"What do you mean?" Maya blurted out. "How am I supposed to stand with both legs up? What kind of punishment is that? Can anyone even do that? Can you?"
"Yes," Arif replied calmly.
"Then you do it first. I'll do it after," Maya shot back.
Arif stepped forward, placing one foot ahead of the other, his expression darkening slightly.
"Whose punishment is this?" he asked quietly. "Yours, or mine?"
Maya hesitated. "Mine… but I don't understand this punishment. Either show me how to do it, or give me another one."
Arif paused, thinking. His eyes narrowed, as if a dangerous idea had just crossed his mind.
"Fine," he said at last. "Then your second punishment is—close your nose and mouth and breathe."
Maya froze.
Her eyes widened in shock. What kind of punishment is that? she thought. How can someone breathe with their nose and mouth closed? Is he insane?
Her mind raced. If she closed both, she wouldn't be breathing at all. That wasn't punishment—that was a death sentence.
She stammered nervously, "H-how am I supposed to breathe if I close my nose and mouth? Humans don't have any other way to breathe. Please… give me another option. Any other option."
Arif studied her carefully, his sharp gaze making her uncomfortable. Maya swallowed hard, suddenly nervous about what strange idea he might come up with next.
After a moment, he spoke again.
"Last option," he said casually. "Drink milk mixed with pineapple juice."
"What?!"
Maya nearly jumped out of her chair.
Milk and pineapple juice? Was he trying to poison her now?
She stared at him as if he'd grown two heads. "Are you trying to kill me?"
Arif laughed softly. "Relax. Why would I kill my own wife? Becoming a widower isn't exactly on my life plan. It's just a normal punishment."
"Normal?" Maya muttered under her breath. Normal for someone whose brain is filled with nonsense, she thought.
She looked at him suspiciously. "Where do you even get these ridiculous punishment ideas from?"
Arif didn't answer immediately. Then he said, "My brain."
Maya turned her face slightly and whispered to herself, "So that means your brain is full of garbage."
Arif noticed her lips moving. "What did you say?"
"Nothing," Maya replied quickly.
He ignored it and asked, "So, which punishment are you choosing?"
Maya knew none of these options were possible for her. The best solution was to avoid the situation entirely.
"I won't take any punishment," she said firmly. "Go punish Labib instead. I only know things because he told me. If anyone deserves punishment, it's him."
Arif didn't respond.
Without another word, he turned and walked out of the room.
Maya frowned. Where is he going? To Labib? she wondered.
Now alone in Arif's room, Maya realized there was no reason to stay there. Instead, this might be her chance to learn more about the house. Carefully, she slipped her phone and the hidden-camera detector back into her pocket and followed him quietly.
She stepped into the corridor but didn't see Arif anywhere.
Where did he go?
Moving cautiously, she walked down the stairs from the second floor, her eyes scanning every corner. When she reached the drawing room, she finally spotted him—sitting at the dining table, calmly eating a salad.
Maya immediately changed her posture, putting on her innocent, slightly foolish expression again. Slowly, she walked toward him.
Such a huge house, yet she hadn't seen a single staff member. Since arriving, she had only seen Arif and Rick.
There must be servants, she thought. And another thing—where are the bodyguards? A man like Arif Khan doesn't live without protection.
It was strange. Even on the way from the university to the house, she hadn't noticed anyone suspicious. No guards. No security presence.
That alone made her uneasy.
Lost in thought, she reached the dining table. Arif didn't even look up.
After standing there for a moment, Maya sat down on a chair across from him.
She cleared her throat. "So… such a big house, but no servants?"
Arif scooped another spoonful of salad into his mouth and replied calmly, "There are about twenty or thirty."
Maya blinked. "That many? Then where are they? I haven't seen anyone."
"They're not allowed to come in front of me," Arif explained. "When Rick and I aren't home, they do their work. Once we return, they stay in their quarters."
That was… unsettling.
As Maya glanced around, something on the glass dining table caught her eye.
A gun.
Her expression didn't change much—guns weren't unfamiliar to her—but she pretended to be shocked.
She smiled nervously. "Is that a toy gun?"
"No," Arif replied. "It's real."
"Are you joking?"
"If you think I am, try firing it."
Maya stared at him. "It's really real?"
"Yes."
Without hesitation, Maya picked up the gun.
She pretended her hands were shaking, acting scared. But inside, she was completely calm. Weapons like this were nothing new to her.
"Should I shoot?" she asked softly.
"Your choice," Arif said, still eating, completely unbothered.
Maya raised the gun and pointed it straight at him.
Arif didn't flinch.
Suddenly—
From all sides, men in black outfits appeared, surrounding them in seconds. Each of them held advanced firearms—SIG MCX Rattlers.
Maya recognized the model instantly.
Still, she dropped the gun and acted terrified, raising both hands. "Oh my God!"
She crouched slightly, playing the role perfectly.
Arif slammed his plate onto the table and shouted angrily,
"Who told you to come out? Go back to your positions! Do not show yourselves again unless I give the signal."
At once, the men disappeared, melting back into the house as if they had never been there.
Silence returned.
Maya let out a shaky breath, her heart pounding—though not from fear, but excitement.
So they were hiding inside the house all along, she thought. Exactly what I wanted to confirm.
Arif looked at her and said calmly, "Don't be scared. They're my bodyguards."
Maya nodded dramatically. "Thank God. I thought you were some kind of terrorist and the American police were about to arrest us."
She pressed a hand to her chest and exhaled deeply. "Allah saved us."
Arif raised an eyebrow, clearly amused.
But Maya was already smiling to herself.
Good, she thought. Now I know exactly what kind of man you are… and how dangerous this house really is.
To be continued…