Chaotic Relations

Chapter 35

So guys, since the comment target was completed, here is the next chapter! A very big thanks to  for their comments!

Chapters 36-41 are already uploaded on Scrollstack. If you want, you can check them out, the link is on my profile.

Enjoy Reading!

Ruhanika

The morning sunlight streamed through my bedroom window, casting a warm glow across the letter that had arrived yesterday. I traced my fingers over the school's crest embossed at the top, still hardly believing what was written below. In the chaos that had followed Divyank bhaiya's announcement about Prisha's disappearance, I had almost forgotten about my test results.

"We are pleased to inform you that not only have you been accepted to the academy, but you have achieved the highest score in our institution's history..."

A soft knock at my door interrupted my thoughts.

"Kaun hai?" I called out. Who is it?

"It's me, Anika," my father's voice replied from the other side. "Kya main andar aa sakta hoon?" May I come in?

"Of course, Papa."

The door opened to reveal my father, looking more tired than usual. The lines around his eyes seemed deeper, and I could tell he hadn't slept well. Despite everything that was happening with Prisha's disappearance and the looming threat of Kapoor, he managed a warm smile when he saw me.

"Good morning, beta," he said, coming to sit beside me on the bed. "What are you reading so intently?"

I handed him the letter. "My test results came yesterday, but with everything that happened..."

His eyes widened as he scanned the contents, and the weariness seemed to lift from his face momentarily. "Shabash, meri beti!" he exclaimed, pulling me into a tight embrace. Well done, my daughter! "I knew you would do well, but this... this is extraordinary!"

"Thank you, Papa," I said, feeling a glow of pride at his reaction. "I was nervous about taking the test, especially with everything else going on."

He pulled back to look at me, his eyes shining with pride. "Your mother—Meera—told me how adamant you were about taking it, how you refused to use our name to secure admission. That integrity... it reminds me so much of my own father."

I smiled, thinking of my Dadu. "A compliment indeed."

"The principal called me this morning," he added, surprising me. "He was quite insistent on speaking with me personally."

My heart sank a little. "Is something wrong?"

Papa chuckled, shaking his head. "Quite the opposite. He couldn't stop singing your praises. Said in all his thirty years at the academy, he's never seen a student with such exceptional analytical abilities. He was particularly impressed by your essay on ethical governance in modern society."

A flush of pleasure warmed my cheeks. "I was worried I might have been too critical of traditional power structures."

"Which is precisely why he was impressed," Papa said with a knowing smile. "He told me—and I quote—'Your daughter doesn't just regurgitate information; she challenges it, transforms it, makes it her own.' He's already talking about special programs, advanced placement options."