Just as Aria and her friends reached the school gate, the deep hum of an engine made them pause.
A sleek black Rolls-Royce stood parked there, its glossy surface reflecting the afternoon sun.
The moment Aria saw the number plate, her breath hitched.
She froze.
Every student nearby noticed the way her expression shifted—shock flickering in her eyes.
Then, from the driver's seat, a man stepped out. Dressed in a black suit, a mask covering his face, and a small earpiece in his ear, he moved with quiet precision.
He walked straight toward Aria, stopped a few steps away, and bowed slightly.
"Madam," he said in a low, respectful voice, "Sir wishes to see you."
Aria's hands clenched at her sides. She sighed softly, glancing over her shoulder.
Behind her stood Zorvath, Leo, Aswin, Mirzand, Rithul, and the others—watching closely, tension clear in their eyes.
Even Sona, Danvy, and Sreya stood frozen beside her, unsure what was happening.
Their expressions silently asked the same thing: Should we help her?
Aria gave them a small, reassuring look. She didn't want a scene.
Taking a quiet breath, she turned back and walked toward the car.
The suited man opened the door for her. Aria stepped inside, and he followed, closing it behind them.
Through the half-lowered tinted window, a pair of sharp eyes observed the group outside—a handsome man, seated inside the car, his gaze calm but piercing.
He didn't look away even as the car idled. His eyes lingered particularly on Zorvath, Sona, Danvy, Sreya, Leo, Aswin, and Mirzand—one by one.
A few girls standing near the gate started whispering instantly.
"Is that Aria's boyfriend?" one of them gasped.
"Maybe! He looks so rich!" another said excitedly, already pulling out her phone to send the news to the school group.
The murmurs spread fast, laughter mixing with shock.
Zorvath's jaw tightened. He glared at the man in the car, his expression dark, before turning sharply and walking away.
Leo followed him with a quiet frown, and soon Aswin, Danvy, Sreya, and Rithul drifted off as well—everyone except Mirzand.
The Rolls-Royce pulled away slowly, disappearing beyond the school gates.
For a while, no one spoke. Then Sona, still standing there, looked at Mirzand uncertainly.
"Should we… wait here for Aria?" she asked softly, her voice laced with worry.
Mirzand shook his head. "No. Come to my house. You can finish your notes there."
"But Aria said no studies for a week!" Sona protested, crossing her arms.
Mirzand sighed. "That rule wasn't for you, the dumbest student in KHSS."
Sona's jaw dropped. "Excuse me?" she muttered, glaring but following anyway.
Reluctantly, she trailed after him, grumbling under her breath.
And slowly, the school grounds emptied, the last echoes of gossip fading into the warm evening air.
Inside the Car___
The air inside the Rolls-Royce was thick with silence.
The man sitting beside Aria scrolled lazily through his phone, not even looking at her.
"So," he began coldly, his voice sharp against the hum of the engine, "this is the stupid school that servant found for you?"
Aria's head snapped toward him, anger flashing in her eyes.
"She's not a servant," she shot back. "She's in the place of my mother. Don't you dare disrespect her."
The man's lips curved into a mocking smile.
"Calling a servant who wanted to see our family's downfall your mother?" he sneered softly. "And abandoning your real family—this is what you think is right, Aria?"
"It's better to live with people who have no blood relation," Aria said firmly, "than to live with criminals."
The man's patience snapped.
"Aria, behave!" he barked.
Aria didn't flinch. Her voice rose to match his.
"Did you come all this way just to teach me how to behave?"
He stared at her for a long moment, then sighed, whispering under his breath,
"You're not going to listen… are you?"
Aria stayed silent, turning her face to the window.
The hum of the car filled the heavy pause between them.
After two minutes, the man placed his phone aside and reached into the seat compartment.
He took out a small velvet jewelry box and opened it.
Aria's eyes widened instantly.
Inside was a traditional ZG family heirloom—a necklace encrusted with emeralds and diamonds, glinting faintly in the light.
"This," the man said, his tone tight with anger, "was something our mother gave to you. A symbol of our family's name and honor. Do you know how much this is worth? Billions, Aria. Billions from the ZG legacy. And you—" he leaned closer, his voice dropping—"you sold it to some random shop."
Aria's throat tightened,
"I was ready to give it to you," she continued bitterly, "but you refused. So now, I have every right to sell it myself."
The man sighed, rubbing his forehead, frustration shadowing his face.
By then, the car had already slowed, pulling up in front of Aria's house.
