Xinyue and Chenxi slipped into the kitchen to speak with Lu Wei, leaving Aanya and Zain Yan alone at the table.
Aanya ate in stiff, rapid bites—
rage and helplessness twisting inside her—
while the man in front of her watched silently.
Zain Yan's gaze was unsettlingly calm.
Clinical.
As if she were an experiment whose reaction he was studying.
Unable to bear it anymore, Aanya set her chopsticks down.
Aanya (voice sharp, cold):
"I gave you your company, boss.
Can I leave now?"
Zain Yan tilted his head slightly—no emotion, just a quiet acknowledgment.
But before he could reply—
A violent knock rattled the restaurant door.
The door crashed open.
Two bulky men stormed in, followed by a thin, snake-like man with cruel eyes—
their leader.
The atmosphere froze.
Every table, every person turned silent.
They didn't look around.
They marched straight toward Lu Wei's area.
Debt Collector 1 (shouting):
"Lu Wei! We looked for your daughter at her office—now we came here!"
Aanya's blood turned cold.
Her breath stopped.
These were the same men—
the men who came after her brother.
Their boss… Li Tao.
The kitchen door swung open.
Lu Wei, xinyue, and little Chenxi stepped out.
Chenxi immediately grabbed xinyue's clothes, trembling.
Lu Wei (voice shaking):
"Li Tao… I just need more time. I will return the money."
Li Tao smirked, his voice dripping venom.
"Time? Two years, Lu Wei."
He glanced at Aanya with a mocking laugh.
"Your daughter acts like some big designer…
and you sell cheap food here."
He stepped forward, expression darkening.
"Two crore…?
Not anymore.
Now it's five crore."
Aanya stiffened.
Li Tao continued, enjoying their horror.
"Your brother took more money. You don't pay…
I take your restaurant.
Your house.
Everything."
At the table, Zain Yan's stillness shifted for the first time.
A flicker—barely noticeable—crossed his eyes.
Five crore.
So that was the weight Aanya had been carrying.
Aanya stepped forward, forcing courage into her voice.
Aanya:
"Please… don't cause a scene.
We're paying in installments."
She goes inside her kitchen and brings her office purse, she takes out one lakh from it and gives it to him, I have that much money right now, I will pay it back in other money.
Debt Collector 2 smirked and suddenly reached toward her.
Collector 2:
"If you don't have money…
give your pretty daughter instead."
Aanya froze.
Lu Wei instantly stepped in front of her.
Lu Wei:
"The money is between us!
Don't drag my daughter into this!"
Collector 2 laughed, unbothered.
"I want money.
Or I'll marry your daughter today."
Li Tao clicked his tongue, amused.
"Not a bad idea, actually."
Xinyue grabbed Aanya's arm, pulling her behind her protectively.
Xinyue:
"We will pay!
But don't touch my nanad!"
The moment the collector reached for Aanya again—
Something snapped.
A silent, deadly spark lit in Zain Yan's eyes.
He stood up.
No warning.
No words.
CRACK.
His fist slammed straight into the collector's jaw with brutal precision.
The man crashed onto a nearby table.
The whole restaurant gasped.
Zain Yan's voice came out low, cold, and lethal.
"Touch her again… and you'dead now
He wasn't shouting.
That made it worse.
His aura spread like black ice—
sharp, suffocating, powerful.
The type of dominance that makes grown men's knees weaken.
He stepped closer, eyes colder than a blade.
"She is my employee.
One more step toward her
and I'll bury you in police cases you won't crawl out of."
Li Tao swallowed hard.
Li Tao:
"W–We didn't know who you were… we just want our money."
Zain Yan's eyes flicked to Aanya—
slow, assessing, unreadable.
Then he spoke.
"How much?"
Lu Wei's voice was barely a whisper.
"Five crore…"
Without hesitation,
Zain Yan slid out his black card and placed it on the table.
Calm.
Confident.
Dangerous.
"Take it.
And disappear."
His stare hardened.
"If any of you come near her family again…
you won't be facing debt—
you'll be facing me."
Li Tao blinked, stunned.
Li Tao:
"Why… why pay for them?
What is she to you?"
Zain Yan turned to Aanya.
The look in his eyes wasn't pity.
Wasn't kindness.
It was something far darker.
Possessive.
Claiming.
Yet unreadable enough to be frightening.
He spoke slowly.
"Because the service I received today…
was excellent."
