Have you ever heard of money raining from the sky?
As if the blue heavens had split apart, torrents of cash poured down like monsoon rain. People gathered the notes with both hands as though they were children collecting mangoes during storm season.
It sounded like something straight out of a fairy tale, didn't it?
Yet that impossible event had become reality for the people of Korail slum.
Under the suffocating heat of April, hearts that had long dried up from misery were suddenly washed with relief. The people who could barely afford two meals a day now held fresh thousand-taka notes in trembling hands.
Korail is known as the largest slum in Dhaka. Nearly a hundred thousand people live there, many of them victims of river erosion who lost everything and sought shelter in this overcrowded settlement.
A strange shiver spread through everyone. Tears filled their eyes while peaceful smiles bloomed across exhausted faces. Laughter escaped through cracked lips and blended into the wind itself. The people raised both hands in prayer for the unknown benefactor who had descended upon them like an angel during their darkest days.
[ Today, it wasn't the Eid moon that appeared over Korail slum— it felt as though the moon itself had descended.
Around ten-thirty in the morning, a helicopter suddenly began circling above the slum repeatedly. Because it was flying unusually low, fear and suspicion spread among the residents. Some immediately informed the local police station while others gathered to observe the helicopter.
Then, without warning, money began raining from the sky.
The glittering notes floated down beneath the golden sunlight, covering the ground within moments. At first, the residents stood frozen in shock. Then tears and laughter burst out together as they rushed to collect the money.
Someone had gifted the slum something unimaginable.
The residents prayed wholeheartedly for that mysterious donor, and within hours the strange event spread across the country.
To everyone, the nameless person became a hero of the poor. ]
Every online platform, every newspaper, every news channel was now broadcasting this single incident. The story spread faster than a bullet fired from a gun.
Several short clips had already gone viral, but none revealed anything useful. Smoke gas had been released from above, making the helicopter impossible to identify. All anyone could see was money falling from the sky.
In rage, Prem hurled the paperback lying on the desk directly at the television.
The screen shattered instantly, scattering broken glass across the floor.
Every officer in the room froze in fear.
Mahab silently signaled everyone to leave the cabin.
Prem was burning with fury.
Clutching his hair with both hands, he shouted like a madman,
"Just a little more… just a little more and I could've caught him! Damn it! How did I make such a huge blunder?"
Sweat streamed down the side of Prem's face. The blue veins on his forehead had bulged from rage.
Gathering courage, Mahab stepped closer.
Avoiding Prem's blazing eyes, he lowered his gaze and spoke carefully,
"Sir… the kidnapper will surely call again. We need patience. That's what we were taught during training."
Prem looked at him with a hardened jaw.
Mahab swallowed nervously.
"Sorry, sir."
"Get the jeep ready."
"Where are we going, sir?"
"The final move of the game is still left."
Within seconds, Prem's terrifying expression changed completely.
Though Mahab found it strange, he kept his thoughts to himself and left.
A crooked smile slowly appeared on Prem's lips as he began laughing quietly to himself.
According to the kidnapper's instructions, Anisul Haque had left fifty lakh taka inside an army bag on Platform Six of Sheora Para Station.
But the police already knew about the exchange beforehand.
Prem had gone there the previous day and prepared everything according to his own plan.
A combined police and CID team had spread throughout the station in disguise.
Prem himself had dressed as a ticket inspector while three of his colleagues blended into the crowd nearby.
Exactly at ten o'clock, a train arrived at the station.
Everyone immediately became alert.
Then dozens of military personnel stepped off the train. They had apparently just completed training.
And that was the exact opportunity the mastermind kidnapper had been waiting for.
Disguised in military uniform himself, he merged into the crowd effortlessly, grabbed the bag, and vanished.
By the time the police realized the money was gone, the kidnapper had already escaped.
Soon after, money began raining from helicopters over Korail slum.
__>>>>>>>>>>>>
Fresh wind from outside repeatedly struck the premium white glass walls of the terrace, creating soft rhythmic sounds.
Light slipped through the curtains and scattered across the white tiles, forming shimmering reflections.
The sharp rays touched Elizabeth's eyes, forcing them open slowly.
When she tried to move, she realized someone was holding her tightly.
Someone had wrapped her completely in their embrace.
Their clothes lay carelessly scattered across the floor.
Elizabeth's mind awakened instantly.
Yet she didn't move.
She remained still and silent.
Warm tears rolled silently from the corners of her eyes.
Once again, Elizabeth had failed to save herself.
Once again, she had lost the dignity of her womanhood.
Her eyes blurred like overflowing monsoon clouds.
Inside her head, memories clashed violently like metal crashing together.
Still, she refused to blink.
Scenes of last night's brutal torture flashed before her eyes.
