No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes."
The argument had been going on for nearly five minutes.
Kiara had officially stopped trying to understand it.
Instead, she was quietly eating snacks and watching.
Because this was better than television.
Much better.
"You're not locking me inside the house."
"I'm not."
"You're acting like it."
"You're acting stubborn."
"I am stubborn."
"I know."
The answer came instantly.
Without hesitation.
Which somehow annoyed Ishira even more.
Before she could continue—
Her phone suddenly pinged.
A notification.
Both girls looked down.
BLACKWOOD UNIVERSITY
📢 Road Trip Participants Notice
Ishira immediately opened it.
Her eyes scanned the message.
Then widened.
Departure Time: Tomorrow, 8:00 AM
Location: University Main Gate
Transportation: College Bus
Kiara jumped excitedly.
"It's tomorrow!"
Immediately—
Ishira smiled.
The first genuine smile in several minutes.
Unfortunately—
The Devil noticed.
And he didn't like it.
Not one bit.
"What?"
Ivaan asked.
"Nothing."
"What?"
"The trip starts tomorrow."
Silence.
Then—
"What bus?"
The question sounded dangerous.
Very dangerous.
"The college bus."
"No."
The answer came immediately.
Everyone froze.
Including Kiara.
"What do you mean no?"
Ishira asked.
Ivaan folded his arms.
Cold.
Calm.
Dangerous.
"You're not taking the bus."
The audacity.
The absolute audacity.
"Excuse me?"
"The bus is overcrowded."
"So?"
"The route isn't secure."
"So?"
"The schedule is public."
"So?"
Each answer made his expression darker.
Then finally—
He delivered the verdict.
"You'll go with me."
Silence.
Complete silence.
Ishira blinked.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Then pointed at herself.
"Me?"
"Yes."
"With you?"
"Yes."
"In your car?"
"Yes."
Kiara immediately looked away.
Because she knew.
The explosion was coming.
"No."
The answer echoed through the garden.
Several guards exchanged glances.
Already tired.
Very tired.
Ivaan remained completely calm.
"You are."
"No."
"You are."
"No."
"You are."
"No."
The argument continued.
Again.
Finally—
Ishira placed both hands on her hips.
"I am going on the bus."
"No."
"With my friends."
"No."
"With Kiara."
"No."
Kiara immediately raised a hand.
"I don't want involvement."
Then—
A dangerous smirk appeared on Ivaan's face.
The kind that never meant anything good.
Ever.
"Fine."
The sudden agreement shocked everyone.
Including Ishira.
"Fine?"
"Fine."
The answer came too easily.
Much too easily.
Which immediately made her suspicious.
Very suspicious.
Then he pulled out his phone.
Typed something.
Sent it.
And put it away.
"What did you do?"
Nothing.
"What did you do?"
Still nothing.
"What did you do?"
A faint smile appeared.
Then—
"My convoy leaves at 7:30."
Silence.
Complete silence.
"What convoy?"
"The one following the bus."
Kiara choked.
Ishira froze.
The guards looked impressed.
"The WHAT?"
"The bus leaves at eight."
Ivaan's expression remained perfectly calm.
"My vehicles leave at seven-thirty."
He looked directly at her.
"And if you're taking the bus..."
A pause.
Then—
"The bus is taking me too."
The garden exploded into chaos.
Again.
The bus is taking me too."
The garden fell silent.
Completely silent.
Kiara was trying very hard not to laugh.
The security guards were pretending not to listen.
And Ishira?
She was staring at Ivaan.
Absolutely speechless.
For once.
A rare event.
Very rare.
"You are impossible."
"That's not a no."
The answer came immediately.
Confident.
Annoyingly confident.
Ishira folded her arms.
Trying to think of another argument.
Another excuse.
Another way out.
Unfortunately—
The image of an entire BlackThrone convoy following her college bus was horrifying.
Absolutely horrifying.
The students would never stop talking about it.
Ever.
She sighed dramatically.
Once.
Twice.
Then pointed at him.
"Fine."
The garden became quiet.
Suspiciously quiet.
"Fine?"
Ivaan asked.
"Fine."
"You'll come with me?"
The question sounded almost too calm.
Almost like he wanted confirmation.
"Yes."
Silence.
Then—
Kiara nearly fell off her chair.
"YOU AGREED?"
"I don't have a choice."
"You absolutely had a choice."
"No, I didn't."
She pointed directly at Ivaan.
"He was about to send half of Manhattan after the bus."
