Alex, seething with anger, stormed toward the bathroom and started banging on the door loudly.
"Listen, Rihana! If you think hiding like this will save you today, then you're highly mistaken. I'm not leaving here without answers today."
Saying this, Alex began banging the door even harder.
Inside, Rihana was curled up in a corner, terrified. Her breathing was heavy, her face drenched in sweat, and her entire body was trembling. She knew Alex very well; if he set his mind on something, he didn't rest until he got it. Her mobile phone was left outside, so she couldn't even ask anyone for help.
Because of Alex's continuous banging, the door was weakening. One or two more strong pushes and it might break down. Rihana kept praying silently, "Please, God, save me today."
And perhaps, God heard her. Suddenly, Alex's phone rang. Annoyed, he pulled it out of his pocket and looked at the screen—it was his mom calling.
He immediately answered, "Yes, Mom, tell me."
"Where are you, Alex?"
"Mom, just had some urgent work outside. I'm on my way back."
"Fine. Come home first. We'll talk more when you're here."
"Yes, Mom."
After cutting the call, Alex looked at the bathroom door and muttered, "You got lucky today, Rihana… but next time, you won't escape." And then he left.
After Alex left, Rihana collapsed onto the floor. Tears streamed down her face. She was badly shaken, clutching her knees, sobbing silently. She couldn't tell anyone—Alex belonged to the most powerful family in Shimla. And she definitely couldn't tell Sofia. If she did, Sofia would instantly confront Alex, which would only make things worse. Sofia didn't have support in her own family, and she'd be blamed for everything. So, Rihana decided to stay silent.
Meanwhile, when Sofia reached home, she heard voices in the living room. As she entered, she saw Davide and his entire family sitting there. Scared of her father, Sofia reluctantly greeted everyone with a namaste.
Davide's father, Paul, said, "Where were you, dear? College ended long ago."
"Uncle, exams are coming up, so I stayed back to study in the library."
"That's great to hear. So dedicated to your studies. Come, sit with us."
Sofia nodded and sat nearby.
Robert, Sofia's father, spoke, "Sofia, Paul and his family have come to finalize your engagement with Davide. We want the engagement to happen soon. The priest is here with us. Panditji, please check the earliest auspicious date."
The priest checked their horoscopes and said, "The closest auspicious date is one week from now. After that, the next one is six months away."
Paul said, "We can't wait six months. One week later is perfect. What do you think, Mr. Robert?"
"Yes, one week later sounds good. I also want to get this done quickly."
Just then, Alex arrived. He greeted everyone and sat down.
Paul said, "Alright, we should start preparations. Davide and Sofia, you two can decide the theme and other details. We elders might not be able to match your style."
Davide laughed and said, "Don't worry, I've already planned everything—the theme, the songs we'll dance to, even our outfits are finalized."
Alex thought to himself, "Wow! What a guy, Davide. The marriage hasn't even happened yet, and he's already controlling everything. And this foolish girl didn't even question him. Serves her right; she deserves this kind of guy."
Davide took out his tablet and started showing everything to Sofia. Sofia was extremely tired but still listened quietly to everything Davide was saying.
After about two hours, everyone finally dispersed, and Davide left with his family. After Davide left, everyone went to their rooms.
Sofia was starving. She went to the kitchen but couldn't find much to eat. There was a packet of noodles, so she made that. While she was eating, Alex came in.
"Congratulations, sister! You're getting engaged."
Sofia didn't say anything.
Alex continued, "Wait a minute, can I borrow your phone? Mine's not working, and I need to send an urgent email."
Without suspecting anything, Sofia handed over her phone. Alex searched for Rihana's number and forwarded it to himself. Once done, he handed the phone back to Sofia.
A devilish smile appeared on Alex's face. "Sweet Rihana, you're so naïve. Your dear friend Sofia is the reason half your problems exist. And I take full advantage of her foolishness."
Sofia finished her food and went to her room. She was so exhausted that she fell asleep almost instantly.
