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Chapter 122 - Scars Beneath the Skin

Swindon General Hospital | 9:24 AM

The dull white walls echoed with the occasional beep of heart monitors and the murmured voices of overworked nurses. Yet inside Ward B7, time felt like it had stopped — not from peace, but from the storm that had already passed and broken everything in its path.The room was lined with hospital beds, and in each one lay a girl — no longer just victims, but souls frozen in trauma. Some curled up, refusing to meet any gaze. Some stared blankly at the ceiling, their eyes screaming louder than words ever could. A few flinched when a nurse gently adjusted their blankets, retreating into themselves like they'd been burned.Kiaan stood at the doorway, his jaw locked, fists clenched so hard his nails bit into his skin.Tara stepped beside him, her eyes watering as she looked at the girls — most of them barely in their early twenties. One girl sobbed quietly, covering her ears, as if trying to silence memories no one else could hear. "This is not just abuse," Tara whispered. "They've been broken… from the inside."Kiaan slowly nodded, then turned toward the attending doctor, a woman in her fifties with deep creases of grief on her face. "Doctor Priya Malin," she introduced herself, voice clipped with professionalism but heavy with emotion. "The preliminary tests show traces of powerful sedatives and—" she paused "—evidence of… prolonged sexual assault in nearly all of them."Tara looked away, swallowing hard. Dev and Rehaan stood behind, silent and shaken.Kiaan's voice came out rough, barely contained. "What kind of sedatives?" "Modified ones. Untraceable in normal blood tests," Dr. Malin replied. "Designed to numb the body, but not the senses. Whoever did this wanted them conscious… while unable to fight back."

Tara gasped and turned to look at the girls again — the ones still flinching, some pulling at IV tubes, some whispering things under their breath. "They fear touch now," the doctor added. "Even female nurses have trouble getting close. They're terrified. It's not just pain. It's programmed fear."Kiaan's jaw tightened.He looked over at Tara, his tone firm but low."Try to talk to them. Sit by their side, no questions yet. Let them see that we're not here to hurt them. If even one opens up, it'll be a start."Tara nodded. Her hands trembled slightly, but she walked over to the nearest bed. A girl flinched at her approach. Tara sat down in the chair beside her slowly, saying nothing, only placing a soft pack of tissues on the edge of the bed. No pressure. Just presence.Meanwhile, Kiaan stepped deeper into the ward, looking at each girl like they were not victims, but stories that had been ripped apart and buried alive. "Doctor," Kiaan asked, "Can they recover?"Priya paused. "Some may. But with what they've been through, recovery is not just a hospital job. It'll take therapists, protection, and months—maybe years—of undoing the damage. If they even survive the mental toll."Kiaan's fists clenched again.

"Then we'll fight with them," he said quietly. "Even if it's for years."Behind him, Dev and Rehaan stepped forward. "The ones who did this… they'll pay," Dev muttered, rage darkening his voice."We'll make sure they never touch sunlight again," Rehaan added.

Kiaan turned toward the hallway, but his eyes burned with something deeper — a memory, a fire, a name carved into his soul."Let the devil know," he said under his breath, "that the broken ones now hold swords."

