Jia's POV:
I'm genuinely happy for my Ama—finally, she's stepping out of that "stay-alone" phase.Vihaan is pulling her into the world again, and I love seeing it.Still, in the quiet corner of my heart, my own feelings keep circling, unfinished.
My thoughts were mid-spin when my phone buzzed.
Adrian.
"Hi, Jia," he said, his voice annoyingly cheerful.
"Hi, Adrian," I answered, matching his energy—almost.
"It's my birthday tomorrow. You're invited. Be prepared," he announced, like it was a royal decree.
Before I could tease him, the doorbell rang.
"One minute, Adrian—someone's at the door—" I started, but he cut me off.
"It's Tyler, my man. Open up," he said, as if he already knew.
I froze. "How do you even know my address?"He only laughed, the sound warm and maddening.
I opened the door to find a tall man holding a large, ribbon-tied box.
"What's this?" I asked.
He offered a small bow. "Master will explain. My work here is done. Thank you, ma'am."And just like that, he was gone.
I brought the box inside and put Adrian on speaker. "Okay, what is this?"
"It's a dress—and the shoes to match. Please wear them tomorrow," his voice softened, losing some of its usual mischief.
"And when," I said, one hand on my hip, "did I ever agree to come to your party?"
"You will," he replied, confident and easy. "I know you will."
Then he hung up.
I stared at the phone, half laughing, half exasperated."Is he crazy," I muttered to myself, "or just…Adrian?"
I was again busy with my thoughts, but this time I was imagining how I could get rid of this annoying Adrian. He is freaking annoying.
Just then, Ama came, and I couldn't tell whether she was happy or ..... annoyed like me.
"What happened?" I asked because usually when she comes home, she starts to share everything that happened, but this time she has the same expression as I had just a second ago.
"I wish I could just twist her neck," she said while making a hand gesture.
"Relax, you can't do that, she will die," I said, making her look at me.
"But perhaps something else could be done to make them less annoying," I said
"What?" Ama asked to be more than just curious.
"So next time when they meet us, just mix something in their drink like an appetite reducer or give them a good head hit so that they forget some of their memories," I said, and I was damn serious.
"Yeah, that's not a bad idea," she said, matching my freak. "Wait, for whom are you preparing all these?" she asked while looking at me, confused.
"No one, I am just giving you ideas, nothing else," I replied
And then both of us started laughing at our stupidity.
The next morning, we completed the lectures and came home. I didn't want to go to the party, but it can be a good escape from reality even for a little while. So I decided to go.
"Ama, it's Adrian's birthday party today, and I am invited, you wanna come?" I asked as she will be all alone.
"No, actually, I am tired, so you go and enjoy," she said while lying on the floor.
"Fine, but close the door and windows properly and don't open the gate for anyone. I will be taking the keys with me," I said
"Okay," she said while yawning.
Soon, I got ready and left for the party.
Amara's POV:
I was all alone in the house, and I wanted to talk to someone, so I picked up my phone, and messaged him of course Mr. Mickelson. Because it's been the whole day neither he messaged nor he called.
"What are you doing?" I messaged him.
In the snap of flash reply came. "Just going through some of the case studies. What about you?"
"Nothing, just lying like a sloth" and he chuckled.
In a while he called and starrted talking about anything random and we both laughed like two fools having no brain cells more specifically it's just me.
When I was still on the call with him I heard some foot steps I thought Jia forgot something so I called "Jia, is this you?" but no one replied
"What happened?" he asked with a concern.
"Nothing, Jia is gone for a party and I am alone but I just heard some foot steps but"
And in the flash someone grabbed my neck and my phone fell from my hands.
"Amara, what happened?" he kept asking, but i wasn't able to answer because of the tight hold against my neck.
When light flashed thorugh the face I saw the face of the person grabbing me by my neck and it was ..... Julian.
"Hi, my lovely sister" he said while tightening his hold.
I kicked him with all my force and made him lie on the floor with his face sticking on it and grabbed his hands on his back.
"What do you think you are, Mr Julian Salvatore?" I asked, my voice full of anger.
"Do you think, you have any power over me? huhh. You were able to hurt me last time because I let you but now look around nobody is here, only you and me. Take this as a warning and never even look at this house again or I will make you regret for your life" I said while hitting his back from my elbow with all the force I could.
"I am not weak, I am just silent and make a note of it, never look back to this house or the house members" I said again while throwing a hard punch on his face, and with this he left runningwhile still looking at me confused but scared.
When I was little he was stronge than me, whether physically or mentally, so always bullied me. Now it's too much as he wants to continue it but now I will not let anyone hurt me or the people I love, never.
I was trying to relax myself as I was still trembling while I heard the door knock and honestly it scared the hell out of me. What if Julian got more people and now came to attack me. Because Jia already has the keys so she will not knock.
"Who it could be?" I whispered and was going to call Jia when I heard a familiar voice.
I stood frozen, every nerve still humming from the struggle. My breath came in quick, shallow pulls, the echo of footsteps still ringing in my ears.
Another knock.Soft. Measured.Not the heavy thud of Julian's.
"Amara?"A deep, steady voice slid through the wood like a lifeline.
Vihaan.
Relief cracked through the panic so sharply it almost hurt.I rushed to the door, fumbling with the lock. The hallway light caught his face—concern etched into every line, eyes an endless blue storm.
"Are you okay?" he asked, stepping inside before I could answer. His presence filled the room, warm and grounding. He shut the door behind him with a quiet click that felt like a promise of safety.
For a heartbeat I couldn't speak. My hands were still trembling. He noticed, of course. Without a word, he reached out and cupped my face, thumbs brushing lightly along my jaw. The simple contact steadied me more than anything else could.
"You look…scared." His voice was low, but edged with worry.
He didn't argue, but the way he searched my face made my heart thud harder. Then he pulled me into the solid calm of his chest. The scent of rain and faint cologne wrapped around me—clean, warm, achingly familiar.The world shrank to the sound of his heartbeat, a slow, steady rhythm under my ear.
"I'm here," he murmured, each word a quiet vow. "You're safe."
The house felt different with Vihaan inside—warmer, but still threaded with an uneasy chill.He glanced toward the hallway, his expression tightening.
"Did you lock the back door?" he asked.
"Yes," I said quickly. But doubt flickered through me. Did I?He stepped away from me, checking each lock with quiet precision. When he reached the back door, he stopped. The deadbolt was turned, but the handle…hung crooked, as though someone had tested it.
"Looks like someone tried the latch," he murmured.
A shiver slid down my spine. "Maybe…just the wind?" My voice didn't sound convincing, even to me.
Vihaan turned back, eyes steady but alert. "Wind doesn't do this." He traced a faint scrape near the lock with his thumb. "Someone tried to force it."
The air thickened. I wrapped my arms around myself, the memory of rough hands still too vivid."Could be a random attempt," I said, trying to sound calm. "Houses get checked sometimes."
"Maybe." His jaw tightened. "But not tonight. Not with you alone."
He pulled out his phone. "I'll stay until Jia's back. And I'm calling a locksmith tomorrow. This door needs a better deadbolt."
I started to protest, but he cut me a look that held no room for argument—protective, steady, quietly fierce."Amara, someone tried to get in. I'm not leaving you like this."
The certainty in his voice wrapped around me like a warm coat."Okay," I whispered.
He gave the door one last check, then came back, brushing a strand of hair from my face with surprising gentleness. "You don't have to be scared," he said softly. "Not while I'm here."
Something inside me eased—not because the danger was gone, but because he stayed. He thought someone just tried to latch what if he got know someone was already inside the house. I am such a disaster to myself and the people around me.