Elizabeth remained trapped in Richard's embrace.
His warm breath brushed repeatedly against her ear.
She didn't turn toward him even once.
One of her hands was still tied to the bed with her scarf.
Dried blood had crusted beneath her nose.
Finger marks stained her chin.
Memories of her childhood— those innocent, beautiful days— made her break down silently.
How cruel fate had been.
How far it had dragged her.
Her body trembled violently from suppressed sobs.
That trembling eventually disturbed Richard's sleep.
Elizabeth's quiet crying felt like sharpened steel scraping against his ears.
The veins around his eyes tightened violently.
Without warning, he kicked her away from his embrace.
Elizabeth's wounded body slammed against the bedside.
Because the bed was enormous, she didn't fall to the floor.
She hadn't slept in two nights.
On top of that, she had endured unbearable abuse.
Unable to control herself anymore, Elizabeth burst into loud sobs.
But to Richard, her crying was nothing more than irritating noise.
Pathetic.
Annoying.
Her pale face and broken body stirred no emotion inside him.
Richard sat upright.
A sharp crease formed across his forehead.
The pain buried inside Elizabeth finally exploded.
"Why don't you just kill me?
Killing me would be kinder than destroying me piece by piece.
Every moment beside a monster like you stains me further.
I don't want to live like this anymore.
Death would be better."
Most people become irritated when they lose sleep.
But Richard wasn't most people.
He was heartless.
Cruel.
Savage.
His temper snapped instantly.
Like a wild predator from the deepest jungle, he lunged toward Elizabeth.
Grabbing her hair violently, he dragged her close.
His rough voice thundered as he gripped her throat,
"No one talks to me like that."
Elizabeth had never heard such a heavy voice before.
It carried terrifying weight.
Richard's blue eyes burned like flames.
His gaze alone was enough to freeze her blood.
Yet somehow, Elizabeth became trapped inside those ocean-blue eyes.
How could eyes filled with such strange beauty remain unmoved by another person's tears?
"You're a monster."
She spat directly into his face.
For a second, lightning seemed to explode inside Richard's eyes.
His expression darkened like a storm.
He opened a drawer beside the bed and pulled out a revolver.
Without hesitation, he pressed it against Elizabeth's forehead.
Still, she showed no reaction.
Richard unlocked the safety.
His finger rested on the trigger.
Elizabeth squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for death.
But instead of fear, a twisted smile slowly appeared on Richard's lips.
That tiny flicker of fear in her eyes was exactly what he wanted to see.
Elizabeth had prepared herself to die.
She imagined the bullet piercing her skull and freeing her forever from this cursed existence.
But nothing happened.
Slowly opening her eyes, she saw only Richard's mocking smile.
Fresh tears filled her eyes again.
She had failed to escape.
"Is a woman's body really so cheap to men like you?
Something that can simply be bought with money?"
Her voice held no life anymore.
Richard answered coldly,
"Women who can't protect their honor don't deserve to speak about it.
Especially not women like you.
Women only know how to destroy."
"Monster."
"No, Red… I'm worse than your thoughts."
Elizabeth turned her face away in disgust.
"My name is Elizabeth. Not Red."
Richard grabbed her face and forced her to look at him again.
His rough hand brushed against her dark lashes.
Then he buried his face in her thick red hair.
He inhaled deeply, almost obsessively.
Each breath seemed to intoxicate him.
His cold nose brushed against her ear, making her shiver violently.
Elizabeth gripped the bedsheet tightly, terrified of what might happen next.
Richard lowered his face near hers and whispered in a deep husky voice,
"I couldn't be bothered to spare a thought or glance for that.
You'll remain Red forever from now on.
Got it?"
Then, as though she were nothing more than trash, he shoved her away again and disappeared into the bathroom.
Burying her face into the pillow, Elizabeth broke down once more.
Elizabeth had been missing from Shanti Niketon for three days.
During those three days, Iqbal Sahib barely left his room.
Yet even then, not a trace of regret could be seen within Sabita Begum.
In fact, somewhere deep inside, she felt relieved.
But now every responsibility of the household had fallen upon her shoulders.
For the last eight years, Sabita Begum had hardly entered the kitchen.
Cooking, cleaning, washing dishes— Elizabeth had done everything.
Now that Elizabeth was gone, Sabita had to do every task herself.
As a result, her temper remained foul all day.
Even the fact that her husband hadn't eaten properly in three days didn't concern her.
But while cooking lunch, she discovered the salt had run out.
That was enough to ignite her anger completely.
Holding the spatula tightly, she stormed out of the kitchen.
Iqbal Sahib was still searching through old newspapers, desperately looking for any information about Richard.
For three days straight, he had done nothing else.
He knew almost nothing about Richard.
