Vinod, who could mimic any accent, called Khurana posing as “Mr. Ashok Vohra, Director of Special Infrastructure.”

There was a long, trembling silence on the other end. Then Khurana’s voice, stripped of its earlier swagger, whispered, “Who is this?”

“The ghost of future losses,” Vinod said, and hung up.

He didn’t need it anymore. He’d lived it. And in the end, he realized, the best things in life aren’t free. They’re earned with a little cleverness, a little courage, and a family that refuses to give up.