Ruhi's stomach growled loudly in her quiet apartment. It was angry because it was empty.
She looked at the clock. It was already 9 p.m. She had been so busy all day that she had forgotten to eat since morning.
She went to the kitchen and made a simple meal. She made potato-tomato gravy with roti. It was her favorite comfort food. She ate it with a big spoon of spicy mango pickle.
The tasty pickle gave her an important idea."I need to buy many kinds of pickles," she thought. Pickles are perfect for the apocalypse. They last a long time, don't need a fridge, and make simple food like roti taste really good.
*Ding-ding!*
Her phone rang, breaking the silence. Ruhi felt a chill. She knew exactly who was calling and why.
The last day to decide about her father's shares was coming soon. One week ago, she might have felt guilty and answered the phone. One week ago, she might have let them trick her with their emotional words.
But not now. Not after she saw how cruel they could be.
Without waiting a second, she swiped her phone to reject the call. She put the phone down on the counter. It was a small act of defiance, and it made her feel strong.
—
**The Gupta House**
The sound of the unanswered phone hung in the quiet living room. Mr. Gupta slammed his fist on the marble table so hard it cracked.
"That ungrateful brat!" he yelled, his face turning red with anger. "Who does she think she is? How dare she ignore my call! Just wait until I get her shares. I will make her sorry for this!"
"Dad, please don't say that," the second brother said with a worried face. "Maybe Didi is just sleeping and didn't hear it."
"Sleeping? It's only 10 p.m.! Since when does that useless girl sleep so early?" The third brother snapped. His bad temper was easy to see.
Mrs. Gupta's face was dark and angry. "We have no choice now. We must go to her apartment tomorrow and make her sign the papers," she said.
Mrs. Gupta never liked Ruhi. The girl was always an embarrassment. She was shy, not good at studies or sports, and always looked like a scared rabbit in front of guests. Why couldn't she be more like Siya?
Sweet, beautiful Siya knew how to dress and speak nicely. She was good at everything. It was so unfair that Siya was not her real daughter.
It was good that Ruhi's grandfather took her away. Mrs. Gupta had only kept Ruhi close to get the old man's property from the second brother's family. And now, at the last moment, that useless girl said no? She needed a hard lesson. She needed to remember who her mother was.
Ruhi had no idea her whole family was coming to her apartment the next day. But even if she knew, she would not have cared.
---
**The Next Day**
While the Gupta family was still planning how to confront her, Ruhi was already working.
She had packed everything she owned into her storage space. The apartment was now empty and bare. Only the walls were left.
She had already talked to the broker and sold the apartment. After one last look, she left the keys with the building security guard and walked away. She did not look back.
She had been gone for many hours when the Gupta family arrived. They looked like they were ready for a fight. Their faces showed they were looking for trouble.
The third brother, who was always angry, immediately started banging on the door with his fist.
"Ruhi! Open this door! Your family is here! How dare you make us wait!" he shouted.
"Brother, maybe she didn't hear us? Let's wait a little. I'm sure she would not lock us out on purpose," Siya said. She sounded innocent and concerned, but it was all an act.
The others quickly started to think she was ignoring them on purpose. Mr. Gupta frowned deeply. He tried calling her phone again, but it went straight to voicemail. He was so angry that he punched the metal gate. "You bad daughter! Open this door now, or I will break it down!" he yelled.
Just then, the apartment broker arrived. He was there to take the empty apartment. His face turned white when he saw the crowd of angry people trying to break down the door he just sold.
He ran over. He was so scared he forgot to be professional. "What are you doing? Stop that right now! You are destroying property!" he said.
The third brother turned to him quickly. "Who are you to ask us? This is our family's apartment! I can do what I want!" he said.
Seeing her chance, Siya made her eyes wide with fake worry. "Oh no! What if something bad happened to your sister? What if she fainted inside, and that's why she can't open the door?"
"Then we have to break the door down! We can't risk it," the second brother said. He liked to think he was the one who made decisions.
The broker finally spoke clearly. He stood firmly in front of the door. "You will not do that! This apartment was sold yesterday. The deal is done. No one lives here anymore."
A complete shocked silence fell on the Gupta family.
**"What?!"** They all shouted at the same time. Their faces showed total shock, anger, and defeat.