Without a word, Aria opened the door and stepped out.
She didn't look back.
The man watched her walk away, waiting for her to turn—
Just once.
But she didn't.
Not even a glance.
The door closed behind her, and silence swallowed the car once again.
Aria's pov ___
The moment I got out of the car, I didn't even wait for it to drive away.
I just ran.
My heart was pounding so hard it hurt.
I rushed straight into the house, up the stairs, and into my room.
The door slammed shut behind me with a loud bang that made the walls shake—but I didn't care.
I dropped down in front of the door, my back pressed against it, knees pulled close.
My bag was still hanging from my shoulder, but I couldn't even bring myself to take it off.
My hands went straight to my hair, dragging through it over and over until it turned into a messy, tangled mess.
Why did he come?
Why now?
I was doing fine… I was finally forgetting all of that.
Living peacefully, smiling again—just for once, I was starting to feel normal.
And now he had to show up.
He had to remind me of everything I've been trying to erase.
Won't they ever leave me alone?
Isn't it enough that they already took everything from me once?
I leaned my head back against the door, my eyes burning, my mind spinning with old memories I swore I'd buried forever.
And then—
just like that—
the flashback hit.
The old me.
The girl I used to be.
The life I tried to forget… slowly started replaying inside my head.
FLASH BACK ____
A little girl sat curled up in the corner of a dark, empty room.
She was dressed in an expensive gown, her hair styled perfectly into soft curls—like a doll on display.
Everything about her looked flawless… except for her eyes.
They were red, swollen, trembling from hours of crying.
Her small body shook with every sob.
The room was pitch-black, cold, and silent—except for the sound of her muffled cries echoing off the walls.
Then, suddenly—
a faint creak.
Light spilled in from the other side as the heavy door opened.
The little girl lifted her head instantly, her teary eyes wide with desperate hope.
"Mom?" she whispered. "Brother? Mama?"
But instead of a familiar face, a woman dressed entirely in white stepped into the room.
Her presence was cold—too clean, too calm.
The little girl's hope shattered in an instant. She covered her mouth, like she'd just done something terribly wrong.
The woman walked closer, holding a sheet of paper in her gloved hands. Her voice was emotionless as she said,
"No matter how much you cry, if you don't finish this schedule, you won't even get a drop of water."
The little girl's tears streaked down her cheeks as she tried to speak through her sobs.
"How dare you? Let me go to my mama! Leave me!"
But before she could finish, the woman's expression hardened.
Without a word, she unfastened the white belt around her waist—
and the next second, crack!
The sharp sound filled the air.
The girl screamed.
Again.
And again.
The belt struck until her cries faded into broken gasps.
Her once-white dress turned crimson, stained with blood.
Her tiny frame trembled once more… then fell still.
She collapsed to the floor, motionless.
The light from the door dimmed again as it slowly closed—
and the room fell back into darkness.
Aria's pov __
Suddenly, I woke up to the sound of knocking.
Loud. Persistent.
Nanny's knock.
I jolted upright, still sitting on the floor where I'd collapsed, and hurriedly pulled my bag off my shoulder, shoving it into the study tub. My hands were shaking. If she saw me like this, it would be a disaster.
"What is it, Nanny? I'm sleeping!" I yelled back without opening the door, trying to steady my voice.
Through the wood came her gentle voice, warm and sweet as honey.
"This fast?what happened… Are you okay, dear?"
My throat tightened. I didn't have the courage to tell her the truth.
"Yeah," I said softly.
There was a pause.
Then, like she understood, Nanny didn't press further. She knew I needed time. And she was right—that's exactly what I needed.
For a moment, the room was silent again. My eyes drifted across to the corner— my cupboard.
I got up slowly and opened it. One side held my everyday things: my school uniform, my plain clothes, a few pieces of jewelry. Ordinary… yet priceless because of the memories stitched into them.
Then I opened the other shelf—the one I almost never touched.
Nanny had spent so much money on this cupboard. A large, expensive thing… only for me to fill it with everything I wanted to forget.
Inside, piled in a disordered mess, were my old life's trophies:
expensive clothes, glittering jewelry, designer shoes.
Too many to arrange neatly.
Too many to look at without feeling sick.
I reached for the jewelry box and opened it.
Diamonds. Gold. Pearls. Priceless things.
Things that should have made me happy.
They didn't.
People say money can't buy happiness.
I used to laugh at that line. I didn't believe it.
Now, sitting there staring at the sparkling proof of my past life,
I knew it was true.