Arjun didn't sleep deeply that night.
Not because he was scared.
Because he was alert.
There's a difference.
At 6:18 a.m., his phone buzzed. Not a call. Not a message.
A doorbell.
Short.
Sharp.
He didn't jump up.
He sat still for a few seconds.
Then another ring.
Longer this time.
Sameer was asleep on the couch. He had stayed over after their late conversation.
"Who's that?" Sameer muttered.
"I'll check," Arjun said calmly.
He walked to the door without rushing.
Before opening it, he checked the small camera screen installed beside the door.
Two men.
Not Rahul.
Different.
One tall. One shorter. Both wearing plain shirts.
Not aggressive looking.
But not casual either.
Arjun unlocked the door but didn't open it fully. He kept the safety latch on.
"Yes?" he asked.
"Arjun?" the taller man asked.
"Yes."
"We need to talk," the man said.
"About?" Arjun asked.
"Riya," the man replied.
Arjun's expression didn't change.
"I'm not responsible for her debts," he said calmly.
The shorter man gave a small smile.
"We know," he said.
That didn't relax him.
"Then?" Arjun asked.
"She gave your name," the taller man replied.
"That's her problem," Arjun said.
The taller man looked at him steadily.
"She hasn't been answering calls," he said.
"That's also her problem," Arjun replied.
The shorter man stepped slightly closer to the door.
"We're just informing you," he said calmly, "that when someone defaults, everyone connected gets uncomfortable."
Arjun didn't respond immediately.
"Are you threatening me?" he asked.
The taller man smiled faintly.
"No," he said. "We're clarifying."
Arjun kept his tone steady.
"I have no financial involvement."
The shorter man nodded slowly.
"Then make sure she doesn't drag you deeper," he said.
Arjun held eye contact.
"I've already made that clear."
The two men looked at each other briefly.
Then the taller one said, "Good."
They stepped back.
"Next time, we won't knock," the shorter man added quietly.
Then they left.
Arjun closed the door calmly.
Sameer stood behind him now.
"Who were they?" Sameer asked.
"Other lender," Arjun replied.
Sameer ran a hand over his face.
"This is getting serious," he said.
"Yes," Arjun replied.
At 7:04 a.m., Arjun called Rahul.
"They visited," he said.
Rahul didn't sound surprised.
"I told you," he replied.
"They implied escalation," Arjun said.
Rahul was silent for a second.
"That's Mahesh's group," he said.
Arjun's eyes narrowed slightly.
"He doesn't like delays," Rahul added.
"I'm not paying," Arjun said clearly.
"I know," Rahul replied.
"Then why inform me?" Arjun asked.
"Because if things go wrong," Rahul said calmly, "it won't stay financial."
Silence.
"What does that mean?" Arjun asked.
Rahul didn't answer directly.
"Tell her to settle," he said.
"That's not my responsibility," Arjun replied.
"Not yet," Rahul said.
The line disconnected.
At 9:22 a.m., Riya called.
He answered immediately.
"They came, didn't they?" she asked.
"Yes," he replied.
Her breathing became uneven.
"They won't stop," she whispered.
"That's your debt," he replied calmly.
"They'll hurt you," she said.
"They already tried pressure," he replied.
"This isn't pressure," she snapped. "This is different."
Arjun didn't respond.
"I need help," she said.
"No," he replied.
Silence.
"Please," she whispered.
"No," he repeated.
She started crying softly.
"They'll ruin everything," she said.
"You already ruined everything," he replied calmly.
She hung up.
At noon, Arjun met his lawyer again.
"They visited my home," he said.
"Did they threaten?" the lawyer asked.
"Indirectly," Arjun replied.
"File a non-cognizable complaint for safety record," the lawyer said.
"I will," Arjun replied.
"Also install additional security," the lawyer added.
Arjun nodded.
He wasn't reacting emotionally.
He was acting methodically.
At 4:17 p.m., his phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
Unknown:
They came early.
Arjun typed back.
Arjun:
You knew?
Pause.
Then:
Unknown:
Mahesh doesn't wait.
Arjun stared at the screen.
Arjun:
Who is he exactly?
Reply:
He handles recovery personally.
That wasn't comforting.
At 6:40 p.m., Sameer insisted on staying again.
"You shouldn't be alone," Sameer said.
"I'm fine," Arjun replied.
"Don't act invincible," Sameer snapped.
Arjun looked at him.
"I'm not," he said calmly.
Sameer sighed.
"This all started with a relationship," Sameer muttered.
Arjun didn't respond.
At 8:55 p.m., another knock.
Not a ring.
A knock.
Harder.
Arjun didn't rush.
He checked the camera.
Only one man.
The shorter one from the morning.
Arjun opened the door slightly again.
"Yes?" he asked.
The man didn't smile this time.
"She hasn't paid," he said.
"That's not my problem," Arjun replied.
"She told us you would handle it," the man said.
"She lied," Arjun replied.
The man stared at him.
"Prove it," he said.
Arjun's eyes sharpened.
"How?" he asked.
"Call her," the man said.
Arjun took out his phone.
Dialed Riya.
Speaker on.
She picked up after two rings.
"What?" she snapped.
"There's someone here," Arjun said calmly. "They say you told them I'll pay."
Silence.
Then her voice changed.
"I didn't say that," she said quickly.
The man leaned slightly closer to the phone.
"Riya," he said calmly, "did you list him as guarantor?"
She didn't respond.
"Answer," the man said.
"No," she whispered.
"Did you tell us he'd settle?" the man asked.
Silence.
Then softly: "Yes."
Arjun closed his eyes briefly.
The man nodded slowly.
"You lied to both," he said calmly.
She started crying.
"I just needed time," she whispered.
The man looked at Arjun.
"You're clean," he said.
Then he stepped back.
"But this won't end quietly," he added.
He left.
Arjun closed the door.
Sameer exhaled sharply.
"This is insane," Sameer said.
"Yes," Arjun replied.
At 10:21 p.m., his phone buzzed again.
Unknown number.
He opened it.
Unknown:
She's breaking.
Arjun typed.
Arjun:
What now?
Pause.
Then:
Unknown:
Mahesh wants full payment in 48 hours.
Arjun leaned back slowly.
Arjun:
From her.
The reply came slower this time.
Unknown:
From whoever is easiest to reach.
Arjun stared at the message.
Because that meant—
It wasn't about responsibility anymore.
It was about pressure.
And if she couldn't pay in 48 hours…
The next target wouldn't be random.
It would be him.