After dinner, Samina, clutching tightly onto Rahul's arm, led him down to the mall's VIP parking lot.
Rahul's DJI camera had been running almost the entire time, quietly capturing the cinematic reality of his chaotic day.
Samina instructed her driver to drop Rahul off at his budget hotel in Gulshan.
When the massive Range Rover pulled up to the hotel entrance, Samina hugged Rahul's arm one last time, clearly savoring the final moments of his lingering warmth.
"Alright, I need to get inside and crash. Goodnight, Samina," Rahul said, gently withdrawing his arm from her embrace. As he pulled away, he purposefully let his fingers brush softly across the back of her hand.
Instantly, Samina's face flushed a brilliant shade of crimson.
"Bye... goodnight, Rahul..."
Her voice was as faint as a mosquito's hum, barely squeaking out from the back of her throat.
Rahul pushed open the heavy car door, waved a final goodbye to the blushing heiress, and strode confidently into the hotel lobby.
The same male receptionist from that morning was still on shift behind the counter. Watching Rahul casually step out of a chauffeur-driven Range Rover Autobiography, the clerk's eyes widened so much they almost popped out of his skull.
The absolute second Rahul disappeared into the elevator, the receptionist frantically pulled out his smartphone and typed into Google:
Where are the best plastic surgery clinics in Dhaka? How many Taka does it cost to look like a Bollywood actor? Seeing the astronomical prices displayed on his screen, the young receptionist felt his vision go completely dark with despair.
Once inside his room, Rahul's first priority was plugging his dead power bank into the wall charger.
He peeled off his sweaty clothes, stepped into the cramped bathroom for a long, freezing cold shower, and then collapsed onto his bed with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist.
Glancing at the pile of dirty clothes on the chair, he decided he'd figure out the hotel's laundry situation tomorrow morning.
Right now, he just wanted to check his phone for any missed messages before passing out.
But the exact moment Rahul unlocked his screen, a new Direct Message notification popped up on Instagram.
He opened it, and the content instantly derailed his train of thought.
On the screen was a high-resolution photo of a pair of incredibly long, straight, and slender legs.
The left leg was curled up slightly, resting elegantly over the right. Whether it was the ambient lighting or a high-end camera lens, the skin looked exceptionally smooth and flawless.
Moreover, the angle of the shot was expertly captured, making the image look incredibly alluring and provocative.
The message was from Anika. There wasn't a single word attached to the image.
Seeing the 'Read' receipt pop up under the photo, Anika immediately followed up by sending three 'come here' finger-hook emojis.
Rahul took a deep breath, staring at the ceiling, and gave himself a mental pep talk:
Keep it together, man. You're not some desperate college freshman anymore. Do not aggressively double-text or act thirsty just because a gorgeous woman sent you a picture of her legs. You are practically a walking Greek god now; you need to play it cool and aloof! However, since Anika was being so incredibly forward and clearly wasn't treating him like a stranger, leaving her on 'Read' would definitely kill the vibe and cost him Charm Points.
Thinking it over, Rahul typed out a short, perfectly detached reply and hit send:
"Hmm. Very nice."
Almost instantly, the typing bubble appeared, and Anika replied:
"Want to see my sister's?"
As the notification buzzed in his hand, Rahul let out a quiet laugh.
Is she really going this fast? But how the hell was he supposed to respond to a question like that? He couldn't exactly type out, 'Yes, please send me your twin sister's legs,' without sounding like an absolute creep.
After a few seconds of thought, Rahul fired back a clever, deflective reply:
"Secretly taking photos of people is a crime, you know."
Anika didn't reply with text this time. A few seconds later, a series of voice notes dropped into the chat. Rahul held the phone to his ear.
"My sister agreed to it," Anika's voice purred through the speaker.
"She even put on a stunning, backless evening gown tonight, just waiting to get a drink with you at the bar."
"Unfortunately, you stood us up."
"She's completely heartbroken right now. You're such a bad boy, Rahul."
Listening to the sultry voice notes, Rahul shook his head with a self-deprecating smile.
