A Chance Encounter

The next morning, Riverside College buzzed with its usual energy.

Aanya Sharma hurried across campus with a cup of coffee in one hand and a stack of books in the other.

"Slow down!" her best friend, Riya, called after her.

"I'm already late!" Aanya laughed without looking back.

That was her mistake.

She bumped into a tall stranger entering the campus gate. The books slipped from her hands and scattered across the ground.

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" Aanya quickly knelt to gather them.

The stranger crouched and silently picked up one of the books. Her black leather gloves contrasted with the colorful college textbook.

Aanya looked up.

Her breath caught.

It was the same woman she had seen the previous night.

The woman wore a tailored black suit, her expression as cold and unreadable as before. Two bodyguards stood a few steps behind her.

"Your book," the woman said in a calm, emotionless voice, handing it over.

"Th-thank you..."

Without another word, the woman turned to leave.

"Wait!" Aanya called.

The woman paused but didn't look back.

"I... I never got to thank you for helping me yesterday."

"You don't know me," the woman replied. "Don't speak to strangers so easily."

Then she walked away.

Aanya watched the black SUV disappear through the college gates.

"Who is she?" she whispered.

Meanwhile...

Inside the SUV, Isabella glanced at Valentina.

"You could have ignored her."

"I know."

"Then why stop?"

Valentina looked out the window.

"She was in my way."

Isabella raised an eyebrow. She had worked beside Valentina for twelve years and knew that answer wasn't the whole truth.

Before she could ask another question, Valentina's phone rang.

Marco Leone.

Their biggest rival.

Valentina answered.

"What do you want?"

Marco chuckled. "Still as cold as ever."

"I don't have time for games."

"Then listen carefully. Someone close to you is going to disappear."

The line went dead.

The warmth inside the car vanished.

Valentina's expression hardened.

"Find out everything," she ordered.

"Immediately, Boss," Isabella replied.

That evening, Aanya left college alone after finishing an art project.

As she walked through a quiet side street, she heard hurried footsteps behind her.

Three men emerged from the shadows.

"Hand over your bag," one demanded.

Aanya stepped back.

"I... I don't have much money."

One of the men grabbed her wrist.

Before she could scream—

A black SUV screeched to a halt.

The rear door opened.

Valentina stepped out.

Her icy gaze swept over the three men.

"Let her go."

The men laughed.

"And who are you?"

Valentina didn't answer.

Within seconds, her bodyguards had surrounded them.

The laughter disappeared.

The men fled into the darkness without looking back.

Silence returned.

Aanya looked at the woman who had appeared twice in two days.

"Thank you... again."

Valentina studied her for a moment.

"You need to stop walking alone at night."

"I'll... remember that."

Valentina gave a single nod and turned toward the SUV.

As the vehicle drove away, Aanya couldn't shake the feeling that this mysterious, cold woman was hiding a dangerous secret.

And for the first time in years...

Valentina found herself thinking about someone who had nothing to do with the mafia.

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