The sterile hospital corridor buzzed faintly with the distant sounds of footsteps and hushed conversations, but inside the small makeshift command corner, Kiaan's presence was electric—charged with urgency and unyielding resolve. The weight of what they had uncovered pressed down on everyone, but Kiaan refused to let despair take root.He paced slowly, eyes fixed on the girls lying helpless inside the ward, then turned sharply toward Rehaan and Dev. His voice cut through the tense silence, calm but laced with iron: "Rehaan, Dev — I want you both to start immediately contacting the parents of every girl here."Rehaan furrowed his brow, hesitating just for a moment before speaking up, his tone troubled: "Kiaan... many of these girls aren't even from England. A lot of them are from different states in India... what do we do? How do we reach their families?"Kiaan stopped pacing and met Rehaan's gaze, eyes burning with fierce determination. "Then we escalate. Inform the Indian embassy immediately. They need to know. These girls don't just need medical help—they need their families. We bring their world to them."Dev nodded grimly, catching Kiaan's resolve. "I'll get on it. Contact the embassy, and I'll push for immediate assistance. We'll request travel arrangements, emergency visas—whatever it takes to get their parents here as soon as possible."Rehaan pulled out his phone, quickly typing, his fingers shaking but steady. "We also have to notify the Foreign Office here. They'll need to coordinate with embassies, track down families, and handle the logistics. This isn't just a local case anymore."Kiaan folded his arms, gaze sharp and unwavering. "Exactly. This is bigger than any of us imagined. These girls need their families, their safety net—now more than ever. If the traffickers think they can hide behind borders, they're dead wrong."Tara, who had been quietly observing from the side, stepped closer, her voice soft but resolute. "And we need to keep this tight. If news leaks before the girls' families arrive, it could jeopardize everything. The traffickers will come after them, or worse, silence the girls again."Kiaan nodded solemnly."Right. No leaks. This operation stays locked until every family is safely here."Rehaan looked up from his phone, eyes glinting with grim determination. "I'm making the calls now. We'll find their parents. We'll bring them home."Dev placed a reassuring hand on Rehaan's shoulder."And we'll make sure those responsible never hurt anyone again."

Kiaan's voice softened for a moment, the weight of the mission settling on him like a mantle."These girls survived hell. Now it's time we bring them back to light."The team moved swiftly, their resolve matching the urgency of the moment, each step carrying hope through the darkness.

HQ — Swindon, England

Zid sat alone in the dimly lit operations room, the blue glow of multiple monitors casting sharp shadows across his tense face. His phone buzzed violently — an incoming call from Zayed. He answered cautiously, expecting routine updates, but the tone on the other end made his stomach knot instantly."Zayed? What's going on?" Zid asked, trying to keep his voice steady."Zid," came the cold voice, edged with frustration, "you weren't informed about the Velvet Crown search? The warrant? Kiaan's team is inside, digging through everything."Zid's eyes widened. "No, I had no idea. You mean to say they went in without our approval?"

Zayed's voice sharpened. "Exactly. We should have been in the loop. This could blow everything wide open if it's mishandled. You're supposed to be our eyes inside their team. How did this slip past you?"Zid swallowed hard, feeling the weight of his failure. "I don't know... I wasn't told. I swear, I had no clue about the warrant or the operation. What do I do now?""You better fix this," Zayed warned. "Reyaan's furious. If he finds out you were kept in the dark or, worse, complicit in this, it won't end well for you."

Zid's heart pounded. "I'll call him right now and explain.""Do it. And make sure you tell him it wasn't your fault."

---

Sunderland, England

The phone in Reyaan's hand slammed down onto the polished mahogany table, the room crackling with the tension of his fury. His voice, low and deadly, cut through the line as Zid's number rang again.The moment Zid answered, Reyaan snapped: "Zid! What the hell is this nonsense? Why was I the last to know about the raid on Velvet Crown? You were supposed to keep me informed. This isn't some playground game!"Zid's voice trembled, panic seeping through every word:

"Reyaan, I swear, I didn't know! They never told me! I heard about it from Zayed just now! I had no control over this!"Reyaan's laugh was dark, bitter, and full of menace."You call yourself my man? My inside man? And yet you let this happen without warning me? You're supposed to protect my interests, Zid! Not let them tear through my empire like wolves!"Zid's breath hitched. "Please, Reyaan, give me a chance to fix this. I'll find out who leaked this, I'll make it right — just don't throw me out!"Reyaan's voice dropped to a chilling whisper: "Fix it? You will fix it. Or you'll become the next warning sign for anyone foolish enough to cross me."Zid swallowed hard, beads of sweat rolling down his temple. "Yes, boss. I'll handle it."

Reyaan hung up, slamming the phone down again. He stared out the window, eyes cold as ice."Kiaan thinks he can poke the lion and walk away untouched… He's about to learn what happens when you awaken the beast."

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