He sighed heavily, coming to a brutal realization: being an international player really wasn't a walk in the park!
Aside from needing a heart of stone and incredibly thick skin, there was a much more demanding requirement: elite-level time management.
To pull this off, you literally had to be a master scheduler!
Rahul had absolutely no idea how to smoothly respond to those voice notes. However, one thing was absolutely certain—he wasn't going to let the twin sisters, Anika and Anisha, slip through his fingers.
They were a literal goldmine of pure, glittering Charm Points! And judging by the DMs, they were entirely within his reach with just a little bit of effort.
Seeing that Rahul hadn't replied for a minute, Anika assumed she had come on too strong and scared him off.
She quickly sent another voice note.
"Rahul, if you're busy with that little heiress right now, just focus on her. We can always reschedule for another night."
Hearing this, Rahul couldn't help but sigh in genuine admiration.
Now that is a woman with real-world experience. She's so incredibly understanding of the game. She's completely different from a clingy, overly emotional girl like Samina. Dispelling his wandering thoughts, Rahul tapped the microphone button and recorded a quick reply:
"Don't talk nonsense. I'm sitting in my hotel room completely alone. I told you, I'm a highly traditional, well-behaved Indian guy."
The exact second the voice note delivered, the screen shifted. An incoming video call from Anika popped up on his Instagram interface.
Rahul hesitated for a split second, then hit accept.
The video connected. Rahul saw Anika leaning back against a plush, tufted headboard, wearing what looked to be a silk and lace nightgown. It was clear the sisters had closed the boutique and were already relaxing at home.
"Wow, Rahul. I didn't expect you to be hiding such a great body under those shirts. Are you giving me a free show?"
At Anika's teasing exclamation, Rahul suddenly realized he was lying in bed without a shirt on.
He immediately tilted the phone camera upward, strictly framing it from the neck up.
"Ah, sorry about that. Forgot I wasn't decent."
"Oh, don't be so stingy!" Anika laughed, her eyes gleaming. "I showed you my legs!"
"Yeah, and I just gave you a free glance at my abs. We're completely even. Don't push your luck!"
Hearing Rahul's confident banter, Anika gently bit her lower lip, a spark of mischief in her eyes.
"Fine... then I'll just have to show you something else."
Saying this, Anika deliberately tilted her phone camera downward.
Seeing the angle shift on his screen, Rahul actually gasped, his eyes widening.
Okay, this is getting dangerously out of hand! "So... is it nice?"
Anika's lazy, husky voice echoed quietly from the phone's speaker.
For some inexplicable reason, Rahul felt his heart genuinely skip a beat, his pulse suddenly racing.
It was a thrilling, electric feeling of anticipation he hadn't experienced in years.
Suddenly, a strange premonition hit him.
He quickly closed his eyes and summoned the System Panel in his mind.
Just as he suspected! His Charm Points had ticked up to 2, and his Proficiency had instantly increased to 4!
Wait, this counts too?! In that moment, Rahul felt like he had completely cracked the algorithm behind the System's 'Successful Ambiguity' judgment!
As long as he engaged in an interaction that clearly crossed the boundaries of a normal, platonic friendship—and he experienced a genuine, physiological or psychological reaction to it—the System registered it as a success!
His late-night video call with Anika had definitely smashed right through the 'just friends' barrier, so naturally, the System rewarded him. But the absolute key trigger was the genuine flutter in his chest.
Before Rahul could fully process his discovery, Anika's voice broke through his thoughts.
"Rahul... where exactly is your hotel?"
The direct question snapped him back to reality.
"Why? What are you planning?" Rahul asked, a knowing smirk playing on his lips.
"I want to see you. I opened a really good bottle of aged whiskey tonight. If we don't finish it, the taste is going to go flat."
What a phenomenally lame excuse! Rahul laughed internally.
Hearing the blatant invitation, Rahul was completely torn.
If he refused a setup this perfect, he'd basically be handing in his resignation from the player's club!
Rahul leaned closer to the screen, his voice dropping into a quiet, challenging tone.
"Does your sister know?"