Henry could no longer control himself. He strode across the corridor and twisted the doorknob to enter Ananya's office. But as soon as he stepped in, he froze.
Ananya was half-lying on the table, talking on her phone, giggling freely. Even seeing Henry enter didn't make her pause; she continued speaking and laughing, saying something to the person on the other end.
Henry stood leaning against the wall, his hands folded over his chest. His crumpled black shirt and the look in his eyes radiated irritation and jealousy. His gaze was sharp, fixed on Ananya, as if measuring every sound of her laughter.
Ananya stole a glance at Henry, but it didn't interrupt her conversation. She spoke with even more enthusiasm.
Ananya (laughing into the phone): "Yes… exactly! I never imagined that! So, are you coming? I'm waiting, you know."
Henry's jaw clenched. Who was this person who could make Ananya forget all office decorum and laugh so freely? He didn't move a hair, but his imposing presence made the room feel heavier.
Ananya finally placed the phone on the table. She adjusted her glasses on her nose and looked directly at Henry. A trace of her smile still lingered.
Ananya: "Is it your habit to enter someone's room without permission, Henry? And why are you staring like that?"
Henry (coolly): "I wanted to see who could make Ananya laugh like that over the phone… because I know this girl only knows how to stay like stone."
Ananya leaned back in her chair and gave a mysterious smile. Adjusting the collar of her blue shirt, she said:
Ananya: "Does everything in the world need to be within your knowledge, Henry? Sometimes it's better not to know some secrets."
Henry took a step forward. Would that golden gleam in his eyes return? Or would this jealousy spark a new conflict? Ananya leaned back, looked him straight in the eyes over her glasses, and a crooked smile played on her lips. Seeing Henry's serious face and his hands folded over his chest, she could tell just how agitated he had become inside.
Ananya (calm but sharp): "What's the matter, Henry? Why are you standing there like a statue? Are you… jealous?"
At the word "jealous," Henry's jaw tightened. He stepped forward and placed both hands on Ananya's table. The veins in his rolled-up black shirt sleeves bulged with anger. He leaned down close to her face.
Henry (low, heavy voice): "Jealous? Of whom, Ananya? That shadow on the phone? Don't you know, once a soul has been entwined with mine, no one else can have any claim over it?"
Ananya (completely unshaken): "Claim? You seem to be forgetting, this isn't that garden house from twenty years ago. And I'm no longer that naive girl. Who I talk to, who I laugh for—that's entirely my business. Don't try to scare me with the darkness hidden beneath your black shirt."
Henry's golden eyes, slightly reddened, began to glow again. He was so close that their breaths almost mingled. Ananya saw that the golden warmth in his eyes had awakened again, trying to make her weak.
Henry: "You were laughing, Ananya… in front of me, you fight, but when talking to him, your eyes sparkled. Who is he? The one you said you're waiting for?"
Ananya let out a small laugh. She picked up the phone from the table and held it in front of Henry's eyes.
Ananya: "Want to know who? But know this—your golden-eyed charm doesn't work on everyone. If I reveal the secret behind this smile, your arrogance will shatter."
As Ananya leaned slightly from across the table toward Henry, one of the top buttons of her blue shirt came undone. With the collar shifted, the sharpness and allure of her neck became more apparent.
Henry paused mid-sentence. His gaze fixed on her. The anger vanished from his stern face, replaced by a calm, mysterious smile. He was clearly enjoying her unguarded state. He said nothing, only looked at her with those golden eyes and smiled softly.
Ananya initially didn't notice, but seeing his gaze and the curve of his lips, she realized something was wrong. She quickly looked down—her shirt button was undone. For a moment she froze, but immediately adjusted her collar with one hand. Though traces of the earlier giggle remained in her ears, now her demeanor was serious.
Ananya (adjusting her collar): "Why are you smiling? Enjoying yourself? Do you think my carelessness gives you an opportunity?"
