The next day—

  Far away from the hospital—

  Rivan Loan Service: Main Office.

  The building, once known for its strict order and suffocating silence, now looked like the aftermath of a small war.

  Papers were scattered everywhere—rustle, rustle—documents trampled, desks overturned, drawers ripped open.

  Several chairs lay broken, splintered legs jutting out at odd angles. Even the glass partitions bore cracks like spiderwebs.

  And the staff—

  Every single one of them was on the floor.

  Some groaning softly.

  Some barely moving.

  All beaten.

  Amid this wreckage, three eighteen-year-old boys acted as if they were simply hanging out after college.

  Shahin Navraan sat casually on the main desk, sliding through a stack of documents with a bored expression, flip… flip… flip.

  Alok Navraan and Rihan Navraan were sitting on top of two staff members as if they were makeshift chairs—one of those unfortunate men being the branch manager, trembling beneath the weight.

  Shahin finally spoke, his voice calm, almost disappointed, as he turned another page with his thumb..

  "You guys really don't know your place, do you?"

  He didn't bother to look up.

  "Otherwise… why would you pick a fight with our boss?"

  A faint, broken whimper rose from the floor.

  One of the staff members — a man in his forties, face bruised and swollen — tried to lift his head just an inch.

  Shahin didn't even glance at him.

  Alok slowly leaned forward, resting an elbow on the manager's back as if using him as a table.

  "Seriously," Alok muttered, cracking his knuckles lazily. Crack… crack. "Do you guys wake up every morning thinking, 'Let's make the worst possible decision today'?"

  The manager trembled beneath him.

  Rihan nudged a scattered pile of papers with his foot. "Shahin, they probably thought no one would find out."

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  Shahin let out a quiet sigh — the kind that sounded like disappointment, not anger.

  "They really believed that," he said, flipping another page. Flip… flip. "Pathetic."

  He slid the document aside.

  "Here it is."

  He held up a printed file — Afraan's loan paperwork.

  The manager's face drained of color.

  Shahin finally looked at him.

  Just a slight tilt of his head.

  A tiny smile with no warmth.

  "Tell me something," Shahin said quietly. "Which part of your brain thought it was a good idea to lay a hand on someone our boss decided to protect?"

  The manager's breath rattled.

  "I-I… I didn't kn—"

  Alok pressed down on his back — not hard, but enough to silence him instantly.

  "That's the problem," Alok said, voice flat. "People like you never know anything until you're dying on the floor."

  Rihan leaned down, picking up a photo that had fallen from the file — Afraan's ID picture.

  "Shahin," he called out, "our boss really went all out for this guy."

  Shahin nodded once.

  "We should too. After all… it's his decision."

  He stepped off the desk, crushing a cracked phone beneath his shoe with a sharp crk and walked toward the manager.

  The entire office held its breath.

  Shahin crouched down to eye level with the trembling man.

  "We don't care about this company," he said softly. "We don't care about your business."

  He tapped the paperwork lightly against the man's forehead.

  "But when someone touches a person our boss picks up…"His eyes darkened."…that becomes our business."

  The manager's tears spilled. "P-Please…! We'll pay back… everything—"

  Shahin sighed again.

  "You misunderstand," he said gently. "We didn't come here for money."

  He stood up and dusted off his hands.

  "We came here to deliver a message."

  Alok and Rihan rose from their 'chairs' — the groaning staff below them collapsing instantly.

  Shahin's voice sharpened.

  "Don't touch Navraan's people ever."

  He turned away.

  "And from today onward, the Rivan Loan Service is to be closed."

  The silence that followed felt heavier than the broken furniture.

  ***

  The hospital doors slid open with a soft shhhk, and Afraan stepped out — bandaged, stiff, and still not entirely used to sunlight after days inside.

  Jihan's car waited at the curb, engine humming.

  A moment later, they were on the main road.

  Music blasted through the speakers — something upbeat and way too loud for someone who had just been discharged.Jihan bobbed his head to the rhythm, tapping the steering wheel like he was performing on stage.

  A faint thump-thump of bass filled the car.

  Afraan glanced toward him."…Where are we going?" he asked quietly.

  No reaction.

  Jihan just raised the volume.

  "…Where are we—"

  "WHERE ARE WE GOING!?"Afraan suddenly shouted directly into Jihan's ear and smacked the music off.

  "GAH—!!"

  Screeeech—!The car jerked as Jihan slammed the brakes.

  His eyes were wide, hair almost standing up, and the lollipop he'd been chewing hit the dashboard with a sad little tak.

  He clutched his chest dramatically."Fooooo… You scared the life out of me! You could've just asked normally!"

  Afraan narrowed his eyes."I did. But it seems you have hearing problems. So I screamed."

  Jihan froze.

  Then slowly forced a smile.

  "Ah… Is… that so?"

  He cleared his throat, started the engine again, and the car rolled forward.

  "We're going to our company headquarters."

  "…Huh? Company headquarters? Why?"Not confused. Not shocked. Just… empty inside.

  "You're joining our company."

  "But I didn't say I would jo—"

  "Oh? Really?"Jihan turned his head with the fakest sweet smile.

  Then extended a hand.

  "Then pay me back for everything I spent on you."

  Afraan stared at the hand.

  Slowly looked away.

  "…I'm joining."

  "That's a great decision," Jihan said cheerfully as the car picked up speed again.

  The music resumed — softer this time.

  And Afraan sighed, wondering if getting beaten by gangsters might have been the easier ordeal.

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