The Speed Trap
Rajesh refreshed his email again. Nothing. The bank still hadn't responded.
"Papa, anything?" Vihaan asked.
"They said property loans take time. Documentation, site inspection, legal clearances..." His frustration was palpable. Days of waiting had turned into weeks.
Priya looked worried. "Rohit's pre-IPO allocation closes this Friday. He's been calling."
Grandmother shook her head. "These banks. So many procedures."
Kabandha's call came at exactly the right moment.
"Uncle, I heard about the delay. Let me suggest something—I know a private lending firm. Premier Finance Solutions. What takes banks weeks, they do in days."
"Private lenders though..."
"The interest is higher, yes. But uncle, the returns from Rohit's opportunities far exceed any interest difference. Sometimes speed is worth paying for."
Within the hour, Rajesh had Prakash Mehta's number.
That evening in the Mastermind Millionaire house, Vivida painted with unusual intensity. A house surrounded by serpents—each a different color, approaching from different angles. A family inside, celebrating, oblivious.
"Sometimes threats don't come alone," she told the camera. "They coordinate. Multiple dangers from different directions, timed to overwhelm judgment. The only defense is slowing down when pressure builds."
She paused, looking directly into the lens. "And families need real protection. Not expensive products that look like protection but serve sellers more than buyers. Real protection is simple, affordable, transparent."
At home, her family watched and nodded. Grandmother said, "She's talking about protection. We should think about that."
The Private Lender
The next morning, Prakash Mehta arrived in a sleek sedan. His leather portfolio gleamed with professional polish.
"Mr. and Mrs. Sharma—a pleasure. We work with families of public figures. Traditional banking doesn't suit your timeline."
Impressive documents spread across their table: brochures, charts, testimonials.
"They quoted ₹10 lakhs. Given the estate’s real market value — and the fact it’s held in family names — I can arrange ₹15 lakhs. Better valuation, immediate approval."
Vihaan's attention sharpened. "₹15 lakhs?"
"The interest rate?"
"18% annually, reducing balance. Higher than banks at 12%, yes. But you receive ₹5 lakhs extra, and approval happens in days, not weeks."
Prakash's calculator demonstrated the logic. "₹15 lakhs at 18%—approximately ₹54,000 monthly EMI. Invest ₹8 lakhs yielding 50%, that's ₹4 lakhs annual profit. The mathematics work."
By afternoon, the decision was made.
"We should do this," Vihaan said. "₹15 lakhs gives us flexibility. Invest ₹8 lakhs with Rohit, keep ₹7 lakhs available."
"But the interest..."
"Papa, with the returns we're expecting, the interest becomes irrelevant."
Grandmother agreed. "Sometimes opportunity requires courage."
The documents were signed that evening. Nobody read page seven carefully. Nobody noticed the clause about property transfer rights after consecutive payment failures.
By Friday morning, ₹15 lakhs appeared in their account. The speed was intoxicating.
 |
| The Golden Trap - Episode 3: The Cascade |
The Chain Reaction
Rohit's call came urgently. "Mr. Sharma, today is the final day. Three families are waiting. Can you transfer now?"
"The funds are ready."
"Perfect. I need ₹8 lakhs by 3 PM. After that, the allocation closes."
At 2 PM, the family gathered around the laptop. Vihaan's fingers moved efficiently through the banking portal.
"₹8 lakhs to Wealth Builders Advisory. Sent."
Rohit's confirmation arrived instantly. "Received! Congratulations. You're now invested in TechPay Solutions, GreenFuture Energy, and NextGen Fintech. Expected listing in 12-18 months. Projected returns: 65-80%."
They felt powerful. Decisive.
Hours later, another visitor arrived. Ramesh Kumar—grandfatherly, warm, speaking of decades in insurance.
"Kabandha ji mentioned you're making smart investments. Wonderful. But Vivida was right on TV—families need protection."
