The rain had already stopped, and sunlight now spilled across the sky. The golden rays made the raindrops glitter like glass. It was eleven in the morning, and there was no sign that only moments ago the world had been drowning under a storm.
Yet inside the house called Shantisudha Niketan, darkness heavier than midnight had fallen.
Sabita Begum clutched Ibrat tightly to her chest. Both of them trembled violently. A guard dressed in black held a gun against their heads.
Shihab lay face-down on the floor, his arms twisted behind his back. Another guard pressed his boot against Shihab's back while aiming a gun at his head.
Iqbal knelt helplessly, watching the miserable state of his family with lifeless eyes.
From the kitchen doorway, hidden from everyone, Elizabeth Imra Erin watched with tear-filled eyes. Her red face was pale with fear. She looked ready to run toward them, but Iqbal gave her a small shake of his head, warning her to stay hidden.
Then all the guards loaded their weapons at once.
The metallic click made everyone freeze.
Iqbal closed his eyes, preparing for death.
But before anything could happen, Elizabeth screamed and ran out, throwing herself around Iqbal, hugging him tightly.
The moment she appeared—
Richard Kayanad smiled.
A crooked smile.
One of the guards immediately dragged Elizabeth away from her uncle.
The one-story house of five people had now been completely taken over. Black-clothed guards filled the living room. Every hand held a foreign weapon. Richard sat comfortably on the sofa, legs crossed, while Lucas and Naso stood rigidly on either side like dark giants.
Shihab, hot-blooded and reckless, shouted without understanding the danger.
"Why are you holding us like this? What do you want? Let us go now, or I'll call the police!"
The room shook with Richard's laughter.
The disgusting sound made Elizabeth press both hands over her ears. Suddenly, strange memories flashed inside her head. Her face turned blue as if she were suffocating. She crouched on the floor, gasping, trembling violently.
Seeing her like that, Iqbal finally spoke.
"I don't know who you are. But why are you doing this? What crime did we commit?"
Richard stopped laughing.
He removed his black sunglasses and handed them to Naso.
His deep blue eyes appeared.
Empty. Cold. Without a single trace of emotion.
At a signal, Lucas placed a file on the small table.
The moment Shihab saw the casino logo, his face changed.
All his courage disappeared.
Richard leaned back.
"Money."
Iqbal frowned.
"What money?"
Richard didn't answer.
Instead, the guard pressed harder on Shihab's back. He cried out in pain.
Sabita burst into tears.
"Please leave my son! What did we do to you?"
Still, no answer.
Only more pressure.
Shihab finally understood.
Richard wanted the truth.
So he spoke.
"The Royal Casino… it belongs to you?"
Richard smiled faintly.
This time, he leaned forward, elbows on knees, staring directly into Shihab's frightened eyes. That cold blue gaze pierced through him like an arrow.
Iqbal stared at his son in disbelief.
"You went to casinos?"
Shihab lowered his head.
Iqbal's anger exploded.
He turned toward Sabita.
"This is what you raised? You spoiled him so much that he became this! My honest teacher's salary paid for your son to gamble? I feel ashamed to call him my son!"
Richard clicked his tongue.
"I didn't come here for family melodrama."
At his words, the guards raised their guns against everyone's heads.
Ibrat cried into her mother's chest.
Iqbal looked away from Shihab in disgust.
Then—
Richard suddenly pulled out his shotgun.
Bang.
The ceramic flower vase shattered into pieces.
Everyone screamed.
The guards lowered their eyes instantly.
The room filled with sobbing.
Blood began dripping from Shihab's nose under the pressure.
Richard was losing patience.
He hated wasting time.
His temple veins swelled.
Then he growled like an animal—
"One more sound and I'll bury every one of you alive."
Sabita immediately covered Ibrat's mouth with both hands.
Iqbal took a long breath.
Then asked quietly—
"How much?"
Richard answered without hesitation.
"Twenty-five lakh."
Iqbal's face went white.
Sabita cried out.
"Where will we get that much money?"
Richard's expression remained calm.
"You have only two options. Money or life."
Sabita collapsed at his feet, crying.
"My son is my only child. Please… give us time. We'll repay everything. Please spare him."
The more she cried, the colder Richard became.
His eyes turned terrifying.
Then—
he suddenly fired several shots into the ceiling in rage.
The gunfire shook the house.
Birds outside flew away in panic.
And among the noise—
Elizabeth's crying became louder.
Her body shook uncontrollably.
At that sound, Richard grabbed his own hair in frustration.
Then suddenly—
his expression changed.
The rage vanished.
A dark smile appeared.
He looked at them and said—
"Fine. No one has to die."
The room went silent.
Richard's smile widened.
"In exchange for the money… I want your daughter as my mistress."