The garden house looked strange from the outside, but inside it was even more terrifying. The entire house was wrapped in black. As soon as they crossed the main door and entered, the first thing visible was the grand living area. Huge Thai glass walls showed the outside view, though there was nothing beautiful to see. Only guards roamed around like bees, guns in hand. Their sharp, watchful eyes made Elizabeth swallow hard in fear. Fortunately, the Thai glass prevented them from seeing inside. On the ground floor of this duplex garden house there were four rooms, but the entire upper floor was occupied by a single room.
The only room upstairs was Richard's private kingdom. No one was allowed to enter there. Though hanging over Richard's shoulder, Elizabeth still tried to look around through her blurred vision. Even upside down, she could understand that apart from black, no other color existed in this house. The entire atmosphere was wrapped in a ghostly silence. Richard climbed the black tiled stairs with long strides. With each step, Elizabeth's chest tightened. The narrow corners of her mind slowly sank under the shadow of something dreadful. Reaching the room, Richard crossed the door and threw Elizabeth from his shoulder onto the bed, as if he had been carrying some disgusting burden all this time. The bed was soft, so her body wasn't injured. But inside, Elizabeth was being torn apart by fear.
Looking at the room, Elizabeth's eyes widened. She had never seen such a huge rectangular room before. It was even larger than the living area. The enormous luxurious bed was covered in black sheets. On one wall there was a 3D dragon painting, so realistic it seemed the dragon wanted to come alive. Flames glimmered in the dragon's eyes, and a harsh growl deepened the room's heavy silence. Elizabeth's gaze stopped on Richard's right hand. He had a dragon tattoo there too. Her chest ran dry. She had tried to stay strong until now, but she could not anymore. Her lips trembled and tears escaped. Seeing her, Richard smiled slightly, a sadistic pleasure at the corner of his lips.
"Cross my heart and hope to die... Welcome to my Dark Side."
The deep voice made the darkness grow heavier. Elizabeth clutched the bedsheet tightly, but every attempt to calm herself failed. Her inner resistance was breaking apart. Her frozen mind became chained by cold fear. Suddenly, a glowing light appeared behind Richard. Trembling, Elizabeth looked there. Her whole body shuddered instantly. The light was coming from the giant dragon painting. It seemed alive. The dragon's head moved. Flames burst from its deep black eyes. A harsh growl seemed ready to escape from its throat, as if it wanted to break free from its prison. The violent dragon in the painting became more real with every passing second.
All the effort she had made to stay strong collapsed. Her lips shook, and tears burst out. Seeing the tremble of her blood-red lips, Richard's sadistic smile deepened. In one pull, he removed his overcoat and waistcoat and threw them on the floor. His smile became darker. Impatiently, he tore off the buttons of his shirt. As the buttons fell to the floor with a sharp clinking sound, Elizabeth shook even more. Her entire body was consumed by an unbearable fear and questions. What exactly was happening to her? This endless darkness, Richard's terrifying smile, and that dragon coming alive—all together created a horrifying nightmare from which she could find no escape.
There were no clothes left on Richard's upper body. His strong, broad chest was exposed, with six firm ridges clearly visible. Though Elizabeth saw the sight before her, her mind was somewhere else. Lost in grief and fear, she trembled silently in the dark suffocating room. Her heavy breathing pierced through the silence. Because of the pain stuck in her throat, she could barely speak. Every step Richard took deepened her fear and unrest. In a weak voice, Elizabeth could only say,
"Please don't ruin me like this. I am pure."
Richard looked at her with lustful eyes and curved his lips into a smile.
"But now, you are my mistress."
Elizabeth said in a trembling voice,
"I'll do whatever work you asked me to do. But please, don't touch my honor. I will die."
Richard answered coldly,
"You came here by your own will."
Those words pierced Elizabeth's chest like arrows. It was true. She had come here by her own choice. That thought poisoned her mind even more. Had Chachi warned Ibrat to save her from this destruction? How had she come to stain her own honor while trying to protect another woman's dignity? Her chest broke into cries. Elizabeth had no idea how to face this torment when she herself had stepped willingly into the fire. Richard knelt on the bed and leaned toward her. In the darkness, Elizabeth had still not seen his face. She moved backward to protect herself, but escaping Richard's grasp was impossible. With a crooked smile, he pulled her close in one tug. In his masculine, deep husky voice, he said,
"JUST BE MY LADY."
Richard lunged at Elizabeth. His cruel lust accepted no barrier. Elizabeth's heartbreaking cries and screams never reached Richard's ears. Despite using all her strength to protect herself, she failed. In a single moment, Elizabeth lost the most precious thing in her life—her purity. A woman's honor, the symbol of her pride, was stained forever. Every scream she made struck the walls and echoed back. But that savage heart did not soften. Her limp body could resist no more. Her body was numb, her mind shattered. Only salty tears rolled from her eyes. Elizabeth felt that only her body remained in that room. Her soul had fled far away—somewhere this nightmare could never touch agai
After a poisonous, inhuman night, sunlight finally entered the room. But there was no trace of hope in that light; instead, it revealed the ruins of the night's nightmare. Unable to bear the weight of Richard's brutal assault, Elizabeth had lost consciousness near dawn. Like a hungry tiger of thirty years, Richard's savage lust had devoured her.