A beat.
"And I reward excellent service."
Li Tao grabbed the card and fled with his men.
---
🌑 AFTERMATH — INTENSE SILENCE
The restaurant fell into a stunned, breathless quiet.
Shinyue was crying softly.
Lu Wei looked broken with relief.
Aanya looked numb—unable to understand what had just happened.
Shinyue (whispering):
"Boss… Sir… why… why would you do this?"
Zain Yan adjusted his coat, his expression unreadable.
To Lu Wei:
"Your debt is cleared.
The rest… you'll fix with your own hard work."
Then his eyes found Aanya.
Her heart stumbled.
Zain Yan:
"Miss Lu…
you're free now."
Free.
But from what?
Or into what?
Aanya's voice cracked.
"Boss… why did you—why would you do something this big?"
Zain Yan put on his cap, turning away.
He paused at the door.
His voice was low… dangerous.
"I don't give this kind of money to just anyone."
He didn't look back.
"I want something in return."
And with that, he walked out—
leaving the weight of his words hanging like a storm.
His luxury car's engine roared,
and the sound faded into the night…
leaving Aanya trembling in a mixture of fear, shock, and something she couldn't name.
The city lights flickered outside her window, but Aanya barely noticed them.
She sat on her bed, the cold moonlight spilling across her desk, her fingers gripping the sheets like lifelines.
Her mind was a storm.
Why… why would Zain pay off my brother's debt?
He didn't know us personally… so why?
He said he wanted something in return… but what could it possibly be?
Her thoughts raced faster than her heartbeat.
Images of the night replayed:
Zain's icy gaze
His sudden, explosive punch
The black card, heavy and ominous in his hand
The way he had claimed her safety as his own
Aanya shivered.
Even now, just thinking about him made her skin prickle, her pulse skip.Her father, Lu Wei, had looked so relieved, yet broken.
Shinyue had been protective, but there was no hiding Chenxi's frightened eyes.
All of them—her family—were vulnerable.
And Zain Yan… he had come into their lives like a storm, leaving a trail of questions, tension, and danger.
Did he plan to help us, or is this… just the beginning?
Will Li Tao or someone else return with another threat? What's he want
The night had deepened over the city, yet Lu Family Flavors still glowed softly in the dim light. After the evening rush, a quiet calm had settled over the restaurant.
Aanya sat in her room, replaying every moment in her mind. Zain Yan—his presence, his words, that black card—everything sent shivers down her spine.
Outside, Zain's black car had stopped in a quiet, deserted spot where the cold night air blew gently. Li Tao and his two henchmen were there, waiting. Zain stepped out and said calmly,
"You did an excellent job."
Li Tao bowed his head. "Thanks, sir. But I have a question—why? You already cleared the debt, so why this whole show?"
Zain's expression remained calm, almost emotionless.
"This is my work. You had no right to interfere. You did your part well, so I am rewarding it according to my rules. The company is now in your name."
Li Tao blinked in surprise. "Thank you, sir."
But another of his men spoke up, eyes narrowing, "Why did you… strike that girl in front of her family?"
Zain walked closer, his gaze sharp.
"Because you tried to lay hands on someone else's property. You went beyond your limits. That is why."
Li Tao stammered, "But… you could have ruined them, yet you cleared the debt. Why?"
Zain pulled out a piece of paper from his coat and placed it in front of him. "I wanted this debt to be under my name. That's all. Remember—we will never meet again."
He turned and walked away, leaving the henchmen stunned and the cold night echoing with the roar of his luxury car.
---
Inside Aanya's home, Lu Wei, Xinyue, and Chenxi were still trying to process what had happened.
Xinyue whispered, worried, "Why would he do something this big for us? Who is he really?"
Lu Wei shook his head, still catching his breath. "I don't know… I can't understand. He didn't even have to help us, yet he… he saved everything."
Aanya's mind was racing as well. "Why? He doesn't even know us properly… and yet he risked himself for my family. Why me? Why now?"
Chenxi, innocent and confused, tugged at his mother's sleeve. "Aunty… why did that man help us?"
Xinyue held him close. "I don't know, Chenxi… but he must have his own reasons."
Aanya's thoughts swirled: He saved our family, but he said he wants something in return… what could it be? And why does it feel like he's claiming something… claiming me?
The weight of the night pressed down on them all. The city lights twinkled outside, but inside, the storm of questions, tension, and fear continued to rage.