For the first time that evening—
A genuine smirk appeared on the Devil's face.
Victory.
Pure victory.
And he wasn't even trying to hide it.
Immediately—
"Don't smirk."
The smirk remained.
"Stop smirking."
It got worse.
"Devil."
"Butterfly."
The answer was smooth.
Far too smooth.
Kiara watched the interaction.
Then slowly stood.
"I am leaving."
Neither looked at her.
Neither even noticed.
They were too busy glaring at each other.
"Tomorrow."
Ivaan finally said.
"Seven-thirty."
Ishira groaned.
"The trip starts at eight."
"You'll be ready at seven-thirty."
"That's cruel."
"It's preparation."
"It's torture."
"It's punctuality."
Another dramatic sigh escaped her.
Then finally—
She nodded.
"Fine."
This time—
The answer was genuine.
No argument.
No tricks.
No hidden plan.
Just acceptance.
For a brief second—
Something in Ivaan's expression softened.
Almost invisible.
Gone before anyone else could notice.
But Ishira saw it.
And strangely—
She didn't argue again.
As the evening breeze moved through the garden, the tension finally eased.
Tomorrow morning—
The Butterfly and the Devil would be traveling together.
Alone.
For several hours.
And somehow—
That sounded far more dangerous than the road trip itself.
Ishira was awake before her alarm.
The sunlight filtered through her curtains as she stood in front of the mirror getting ready for the road trip.
She wore a comfortable oversized hoodie, fitted jeans, and white sneakers.
Simple.
Cute.
Perfect for traveling.
After fixing her hair, she picked up her backpack and checked if she had everything.
Phone.
Power bank.
Wallet.
Water bottle.
Notebook.
Done.
Just as she was about to leave—
Her phone vibrated.
😈 Devil
She opened the message.
😈 Devil: Come down in 10 minutes.
A second message appeared.
😈 Devil: Waiting outside.
Ishira immediately frowned.
🦋 Butterfly: It's only 7:20.
The reply came instantly.
😈 Devil: Correct.
🦋 Butterfly: We agreed on 7:30.
😈 Devil: And you need 10 minutes.
The audacity.
The absolute audacity.
🦋 Butterfly: Stop acting like my alarm clock.
Three dots appeared.
Then—
😈 Devil: Get downstairs, Butterfly.
Her eye twitched.
Immediately.
A knock sounded.
Kiara entered her room.
Already dressed and excited.
"Ready?"
"Unfortunately."
Kiara looked confused.
"What happened now?"
Without a word, Ishira showed her the messages.
Kiara immediately burst out laughing.
"He texted you ten minutes early?"
"Yes."
"He really doesn't trust your timing."
"I was literally ready."
Meanwhile...
Outside Mooncrest Villa...
A black luxury SUV waited in the driveway.
Engine running.
Security vehicles parked nearby.
And leaning against the SUV—
Was Ivaan Mehra.
Black shirt.
Dark sunglasses.
Coffee in one hand.
Phone in the other.
Looking completely unbothered.
Back upstairs...
Ishira grabbed her backpack.
"Let's go before he starts another countdown."
Kiara laughed.
"Too late."
Her phone vibrated again.
😈 Devil: 5 minutes.
"The countdown has started."
A few minutes later...
The girls walked downstairs.
The front door opened.
And immediately—
Ivaan looked up.
His gaze landed on Ishira.
Then her backpack.
Then back to her.
Making sure she was actually ready.
For once.
"What?"
Ishira asked suspiciously.
"Nothing."
The answer was immediate.
Which somehow made her even more suspicious.
Kiara smiled.
"Good morning, Professor."
Ivaan nodded once.
Then opened the SUV door.
"Get in."
No greeting.
No smile.
No good morning.
Typical Devil.
Ishira rolled her eyes.
Then walked toward the car.
Because if she stood there any longer—
The Devil might actually start another countdown.
Ishira walked toward the SUV.
Still annoyed.
Still convinced the Devil was being unnecessarily dramatic.
As expected—
Ivaan was already seated in the driver's seat.
One hand resting on the steering wheel.
The other holding his coffee.
Looking completely calm.
Completely unbothered.
The moment she reached the car—
He glanced at his watch.
Then at her.
Then back at his watch.
"Two minutes late."
The audacity.
The absolute audacity.
"I was not late."
"You were."
"I wasn't."
"You were."
The argument began before she even entered the car.
Typical.
Absolutely typical.
Finally—
Ishira opened the passenger door.
Dropped into the seat beside him.
And slammed the door shut.
