chapter 1

Four Years Later -

Z A R A

"Amma! I'm leaving!" I call out to her. "My interview starts at 1:30 PM, but I heard they process everything by the end of the day, so I'll probably be there for most of the afternoon."

"Good luck, dear!" She kisses my forehead. "Insha'Allah, things will go well for you."

"Insha'Allah!" I reply.

"Do you have that ring on you?" she asks out of curiosity.

I pull out the chain hidden under my cardigan to flash the black ring at her.

"I'm glad you stopped wearing that on your wedding ring finger. People in our community kept asking if you had gotten married," she laughs.

"Amma! I stopped wearing it on my finger three years ago! We don't need to keep bringing it up," I whine.

"I know, I know. I'm glad you made it into a necklace," she smiles. "Yasmeen really chose a ring that matches your colour palette," she comments.

"Mhm," I agree nervously.

Obviously, there was no way I was going to tell her that the man I had been in love with for three years gave it to me before ditching me and never contacting me again. Why do I still keep the ring? I don't know! I simply don't have the heart to put it away. I've been wearing it every day since he gave it to me four years ago. For a year, I wore it on the finger he slipped it onto, but the aunties in the neighbourhood wouldn't stop gossiping, so Yasmeen suggested I turn it into a necklace. I feel like I could move forward if I could just get a glimpse of him once. Just one glimpse, and I could finally rest.

I occasionally search for him on social media or the internet, but it's almost as if he never existed. There is not a single trace of him—no photos, no email, nothing.

He's just... vanished.

Maybe I'm overreacting, and he simply left the country or something. It doesn't matter; he's gone. Besides, Alejandro is just a small part of my worries—if he can even be considered a worry anymore. Recently, my Abbu's debt has been racking up, and I've been working part-time to help with the bills.

I have my own student debt piling up, and there's no way I can enter into post-graduate studies while owing so much money. I've been losing sleep over how we'll manage. My parents are the sweetest, constantly trying to tell me there is nothing to worry about, but I'm not a kid. I understand the depth of the problem.

One of the lenders has been threatening to take Abbu to court for the money he owes. I wish people were more understanding, but this world is anything but that. That's why I need to step up and do something, no matter how much it all scares me.

I quickly send a text to Yasmeen, letting her know I'm leaving for my interview. I have to take a bus and a train today to get to the office because my interview is right in the core of downtown, and I refuse to drive in such a hectic environment.

"Let's do this," I mutter to myself, offering some quiet words of encouragement before leaving the house.

-----

"Ms. Zara Khan, correct?" the woman at the front desk asks to confirm, right after I finish my interview.

I nod.

"We are not entirely sure how long the selection process takes; however, it will be completed an hour before office hours end. If you would like, you may return at around 5:30 to see the results," she informs me.

"Okay, thank you so much." I decide to take a stroll around town, making sure to stay close to the building.

It's only 2:30 PM, so I have about three hours to kill. I'm pretty hungry as well, so I decide to grab something to eat and relax my nerves. I find my favourite coffee shop, which is conveniently located a few minutes away from the office building.

"If I get this job, I'm pretty sure I'll be holed up here every lunch. There goes my hard-earned paycheque," I say to myself as I walk in.

"Hi, uh, can I get a chicken wrap, potato wedges, and a double chocolate chip cookie?" I order.

The server enters my order. "Is that everything?"

I nod.

I was going to get a French vanilla, but I decide I should just stick to my bottle of water. I don't need a caffeine or sugar crash.

After a few minutes, they hand me my food, and I pick a seat closest to the window. The view isn't much, just tall buildings and busy people walking by.

As I daze off, staring out the window, something changes. The people passing by are starting to stare at something, their pace quickening. The atmosphere outside feels... heavier.

I take another bite of a potato wedge, trying to enjoy my food, but I quickly become nervous and restless. The expressions on people's faces are shifting from annoyed to almost alarmed. I send a video of the sudden change in atmosphere to Yasmeen, adding: "Look, I think something's about to go down! Will I finally be the main character of my own YA dystopian novel? Hahaha!"

I quietly giggle at my own text as I shove another wedge into my mouth. Side note: I love potato anything. Just cook me a potato, and I will eat it. You can never go wrong with potato dishes.

I look out the window again to check on the odd situation, and it gets even stranger. There is a group of men, all dressed in black—some formal, some casual—walking towards the building near the coffee shop.

