Chapter 79 — The Safety Net
Immediately Rihannat stepped into her room, she collapsed onto her bed, completely drained.
The confidence, composure, and courage she had displayed earlier were nowhere to be found.
Gone.
The moment the door closed behind her, all her carefully maintained bravado crumbled.
Her mind raced endlessly.
Thought after thought.
Question after question.
What did Vale truly want?
Why was he interested in the bracelet?
How much did he know?
And what was she supposed to do now?
Yet despite the flood of thoughts, no answer came.
With a frustrated sigh, she sat up.
She paced around the small room.
Walked back.
Turned around again.
Then finally reached for her phone.
Without thinking much, she opened her Qur'an application and selected one of her favorite recitations.
Surah An-Nur.
The beautiful verses filled the room.
Soft.
Powerful.
Comforting.
Not long into the recitation, the storm inside her heart gradually settled.
The fear faded.
The anxiety loosened its grip.
A strange sense of peace enveloped her, as though every burden had already been handed over to Allah.
By the time the reciter reached the next verses, her eyelids had become heavy.
The phone slipped beside her pillow.
And with the Qur'an still playing softly in the background, Rihannat drifted into a peaceful sleep.
She forgot her fears.
Forgot her worries.
Forgot everything.
She woke up around Maghrib.
Voices.
Lots of voices.
Her eyes snapped open.
For a moment, she stared blankly at the ceiling before turning her head.
Then she froze.
Her room was full.
Folakemi.
Balkis.
Rayyan.
Seifullah.
Basit.
Her biological parents.
Her adopted parents.
Everyone was there.
The already cramped room felt even smaller with so many people squeezed inside.
Apparently, Seifullah and Basit had arrived only a few minutes before she woke up.
Still groggy from sleep, Rihannat pushed herself upright.
"What is going on?"
Before anyone else could answer, her mother spoke.
"Why didn't you inform any of us after Vale came to meet you?"
Rihannat blinked.
"Vale?"
Her heartbeat skipped.
"That was Vale?"
Her biological father nodded.
"Yes."
His expression was serious.
"It was Vale himself. Not one of his subordinates. Not a messenger. He personally came to see you."
His gaze sharpened.
"And yet you didn't tell any of us."
The room became silent.
"You didn't even tell your friends."
Rihannat looked from one face to another.
Still confused.
"Then... how do all of you know he came to see me?"
The moment the question left her lips, she noticed Seifullah glance toward Basit.
Basit returned the look.
Then both men turned toward Mr. Collins.
The three exchanged amused smiles.
A bad feeling immediately settled in Rihannat's stomach.
Seifullah cleared his throat.
"We bugged your phone."
Silence.
"The bag you carry around also has a GPS tracker and voice recorder inside."
"What?!"
Rihannat's eyes widened.
She looked genuinely horrified.
"Sorry, Sis."
Seifullah raised both hands in surrender.
"But there was no way we were sending you back to school without proper preparation and protection."
He pointed toward the watch on her wrist.
"And that watch I gave you?"
Rihannat immediately looked down at it.
"It is connected directly to my system."
A proud smile appeared on his face.
"The moment suspicious voices, unusual locations, or dangerous situations are detected, I can remotely activate the camera."
"The camera?!"
"Audio and video."
Seifullah grinned.
"Both."
Basit chuckled.
Rihannat stared at them in disbelief.
Her brother continued unapologetically.
"After what happened last time, I wasn't taking any chances."
His expression darkened slightly.
"Do you know how many traffic lights I ignored that day trying to get to you?"
A few people laughed.
Seifullah shook his head.
"I nearly caused a citywide emergency."
"Exaggeration," Basit muttered.
"It is not."
"It is."
"It is not."
Rihannat couldn't help smiling.
The tension that had been suffocating her all day suddenly eased.
She felt protected.
Safe.
Surrounded by people who genuinely cared about her.
"So..."
She looked at them hopefully.
"Every word and action from today was recorded?"
"Everything."
Basit answered.
"From beginning to end."
A look of relief flashed across her face.
Good.
Very good.
Vale was known to be cautious.
Dangerously intelligent.
The type of man who planned ten steps ahead before making a move.
Just like his son.
Which made today's events even more confusing.
Why would a man like that personally approach her?
Why reveal himself?
Why not send a subordinate?
Why risk exposing his interest in the bracelet?
None of it made sense.
Her brows furrowed.
"Then there's something I don't understand."
Everyone looked at her.
"If Vale is really as cunning and mysterious as everyone says..."
Her fingers unconsciously touched the bracelet.
"...why would he come to me himself?"
The room fell silent.
Because that question bothered everyone.
Including the adults.
Including Basit.
Including Seifullah.
A man like Vale did nothing without a reason.
Nothing.
Which meant his appearance today wasn't impulsive.
It was intentional.
Carefully calculated.
And if Vale had personally stepped onto the board...
Then whatever secret the bracelet carried was far more important than any of them had imagined.
The realization sent a chill through the room.
Nobody had an answer.
They only know it was gift from her maternal grandparents. Likely a family heirloom or something more precious...