Bangalore, morning time —

The moment Vartika entered the parking area, her steps froze at the sight in front of her. Her car was on fire, and standing beside it was Hania, a crooked smile on her lips. She tossed the lighter she was holding onto the car and started walking toward Vartika. The smile on her face at that moment was extremely dangerous nothing about her suggested that she was a 17-year-old girl.

She stopped right in front of Vartika and said,“Now you must understand that I am not a kid. And don’t ever talk to me disrespectfully again, got it? Who I am and who I’m not you don’t have the status to know that. And yes, if I ever see you anywhere near my Mr. Shadow again, then instead of this car, it’ll be you. You get it?”

As she turned her gaze, she noticed Ransh standing behind her. His face showed no expression at all. His eyes were fixed on Hania. Hania glared at him angrily, then flipped her hair and walked toward her car.

Vartika was still standing there in shock. She hadn’t expected Hania to go this far.

Hania had already left straight for home.

Just then, Vartika turned around, walked up to Ransh, and said, “What the hell is this, Ransh? What is all this? And who was that girl? How could she do something like this? And you didn’t even say anything to her like, seriously? Is this some kind of joke in your office parking lot? My car is set on fire and you”

Ransh cut her off mid-sentence and said, “Be thankful it was just the car. Remember what she said. Okay? Just get out of here. If you can’t afford a cab, I can book one for you. Though honestly, you can’t even afford a cab you can walk from here.”

Saying that, he walked straight toward his cabin.

He was sitting in his cabin now, and the same scene from earlier kept replaying in his mind. The smile on his lips clearly showed that something was going on in his head.

Evening time —

When he reached home, he saw Hania sitting silently in the hall, watching TV. The moment her eyes fell on Ransh, she completely ignored him. Seeing her ignore him like that, Ransh’s eyes narrowed. He stood in front of her and said, “You have exams, right? Turn off the TV and go study.”

Saying that, he picked up the remote and switched off the TV. Hania’s eyes narrowed in anger. Glaring at him, she said, “Don’t you think you’re trying to control me a little too much? And do you really think I’m going to follow your orders?”

Ransh glared back at her and said,।“You think you can do whatever you want? You have to listen to everything I say, understood? Go quietly and focus on your studies. Not on TV— on your exams. If your marks are low, then you’ll be punished.”

Hearing this, Hania said angrily,।“So now you’ve completely turned into the ‘uncle’ version, wow! But you know what? I don’t care. And tell me— are you trying to be my uncle now? If you are, then should I start calling you ‘uncle’?”

The moment Ransh heard this, his expression turned dark. He suddenly grabbed Hania’s hand, twisted it behind her back, and said,।“I am not your uncle, so don’t call me uncle, because I absolutely hate that. I don’t like anything forced. And you are a forced responsibility, so stop creating unnecessary relationships. I’m your guardian—that’s why I’m saying all this. The moment you turn 18, do whatever you want— I don’t care.”

Saying that, he released her hand and walked away.

Hania muttered to herself,।“So he takes care of me because he’s my guardian? Like seriously? This is called taking care? After Mom and Dad’s death, he didn’t even show his face for a whole month. We live in the same house. I saw his face only yesterday, and now he says he takes care of me? Wow, that’s great!”

Saying that, she stomped her feet and went to her room.

Ransh was standing under the shower, and Hania’s face kept flashing in front of his eyes. Her calling him “uncle” echoed repeatedly in his ears. He punched the wall hard and said,।“Just a little more time… I’ll put an end to all this.”

Saying that, he turned off the shower and came out of the bathroom.

Around 1:00 a.m. at night —

Hania was sleeping peacefully on her bed. Her books were scattered beside her. She must have fallen asleep while studying, lying in an awkward position. Just then, her room door opened and a shadow entered. It was none other than Ransh.

His eyes fell on Hania, lying crookedly on the bed. Her blanket was on the floor, and her books were spread around. He took a deep breath, picked up the books, placed them neatly on the study table, adjusted her properly, and covered her with the blanket.

Just then, Hania grabbed Ransh’s hand. When he looked at her, she was still asleep.

Placing his hand under her cheek, she murmured,।“Please don’t leave me, Mr. Shadow. I need you.”

She was murmuring in her sleep. Ransh looked at her face for a few moments. Then he looked at his hand, which Hania was holding onto so possessively. He took a deep breath and slowly tried to free his hand from her grip. His expression was completely different now. Something was clearly going on in his mind, as if he was trying hard to control himself.

He gently pulled his hand free and walked out of her room. He went straight to his own room and lay down on the bed. His eyes were wide open, staring at the ceiling. Old memories were running through his mind.

When he was 15, his elder brother and sister-in-law had brought home a little girl they had adopted. She was five years old— extremely cute, innocent, and very bubbly. And that little girl was none other than Hania.

Lost in thought, he closed his eyes, but sleep was miles away from him. Perhaps he was lost in someone’s thoughts.

The next morning —

When Hania came downstairs, ready for breakfast, her eyes widened in surprise on seeing Ransh sitting at the dining table. She quickly walked up to him and asked, “Are you real?”

Looking at her coldly, Ransh replied, “What are you saying?”

Sitting down, Hania said, “I mean— are you actually here? Because whenever I come here, I never see anyone else at this table except me. You’re always gone early in the morning. But what happened today? You didn’t leave?”

While having breakfast, Ransh said, “I have to drop you to school.”

The moment Hania heard this, she was completely shocked. She started coughing, staring at him. Seeing this, Ransh said, “What? Eat properly.”

Saying that, he pushed a glass of water toward her.

Drinking the water, she said, “I am eating properly, but you say things that are hard to digest. Are you really going to drop me at school? Like seriously? Is your health okay? Or is something else going on in your head? Or did your mind suddenly change overnight? Because till now, you were running away from me, not even showing me your face. And now suddenly, today you’re going to drop me at school? What happened? But unfortunately, I’m not going with you. I can go on my own.”

Saying that, she completely ignored Ransh and focused on her breakfast. Ransh’s eyes were fixed on Hania— he wasn’t just looking at her, he was glaring at her in anger.