His brochure showed the Nischint Raksha Plan. "₹3.5 lakhs one-time premium. ₹25 lakh coverage for 25 years. After 25 years, ₹10 lakhs returned. Protection plus wealth building."
"That seems expensive," Priya said.
"Compare it to term insurance, auntyji. Those policies cost ₹15,000 yearly—seems cheap, but it's pure expense. Twenty-five years of payments, and if nothing happens, you get nothing. With Nischint Raksha, you're protected, and your money comes back grown."
"But Vivida talked about simple, affordable..."
"Exactly! One payment, guaranteed protection, guaranteed returns. Nothing simpler. Term policies are complicated—exclusions, rejections. Traditional plans honor every claim."
He leaned forward with his story. "The Malhotra family—daughter in television, like yours. They chose this for ₹5 lakhs, ₹50 lakh coverage. When Mr. Malhotra had his heart attack, they received the full amount immediately. But even if nothing had happened, their ₹5 lakhs would become ₹10 lakhs. That's real protection."
Grandmother was convinced. "Insurance should protect and preserve, not waste money hoping something bad happens."
Priya remembered Vivida's words about protection. "We have ₹7 lakhs remaining. Use ₹3.5 lakhs for proper coverage, keep the rest available."
The papers were signed. The transfer completed.
What they couldn't see: most of their premium vanishing into commissions, the returns barely matching inflation, the simple term policy that could have done the same job for a fraction of the cost.
The First Reckoning
Friday evening, Vivida's tablet chimed.
"Got 15L loan from private lender! Invested 8L in unlisted stocks! Bought protection plan 3.5L! -All"
She read it once. Twice. Again.
Private lender. Higher interest than any bank.
Unlisted stocks with Rohit. Companies that probably didn't exist.
Protection plan for ₹3.5 lakhs. Term insurance shouldn't cost more than ₹15,000 yearly.
₹26.5 lakhs in one week.
And they thought they'd followed her advice about protection.
The Lifestyle Seduction
Saturday afternoon brought an unexpected visitor. A polished woman with a camera crew stood at their door.
"Mr. Sharma? Priya Malhotra, StarLife Media. Kabandha ji arranged an interview about families of Mastermind contestants. May we come in?"
The family was surprised but delighted. National media!
As equipment was positioned, Priya walked through their home, observing everything.
"Can we speak openly?" She sat with them, her tone shifting to mentorship. "Vivida is a national celebrity. 3.5 million followers. She talks about happy families, comfortable living, success. When she wins—and she likely will—your home becomes a destination for producers, brand managers, celebrity friends."
She gestured at their surroundings. "Your home is clean, well-kept. But it tells a story of struggle rather than success. Vivida talks about comfort and happiness on national TV. The environment here should match that message."
Vihaan leaned forward. "What would you suggest?"
"StyleNow Home Solutions specializes in this. Complete transformation—premium furniture, modern kitchen, smart TV, designer lighting. Normally ₹8-10 lakhs. But they offer Buy Now, Pay Later. ₹4.5 lakhs total, zero upfront."
"Nothing immediately?" Grandmother asked.
"Nothing for three months. Then ₹45,000 monthly for twelve months, or settle anytime. Interest-free within the year."
She smiled. "Vivida will likely win ₹50 lakhs. Her social media generates ₹20-30 lakhs yearly. This investment is negligible. And StyleNow works with production houses—they can adjust against her future contracts."
She paused for effect. "When she returns to a home transformed to match her success, imagine that moment. That's the happiness and comfort she talks about."
By Sunday, Akash Verma from StyleNow arrived with rendered images—their home reimagined, stunning, modern, the comfortable life their daughter described.
"Ten days to complete. ₹4.5 lakhs. Nothing for three months, then manageable monthly payments or settle when convenient. Interest-free for a year."
Rajesh decided. "She deserves to come home to something better."
The contract was signed. Installation scheduled.
