Bangalore Harmony Public School.

A girl was standing in the principal’s cabin with her head lowered when the principal looked at her angrily and said, "What is this, Hania! I never expected this from you. Let your uncle come, then we will talk. Mr. Ransh Kapoor will be here, then we can discuss."

Saying this, the principal went back and sat on her chair.

At that moment, her friend looked at her and said, "Hania, your uncle is coming?"

Hania looked at the girl and said, "He is not my uncle, okay!"

The girl whispered softly, "Okay, Mr. Shadow. Is it fine now?"

Hania shook her head, and just then, the principal’s cabin door opened. Hania lifted her head and saw a boy standing there, who looked around 28–29 years old. He was wearing a business suit and sunglasses.

There was no expression on his face, and he looked extremely dangerous. He silently walked up and sat in front of the principal, saying, "What happened, Mrs. Iyer?"

The principal replied softly, "See, Mr. Ransh Kapoor, your niece tried to leave school during lunch break. Now tell us, if something had happened to her, who would be responsible? You would have blamed the school authority, right? But the fault lies with your niece."

Ransh lifted his gaze to Hania, who was standing with her head lowered. Then he looked back at the principal and said, "You caught her, right? No problem happened, so why did you call me here?"

The principal said in surprise, "What are you saying? We called you here so you could make her understand. Look, exams are next month, and she’s focusing on everything else instead of her studies. So it’s better if you explain it to her a little."

Ransh stood up and said, "School time is over, right?"

The principal nodded.

Ransh held Hania’s hand and said, "From now on, you won’t have any problems. Hania won’t try to leave school again."

Saying this, he led her outside. Everyone’s eyes were on them. Hania smiled, looking at Ransh, and followed him.

When they reached the car, Ransh let go of her hand and said angrily, "What is this, Buttercup? What’s going on? What are you trying to do? This is the fifth complaint this month! What are you doing?"

Hania said softly, "What could I do? I wanted to talk to you, Mr. Shadow, so I had to do all this."

Ransh looked at her and said, "What do you mean you wanted to talk to me, so you did all this?"

Hania smiled and said, "Tell me one thing, out of five complaints I made, how many times did you come? After a month, now you’re showing yourself to me. We live in the same house, but you don’t talk to me. For the past month, I haven’t seen you. You leave before I wake up and come after I sleep. This is not fair, right? What’s the problem? And today, I decided that you will come here, so I had to do this."

Ransh folded his arms and said, "What is it that you want to talk about? Tell me."

Hania said softly, "This is what I want to talk about. Shall we go home?"

Her face reflected innocence, and she indeed looked extremely sweet and beautiful.

Ransh took a deep breath and said, "I don’t have time right now. I have to go to the office. I have an important meeting. You go home, okay?"

Hania shook her head and said, "No, if I want to talk, I will. I won’t go home without you, understand? You will have to talk to me."

Saying this, she glared at Ransh angrily.

Ransh, frustrated, put her down near the car and came close to her face, grinding his teeth, "There’s no need for unnecessary drama in front of me, understood? Do what I said. Go home, we’ll meet in the evening, okay?"

Hania’s eyes filled with tears at Ransh’s anger. She pushed him and said, "I hate you, Mr. Shadow! I won’t talk to you anymore."

Saying this, she got into the car, and the driver drove off. Ransh took a deep breath, got into his car, and drove toward the office.

10:00 PM, Night.

Hania was walking in the garden, her eyes fixed on the main gate. She seemed to be waiting for Ransh. Suddenly, she saw Ransh’s car entering the bungalow. She quietly sat on a bench.

Ransh’s car stopped in front of the bungalow. He got out and started heading inside, but then his eyes fell on Hania sitting in the garden. He walked toward her and stopped in front of her.

In his firm voice, he said, "What are you doing here so late?"

Hania looked at him and said, "Since when do you care about me? For the past month, you haven’t even spoken to me. I live in the same house, but it never felt like you were living here with me. You leave before I wake up and come after I sleep. It feels like you don’t care about me at all. After mom and dad left, did you ever try to talk to me? Did you ever think I need someone to talk to? No, because you are busy with your life. I don’t want to talk to you, Mr. Shadow. Go, sleep, because you have to wake up early and go to the office, right?"

Ransh looked at Hania and said, "I don’t want to hear nonsense. Come inside quietly. No need for unnecessary talk. Did you have dinner?"

Hania took a step inside and said, "What difference does it make to you? Whether I eat or not, do whatever you want, just mind your own work."

Before she could move further, she stumbled and almost fell. Ransh caught her by the waist. His arms wrapped around her waist, and her hands rested on his neck. They were looking into each other’s eyes.

Ransh helped her stand properly and said, "Be careful. Take care of yourself. If you fell, you could break a bone and need bed rest. And don’t forget, your exams are coming. I don’t want any negligence in your studies. I’m your guardian; your responsibility is mine. Understood? Now, let’s go."

Hania pushed him away slightly and said, "I’ll go by myself."

She walked inside. Ransh stayed outside, quietly watching.

Hania, in her room, looked out the window and said, "Enough, Mr. Shadow. If you ever act like this again, if you stay away from me like this, I’ll show you a scene you’ve never even imagined."

At that moment, the door opened and Ransh came in. Hania turned and saw him standing at the door, his face still expressionless.

She said, "Don’t you have manners, Mr. Shadow?"

Hearing this, Ransh’s eyes narrowed. He didn’t reply but slowly took steps toward her. He stopped in front of her and said, "What did you want to talk about? Speak."

Hania looked into his eyes and said, "I’m not in the mood to talk to you now. When I was, you didn’t have to. But now that my mood has changed, you go. Go rest, sleep, and let me sleep too."

Ransh grabbed her hand and said, "I’m dealing with you very patiently. Don’t force me to be strict with you. So tell me, what did you want to talk about?"

Hania stepped closer and said, "I just want the answer to

one question. Why haven’t you come in front of me for the past month? Just tell me this."