"What is it that you want?" this time her voice did not sound blank like before but a hint of desperation leaked from it. "I do not need your help. As long as you keep your nose out of my work, I will listen to your conditions." he raised a brow. She was rejecting the help. They both knew that the proof he had could destroy them at once.
While her small steps could always fail.
"If you think that your aunt is still in the police bureau, then you are a fool. She had left it in two hours. I heard that she had gone for a spa today to rest while you have been rusticated from your school." he pointed at the dismissing letter near her. But she did not panic again. She had made a mistake, she was not going to make another one.
"Oh! It took her two hours? Her charm is decreasing."
"....." the girl knew it! She was not faking the calm. But she knew about the call. His eyes flickered again but he nodded this time and took a step back.
"Very well, since you have a plan, I will not disturb you anymore. I only need you to return to your school. I will pay for the hostel fees there. All you need to do is to keep an eye on a young man named Alex there. As long as you complete it, I will offer you one promise. You can ask me anything in the future, as long as it would be possible for me, I will help you." he took out a photograph from his pocket again. But she did not need it. She knew who Alex was.
He was a backbencher who always scored perfect zero. Others might scorn her but Nora was sure getting a perfect zero needed more skills than getting marks. And his sharp ruthless eyes could not belong to a lazy person. Moreover, she knew him from the time when he got successful.
"Why do you want me to keep an eye on your brother?" his hands froze around the picture. It was only for a flicker of a second, but she noticed shock in his calm face and it brought a smile to her face. He might hold the present but she holds the future in her hands. But then his face went extremely cold and a killing intent crossed his face.
"That is none of your concern. All you need to do is to report everything about him to me. What he does, where he goes, who his friends are. When he wakes up, when he sleeps, if he bunk classes or leaves the hostel. It will only be possible if you make friends with him. So I am paying you enough to get enrolled in the same hostel. And.." his ruthless and commanding voice made her speechless. Did she still look like a pushover to him? When he had seen her planning against her own family?
"Wait.. what made you think that i have accepted your offer?" a cold flicker crossed his eyes when he was cut, and he opened the envelope she had refused to take before and held the picture high enough for her to see.
It was her sneaking back into her room with a handful of medicines in her hands.
"I only need to show the blood test report to let the police know that you have drugged yourself and it had nothing to do with your family. Once a lie would be proven, the rest of the truth would not hold any value. Would they?" Like a hawk looked at its cornered prey with a smile on his face and glint in his eyes, he looked at Nora as if she was a fool to think that she still had the chance to bargain.
"I do not think you even need that." Nora leaned on her bed, folding her hands in front of her chest, a bored look on her face. "Don't you have enough sources in the police station to let them take your side?" his eyes narrowed again. "Tell me why you need to do it, and I will decide. But if you think cornering me could get you what you want then you have misunderstood me. Your proof might hinder my plans, but I will find another way. I will find as many ways needed to destroy them." she challenged him with such confidence that he looked at her in a trance for a second.
If anyone else had challenged him, he would have destroyed the person already. It feels ridiculous that he was not offended when a young girl with no power challenged him.
"Ha!" he let go of the picture and it swayed and fell on the ground. "My brother is reckless in his actions. Recently our family has made many enemies. I am getting a few threats. But he did not let security guard him. I have purchased a few of his friends before but they are fools and get caught. If someone trustworthy would be around him, I feel assured."He let the worries show on his face and finally her face softened too.
When he took a step back, she nodded and closed her eyes. It was taxing to deal with this man.
"All I need to do is to report his whereabouts?"
"And his recent friends. If I can hire people around him, my enemies can do that too." he added and she nodded with a sigh.
"Fine, I will do it. But it is not because you blackmailed me." the man finally smiled and nodded. He did not pick up the fallen photographs or the other envelope he had brought. He stood up and held her hands, surprising her. He placed Alex's photograph on her palm and a card with it.
"This is for your expenses plus your salary for the task. You are under my wings. As long as you will be helpful to me. You do not need to worry about money."