"Damn!"
Evan controlled his urge to throw away his phone. His blood pressure has risen steeply watching all the bullshit popping up one after another.
"These bastards…Just where the hell are they taking things? I am scamming them by selling fake teas with highly addictive drugs…"
Evan massaged his forehead to lessen the throbbing pain.
Everything had been going well recently, but now out of nowhere, his family appeared at the doorsteps to demand money.
He felt his head bursting at their behavior.
It wasn't wrong. If they had ever loved or showered some affection, he wouldn't hesitate to give them money but these were devils wearing masks of innocence.
Now the news was circulating like wildfire and businesses were slowly affected And if this wasn't enough then Maria was bombarded with another trouble.
Evan called Maria to check up on the sales when he was slapped with another shocking news.
"You are saying Aunt Celina hasn't been coming for almost a week.
[Yes, I tried to call her several times but the number is unreachable.]
"When did she leave particularly?"
[She had been taking leave quite often now but a few days before your parents appeared. Evan, it seems we can't be nonchalant about it now. It's not about work, rather I am dead worried about her. You know, she had been hiding about her family matters.]
Maria's emotional voice from the other side of the call.
Evan's heart beat faster and twitched in pain. He clenched his fist tightly and shook his head to deny the bad premonition in his heart.
'No...It can't be...'
"Okay, I will take a look. If you feel overwhelmed without her, close the shop a bit early and you can take some rest."
Evan slumped down on the wheelchair and tapped on the desk with a profound look.
Aunt Celina's absence and his parent's appearance...
He didn't think it was possible but what if there is a link?
He had moved from his house and had been covering his face outside, so how the hell did his parents know about it?
Even none of his friends knew about it.
Then it comes to his staff.
Except for Maria, no one knew about his parents and she knew his parent's personalities quite well so he wouldn't be stupid to call the bull to hit her.
As per others it only comes to Miss Aria...
"Did she spill the beans? Maybe my parents came to the university to ask about me and she slipped this away.
Evan sat back in his chair, his mind racing with questions and suspicions.
Taking a deep breath, he dialed her number, his fingers trembling slightly with anticipation.
The phone rang a few times before Miss Aria's voice came through the line, calm and composed as ever. "Hello, Evan. How can I help you?"
Evan hesitated for a moment, gathering his thoughts before speaking. "Miss Aria, I need to ask you something... Did you happen to disclose any information about me or my shop to anyone recently?"
There was a brief pause on the other end of the line before Miss Aria responded. "No, Evan. I haven't discussed your matters with anyone. Is everything alright?"
"Did my parents visit you?"
"I don't know about that cause if they had come here they must have visited the HOD. And even if they come here to look for you, I wouldn't tell them anything. Don't forget, I and the other teacher already had a report of your psychotherapy. Moreover, it's only me who knew about your shop.''
'That's the problem,' Evan muttered inwardly, pinching his forehead.
Evan let out a sigh of relief and dissipated his suspicions. There was no way she would do especially when her impression had reached 40.
"I'm sorry for even asking. It's just... some unexpected things have been happening, and I'm trying to figure out how certain people found out about my shop."
Miss Aria's tone softened. "I understand, Evan. If there's anything I can do to help, please don't hesitate to ask."
"Thank you, Miss Aria. I appreciate it," Evan replied gratefully before ending the call.
As he leaned back in his chair, Evan's thoughts continued to whirl. If Miss Aria hadn't disclosed his information, then who had?
He then took up the phone and dialed Aunt Celina...
[The number you are trying to connect is either switched off or unreachable..]
He cut it and tried again.
[The number you are trying to call doesn't exist so please check the number before dialing..]
"Damn! Why is all shit piling up together?"
Evan cursed, keeping the phone down.
The only thing he could do was to take a look by himself but he had scepticism about it.
There have been various things odd about Aunt Celina.
She always wears full sleeves and when he talks about her husband, she just laughs it off.
Moreover, intermediate business management wasn't a skill that one could gain just by selling on street stalls.
Thinking deeply, he decided to take the next step.
"I can't hesitate anymore..."
Evan searched for a private detective firm and took a call.
After a few rings, the call was picked up on the other side.
"Hello!"
........
Southeast BBSR…
In a low tier of a locality, an old dilapidated building stood apart.
