Summary: Maya is marked for slow death inside prison. Every day brings fresh torment. She reaches out to Rani—the woman who rules the jail. What starts as a desperate plea turns into a dangerous alliance. Maya proves her worth. She exposes Vikas as the threat behind Rani’s crumbling empire. Rani offers protection. What Maya gets in return is more than safety. She gets the truth. Arjun’s death was a setup. A red file exists. It holds the power to destroy everyone who killed him. Maya is done grieving. She is done hiding. She will find that file. And she will burn them all.
Section 1: One Name, One Hope
Every day brought new trouble for Maya. Nothing that could kill her. But just enough to make life miserable. A broken plate. Spoiled food. Shoves at the water line. A whispered threat at night. No peace. No rest. Death by a thousand cuts.
She didn’t react anymore. Just watched. Waited.
One afternoon, she found Lata near the wash area. The same woman she had spoken to before. The one who had brushed her off.
This time, Lata didn’t turn away. She looked at Maya and spoke in a low voice.
“You want to survive here? There’s only one way.”
Maya didn’t speak. She just waited.
“Rani,” Lata said. “She’s the one who runs this place. Not the guards. Not the jailer. Her.”
Maya asked, “Will she help me?”
Lata shrugged. “That depends on what you have to offer. She doesn’t do charity.”
Then Lata walked off, leaving Maya with more questions than answers.
But now, she had a name. A direction. One hope.
In this prison, that power belonged to Rani.
She was older. Broad-shouldered. Silver streaks in her tied-back hair. A faded serpent tattoo curled around her forearm.
Once, she ran illegal matka gambling for Mumbai’s top dons. She fell for her driver and made him her lover. When her husband found out, she didn’t argue. She didn’t run. She killed him. Shot him dead in cold blood. Didn’t blink. The news splashed across papers. The city gasped. A faction of cops who didn’t like her finally made their move and locked her up. But even that didn’t shake her. Not one bit.
From her jail cell, she rebuilt everything. The racket still ran. The money still moved. And Rani ruled it all.
Her cell stayed untouched. Her bed always clean. No one crossed into her space—not even by mistake. The guards followed her orders without delay. Money from her gambling racket still flowed in. It bought silence. It bought fear. It bought her power. Rani spent her money where it mattered. She paid the jail staff well—wardens, clerks, even the kitchen boys. That’s why she ruled the place. They ran her errands, passed her messages, looked the other way when needed. She helped inmates. Fought their cases. Got them lawyers. Helped women avoid being dumped in men’s jails where they’d be raped for months. She gave them dignity when no one else did. That’s why they followed her. That’s why they never betrayed her. Everyone knew—Rani didn’t just survive jail. She ruled it.
No one challenged Rani. No one touched those under her protection.
Maya watched her for days. Women went quiet when Rani walked by. Guards nodded before she even spoke. Even the air felt different when she entered a room. Rani didn’t raise her voice. She didn’t have to.
She didn’t shout or threaten. She didn’t need to. One look, one step, and everyone fell silent. That’s how Rani ruled.
Maya saw it clearly now—this place didn’t respect strength. It respected fear. And Rani was the kind of fear that ruled without a word.
That night, Maya sat on her cot. Her body ached from the hard gardening work she’d been assigned that week. A cockroach crawled over her food tray. She didn’t move. Just stared, breathing slow, jaw tight.
The stench filled her nose. The noise never stopped. The long nights drained her. But she held on.
But Lata’s words kept echoing in her mind, louder than the noise around her.
Rani.
Maya wasn’t ready. She had nothing to offer. No power. No clout.
But she had one thing left—will.
She didn’t want to survive. She wanted to take control.
Tomorrow, she would go to Rani.
Not to beg. Not as prey.
But as someone ready to learn the rules. And bend them, if she had to.
Section 2: Deal with the Queen
The next morning, Maya stood at the edge of the courtyard, eyes locked on the bench in the shade.
Rani was there. Calm. Still. Peeling an orange like she had all the time in the world. One wiry inmate and one scarred woman flanked her, quiet but alert.
The rest of the yard kept its distance. No one crossed into her space.