The ringtone of a phone slowly woke Richard. For the first time in a long while, he had slept peacefully at dawn. His head was heavy, his eyes tired. He fumbled for the phone and saw Nasso's number. The call had already ended. There was a rule—no one called Richard repeatedly. So a text came immediately after: "Come downstairs quickly." Reading it, Richard sat up, but suddenly noticed something heavy on his arm. His forehead creased. Pulling aside the comforter, he saw Elizabeth collapsed unconscious on top of him. Against Richard's massive body, Elizabeth looked tiny like an ant. In her sleep she had pressed completely against his chest. In that position, he could hide her easily—like she could disappear if he simply wrapped his arms around her.
Richard stared at her strangely for a while. Her soft face was now filled with exhaustion and pain. Dried tears on her cheeks, dark marks on her throat, and blood-clotted bruises beneath her neck—all hinted at the horror of last night. Yet not a drop of pity appeared in Richard's heart. Annoyed, he pushed Elizabeth away and got up, wrapping a towel around his waist before walking indifferently to the washroom.
Standing before the washroom mirror, Richard stared at his reflection. Turning his back and shoulders, he saw countless nail scratches—evidence of the wild storm of the night. He stood silently for a while, facing the darkness inside himself. Placing both hands on either side of the sink, he stared at the mirror. Within moments, his eyes turned reddish, burning with rage. Grinding his teeth, he tried to suppress his reflection. Suddenly, all patience snapped. With one punch, he shattered the mirror. Glass scattered across the floor. Blood dripped from his hand. It kept falling, but there was no regret in Richard's eyes. For him, blood was only truth. Their days began with spilling blood, and nights ended with wiping it away.
Fully dressed, Richard came downstairs. Lucas and Nasso were waiting in the living room. Seeing Richard's wet hair early in the morning, their eyes widened. They exchanged sideways glances. The TV was running the news.
Breaking News: The body of Information Minister Anisul Haque's personal assistant was found this morning. Although the body was found, the head is still missing. The body was sent to the minister's residence in a black coffin decorated with flowers. At the same time, the minister's only son, Sadman Haque, had returned home last night after completing his graduate degree abroad after six years. However, he never reached his parents. He was kidnapped from the airport. Hearing the news, the minister's wife suffered a heart attack and is now in ICU. Authorities suspect political revenge. A special four-member CID team under officer Prem Ahsan has been assigned to investigate.
Sipping strong black coffee, Richard sat royally with one leg crossed over the other and watched the news. Opposite him sat Lucas and Nasso, both with crooked smiles. Lucas looked restless, wanting to speak. Richard noticed.
"Vuoi dire qualcosa?"
"Want to say something?"
Lucas swallowed dryly and looked up.
"Boss, I can speak Bangla very well now."
Raising an eyebrow, Richard looked at Nasso and said,
"Nasso is a good trainer."
Nasso smiled softly and lowered his head. Lucas still scratched his hand nervously. Richard asked again,
"What do you want to say?"
Clearing his throat, Lucas said directly,
"Boss, will you traffic that girl? She's extremely beautiful. She'll bring a high price."
Nasso added,
"Everything about that girl feels strange."
Richard closed his eyes and nodded slightly.
"From head to toe, she's covered in mystery."
Lucas said again,
"Boss, why not keep her? She has such an innocent face."
Richard's voice turned cold.
"Lucas, perhaps it's time for your retirement. In this profession, emotion has no place."
Lucas shrank immediately.
"Sorry, boss."
Richard asked,
"Did I tell you to arrange a female maid?"
Nasso nodded.
"Yes, boss."
"Accessories?"
"All done, boss."
"From today, male guards are not allowed inside. Increase outside security."
Saying that, Richard stood. Since yesterday, both Nasso and Lucas had been surprised at every step, but they never dared ask questions. Silently, they followed him. Sitting in the driver's seat, Nasso asked,
"Boss, where to?"
Taking a pen from his breast pocket and signing a file, Richard smiled with satisfaction.
"To the office. Guests will come. I'll personally host them."
They rarely understood the meaning behind Richard's words. As always, they failed again. Nasso exhaled hot breath and drove.
The car moved steadily. CID officer Prem Ahsan and his three colleagues had just returned from Anisul Haque's residence. Their success rate was nearly perfect. Prem was the team leader. At just twenty-six, he had already received two awards for bravery. At five feet ten, with stubble and a dark complexion, there was always a glimmer of a smile on his face. Officer Mahab was driving. Prem leaned back in the passenger seat, eyes closed, arranging the case in his mind.
Mahab said while driving,
"Sir, a secret source says when the minister's son was kidnapped, an Italian gangster had arrived on the previous flight with two bodyguards."
Prem opened his eyes and sat upright.
"Gangster Ridh Kayanat?"
"Yes, sir. Richard, also known as Ridh Kayanat. He comes to the country once a year, only for two days. Every time, someone's body is found. Usually politicians or powerful people. But due to lack of evidence, administration has never acted against him."
Prem asked,
"Someone influential protecting him?"
"No, sir. He works alone. Doesn't care about anyone. Powerful people are terrified of him now. He built a black empire in Italy. Even the government cannot touch him. He controls everything himself. In Bangladesh, under the cover of share business, he runs major casinos. Supplies foreign weapons and alcohol from Italy. From trafficking women to every crime imaginable, he's involved in all. Yet his name is nowhere in police files."
Prem listened carefully. Then suddenly, a crooked smile appeared on his lips. Keeping that mysterious smile, he said,
"Then let's pay a visit to the brave gangster."