A Strange Feeling

The afternoon sun cast a warm glow over the school grounds as Arjun stepped out of the building. The day had been exhausting—his body still ached from yesterday's events, and a dull headache throbbed behind his temples. But more than the physical pain, something else was bothering him.

Every time he thought about tomorrow, an unexplainable feeling crept up his spine. It wasn't fear exactly, but an uneasy sensation, as if something was going to happen—something that involved him directly.

And today… today had been particularly strange.

From the moment he left home in the morning, he had felt it—that unmistakable sense of being watched. He had glanced over his shoulder more times than he could count, yet every time he looked, there was no one there. Still, the feeling never left. It clung to him, a silent shadow lurking just out of sight.

Lost in these thoughts, he almost didn't notice when he reached the school gate. But then, his gaze landed on a familiar face.

His eyes lingered for a brief moment before he turned away, choosing to ignore him completely. He knew who it was, and he knew he shouldn't waste his energy on him. Not today.

Behind him, Gaurav and Manya observed the scene, standing with their friend Nitin, who, unlike them, seemed completely detached from reality.

Nitin let out a long sigh. "I just want to go home and sleep. I swear, I could sleep for an entire day."

Gaurav smirked and patted Nitin's shoulder. "You sleep the whole day anyway, and you're still feeling sleepy at this hour? What kind of life is this, coachman?"

Manya rolled her eyes. She had no interest in their foolishness. Her focus was elsewhere—on Arjun. There was something different about him today, something off.

"Forget all that," she said, her tone serious. "You two idiots haven't noticed anything weird? Arjun has been acting strange since morning."

Gaurav turned to her with an amused grin, pinching her cheek lightly. "Awww, look at you, paying attention to the little things. You're getting smarter by hanging out with me."

Manya's expression darkened instantly. Her anger, which had already been bubbling under the surface, exploded the moment Gaurav touched her face. Without a second thought, she clenched her fist and delivered a solid punch to his head.

"Ow! What the hell was that for?!" Gaurav yelped, rubbing the sore spot.

Nitin shook his head, letting out a tired sigh. "You moron, do you even know how to behave with a girl?"

Manya huffed, crossing her arms. "That's what you get for talking nonsense."

Gaurav grumbled under his breath, still rubbing his head, but Manya had already shifted her attention back to Arjun. Her instincts told her that something was definitely wrong. She just had to figure out what it was.

And she had a feeling… it wouldn't take long.

Manya narrowed her eyes and turned to Nitin. "Have you seen this guy before?" she asked, subtly pointing in the direction where she was looking.

Nitin followed her gaze, his expression changing instantly. He was surprised, almost stunned.

"What the…? Why is he here?" Nitin muttered, his voice laced with disbelief. "This doesn't make any sense."

Gaurav, who had been silently observing, leaned in and frowned. "Wait a second… that guy…!" His face paled slightly as recognition hit him. "Nitin, what the hell is he doing here? Last time, he almost killed me!"

Before he could say anything else, Manya smacked the back of his head—again.

"Because you always do dumb things!" she scolded. "At least use common sense for once! Do you even have any?"

Gaurav groaned, rubbing his head. "Damn it, stop hitting me! My brain cells are already on life support!"

Nitin, uninterested in their usual bickering, let out an exhausted sigh and turned away. "I don't have time for this," he muttered. Without another word, he started walking away.

Manya, however, wasn't done yet. She exchanged a quick glance with Gaurav before following Nitin.

Gaurav, still annoyed, hesitated. He had no interest in getting involved, but the situation didn't feel right. With a heavy sigh, he had no choice but to follow them.

"Ugh, I swear, one day I'll stop hanging out with you guys," he grumbled, trailing behind.

But deep down, he knew that wasn't true.

On the other hand, the person standing there was surprised. He had come to meet Arjun, not anyone else. That person was Rio.

Rio had already heard about the attack on Arjun and had come to talk to him about it. But today, Arjun completely ignored him.

