Hi ,

Outside the locked wing, John stood in a secluded stairwell, his hands trembling as he confronted the two hired actors.

After receiving Martin's final, furious message to abort the sweep, his tolerance for the entire manufactured disaster had reached its absolute limit.

"Ravi and Manu, you can leave now," John said, walking toward them with his voice thick with frustration.

Ravi threw his hands up in irritation.

"Why did you even call us? Why did you tell us to act like we were trying to take his fingerprints? Come on, man, why can't we show our acting skills today? We practiced that scene for hours!"

By the time John finally dismissed them and watched their heavy boots disappear down the stairwell, the digital clock on his screen flashed 9:00 PM.

The entire elaborate operation had ground to a definitive, humbling halt.

Inside the quiet recovery room, Raghu’s phone buzzed again, breaking the heavy silence.

He answered quickly, pressing the speaker button without hesitation.

"Hello, Sara?"

"Hello, Dad," Sara’s calm voice floated through the small speaker.

"Are they gone? Really?"

Martin's ears perked up instantly under the sheets, his pulse quickening.

He looked over at Raghu, forcing his voice to tremble with artificial panic.

“Raghu, what is she saying? Who is gone?”

Raghu smiled down at him reassuringly, patting the edge of the mattress. "Sara is telling me that those suspicious people have finally left the hospital gates to go home. You are completely safe now, sir."

Martin’s heart skipped a beat. He was fully, genuinely shocked.

Seeking immediate confirmation, he subtly reached beneath his heavy blanket and shot a frantic, direct text message to his assistant.

Martin: *Where are you? Are your people still on the premises?*

John:* We all went sir. The floor is entirely clear. Why?*

A sudden wave of cold calculation washed over the billionaire patriarch. How did she know they left? Martin thought, his mind racing through the variables.

Is she still in the building? Is she hiding somewhere nearby, tracking our every single movement in real-time?

John just cleared the floor a minute ago.

"Raghu," Martin said aloud, his voice tense as he tried to poke a hole in her perimeter.

"If Sara went home safely, why don't you ask her to make a video call right now? Just so we can both feel safe."

Nodding in easy agreement, Raghu shifted the application to a live video call.

The screen flickered for a brief second before revealing Sara sitting comfortably in her own bedroom at home, wearing her pajamas.

"Dad, everything is fine. I will come tomorrow morning to pick you up," she said with a tired but satisfied smile before cutting the connection.

Seeing the undeniable, digital proof that she was miles away in her own bed, Martin’s analytical mind went completely numb.

Exhausted by the brutal mental chess match, he let out a long, heavy breath.

Actually, am I in a hospital or an inescapable trap? he thought vaguely.

His thoughts drifted into a deep, heavy sleep, knowing that for tonight, he was in remarkably safe hands.

The next morning, the clock on the wall struck 6:00 AM. Raghu woke up early, looking completely refreshed as if he had slept in his own bed.

He began getting ready for his regular job, pulling a crisp, perfectly pressed set of formal clothes from a neat travel bag.

He had everything he needed—clothes, fresh toiletries, and his leather briefcase—as if he had fully anticipated staying the night from the very beginning.

Martin woke up slowly, his sharp eyes tracking Raghu’s organized movements with growing suspicion.

"Raghu... where did those clothes come from? Who brought that bag?"

"We will discuss that again later, sir," Raghu chuckled warmly, adjusting his silk collar in the small mirror.

"Fresh up now, sir. The hospital breakfast is already coming down the hall."

Martin sat up abruptly, his sharp gaze narrowing into cold slits.

"What do you mean? Yesterday you explicitly told me you didn't know the password to that locked electronic door!"

"That is entirely true," Raghu replied calmly, setting his watch to the exact minute.

"Sara didn't tell me the password. But she called the morning doctor, got the opening password from him, and arranged all of this logistical support for us last night."

Martin’s jaw tightened so hard it ached.

"How did Sara know exactly that they are not here now? How does she manage the staff from her bedroom?"

"Just eat your breakfast first," Raghu smiled proudly, picking up a fresh apple from the table.

"I will tell you everything then."

Refusing to be outmaneuvered any further by a girl half his age, Martin quickly ate his breakfast, his mind plotting a final baseline test.

The moment Raghu turned his back to pack his briefcase, Martin grabbed his hidden phone and fired a final, aggressive command to John.

The moment Raghu turned his back, Martin grabbed his phone and fired a final, aggressive command to John to test Sara’s ultimate alertness.

Martin: *John, call Ravi right now. Send him quietly back into the hospital wing. Let's see what happens.*

John:* Okay sir. Executing now.*

The final play of the round was set.

Martin leaned back against the pillows, his eyes fixed on the door, determined to see if Sara's invisible shield would hold even from miles away, or if the grandmaster could finally reclaim his board.