The Misread Warnings
Monday brought the Business Strategy Challenge. Vivida developed a scenario—Heritage Holdings Family Business facing systematic pressure: high-interest loans, illiquid investments, inappropriate insurance, lifestyle inflation through invisible debt.
Her recommendations were precise: "Sometimes the smartest-looking choices are the ones that quietly tighten the noose. The family felt reassured—new commitments meant growth, signed papers meant security, and investments stamped with authority looked safe enough. Even the deferred payments seemed like breathing space, not danger."
She looked directly at the camera. "The most dangerous traps don't feel dangerous. They feel like opportunity. But real safety rarely comes in glossy brochures—it lies quietly in affordable shields, not in expensive promises."
She won.
That evening, her family watched while StyleNow workers transformed their home. New furniture materialized, the massive TV mounted, lighting installed.
Vihaan smiled as Vivida accepted her trophy on screen. "She's performing brilliantly."
Grandmother beamed at the screen, then at the elegant new sofa being positioned. "Everything is working perfectly."
Priya watched her daughter's face, something pulling at her intuition. But Vivida was smiling. Winning. Thriving.
Akash appeared with his tablet. "Mr. Sharma, given Vivida's success, we're pre-approving ₹2 lakhs additional credit for electronics. Smartphones, laptops, home theater. Interested?"
Rajesh kept watching his daughter's victorious interview. "Show us the options."
The Researcher's Frustration
At the university library, Dhruv surrounded himself with documentation.
Business registrations showed patterns:
- Media Maven PR: Four months old
- Wealth Builders Advisory: Three months old
- Premier Finance Solutions: Three months old
- All three: Same registered address
Timeline showed coordination:
- All introduced within two weeks
- All creating urgency
- All promising exceptional returns
His notes read: Classic cognitive bias exploitation—authority, social proof, scarcity, sunk cost, confirmation. But technically legal. Registrations legitimate. Licenses real. Office sharing common. Patterns suspicious but not criminal. Need concrete evidence.
Sunday evening, he visited their transforming home with his research folder.
"Uncle, these patterns concern me." He spread documents showing the connections, the timing, the coordination.
Rajesh looked uncomfortable. "Professionals network, beta. That's how business works."
"But everything happening simultaneously—"
"All of them were referred by Kabanda. He verified that he’s worked with them before and vouched for their professionalism"
After Dhruv left, Vihaan shook his head. "He's caring, but seeing problems where there's just networking."
The Golden Offer
Rajesh called Kabanda, hoping for a good internship for Vihann’s MBA project. Kabanda assured him, “I’ll put him in some of my friends’ stock and crypto trading startups. He’ll learn, earn, and meet the right people. Don’t worry—I’ll look after his future.”
The family felt relieved, unaware of the problems that would quietly walk home with this opportunity.
The Complete Misunderstanding
Vivida’s tablet buzzed — the next much-anticipated message. Her fingers trembled, her head spun. Please don’t fall for it again, she whispered to herself. No more money mistakes, no more traps. With a heavy heart, she opened the message.
"Celeb-style home glowing! BNPL cleared, Vihaan’s dream internship assured by Kabanda uncle. –All"
She read it twice, heart sinking. They had turned her warning into pride. Every word—celeb-style, BNPL, dream internship—felt like nails sealing their fate. She wanted to scream, but only silence answered.
Her words about protection had become expensive insurance. Her words about happy, comfortable families had become lifestyle debt. Even after all the friendly warnings and counselling, Vihaan stayed obsessed with crypto and trading. And now he’d got his dream internship — something to do with both. Oh God, Vivida whispered, please let it not be true…
Every warning twisted into justification.
Her chest felt heavy as she tried to stay calm. They didn’t understand her, and their happy words made her feel helpless. Slowly, she made up her mind—she couldn’t let them get into trouble. If they couldn’t see the danger, she would protect them herself, no matter what.
To be continued...
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