Henry leaned slightly over the table, still with folded arms.
Henry: "I'm smiling because you don't look bad like this, Ananya. Opportunity? I know how to create one. But tell me, who was it? Who were you laughing so much with?"
Ananya (sharp): "Why should I tell you? Who I speak to or the private matters of my life aren't for someone like you. Who made you think you're owed explanations?"
The words "someone like you" struck Henry's chest like an arrow. His golden gleam dimmed for a moment before flaring up again.
Henry: "Who I am, you know very well, Ananya. Twenty years ago you could recognize my eye color, and today you cannot recognize my claim? Whoever is on that phone, remember—you are within my boundaries."
Ananya stood up from her chair. Her posture under the blue shirt told Henry that controlling her was no longer possible.
Her laughter filled the room, shaking the air. She didn't sit back down; instead, she placed both hands on the table and stood directly in front of Henry, eyes free of fear, brimming with victorious delight.
Ananya (Laboni): "You think Ananya is taking revenge on you? You think I'm some forensic officer digging old case files? You're gravely mistaken, Henry."
Adjusting her shirt buttons calmly, she continued in a cold voice, making the ground beneath Henry seem to shift.
Ananya (Laboni): "Twenty years ago, when you shot me, you thought Laboni was finished. But did you know, I think two steps ahead of you? I already knew about your sorcerer's power. That day, I wore a thin metal protective sheet under my shirt over my left chest. The bullet never reached my heart."
Henry froze. His golden eyes widened in disbelief.
Ananya (Laboni): "Seeing the blood, you thought I was dead. But I wasn't. Ananya isn't a new birth, nor a resurrection. Ananya is a disguise I created, a false identity. I am Laboni! For twenty years, I have prepared for this day. Your traps, your golden-eyed charm—I knew them all, because I survived them once already."
Henry reached out trembling, but didn't dare touch her.
Henry (barely audible): "Laboni? You… you're alive? Does that mean for twenty years I was fighting a shadow of a dead body?"
Laboni: "Yes, I am alive. And the call I instructed Sara and Rini to make this morning was part of my plan. I wanted you to realize that even today, you are trapped in that same old web. You wanted to see me in a black nightdress? That was acting. But today, standing under this blue shirt, Ananya is here only to destroy you."
A tear fell from Henry's golden eye. He realized the "prey" he thought he was hunting had trapped him instead.
Laboni's victorious laugh continued, sharp and triumphant. She pushed aside the files on the table and stood straight. The 'Ananya' disguise under the blue shirt had completely fallen away; only the cunning, fearsome Laboni remained.
Laboni (locking eyes): "Do you wonder why I let you come to the office this morning? Why I performed that illusory dance with you? Because I didn't just want to kill you, Henry. Killing you would have freed you. I wanted to crush your arrogance, your pride in immortality."
Henry spoke in a trembling voice: "Laboni… you loved me…"
Laboni: "I did! But when you shot me, that love died. For the past two days, the one you dreamed of being with was actually keeping you in an invisible cage at every moment. Did you know, yesterday when you whispered to me, I replaced that sorcerer's talisman in your pocket? And now…"
Laboni gestured outside the window. Police sirens blared. Police cars had surrounded the office.
Laboni: "Look outside, Henry. My team has come for you. I'm sending you into that dark cell where your sorcerer's power won't work. For twenty years, I've gathered every piece of evidence—your sorcerer's den, your murders—everything is documented and in my hands."
Henry looked at Laboni with his golden eyes, but the charm in them had no effect anymore. Laboni's confidence rendered all his magic useless.
Laboni: "Go, Henry. Your black shirt will match those four prison walls nicely. I won't let you die, because surviving to witness my victory will be your greatest punishment."
As the officers arrived at the door, Laboni picked up her glasses from the table and put them on. She transformed once again into the fierce 'Ananya,' but inside, she was the victorious Laboni of twenty years.