"Right before Yug went missing... he gave the order to find you, Izaan."
"What...?"Izaan froze in his place."Me...?"
"Yes. And just a few hours after that order… he suddenly disappeared."Sauryansh's expression had turned serious.
"Could all this be… because of me?"Izaan's voice trembled. But before he could finish, Kaustubh cut him off — and this time, his voice wasn't soft, but sharp and slightly bitter:
"After you left the group… Yug set us free. We were united again. And everything… everything was fine."
Silence fell over the room.
"Out of respect for your decision… none of us ever tried to find you."Kaustubh's eyes were locked with Izaan's.
"...But then one day…"His jaw clenched."…Amay Rana came back."
"Amay Rana…?"Izaan's eyes widened, the name slipped from his lips as if involuntarily —"President of Gang of Hell...?"
"Yes, the same."Ved completed the sentence."He came back suddenly… and had a private conversation with Yug. Right after that, we were ordered to find you."
"But...""...before we could do anything, Yug disappeared.And Amay took over our gang again."
Everything blurred for Izaan — Shadow Venom, Yug, Amay Rana, and his own choices...
"So we're still… slaves?"His voice was tired, head bowed low as if crushed by guilt.