Maya’s heart thudded.
She had no idea how this would go.
Would Rani mock her? Help her? Crush her for daring to step close?
There was only one way to find out.
Maya paused—not because she was scared, but because she was thinking. This space had rules, and Rani controlled all of them.
She stepped forward.
The moment Maya stepped into Rani’s space, heads turned. The scarred woman tensed, ready. But Maya didn’t stop. She walked straight—calm, steady, eyes up. No fear. No hesitation. She stopped in front of the bench, face-to-face with the woman who ran the prison.
“I need to talk,” she said, low and even.
Rani didn’t look up. “Then talk.”
Maya looked at the two women beside Rani. Her voice stayed calm. “I want to talk. Just us.”
The mood turned tense. The scarred woman shifted, ready to block Maya. But Rani gave a small nod. Her women stood up and walked away. No protest. No delay.
Now Rani looked up. Her gaze swept over Maya. “Brave move,” she said. “Hope you’re not here to waste my time.”
“Not brave,” Maya said. “Just realistic.”
Rani studied her, eyes cool. “What do you want?”
“Protection.”
A pause.
Rani leaned in slightly, voice calm but cutting. “Protection, protection… everyone wants it. But nothing here comes free, dear. What’s in it for me?”
“I can pay.”
Rani gave a dry laugh. “I don’t deal in scraps. You want protection? Tell me exactly why I should care.”
“I’m not offering scraps,” Maya said. “I’m offering power. Use me, and you’ll gain reach beyond these walls.”
Rani’s gaze sharpened. “You think anyone wants to link up with a woman like you who is marked for death?”
Maya didn’t blink. “You’re losing money.”
Rani’s hand froze over the orange. Her eyes narrowed. “What did you say?”
“Your matka game. The one you run from in here. Someone’s bleeding it dry. And you can’t stop it because you're locked up.”
Rani leaned in, face hard. “Careful what you say.”
“I’m not here to threaten,” Maya said. “I’m here to tell you what’s happening. Your people are being replaced. One by one. Vikas Bharadwaj is behind it.”
That name landed like a stone.
Rani stared at her. “Vikas?”
“Yes. He wants it all. Drugs, guns, gambling. He’s buying off your men. Replacing the rest. He wants to run Mumbai, and he’s starting with you.”
Rani said nothing. But her jaw locked. Her fingers squeezed the orange till juice spilled.
“You think I came here just for cover?” Maya said. “I came here because we have the same enemy. He took Arjun from me. You’re next.”
Rani’s voice dropped. “Vikas gave the contract on Arjun?”
Maya nodded. “Everyone thinks it was Rathore. But the contract came from Vikas. I’m going to destroy him. Sooner or later.”
Rani looked at her a long time.
"What protection you need from me?" asked Rani.
"Vikas has put a contract on me too,” Maya said. “Not to kill me fast. To break me piece by piece. He’s using jail staff and inmates to wear me down. I need your protection.”
She leaned forward. “Once I’m out, I’ll return the favour in ways that matter. I’ll help you run your matka stronger than ever. You won’t just control this jail. You’ll be the matka queen of all Mumbai.”
Her voice didn’t shake. Her eyes didn’t blink. She meant every word. Once Vikas was dealt with, the rest would fall into place.
Even Rani was stunned. She had been struggling to hold her matka empire together. One area after another had slipped out of her control. The faces running her operations were no longer hers. Some had flipped. Some had vanished. A few had died in fake encounters. All chosen or placed by Vikas.
She knew she was bleeding power and cash. She also knew if it didn’t stop soon, she wouldn’t last in jail much longer.
And now Maya was telling her why. And who. Vikas.
Their enemy was the same.
For the first time, Rani saw Maya not as a weakling, but as a weapon.
A weapon she could use.
Rani stood, eyes locked on Maya. “You walk with me now,” she said. “Eat with me. Sit with me. That’s your shield.”
She stepped closer, her voice low and final. “In here, names don’t matter. Fear does. And mine still works.”
Maya nodded once.
“You stick by my side,” Rani added. “Anyone touches you, they answer to me.”
Maya nodded.
