The same evening, while Vijayawada continued mourning Lakshmi Rajyam, another meeting was taking place behind closed doors.
It was not a public gathering.
No cameras.
No media.
No speeches.
Only senior officials and party leaders seated around a long conference table.
The atmosphere was tense.
Not because they were grieving.
Because the state could not function indefinitely without leadership.
A senior official placed several files on the table.
The first page carried a single heading.
Administrative Continuity
One of the leaders spoke first.
The public is still mourning.
But governance cannot stop.
The constitutional process must continue.
Another nodded.
Departments are waiting for approvals.
Budgets are pending.
Emergency files are accumulating.
A decision cannot be delayed forever.
The discussion shifted toward Lakshmi Rajyam's close relatives.
One official opened another file.
Her immediate family has no constitutional role in government.
They are private citizens.
Another responded quietly.
That means there is no administrative purpose in involving them in succession discussions.
The room agreed.
Attention soon turned toward identifying an interim leader who could keep the government functioning while the party completed its internal process.
Several senior names were discussed.
Each had different strengths, different supporters, and different political experience.
No consensus emerged immediately.
The meeting continued late into the evening.
Outside, reporters waited for any official statement.
Inside, the debate remained confidential.
Meanwhile, at the Kuchipudi academy, Haripriya finished her final dance class for the day.
The hall slowly emptied.
Students folded their costumes and left one by one.
She remained alone, staring at the stage.
Her sister had encouraged her to keep dancing, no matter what happened in politics.
Now, the academy felt quieter than ever.
She picked up her phone.
There were dozens of missed calls.
Journalists.
Unknown numbers.
People asking for interviews.
Everyone wanted a statement.
Very few wanted to know how she was actually coping.
She quietly switched the phone to silent mode.
Then looked toward the empty stage.
For the first time in her life, she felt completely separated from the political world her sister had lived in.
Across the city, Sathyamoorthy returned to the lodge where Lakshmi Rajyam was waiting.
She immediately stood up.
Did you meet her?
He nodded.
Yes.
She still believes something about your disappearance doesn't make sense.
She hasn't given up hope completely.
Lakshmi closed her eyes briefly.
That sounds like her.
Sathyamoorthy then told her everything Haripriya had shared.
The unusual questions from different people.
The rapid spread of information.
The feeling that people were searching for clues rather than searching for Lakshmi herself.
Lakshmi listened carefully.
When he finished, she spoke only one sentence.
They weren't investigating my disappearance.
They were managing its consequences.
The room fell silent again.
Outside, Vijayawada continued to mourn its missing leader.
Inside the lodge, the real Lakshmi Rajyam unfolded a city map across the table once more.
The investigation was becoming clearer.
And somewhere behind the official discussions about choosing new leadership...
the people responsible for the conspiracy still believed their biggest secret remained buried.