The message from the unknown number kept repeating in Ava's mind.
"Trust no one."
She sat silently on the couch while Mihir spoke to his security team on the phone. His voice was calm but firm.
"Increase surveillance. I want guards on every floor," Mihir said.
After the call ended, Ava looked at him carefully.
"Do you think the message is from your enemy?" she asked.
Mihir shook his head slowly.
"No. If they wanted to harm us, they wouldn't warn you."
"Then who sent it?"
Mihir didn't answer.
Instead, he walked toward the window and stared at the snowy city below.
For the first time since Ava had met him, he looked… uncertain.
And that made her even more nervous.
Later that afternoon, Mihir insisted they go out.
"We can't hide forever," he said. "If our enemies think we're scared, they'll become more aggressive."
They attended a business meeting in a luxury hotel downtown.
Ava stayed beside Mihir, pretending to be the perfect wife.
But something felt wrong.
Very wrong.
As they walked through the lobby, Ava suddenly felt someone watching them.
She turned her head quickly.
A man in a dark coat was standing near the elevator.
The same man from the gala.
Their eyes met again.
And this time, Ava clearly saw the hatred in his expression.
Her heart began pounding.
"Mihir…" she whispered.
But before she could finish the sentence, the man suddenly pulled something from his coat.
Everything happened in seconds.
A loud bang echoed through the lobby.
People screamed.
Glass shattered.
Mihir grabbed Ava's arm and pulled her behind a marble pillar.
"Stay down!" he ordered.
Security guards rushed forward while the attacker disappeared into the crowd.
Ava's hands were shaking.
"Mihir… he tried to shoot you."
Mihir looked toward the entrance, his expression dark and furious.
"No," he said quietly.
"He tried to send a message."
Ava's breath caught.
"What message?"
Mihir looked at her seriously.
"That this game… has only just begun."
End of Chapter 7