They all have their mouths and noses covered with black face masks, each featuring its own unique design. I text Yasmeen again, attaching a sneaky picture of the men: "I think I'm going to introduce myself to that group of mafia men. I need some spice in my life. LMFAO!"

Again, I decide my own text is absolutely hilarious.

When I look out again, I catch one of the men staring straight at me. His eyes... they're cold. They're so cold that they send literal chills down my spine. He is the one wearing a mask with a white or greyish dragon printed on it. The dragon looks like it's holding a red flower... a rose?

I quickly look away as my heart starts to hammer against my chest and my breathing quickens.

Relax, Zara. This has nothing to do with you. They don't know you, you don't know them. Just let them be; don't look their way. I try to use my peripheral vision to see if they are still there, and to my relief, they have disappeared just as fast as they appeared. I didn't realise I was holding my breath until I let out a loud sigh. I really freaked myself out just now.

Suddenly, a thought pops into my mind.

I grab my necklace and pull it out from under my shirt.

A black dragon holding a red stone... this has to be a mere coincidence, right? Those cold eyes... nope, no way. I couldn't even see his eye colour clearly. It's all just a weird coincidence.

A lot of guys wear dragons as graphics on their clothes and accessories; this isn't anything new. I begin to notice the discomfort on the faces of all the employees in the coffee shop. I want to ask what's wrong, but my anxiety won't allow it. I decide it would be better if I leave and return to the safety of the office building where I just had my interview.

Just as I am about to leave, the woman who took my order stops me.

"Ma'am!"

I turn around. "Me?"

She nods. "I suggest... you stay inside until those men leave the area."

I knit my brows together in confusion. This is my chance. "What's the deal with those men?"

"They're usually around here for some... unethical business," she explains. "You never know if they're going to harm someone or not. It's better to just stay indoors and out of their way until they're gone."

She's clearly just as shaken up as I am, but she also looks like she has seen this happen a few times before.

"Do they come by often?" I ask.

"Uh, I think about two or three times a month," she says. "Since there are many big businesses and corporations around here, they do a lot of their dealings in the area. You could say they own a large portion of what's here."

I see what she's getting at. They're basically from the underworld. I mentally gasp: they are mafia.

She's right; I don't want to be anywhere near them.

I mean, I could totally play the brave Y/N right now, but when actually confronted with the situation, it's undeniably terrifying.

I decide to sit back down in my seat and wait it out. The receptionist did mention she would call if the hiring decision was made earlier. I take a sip of my drink as I scroll through TikTok until a loud burst of noise erupts from a distance, making me jump in my seat. A few of the masked men from the group I saw earlier enter the coffee shop, and the atmosphere instantly turns grim. I wish I could explain the hair-raising sensation where time feels frozen in sheer terror. My cup is stuck mid-air; I am unable to bring it to my lips or place it back on the table, terrified that a single movement might get me noticed—or killed.

My heart is thumping against my chest so loudly that I force myself to stop breathing, trying to physically quiet it down.

There he is.

I can see him from the corner of my eye.

The one in the dragon mask. Three men begin to approach my table as the man in the dragon mask stands back.

Sweat droplets run down my forehead.

"Excuse me, miss," one of the bigger, older-looking masked men says, addressing me. He has a thick European accent of some kind.

Italian, maybe? I can't focus because my soul feels like it's leaving my body. Do I acknowledge him? Will he go away if I ignore him? Of course, he won't!

"Y-yes?" I answer him without looking up.

My hands are shaking so much that my drink is splashing across the table little by little.

"Could you come outside with us for a little bit?" he asks in a monotone, yet threatening voice.

"I'm s-sorry, but I... I don't know who—"

He leans down slightly so I can hear his lowered voice. "Rejecting would only cause the innocent bystanders more problems."

His scarred hands grip a gun at his belt, making me gulp painfully. There is no hint of mercy in his tone.

I don't know who these people are! What do they want? Why did they pick me to torment? Was it because I stared? Maybe because I took that picture?

"S-sir, I'm s-sorry if I o-o-offended you, b-but I'm..." My throat is so dry it hurts to speak.

He grips his gun tighter, his knuckles turning white. I quickly stand up, acting purely on instinct.

"Good, you chose the safer option," the man says, as if that would make me feel better.

I slowly look at the man wearing the dragon mask, who is standing a few feet in front of me.

His eyes... they're blank, empty, void, but familiar...

Right before my mind can piece any of this chaos together, something hits the back of my head, instantly causing everything to black out.

The last thing I remember is two people grabbing me before I hit the ground.