“But listen close,” Rani said, voice cold. “Right now, you have nothing to offer. So I’m giving you cover on credit. When I come calling, you pay it back. No excuses. No delays. You don’t repay me, you disappear. Simple.”
“Understood.”
“Good,” Rani said, turning without another word.
They walked together, side by side through the courtyard. Heads turned. Conversations stopped. Every eye followed them.
Maya Sharma now walked under Rani’s shadow.
And in this jail, that meant one thing—she was untouchable.
Section 3: The Bond Forged in Fire
Maya started spending more time around Rani. It helped. The threats slowed down. The whispers faded. The guards backed off.
But outside help never came. Her mother couldn’t move the system. Rathore had vanished. No lawyer, no friend, no ally.
She was stuck. And it ate at her.
She bided her time, but the frustration kept growing. She wanted a way out. She wanted action.
She just didn’t know where it would come from.
One warm afternoon, Rani was lounging under the shade of a neem tree. Maya sat nearby, legs folded, back against the trunk. The silence between them was easy.
“You loved Arjun Malik,” Rani said. It wasn’t a question. It was a statement—quiet, certain, and heavy.
Maya froze. Her breath caught. No one had said his name like that before. Not with love. Not with knowing.
Memories hit—his touch, his voice, that last look. The day they tore him away.
Her lips parted, but nothing came. Just a broken breath. Then tears. Hot, helpless.
She turned away, shaking. But it was too late.
For the first time since Arjun died, someone had spoken to her like she was his. Not his downfall.
Rani watched her in silence, then reached out gently. Her hand rested on Maya’s shoulder—steady and warm. No words. Just quiet understanding from one woman who knew loss to another.
“I thought you betrayed him,” Rani said. “Like the papers said. Like everyone believed.”
Maya still said nothing. Her hands trembled.
“But not anymore,” Rani continued. “The more I heard from my people… the clearer it got. You didn’t sell him out. You were used. Played. By Rathore. By the system.”
Maya wiped her face, breathing slow.
“I got my start in matka when Arjun Malik was rising in the underworld,” Rani said. “Didn’t know him directly. I was three levels below. My boss's boss's boss reported to him. But even from down there, we knew what he stood for.”
She looked into the distance, voice steady. “We were all in dirty business. But Arjun was clean where it counted. Money, ethics, help—he never compromised. You kept your word, he backed you. You messed with his trust, you disappeared. Simple.”
She turned to Maya. “He ran an empire, but never let it rot from inside. That’s rare. That’s why people like me still remember him.”
Maya looked at her, still silent, but something in her eyes had shifted. A new respect. A quiet bond.
Rani gave a small nod.
“He trusted you,” Rani said softly. “Not many can say that. In his world, that meant everything.”
Her voice had no doubt. No question. Just weight. It was the first time anyone had spoken to Maya as someone Arjun loved—not someone who got him killed.
And Maya felt it. Deep.
Maya broke. Her body shook as the tears came fast. She covered her face and started mumbling—about her mother, about Rathore, about being trapped. About how she never saw it coming.
“He wanted to kill Arjun all along,” she whispered. “Not arrest him. Kill him. And I… I helped him.”
She hit her forehead with her palm. “How stupid was I?”
Rani pulled her close, one arm around her shoulder. Her grip was strong, steady.
“Enough,” she said softly. “They played you. You were used. That’s not weakness. That’s how they work.”
Maya didn’t resist. She let the warmth of that arm hold her for just a moment longer.
And for the first time since Arjun died, she didn’t feel completely alone.
As Maya buried her face in Rani’s shoulder, something stirred in her chest. What was fate trying to show her by sending this woman?
Rani never helped without a deal. Never backed anyone without gain. And yet, here she was—holding Maya like a mother would. Shielding her like family.
Maybe it was Arjun. Maybe the little thread that still tied Maya to his memory had saved her again. Rani had seen something in that thread. That’s what made the difference.
She knew Maya wasn’t some cold traitor like the media painted. She had seen through the lies. Understood how Rathore and the system had used her.
And because of that, Maya was under Rani’s wings.