A little harder than necessary.
Ivaan didn't react.
Not even slightly.
Instead—
He calmly started the engine.
The powerful SUV came to life instantly.
Behind them—
Several security vehicles prepared to move.
Seeing this, Ishira immediately frowned.
"What is that?"
"Security."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes."
The familiar exchange made the driver in the vehicle behind them hide a smile.
Ishira folded her arms.
"This is a college road trip."
"And?"
"It doesn't need security."
"It does."
"It doesn't."
"It does."
The conversation was going nowhere.
As usual.
A few seconds later—
The gates of Mooncrest Villa opened.
The SUV rolled forward.
Beginning the journey.
For several minutes—
Silence filled the car.
A rare occurrence.
Very rare.
Ishira looked out the window.
Watching Manhattan slowly wake up.
While beside her—
Ivaan focused on driving.
One hand on the wheel.
Expression unreadable.
Then suddenly—
His phone buzzed through the car's system.
A message.
The screen lit up.
ZYAN
A new text appeared.
ZYAN: Don't scare the girl before breakfast.
Silence.
Then—
Ishira saw it.
And immediately burst out laughing.
Actually laughing.
Ivaan's jaw tightened.
Slightly.
Only slightly.
Which somehow made it funnier.
Much funnier.
"Zyan is right."
No response.
"You are scary."
Still nothing.
"Devil."
Finally—
A glance.
A cold one.
"Butterfly."
The corner of her lips lifted.
And for the first time that morning—
The road trip started with something other than an argument.
A small smile.
Even if neither of them would admit it
The SUV moved smoothly through the Manhattan streets.
Morning traffic had started.
People rushed to work.
Cafés were opening.
The city was waking up.
Inside the car—
Ishira sat beside Ivaan.
Looking out the window.
Surprisingly quiet.
For almost ten whole minutes.
A personal record.
Ivaan noticed.
Immediately.
Because silence and Ishira rarely existed together.
Especially for this long.
Finally—
"What?"
She turned toward him.
"What what?"
"You're quiet."
The accusation made her gasp.
"I can be quiet."
"No."
"I can."
"No."
The answer came instantly.
Without hesitation.
Ishira rolled her eyes.
Then crossed her arms.
"Maybe I just don't want to talk to you."
A brief silence.
Then—
"You've said fourteen words in the last ten seconds."
The betrayal.
The absolute betrayal.
Before she could argue—
Her phone suddenly pinged.
A message from the road trip group.
Immediately she opened it.
And frowned.
"What happened?"
Ivaan asked.
"The bus got delayed."
"Good."
The answer came too quickly.
Far too quickly.
She narrowed her eyes.
"You seem happy."
"I'm driving."
"That's not an answer."
"It is."
"It isn't."
A faint smirk appeared.
Gone immediately.
But she caught it.
Unfortunately.
"Devil."
"Hm?"
"You definitely had something to do with this."
"No."
The lie was terrible.
Absolutely terrible.
Just then—
His phone rang through the car's system.
ZYAN CALLING
Ishira immediately sat straighter.
Because whenever Zyan called—
Something entertaining usually happened.
Ivaan answered.
"What?"
No hello.
No greeting.
Typical.
Zyan's voice filled the car.
"Good morning, Butterfly."
Ishira smiled.
"Good morning, Zyan."
Then—
"Still alive?"
"Unlike you, yes."
Zyan laughed.
Immediately.
"Ivaan, she's already bullying me."
"Good."
The answer came instantly.
"Anyway," Zyan continued, "how's the road trip?"
Silence.
Then—
"The trip hasn't started."
"It started the moment you voluntarily got into a car with him."
Ishira laughed.
Actually laughed.
Meanwhile—
Ivaan was already regretting answering the call.
Then Zyan said something dangerous.
Very dangerous.
"Butterfly, tell me honestly."
"What?"
"Has he started giving lectures yet?"
The smile on Ishira's face widened.
"Oh, constantly."
The betrayal.
The absolute betrayal.
For the next few minutes—
The entire conversation became Zyan and Ishira teaming up against Ivaan.
And for perhaps the first time in years—
The Devil found himself outnumbered.
Inside his own car.
The call was still ongoing.
Unfortunately for Ivaan.
"Butterfly, tell me honestly."
"What?"
"Has he started giving lectures yet?"
The smile on Ishira's face widened immediately.
"Oh, constantly."
Zyan laughed.
Loudly.
Very loudly.
"He probably started the moment you sat in the car."
"He did."
"I knew it."
