The Tycoon's Odyssey

Richard set his glass down on the ledge, his gaze sharp and calculating. "The time is approaching. Are all the preparations in place?"

Paul gave a short nod, swirling the liquor in his tumbler. "My team is in position. They entered the country without issue and are currently lying low, waiting for further instructions."

He glanced at Jagesh. "But to execute this off seamlessly, we will need the Rajputs\' backing. This operation is big…too big to handle without their influence."

"After all, we need to clear the entire scenario and hide everything from the public."

Jagesh exchanged a silent glance with Noah, tension flickering between them. "I\'ve handled most of the logistics, but you know the limits. I can\'t involve superhumans from my end. If something goes wrong, the fallout will be catastrophic. Your people can slip out of the country unnoticed, but mine wouldn\'t have a place to hide. I can, however, use the local forces to restrict the crowd around this area."

Paul chuckled darkly, raising his glass toward the skyline. "Relax. My team is well-prepared. We\'ve trained them for scenarios like extraction, misdirection, and the whole lot. As long as the poison incident is executed smoothly, everything else will fall into place."

He turned his gaze toward Noah, who had been uncharacteristically quiet. "You\'ve been awfully silent. What\'s on your mind?"

Noah offered a thin almost smile, the corners of his lips barely lifting. "Just... contemplating."

He paused briefly as if weighing his words. "Evan has entered the mainland. He\'s spending time with his family, but I can\'t shake the feeling that he\'s keeping tabs on us."

At the mention of Evan, a shiver ran through the group. His name carried weight, like a silent storm on the horizon.

Each of them had witnessed or at least heard about the subtle but devastating power he wielded. Even Jagesh, who had tried to test him head-on, knew that every encounter with Evan came at a cost. After their last failure, his grandfather temporarily disowned him, warning him not to return without either eliminating Evan or proving his worth.

Noah\'s expression darkened. "We thought of going after the people Evan cares about the most, but the security around them is airtight. His movements are carefully guarded, and his people are impossible to get close to. We can\'t afford a messy operation; this needs precision. No noise, no open confrontation. A clean abduction."

Paul gave an exasperated grunt, looking at Jagesh.

"And you can\'t use your superhumans. What\'s the point of having them if you can\'t deploy them when it matters?"

"It\'s not that simple," Jagesh interjected, his tone sharp. "This is sensitive. One wrong step could ignite a crisis bigger than we can control."

Richard, ever the strategist, crossed his arms, his fingers tapping on his sleeve. "We\'ve taken precautions. No smart devices during our meetings and the signal disruption ensures that we\'re off the grid. Still, there\'s always one variable we can\'t fully control…"

His voice trailed off as he studied the faces around him.

Jagesh thought for a moment, then spoke. "If our assumption about Evan\'s feelings for Suri is wrong, this entire plan falls apart. And the risk we\'re taking here might be for nothing."

For a moment, the weight of his words hung heavily in the air.

Jagesh mulled over the thought, a grim frown crossing his face. Then, Noah broke the silence, his voice low but certain. "It doesn\'t matter."

Everyone turned toward him, eyebrows raised in confusion.

Noah\'s gaze was steady, almost serene as if he had already concluded the question himself. "It doesn\'t matter if Evan is in love with Suri or not. What matters is that she means something to him. Even if it\'s just a fraction of a memory, a debt, or a  fleeting emotion, he will react."

Richard narrowed his eyes. "You sound too confident."

"I am," Noah replied, his voice unwavering. "Even when he was weak, he never tolerated anyone meddling with what he considered his. Now, he\'s stronger. It\'s the same, if not worse. If we do as much to touch or hurt her, he will come. Maybe not out of love, but because it\'s in his nature to protect what\'s connected to him, no matter how small the connection."

"He will do everything and come here. And that will be our chance to trap him."

A silence fell over the group as the truth of Noah\'s words sank in.

Paul leaned back, exhaling slowly. "So, all we need is to provoke the beast."

"Exactly." Noah\'s eyes gleamed with cold ambition. "We take Suri. We make it seem like she\'s vulnerable and isolated. And when Evan comes charging in to save her, we\'ll be waiting."

Jagesh clenched his fists, determination flickering in his eyes. "If we pull this off, it\'ll be the perfect trap. No loose ends, no second chances for him."

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Richard gave a slow, approving nod, though his expression remained cautious. "We need to be careful. One missed detail and the whole plan could blow up in our faces."

Paul grinned, the thrill of the impending chaos lighting up his face. "Then let\'s make sure we don\'t miss."

Noah stepped closer to the railing, looking down at the bustling streets below. "Once we have Suri, Evan will have no choice but to bear the brunt of our full impact. And when he does… we\'ll end this."

The group stood in silence, their eyes fixed on the grand hotel in the distance, a place where their scheme would soon unfold. The city below seemed unaware of the storm brewing high above, in the minds of men driven by ambition, vengeance, and power.

"Tomorrow…" Noah murmured, almost to himself. "It begins."

The others exchanged one final glance, each one silently acknowledging the stakes.

The game was set, and there was no turning back now.