The office was a tomb of glass and steel when Prem led Meena inside, the click of the door lock echoing like a gunshot in the cavernous silence. He didn't speak, just pointed a finger at the center of the boardroom. Meena's heart hammered against her ribs, a frantic drumbeat of fear and sickening anticipation.

"Kapde utaar, kutiya. Har ek dhage ko utaar ke apni aukat dikha," Prem's voice was a low growl, stripped of any pretense of familial warmth. "Jaldi kar. Tera waqt bahut kimti hai, aur main iska pura sawaarth lena chahta hu."