He laughs with a trace of sarcasm.
"Me? Why would they kill me, Lady?"
"Because you saved me," Amraha replies with a serious tone. "Now they will shoot and kill you too."
They both walk toward the gate, while Amraha keeps thinking that an attack could come from behind at any moment.
"Their guns are already out of bullets—that's the only reason, we are able to walk so calmly now."
Amraha looks at the man with surprise, noticing the calmness in his voice as he speaks. Her steps stop right there.
"How can you say that?" she asks.
"By calculation," he answers casually. "They had a Glock 9. It carries fifteen bullets, and they fired all of them in one load without aiming properly. That means they are neither professionals at shooting nor at killing"...
"They are just thugs. And very well-known thugs. And now, they'll come for you too."
With that, Amraha walks quickly ahead, leaving him standing still. After a few steps, she glances back. The boy is still there, smiling deeply with his hands tucked into his pockets. For a moment, he looks effortlessly handsome.
At the gate, Amraha's guards are waiting. They safely escort her to the car.
What a strange boy, she thinks. Just by hearing the gunfire, he knew exactly which weapon it was and who those people might be. Strange indeed…
She would never admit this to anyone, but the entire way home, she keeps thinking about that boy.
.....
Meanwhile, in another corner of the campus, a friend approaches him, holding some papers.
"Oh man! Do you even realize where I left you and where you are standing now?" he scolds.
"Why are you smiling?" the friend asks.
"Nothing… I just met a strange, crazy girl," the boy replies.
"Was she beautiful?"
He bursts out laughing.
"Beautiful? No…"
But for a brief moment, Amraha's deep eyes flash in his mind, her serious face lingering there—until he laughs again.
"Aryan, are you in your senses?" his friend asks.
"She didn't even thank me. Someone tried to shoot her inside the university, and I saved her."
"They fired at her?"
"Yes."
"Or maybe…" his friend lowers his voice, "maybe those bullets were meant for you. What if your father was behind it?"
Aryan pauses for a moment, then shakes his head. "No, he wouldn't do that. If he really wanted me dead, he would have sent a professional sharpshooter, not those guys. Whoever they were, I think they only wanted to scare that girl."
"Still, be careful," his friend warns. "You know how your father is. Ever since you defied him, I fear, one day he might try to kill you too."
Aryan smirks faintly. "No, Yuri. I simply told him I'm leaving all his dirty work behind. He calmly said it's my life and my decision—he wouldn't force me. And he won't do anything against me either."
Yuri shakes his head. "You can only hope so… but I don't trust him."
...
"Amraha… Amraha, are you even listening?"
"Yes, what happened?" she asks softly.
"I've been calling you from behind, asking you to stop."
"Oh… maybe I was distracted."
"Is something wrong, happens to you?"
"No, nothing's wrong…"
But Isabella notices something unusual. Amraha looks disturbed, as if she is either hiding something or simply exhausted.
"Amraha, did something happen at the university?"
"No, nothing happened. I just got tired meeting friends. I'm going to rest."
"Amraha, that woman was asking about her case. What answer will you give her?"
"The date is the same as I told you before," Amraha says firmly. "Until then, Alexa should remain inside the house. That would be better."
With that, she walks into her room, pulls the curtains closed, darkens the space, and lies down on the bed.
How strange it all was… what if I had died today? Who knows what else is about to happen…
She picks up her phone to make a call, but the cracked screen stares back at her. The device is completely dead from the fall.
Amraha exhales deeply.
"The gifts… all ruined."
Her hand slips onto the bed, and slowly, she drifts into a deep sleep, her consciousness fading away.
"Amraha, wake up."
She stirs. "What… what happened?"
"Are you alright? You've been sleeping for the past five hours."
She tries to recall what happened earlier, but everything feels blurred.
"They're calling you downstairs for dinner. Come." Isabella leaves, and Amraha follows after a moment.
At the dining table, everyone is already seated—her grandmother, her father, Isabella, and her aunt. Amraha joins them in silence, and they begin to eat. The table is quiet until her aunt finally breaks the silence.
"Amraha, our guest list is ready, and the invitations will be sent accordingly. But you didn't add the name of any of your friends."