Still, he hoped that somewhere within those papers he might discover a clue.
At that moment, Sabita entered the room.
Without warning, she snatched the newspaper from his hands.
"If you don't want to eat, then don't.
But will you starve the rest of us too?"
Iqbal Sahib had always been a soft-hearted man.
That was exactly why his father, Ismail, had forced him into marrying Sabita Begum years ago simply to keep a promise to an old friend.
Even though Sabita was older than him, Iqbal never disobeyed his father.
And for twenty-five years, he had continued living beside a narrow-minded woman.
For the first time, he glared at her sharply.
"Give me the paper, Sabita."
But she refused.
Instead, she shouted louder,
"You're dying in grief over someone else's daughter.
Have you even checked where your own son has been since yesterday?"
Iqbal snatched the paper back forcefully.
With bitter contempt he replied,
"Where else would your precious son be?
Probably drunk somewhere on the roadside."
"Aren't you his father?
Don't you care about him at all?"
The calmness Iqbal had worn his entire life finally shattered.
Raising his voice, he exploded,
"You're a mother too!
Then how could you push another mother's daughter toward destruction?
Didn't your heart tremble even once?
Didn't your conscience stop you?
Have you imagined what kind of torture my innocent girl is suffering right now?
You're a woman— can't you understand that pain?
If this had happened to our Ibrat instead, could you have stayed this normal?
Elisa trusted me and placed that pure flower into my hands.
I failed to protect her.
I hate myself.
Whenever I close my eyes, I see Elizabeth's helpless face.
I hate all of you… hate you!"
Wiping his tears, he walked out of the room.
Sabita Begum froze in silence.
Her eyes remained fixed ahead.
Then Ibrat slowly stepped out from behind the curtain.
Feeling a hand on her shoulder, Sabita turned around.
Ibrat's eyes trembled.
"Mother… if I had been in Elizabeth's place, would you still have been this cruel?"
Sabita immediately pulled her daughter tightly into her chest.
"They would've had to walk over my dead body to take you away."
Ibrat's voice cracked.
"Then why did you let them take Elizabeth?"
Sabita pushed her away angrily.
"Everything I did was for you!
Don't become soft-hearted like your father.
You didn't accept Elizabeth as your sister back then either."
"At that time, I was blinded by fear for my own honor.
But every woman values her dignity.
I feel terrible now, Mother.
I envied Elizabeth for her beauty, but I never wanted her life destroyed like this.
She sacrificed herself to save mine."
Sabita gave no answer.
She walked away quickly, unable to face her own conscience.
Inside, Ibrat was collapsing under guilt.
Because the greatest courtroom in existence is a person's conscience.
There, no lawyer is needed to expose the truth.
_>>>>>>>>>>>
Afternoon slowly turned into evening.
The residence of Information Minister Anisul Haque now felt lifeless.
Despite the massive mansion filled with guards, maids, and relatives, there was no warmth anywhere.
Anisul Haque sat silently in the living room, staring into emptiness.
He had just returned from the hospital.
His wife was now on life support.
Little by little, darkness was swallowing his once happy family.
Meanwhile, the country was exploding over the mysterious money rain.
After Korail slum, another slum near New Market had experienced the same phenomenon only moments ago.
Once again, money had fallen from the sky.
The entire nation was in chaos.
News of Anisul Haque's missing son had already been buried beneath the sensation.
Every headline now celebrated the unknown 'Hero of the Poor.'
The Commissioner sat quietly nearby.
Even after endless efforts, the police had found absolutely nothing.
The entire force had been deployed.
No one was sleeping anymore.
Suddenly, the roar of a modified bike echoed outside.
Prem arrived.
Removing his helmet, he ran a hand through his messy black hair before entering.
The cheerful expression on his face vanished the moment he stepped into the living area.
He sat directly opposite the Commissioner.
"You? At this hour?" the Commissioner asked.
Prem smiled lightly.
"I came to know whether the kidnapper called again."
The Commissioner narrowed his eyes.
"You came here just for that?
Do you really think the kidnapper will call again after taking the money?"
Prem sipped tea calmly.
"The mission failed because of you people, sir."
The Commissioner's jaw hardened.
"What are you implying?"
"I already said the entire operation should've been handed to me.
If you people hadn't been busy showing authority, today's mission would've succeeded."
The Commissioner glared at him.
"And how exactly would four of you accomplish what fifty officers couldn't?"
Prem answered calmly,
"I would've monitored the station's CCTV footage first."
The Commissioner immediately fell silent.
None of them had thought of that earlier.
And by the time they did, the footage had already been erased.
Before Prem could continue, Anisul Haque interrupted angrily,
"Enough!
Are you people here to joke around?"
"Sir, please calm down," the Commissioner said.