"Zyan."
Ivaan's voice finally entered the conversation.
Cold.
Calm.
Dangerous.
Unfortunately—
Neither Zyan nor Ishira stopped.
"Did he check if you slept?"
"Yes."
"Breakfast?"
"Yes."
"Water bottle?"
"Yes."
"Seatbelt?"
"Yes."
By now, Ishira was struggling not to laugh.
Meanwhile—
Ivaan's patience was disappearing.
Very quickly.
Zyan continued.
"Butterfly, at this point I'm convinced he has a checklist."
That was it.
The final straw.
The Devil finally spoke.
"Zyan."
The tone instantly changed the atmosphere.
A little.
Not enough.
"What?"
Zyan replied innocently.
Far too innocently.
A dangerous silence followed.
Then—
"Do you value your continued existence?"
The question was calm.
Almost polite.
Which somehow made it worse.
Much worse.
The car became silent.
Then—
Ishira burst out laughing.
Completely.
Unable to stop herself.
Even Zyan laughed.
"See, Butterfly?"
"What?"
"That's how he says good morning."
Ivaan closed his eyes briefly.
Questioning every life decision that had led him here.
Then—
"Zyan."
"What now?"
"If you enjoy breathing..."
A pause.
Dangerous.
Very dangerous.
"...end the call."
Silence.
Then Zyan dramatically sighed.
"So hostile."
Another pause.
Then—
"Goodbye, Butterfly."
"Bye, Zyan."
"Try not to annoy him too much."
"No promises."
The call disconnected.
Finally.
Peace.
Glorious peace.
For approximately three seconds.
Then—
Ishira looked toward Ivaan.
A smile still on her face.
"You really threatened him."
"I did."
"You ask people if they value their existence?"
"Frequently."
The answer came without hesitation.
She stared at him.
Then laughed again.
And despite himself—
The corner of Ivaan's mouth twitched slightly.
A reaction so brief most people would've missed it.
But Butterfly didn't.
And that somehow made her smile even more as the SUV continued toward Blackwood University.
The SUV continued moving through the morning traffic.
For once—
The car was peaceful.
No arguments.
No threats.
No chaos.
Ishira was busy on a call with Kiara.
Who was currently stuck in traffic with some other students.
Meanwhile—
Ivaan focused on driving.
One hand on the steering wheel.
Expression unreadable.
Then—
His phone lit up.
A message.
ZYAN
Immediately, Ivaan glanced at the notification.
His expression changed slightly.
Only slightly.
But enough.
ZYAN: Update on Ethan.
The message was short.
Direct.
Important.
Ivaan opened it while waiting at a traffic signal.
A few more messages followed.
ZYAN: He's talking.
ZYAN: Not everything.
ZYAN: But enough.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Across the seat—
Ishira was still talking on her phone.
Completely unaware.
Laughing about something Kiara had said.
Another message appeared.
ZYAN: By the way...
A pause.
Then—
ZYAN: How's Butterfly?
Silence.
Complete silence.
Immediately—
A reply was typed.
Very quickly.
Very directly.
IVAAN: Don't call her Butterfly.
A few seconds later—
Zyan replied.
ZYAN: Interesting.
The dangerous look on Ivaan's face returned.
Immediately.
IVAAN: Zyan.
ZYAN: Yes?
IVAAN: Focus on Ethan.
ZYAN: You didn't deny it.
The audacity.
The absolute audacity.
Another message appeared.
ZYAN: So what should I call her?
Ivaan stared at the screen.
Already regretting opening the conversation.
ZYAN: Princess?
No response.
ZYAN: Sunshine?
Nothing.
ZYAN: Future Mrs—
The typing stopped.
Immediately.
Because Zyan received a reply.
A very short one.
IVAAN: Choose life.
Miles away—
Zyan burst out laughing.
Loudly.
Very loudly.
Back inside the SUV—
Ivaan locked his phone.
Done with the conversation.
Completely done.
Unfortunately—
A voice came from beside him.
"Who are you threatening now?"
His jaw tightened.
Slightly.
Ishira lowered her phone.
Looking suspicious.
Very suspicious.
"Nobody."
The answer came instantly.
Too instantly.
"That's a lie."
"No."
"That's definitely a lie."
"No."
The familiar argument started again.
And somewhere in Manhattan—
Zyan was still laughing at the fact that the feared Devil of BlackThrone had just warned him not to call someone Butterfly.
Which, unfortunately for Ivaan—
Only guaranteed Zyan would keep doing it forever.
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