"Oh, I'm sorry, Aunty! I completely forgot. I only have one or two close friends I'd like to invite. One of them is leaving the country, so I'll only call the otherone."
"We also wanted you to decide on the hall décor," her bella continues. "But since the order had to be finalized today, My mother chose everything. You have such a good sense of decoration, but we didn't even get the chance to see it."
"Sorry, Bella!"
Amraha says apologetically.
Just then, a servant enters.
"Madam, we've placed your belongings back in their place."
"Thank you," her aunt replies politely.
"Aunty," Amraha asks, frowning, "why did you have your things packed again?"
"My child, we have to shift back to our old house. It's been closed for years. It will take a few days to clean and set it properly again."
"But Aunty… what will you even do there? Other than you and Isabella, no one will be in that house. It will be empty."
"But dear, the wedding must happen there. That's our house."
Her father speaks gently, addressing his sister. "Sister, this house is yours too. Isabella is also like my own daughter. And home is not a building—it's where the family stays together. Isabella's wedding will take place from this house, and all the guests will come here. As for the rest, Mother, please make sure all of their needs are taken care of."
Amraha's face lights up with joy, while her father rises from the table and walks away.
"Aunty," she says happily, "now you don't have to go anywhere."
.....
She heads into her room, draws the curtains to darken it, and sits on the bed. Isabella follows and closes the door.
"Alright, now tell me," Isabella presses.
"Tell you what?"
"What really happened today at the university."
"Nothing happened," Amraha insists, though her mind races.
"Then how did your phone broke?" Isabella asks calmly, as if already sure something happened.
Amraha sighs deeply, gathers her thoughts, and finally tells Isabella everything.
"What? They fired bullets at you?" Isabella's face drains of color.
"Keep your voice down! If anyone hears, it will create chaos in the house."
"But if they're that dangerous, will you still file the case?"
"Of course I will. I gave that woman my word, and I can't back out now. Tomorrow, I must go to the police station."
"Amraha, will you still risk going out?"
"Bella, what choice do I have? I can't sit home in fear. Whatever I've started, I have to finish. I'll go with the guards—they'll handle everything. As long as I survive, I'll survive like this."
"But still… shouldn't you tell your father or grandmother?"
"No. I can't worry them, not during the wedding preparations. I won't ruin their happiness with more depressions."
"You should at least tell your father."
"He'll just lock me inside the house," Amraha says firmly.
.......
"Why did you fire all the bullets at once, you fool?" Marqy shouts at Hilton.
"I don't know, I panicked. I was late, and they all scattered."
The two men run breathlessly, chased by police after a tip-off.
"If they had caught me today, I would've killed you myself!" Marqy growls, grabbing Hilton by the collar. His rage is wild, while Hilton trembles in fear.
Hilton quickly pulls out his phone and calls Haruto, confessing everything that happened.
"You idiots!
I gave you both a warning and a chance to kill that girl. Now when is the court date?" Haruto demands.
"After two days," Marqy answers quietly.
"Fine. I'll handle it myself. And after that, I'll kill you both too."
The call ends. The men sink to the ground, sweat soaking their clothes, breathing heavily, faces pale with terror.
"This is all your fault," Hilton cries, glaring at Marqy. "You dragged us into working for Haruto, saying we'd get money and power. And now he'll kill us like dogs. We've already lost men in that village, two of our mens
dead. Everyone else has fled. The police keep circling the area daily. When court orders them to capture us, we're finished. What about those 250 people we responsible for them? How will we ever return them?"
His voice breaks as he sees his death approaching. Both men hold their heads in regret, drowning in fear.
.......
"Good morning, ma'am!"
"good morning?" Amraha greets the police inspector.
"I came here to ask about, the man and the gang mens.."
"Yes. I give you full details about these men and the case."
"Go on," Amraha says.
"Ma'am, those two men told us everything. And the other two from their gang gave us leads as well. Last night, we went to the place they mentioned, but as soon as two men ,saw us, they fled. We interrogated a few, but the heavy rain let most of them escape."
He explains everything step by step.
"Good. Finding them is crucial for the case," Amraha replies.
"Yes, ma'am. Most of their people are still with them."
"Keep searching. We must present them in court."
"Understood, ma'am."
After gathering the information, Amraha leaves the police station and heads back home.