"Your heart condition—"
But Anisul Haque finally broke down.
"My son has a heart condition too since childhood.
Sadman is terrified of darkness.
He gets panic attacks.
Allah knows what condition my son is in right now…"
Prem listened very carefully.
But instead of sympathizing with the man's tears, he focused intensely on every word Anisul spoke.
Suddenly, a message notification appeared on Anisul Haque's phone.
The moment he read it, his face changed.
He swallowed hard several times before quickly hiding the phone inside his pocket.
Then he stood abruptly.
"You may leave now.
I need rest."
The sudden change in his behavior shocked both Prem and the Commissioner.
But neither questioned him.
They simply left.
__>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
All the maids remained gathered inside the kitchen.
Nobody was allowed to stand in front of Richard when he came downstairs.
Strict orders had been given.
Richard, Naso, and Lucas had just come up from the underground basement hideout.
Young maid Nishi secretly peeked toward them repeatedly from the kitchen.
Her eyes were filled with wonder.
To her, it felt like she was living abroad inside some foreign mansion.
Every time she saw Richard, Elizabeth, Naso, or Lucas, she felt the same thing.
Whenever possible, Nishi wandered near Elizabeth's room just to hear her voice.
She desperately wanted to know what such a beautiful woman sounded like.
But so far, she hadn't even heard Elizabeth breathe.
No one except Reshma was allowed near her.
Reshma noticed Nishi staring.
"Do you want to die?
Didn't you see the weapons on the table?"
Nishi immediately shrank back.
"I'm not doing anything wrong.
They're just so beautiful.
It feels like heaven here.
I've never seen people this beautiful before.
Especially sir… he looks exactly like a movie hero."
Blushing shyly, she covered her face.
Reshma let out a heavy sigh.
"Not every beauty is a blessing.
Some beauty is a curse.
Like fire.
It gives light, but it also burns everything to ashes."
The living room was thick with cigarette smoke.
Ashtrays overflowed.
Bottles of powerful alcohol lined the table.
Richard, Naso, and Lucas drank recklessly while discussing their next killing mission.
Weapons covered the table.
Shotguns.
Tommy guns.
Machine guns.
Richard picked up a customized M1911 pistol and slid it inside his coat.
Naso and Lucas selected their own preferred weapons.
They checked the safety locks and triggers expertly.
Suddenly, Richard's thunderous voice echoed through the room.
"Stop, Red."
Elizabeth had escaped from her room.
Someone had forgotten to lock the door.
Seeing the opportunity, she quietly came downstairs.
If she failed to escape today, she knew she never would.
Ignoring Richard's presence, she moved carefully toward the main entrance.
But before she could reach it, Richard caught her easily.
Twisting her arm behind her back, he pinned her against him.
Pain shot through Elizabeth's body.
Fresh tears streamed down her cheeks.
Richard laughed darkly beside her ear.
"That easy?"
This time, Elizabeth didn't remain silent.
"Let me go!"
"Where will you go?
Do you even have anywhere left to return to?
After spending two nights with another man, do you think your aunt will accept you?"
Elizabeth suddenly laughed through her tears.
Because it was true.
She had nowhere left.
Slowly, her struggling stopped.
Richard released her, confused by the sudden change.
Without a word, Elizabeth began walking toward the stairs.
Then gunshots exploded.
The maids screamed in fear.
Elizabeth collapsed to the floor, covering her ears.
Richard casually spun the gun around his finger before sliding it back into his pocket.
"That's your punishment, baby."
Everyone stared in horror.
Broken chandelier glass covered the floor near the stairs.
Richard's meaning became clear instantly.
Elizabeth looked at the shattered glass.
Then, silently, she stepped onto it barefoot.
Sharp pieces pierced through the soft skin of her feet.
Blood immediately spread across the glass.
But Elizabeth kept walking.
Because compared to the pain in her heart, this physical pain meant nothing.
The maids' eyes filled with tears.
Even Lucas felt disturbed.
Richard finally lost patience.
"I'm losing my patience.
And you are not ready for that to happen.
I think you're still getting flashbacks of last night, Red."
Naso immediately looked away awkwardly.
Elizabeth's face burned with humiliation.
Still crying, she took another step.
More blood poured from her feet.
Her body slowly weakened from blood loss.
Just as she prepared to take another step, everything suddenly turned dark.
Richard caught her unconscious body before she collapsed completely.
Without another word, he carried Elizabeth upstairs.
Drops of blood trailed behind them across the staircase.
Everyone stood frozen.
Naso nudged Lucas with his pistol and muttered in Italian,
"Non guardare dall'altra parte e organizza l'intrattenimento degli ospiti."
[ Stop staring and arrange hospitality for the guests. ]