A twelve-year-old girl, her hair tied back in two r ponytails, entered the house, opened the cracked wooden door, and walked on the broken floor of the hallway.
Looking around, she entered the bedroom and opened the door without a knock. Inside, she saw a pale, sickly woman sobbing with teary eyes, cuddling around her knees. Many red marks and bruises were evident on her soft dainty hands.
The woman noticed the presence of the small girl and changed her expression abruptly.
"Elina!"She muttered aloud in shock.
Though she managed a smile, attempting to conceal her pain. Her messy appearance spoke the tale.
"MOM!"The girl screamed
Witnessing this, the girl, though 13 years old, showed maturity beyond her years, stepped forward, and wordlessly embraced her mother tightly.
There were many things she wanted to say but she felt saying anything might trouble her mother. So, silently she snuggled into her mother's embrace to share the pain.
....
Silence reigned for a few moments.
Tears streaked down Celina's cheeks as she tried to hide her sadness from Elina, but the weight of her pain was suffocating.She held Elina close, seeking solace in the warmth of their bond.
Just then the front door creaked open, and Celina's heart skipped a beat as a man in shabby clothes, and an unkempt beard entered the room while holding a bottle of local liquor.
He pauses a bit at the entrance giving Celina a glare that sends a chill down his spine.
She quickly wiped away her tears, plastering on a forced smile as she tried to compose herself. "Elina, why don't you go to your room and study for a bit?"
Elina looked up at her mother with concern etched on her young face.
"No Mom, I won't," she asked, her voice filled with worry.
Celina forced a smile, brushing a gentle hand over Elina's cheeks. "It's nothing, I will handle it. Go on now, off to your room."
Elina at first refused but noticing her mother's begging gaze, she bit her lips and finally yielded.
Reluctantly, Elina nodded, casting one last worried glance at her mother before obediently heading to her room. Celina watched her go, while her heart ached.
As soon as Elina was out of sight, Celina's facade crumbled, her shoulders slumping with the weight of her sorrow. She buried her face in her hands, the tears flowing freely now as she struggled to contain her emotions.
The moment Elina left, Celina chided softly, "At least think about your daughter James. All this will have a bad effect on her."
"Shut up bitch…"
A rough sound echoed.
His presence alone was suffocating, filling the air with tension and fear. He cast a disdainful glance in her direction and growled.
"Who asked you to make a scene? Why don't you obediently do what I say? They have offered us great money. We will have enough to live well from now on. You just need to agree."
"No!"Celina refuted firmly with reddened eyes and shouted, "He is like a son to me. He trusts me like his own mother and you want me to stab him on his back. How can you be so cruel?"
"What did you say?"James screamed and ran towards Celina with a scary look that horrified her.
Celina flinched, her body instinctively recoiling from his words.
"You, how dare you refute me?"
James's voice boomed as he picked up a bottle from the side and threw it on Celina which avoided by ducking.
"You…You…"James' expression flushed in anger and he rushed ahead to kick him.
Celina felt her breath caught in her throat as she braced herself for what she knew would come next.
KNOCK!
"HUH!"
Both James and Celina were startled by the sound.
James' body shivered and he looked at Celina for a moment wondering who came now.
James wanted to ask Celina to open the door but seeing her face, he feared getting bamboozled.
Just then, he heard small footsteps and as he stepped out of the room, he saw the small girl running to open the door.
"Don't open the door you little beast."
Ignoring her, Elina hoped and opened the door.
As the door was opened, they were greeted by a tall, slick, handsome boy who made his heart uneasy.
His expression was stiff and solemn. His senses instantly kicked in.
James' thoughts suddenly started running wild for some reason and he asked"Who?"
The boy sprinted towards James, then pushed him aside and stepped in making him stagger.
"What the fuck..."
Celina woke by a loud voice and almost cried out aloud hearing the loud voice and seeing the familiar figure.
"Evan...You..."
"What are you doing here?"
"CELINAAAA!"
Another angry bestial scream echoed and James' eyes became bloodshot...
"Who is this guy? Your lover...Dont tell me you are ch.."
"SHUT UP!"
Even before he could finish his sentence, Evan turned around and punched his face with a monstrous ferocity.
And even before he could breathe, a jab struck his chin, almost dislocating his jaw and then another one smashed his face following which his vision blacked out.