Rio immediately understood what was going on. Arjun probably thought he was the one behind the attack. That was a serious problem.

"I need to clear this up before it's too late," Rio muttered to himself. He hadn't done anything, but the way Arjun ignored him made it clear—Arjun was suspicious.

And that was dangerous.

Rio couldn't afford to let Arjun distance himself now. He still had a lot of work to get done through him. If Arjun cut ties with him, it would ruin his plans.

No, that couldn't happen.

"I need to find out who attacked him before he gets the wrong idea," Rio thought.

His eyes darkened. Whoever had done this had not only targeted Arjun but had also created a problem for him. And Rio didn't like problems.

Not at all.

Arjun was walking fast, taking a different route than usual. This path didn't lead to his house. Instead, he stopped in front of an under-construction building. It stood tall and empty, its skeletal structure barely illuminated under the fading daylight.

From the corner of his eye, he noticed something. He was being followed.

But he didn't stop. He kept walking straight ahead as if he hadn't seen anything.

"Everything is happening just as I thought," Arjun muttered under his breath.

Without hesitation, he stepped inside the building and disappeared into the darkness.

Outside, the people following him came to a sudden halt.

"Where did he go?" one of them asked, looking around.

"He came this way, right?" another voice spoke, confused.

They exchanged uncertain glances. Just moments ago, Arjun had been right in front of them, and now he had vanished.

One of them clenched his fists. He was none other than Kailash.

A smirk formed on his lips, but his eyes burned with rage. He placed a hand on his cheek, where a dull pain still lingered. That pain was a reminder—of Arjun.

"You think I'll forget this, Arjun?" Kailash thought bitterly.

They had been following him since evening, waiting for the right moment. But now, Arjun had slipped away.

"I won't let him go today," Kailash whispered, his voice filled with anger.

His fingers brushed against a small burn mark on his face, a mark left by a cigarette.

The moment his fingers touched it, a wave of fury washed over him.

His teeth clenched. His blood boiled.

"That bastard…" Kailash took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. But the memory of that moment only fueled his rage.

His men shifted nervously as they saw the expression on his face.

"Boss," one of them hesitantly spoke, "should we go inside?"

Kailash's gaze locked onto the building's entrance. His mind was racing.

"Just a while ago, he was here… where did he go? Inside? Is he waiting for us?"

A slow grin spread across his face.

"If he's inside," Kailash said, cracking his knuckles, "then let's not make him wait too long."

His men exchanged glances. They knew this wasn't going to end well for Arjun.

With a final glance at each other, they stepped forward—entering the building.

Rio stood in his place, his sharp eyes locked onto the under-construction building where Arjun had vanished. He had already sensed that someone was following Arjun, but what surprised him even more was the presence of three extra shadows lurking in the distance.

His gaze shifted slightly, and he let out a frustrated sigh.

"These three idiots… how did they even get here?"

It was Gaurav, Manya, and Nitin.

Rio already knew someone was following him, but he hadn't expected these three to be involved. It wasn't hard for him to guess that they had no clue what was really going on, yet they were still sticking their noses into the matter.

But right now, Rio had something more important to focus on.

His eyes traced the outline of the under-construction building carefully.

Suddenly, his expression changed.

He took a step back, his fingers twitching slightly. His mind raced as he tried to recall where he had seen this place before.

And then—it hit him.

"This building… I know whose it is."

Rio's heart pounded against his chest as he connected the pieces together.

His jaw tightened, and he muttered under his breath, "What the h…?"

His voice was low, filled with suspicion.

He wasn't speaking to anyone in particular—but in his mind, he was asking Arjun.

Because the more he thought about it, the clearer things became.

A sudden realization dawned upon him.

"Arjun… how could you think so big?"

Rio couldn't believe it. If what he was thinking was true, then Arjun had planned something far greater than what anyone could have imagined.

End of the chapter