Chapter 4: The Ride
The car moved smoothly through the crowded streets, cutting through chaos like it didn't belong to the same world.
Inside, everything was controlled.
Cool air brushed against Tanoy's skin. Soft music played in the background. A faint, expensive fragrance filled the space.
Tanoy sat stiffly.
His hands rested on his knees, but his mind was anything but still.
He glanced at the man beside him.
Calm.
Focused.
As if none of this was strange.
As if picking up a stranger and knowing everything about him was completely normal.
"You seem curious," the man said, his eyes still on the road.
Tanoy exhaled slowly. "Anyone would be."
A faint smile appeared on the man's lips.
"Fair enough."
There was a brief silence.
Then Tanoy spoke again, his voice slightly firmer this time.
"You know my name. My office. Where I live…"
He paused.
"Why are you following me?"
The man didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he adjusted the steering wheel slightly, overtaking a slow-moving bus.
Then he said, very calmly—
"Because you need help."
Tanoy's jaw tightened.
"I didn't ask for help."
"No," the man replied. "But you still need it."
That certainty in his voice made Tanoy uncomfortable.
Too certain.
Too confident.
"What do you want from me?" Tanoy asked.
The man chuckled softly.
"Not today."
Tanoy frowned. "What do you mean?"
"You'll understand soon," the man said.
The car slowed down.
Then stopped.
Tanoy blinked.
They were already in front of his office.
He hadn't even noticed when they arrived.
"Wait—" he started.
But the man only smiled.
"See you again, Mr. Tanoy."
The door unlocked with a soft click.
Tanoy stepped out.
And before he could turn back—
The car was gone.
Just like that.
The entire day felt… wrong.
Tanoy couldn't focus.
Numbers blurred. Files made no sense. Even his boss's angry voice felt distant.
All he could hear was—
"You need help."
That night, lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling—
A thought crossed his mind.
For the first time in years…
He wanted change.
And that thought—
Frightened him.