Alex, seething with anger, stormed toward the bathroom and started banging on the door loudly.
"Listen, Rihana! If you think hiding like this will save you today, then you're highly mistaken. I'm not leaving here without answers today."
Saying this, Alex began banging the door even harder.
Inside, Rihana was curled up in a corner, terrified. Her breathing was heavy, her face drenched in sweat, and her entire body was trembling. She knew Alex very well; if he set his mind on something, he didn't rest until he got it. Her mobile phone was left outside, so she couldn't even ask anyone for help.
Because of Alex's continuous banging, the door was weakening. One or two more strong pushes and it might break down. Rihana kept praying silently, "Please, God, save me today."
And perhaps, God heard her. Suddenly, Alex's phone rang. Annoyed, he pulled it out of his pocket and looked at the screen—it was his mom calling.
He immediately answered, "Yes, Mom, tell me."
"Where are you, Alex?"
"Mom, just had some urgent work outside. I'm on my way back."
"Fine. Come home first. We'll talk more when you're here."
"Yes, Mom."
After cutting the call, Alex looked at the bathroom door and muttered, "You got lucky today, Rihana… but next time, you won't escape." And then he left.
After Alex left, Rihana collapsed onto the floor. Tears streamed down her face. She was badly shaken, clutching her knees, sobbing silently. She couldn't tell anyone—Alex belonged to the most powerful family in Shimla. And she definitely couldn't tell Sofia. If she did, Sofia would instantly confront Alex, which would only make things worse. Sofia didn't have support in her own family, and she'd be blamed for everything. So, Rihana decided to stay silent.
Meanwhile, when Sofia reached home, she heard voices in the living room. As she entered, she saw Davide and his entire family sitting there. Scared of her father, Sofia reluctantly greeted everyone with a namaste.
Davide's father, Paul, said, "Where were you, dear? College ended long ago."
"Uncle, exams are coming up, so I stayed back to study in the library."
"That's great to hear. So dedicated to your studies. Come, sit with us."
Sofia nodded and sat nearby.
Robert, Sofia's father, spoke, "Sofia, Paul and his family have come to finalize your engagement with Davide. We want the engagement to happen soon. The priest is here with us. Panditji, please check the earliest auspicious date."
The priest checked their horoscopes and said, "The closest auspicious date is one week from now. After that, the next one is six months away."
Paul said, "We can't wait six months. One week later is perfect. What do you think, Mr. Robert?"
"Yes, one week later sounds good. I also want to get this done quickly."
Just then, Alex arrived. He greeted everyone and sat down.
Paul said, "Alright, we should start preparations. Davide and Sofia, you two can decide the theme and other details. We elders might not be able to match your style."
Davide laughed and said, "Don't worry, I've already planned everything—the theme, the songs we'll dance to, even our outfits are finalized."
Alex thought to himself, "Wow! What a guy, Davide. The marriage hasn't even happened yet, and he's already controlling everything. And this foolish girl didn't even question him. Serves her right; she deserves this kind of guy."
Davide took out his tablet and started showing everything to Sofia. Sofia was extremely tired but still listened quietly to everything Davide was saying.
After about two hours, everyone finally dispersed, and Davide left with his family. After Davide left, everyone went to their rooms.
Sofia was starving. She went to the kitchen but couldn't find much to eat. There was a packet of noodles, so she made that. While she was eating, Alex came in.
"Congratulations, sister! You're getting engaged."
Sofia didn't say anything.
Alex continued, "Wait a minute, can I borrow your phone? Mine's not working, and I need to send an urgent email."
Without suspecting anything, Sofia handed over her phone. Alex searched for Rihana's number and forwarded it to himself. Once done, he handed the phone back to Sofia.
A devilish smile appeared on Alex's face. "Sweet Rihana, you're so naïve. Your dear friend Sofia is the reason half your problems exist. And I take full advantage of her foolishness."
Sofia finished her food and went to her room. She was so exhausted that she fell asleep almost instantly.