If Rani had believed the headlines, if she had seen Maya as the girl who got Arjun Malik killed—she could’ve crushed her. Made her life hell.
Maya shuddered at the thought.
But that didn’t happen.
And now, Rani had stepped in with her protection.
Maya wasn’t sure why. Not fully.
But Maya knew one thing—this wasn’t over.
Rani didn’t protect without reason. That much Maya knew.
And yet, here she was—safe under Rani’s wings.
Maya couldn’t help but wonder what more was coming.
She knew more surprises would come. She just hoped they’d be as kind as this one.
Section 4: The Red File
The sun slipped behind the prison walls. Maya and Rani sat side by side, silent. No one came near. Just being seen with Rani had changed everything. The power in the yard had shifted, and everyone knew it—even if no one said a word.
Maya pushed her food around, appetite gone. The silence between them felt strange—calm, almost unsettling in a place like this. It was the kind of quiet that didn’t belong in a prison yard, and that made it feel like something bigger was coming.
Then Rani spoke, voice low, steady.
“You think Arjun died just because Vikas paid for it?”
Maya froze, her spoon in mid-air. Her chest tightened. Her breath caught. Maya blinked, stunned. Rani's words hit like a slap. This—this was not what she expected to hear. Not now. Not from her.
Her voice was low but sharp. “Didn’t Vikas put out the supari on Arjun?”
“That’s the story they fed everyone,” Rani said, eyes still on the yard. “Vikas played his part. He did issue the supari. But maybe he was pushed into it. Manipulated. Used by someone with bigger stakes. But Arjun’s death wasn’t just a contract—it was a cleanup. Someone needed him gone. For good.”
Maya turned sharply, disbelief flashing in her eyes. “What are you saying?”
Rani leaned back, elbows resting on her knees. “Rathore didn’t kill Arjun out of impulse. He had reasons—strong ones. And if he had reasons, it means the system had reasons. The police. The people above him. They used Rathore to run the underworld. And Arjun... Arjun had something that could ruin it all.”
Maya narrowed her eyes. “What kind of something?”
“Files. Records. Bank logs. Bribe trails. Meeting transcripts. Phone recordings. Everything. Arjun kept names, numbers, cash links—proof that could burn Rathore to the ground. And not just him. If that file ever surfaced, half the top brass shielding him would fall too. No mercy. No cover.”
Maya’s breath caught in her throat.
“He kept everything,” Rani said. “Bribe logs. Meeting notes. Voice tapes. Photos. Years of dirt. Arjun didn’t trust anyone. He backed every move with proof—enough to burn Rathore and everyone behind him. That red file wasn’t a rumour. It was real. And it was lethal.”
Red file.
The words dropped like a hammer. Cold. Final. Loaded.
Maya blinked. “Red file?” Her voice cracked. As if she couldn’t believe what she’d just heard.
Rani didn’t flinch. “Yes.”
That was all she said. She didn’t need to say more.
For Maya, it was thunder. The kind that cracked open everything.
So it was real.
Not just a rumour. Not just a dying whisper.
It existed.
And Rani knew.
Maya’s heart pounded. Her mind raced.
This wasn’t just confirmation. It was a key. A code that suddenly made everything make sense—Arjun’s paranoia, the locked study, the secret calls, the silence about certain names.
The red file. It was there.
It mattered.
It was dangerous.
Her breath caught. Her thoughts spun.
And something inside her shifted. For good.
Maya looked down. Her heart pounded. She remembered those nights. Arjun locked himself in his study. He read papers she never saw. He made calls she was never allowed to hear. Back then she thought he was just being paranoid.
Now she knew better.
He had been sitting on a bomb. And if it had gone off, it would’ve taken men like Rathore down with it.
“He never told me,” she said softly.
“He wouldn’t,” Rani replied. “Not even you. He never placed all his faith in anyone.”
Maya’s stomach turned. Her mouth went dry. “And Rathore knew all this?”
Rani nodded. “Knew enough to be scared. That file wasn’t just a threat—it was a noose around his neck. And Arjun knew it. That’s why Rathore didn’t pass the job down. He led the encounter himself. He needed to be sure.”
