Chapter 4:- ECHOES IN THE NIGHT

---

The envelope burned in her hands.

Aarohi sat in the backseat of the car, fingers tightening around the photo like it might suddenly explain itself. On the front: her and her father, captured candidly at the hospital gate. On the back, the scrawled words still danced in her mind:

“The sins of the father always find the daughter.”

She tried to laugh it off, but it tasted metallic.

Her father looked up as she entered his study, leaning over a desk full of papers and unopened letters. His reading glasses sat low on his nose, and the familiar warmth in his face flickered when he saw her.

“Aarohi beta, everything okay?” he asked, setting the pen down.

She placed the photo on his desk.

For a second, everything was still.

“Where did you get this?” he asked, voice lower now.

“It was on my hospital desk this morning. With no name. No return address. Just that note.”

He rubbed a hand over his face, jaw tightening. “It’s nothing to worry about. Probably some sick intimidation tactic from a business rival. You know how it is in high-stake deals.”

“You call this nothing?” she snapped, but there was more frustration than fear in her voice. “Someone followed me home last night. There was a black SUV. Same one I saw at the gala.”

Her father looked genuinely alarmed now, but still controlled. “It’s just a scare tactic, Aarohi. I’ve dealt with worse. You don’t need to be afraid.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Then tell me the truth. What kind of business are you in that people send threats about... sins?”

He hesitated, then smiled softly. “Nothing illegal. Just complicated partnerships. Some don’t like to lose money.”

That was all he gave. And she didn’t push further. Not yet.

---

Later that night in their hostel room, Aarohi recounted everything to Reet.

“Mysterious black roses. Creepy envelopes. You really do attract drama,” Reet said, half-joking, though concern shadowed her eyes.

“I didn’t ask for it.”

“Maybe not,” Reet said, softer now, “but whatever it is—it’s circling you.”

Neither of them noticed the man parked across the road that night—sitting inside a nondescript white car, engine silent, eyes sharp. His orders were simple:

Protect the girl. From the shadows. Don’t let her know.

---

☀️ The Next Morning – At the Hospital

The hospital buzzed with unusual energy.

A high-profile donor visit always caused chaos. Extra security. Nervous staff. Formality thick in the air.

Aarohi, however, couldn’t focus. Her eyes scanned every hallway, every corner. No new roses. No new notes. But the feeling of being watched hadn’t faded.

She was on her way to the conference wing when Reet caught up with her.

“Guess what?” Reet whispered, eyes gleaming. “Apparently, some billionaire mafia-ish business guy is coming today.”

Aarohi stopped in her tracks. “Aarav Malhotra?”

Reet blinked. “You know him?”

Aarohi didn’t answer.

---

Inside the hospital conference room, Aarav stood at the center, black suit tailored to perfection, speaking about funding neonatal ICUs and free maternal healthcare.

He was smooth. Charismatic. Calculated.

But when his eyes briefly found Aarohi’s, his expression shifted for a fraction of a second—like the mask had slipped just enough to show something primal underneath.

Aarohi looked away first.

“Mr. Malhotra is offering a twenty-lakh donation,” the dean was saying. “And a security collaboration for hospital safety, especially for female residents.”

Reet leaned closer to Aarohi and muttered, “What’s next? A free bulletproof stethoscope?”

A low chuckle behind them interrupted the moment.

Yuvaan Khan.

Black shirt, confidence, and sarcasm stitched into one man. He was speaking to the hospital security officer when Reet turned around and bumped right into him.

“Watch it,” she snapped.

“I would,” he said casually, “but your glare is blinding.”

Aarohi watched, wide-eyed, as Reet squared her shoulders.

“And you are?”

“Yuvaan Khan. Mr. Malhotra’s associate.”

Reet smirked. “Another suit in the mafia parade.”

“I prefer 'damage control specialist.'"

She rolled her eyes. “I’m Reet. Final year MD. Psychiatry. So I read minds. Yours is clearly a mess.”

Yuvaan raised a brow. “Yours is clearly bored.”

And just like that, the air shifted between them—snarky, tense, yet undeniably charged.

---

Later that afternoon, Aarohi took the long hallway back to the resident's wing alone.

She passed by the dissection room—a place she hadn’t entered since second year—but today, the door was ajar. That wasn’t normal.

She peeked in. Dim lights. Empty room.

Except…

On the tray: a single black rose, placed precisely in the center of sterilized tools. And beneath it, another note.

> “Your hands save lives.

But will they save your own?”

She stepped back, heart pounding. This wasn’t just obsession. It was a threat. Personal. Meticulous.

What she didn’t see—standing at the end of the hallway, hidden behind the glass of the adjoining wing—was the tall, sharp-eyed man silently watching her.

His phone buzzed once.

Yuvaan: Keep eyes on her. She doesn’t know yet.

Guard: She’s being watched. But not just by us.

---

That night, back at the hostel, Aarohi stared at her door.

Another black rose lay on the floor.

She bent to pick it up, fingers trembling.

Her phone buzzed.

Unknown:

“Trust no one. Not even your own blood.”

---

A very warm welcome to everyone. This is my very first book that I have ever tried writing. Please read it and support me throughout the journey of this book.

I will be very grateful to you all people.

Please like and tell me about how you like my story.

English is not my first language so please forgive me for mistakes.

Thank you very much

By author.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***