Chapter 4: Resurrection and Betrayal
When I opened my eyes again, it wasn’t the underworld I’d expected. I was standing on Laxmi Avenue, right back in front of the billionaire.
Did I… come back to life?
Shaken, I patted myself down. The pain from the crash and fall faded away, the wounds gone, only fatigue and weakness left. Stunned, I looked at the coin. If I remembered right, it had a strange idol carved on it, with seven open eyes. Now, one eye was closed.
Did the idol’s eyes represent the number of resurrections? My confusion quickly turned to joy—did that mean I had six more lives?
Remembering the despair of falling off the cliff, I immediately called Kunal.
"Hello, kya hua?"
From his voice, Kunal was lounging on the sofa, watching a dance reel on his other phone. The moment I heard him, a surge of hatred washed over me. Last time, when I was running for my life, he was just at home, watching the livestream, right? He just lay there, moved a finger, and cut off my escape completely.
I nearly bit through my tongue, barely keeping my voice steady: "Kunal, hurry, a big client wants to see magic act A13."
A flash of memory hit me: the time Kunal shared his last samosa with me after a flop show. Back then, we were broke, but he always split whatever he had. Now, things had changed.
"A big client? How big could it be?" Kunal didn’t care, the reel still blaring.
I immediately sent a UPI transfer of two lakh: "That’s the client’s deposit. There’s three lakh more if you do it well, plus a bonus."
Hearing the payment notification, Kunal’s eyes widened and he shot up straight. Hardly anyone likes magic these days—you barely make twenty thousand a month. Even with family help, we were both broke.
I pressed, "The client wants the show in ten minutes. If you can’t make it, I’ll find someone else."
"Coming, coming, of course I can come. Rohan bhai, you’re my real bro—always looking out for me. I’ll be right there."
Kunal grinned, grabbed his keys, and rushed out. As he ran, his mother shouted from the kitchen, "Beta, khana khaye bina mat jaana!" Kunal’s reply: "Maa, paisa kamaane jaa raha hoon, aaj toh party pakki hai!" If only she knew the truth.