Maya clenched her fists slowly. The weight in her chest was shifting—guilt turning to something harder.
“You’re telling me Rathore used the contract from Vikas Bharadwaj to cover his own motive.”
“Arjun’s death wasn’t just business—it was a cover-up. Rathore didn’t just want him gone—he wanted every trace of his secrets destroyed. That file could have exposed everything. Killing Arjun was Rathore’s only way to bury it forever.”
The words sank deep, scraping through her spine. She had lived with guilt—her betrayal, her silence, her complicity. But this… this was something else. Rathore had played them all.
“He would’ve killed Arjun even without Vikas,” Rani said coldly. “Rathore didn’t need to pull the trigger himself—he just had to plant an idea. He could manipulate men like Vikas without them even knowing. That contract may have looked like Vikas’s plan, but the real mastermind was Rathore all along.”
“Yes,” Rani said. “And you… you were just the easiest path to get close.”
The air thickened. Maya’s mind raced, her heart pounding—not just from grief now, but from rage. A sharp, clear fury.
Everything she believed had just shifted.
It wasn’t just love lost. It was a conspiracy buried.
And someone had to pay.
She didn’t flinch. She didn’t cry. She just whispered to herself—more a vow than a thought.
“They think it ended with him.”
It hadn’t.
It was only beginning.
Section 5: The Fire Inside
Evening shadows crept across the prison yard, stealing the last light. The heat had eased, but the silence had grown heavier—thick and tense. Maya sat against the wall, arms wrapped around her knees, eyes blank. Her thoughts hadn’t stopped since Rani’s last words. But now, something deeper stirred inside her—sharper, colder, harder to ignore.
Rani sat beside her, chewing paan, calm and watchful. Her eyes scanned the yard with quiet authority—like it belonged to her.
Then, quietly, Rani asked, “You ever hear him mention a red file?”
Maya turned sharply. “What?”
“The red file,” Rani said again. Her voice was flat, but the words hit like a bomb. “Arjun used to talk about it in code. Everyone in the underworld knew what it meant. That was his insurance. He said if someone came for him, that file would speak louder than any man ever could.”
Maya’s breath hitched.
“He told you that?”
“Not me directly,” Rani said. “I overheard. Years ago. He was warning someone. Said real protection wasn’t muscle or money. It was the red file. Everyone in the underworld knew it. That’s how serious it was.”
The words landed hard—too hard. Maya stared at the concrete, mind spiraling.
And suddenly, it was all there again—Arjun’s dying face, his lips parting with effort, that final whisper: It’s… in the… safe… red file…
She had dismissed it as dying delirium.
Arjun hadn’t just loved her. He had been getting her ready—for this war, for this moment, for everything he knew would come.
But now, it felt like a buried instruction.
Her heartbeat spiked.
Her fingers tightened around her knees. Something heavy filled her chest—not grief, not fear, but something colder. Sharper. A quiet fire starting to burn.
“Do you know where it is?” she asked.
Rani shook her head. “No. But if he left a trail, it’s for you. No one else.”
Maya didn’t reply. Her eyes stayed on the cracks in the cement. She wasn’t thinking of the past anymore. She was thinking of the war ahead.
The red file wasn’t just leverage. It was power. Evidence. A detonator.
That file wasn’t just a secret—it was a weapon. And now, it was in her hands to uncover.
She stood slowly, dust on her palms. The prison walls still towered around her, but they didn’t feel like chains anymore. They felt like walls she could break.
Rani watched her in silence. Her eyes lingered, as if seeing something new. Not weakness. Not confusion. But a shift. A quiet hardness that hadn’t been there before. “You’ve changed since the day you walked in. I can see it.”
“No,” Maya said softly. “I’ve just remembered who I need to become.”
The shame, the guilt—they were still there. But they no longer weakened her. They burned now. Fuel. Fire.
She didn’t flinch. Didn’t look back.
She wasn’t a pawn anymore.
She wasn’t a memory. She was Arjun’s final move—his plan still in motion. And now, she would finish what he started.
Someone had buried the truth. And now, someone would pay—fully, brutally, without escape.
