Chapter 1 Rania's Life

(Four years earlier...)

Her name is Rania Manalli. A 19-year-old girl who is very cheerful, to the point that the entire village nicknamed her the girl of the sun.

With her attractive appearance, upbeat disposition, intelligence, and well-proportioned body, Rania should be able to pursue whatever career she wants. In actuality, though, she is currently limited to living in this little village.

Rania lives with her father, who works as a poor farmer. Every harvest season, her father receives compensation from the field owner for his hard work in planting rice.

With a good wage to buy food and veggies every day, Rania decided to work as a private tutor for elementary school students in her neighborhood. Even in the tiniest and most trivial of things, Rania always has gratitude for everything.

Crash!!

Suddenly, Rania's front yard was filled with a tremendous uproar. People gathered, but nobody came forward to assess the situation.

Then Rania hurried toward her residence, having just come from her teaching job. She made her way past the throng and entered.

She watched as two large men started to punch her father, who was badly battered and had blood all over his face. Rania did not think twice before charging forward to defend her father.

"Stop, you bastards!" Rania yelled. "How dare you beat my father!"

Both men were enormous, but their features were very different. While the other looked like he was in his forties with a scar on his cheek, the first one looked quite young. Gripping Rania's cheeks till they flushed, the elder man stepped nearer.

He murmured, "Watch your words, kid."

Then he started sweeping his eyes from top to bottom over Rania's whole body. Then he smiled menacingly.

"You can use your body as payment for your useless father's debts," stated the man.

Instantly, Rania's lips trembled and her eyes widened. "D-debts?!" she cried out.

"Well, it seems like you don't know that your father owes money to Mr. Hadi, huh?" The young man went on.

As soon as Mr. Hadi's name was spoken, the curious neighbors slowly started to disperse. One by one, some dispersed as though they had just encountered a ghost, they departed.

"Mr. Hadi is very much indebted to your father. And he won't pay," the young man said, turning to face Rania, who was still under the elder man's control.

"I'll pay it! Give me a chance!" exclaimed Rania's father, attempting to get up despite having cuts on his face.

"To hell with it!" Rania's father was kicked in the face by the young man.

"Dad!!!" shouted Rania, straining to be released, despite the fact that her strength couldn't possible match that of the elder man.

At the sight of her father's bruised body, Rania resisted desperately and kept screaming. The young man smiled as he walked up to Rania, and her actions had successfully drawn his attention elsewhere.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Why do you care, monster!" Rania yelled at the young man, practically spitting at him.

When Rania responded badly, the young man seized Rania's clothing with haste.

"I'll make sure you're the one who has to pay your father's debts," he stated.

The younger man nodded to the older man, telling him to let Rania go. Rania didn't think twice about running to assist her father, who was unconscious on the ground.

Rania's hands trembled as she attempted to touch her father's face wounds as tears flowed down her cheeks.

Rania wailed, gazing at the two men, "You... are truly heartless people."

The old man was about to strike Rania because of how angry he was by her remarks. But the young man stopped him in his tracks.

The elderly guy appeared dissatisfied with the deterrent impact on Rania and her father, despite the fact that he was giving the old man a signal to leave Rania's residence. But judging by his attitude alone, it was obvious that the old man gave way to the younger one. So he had to go, regretfully.

***

With the arrival of the two goons, Rania's life took a dramatic turn. The field owner and Rania both dreaded Mr. Hadi, which is why her father lost his job. For absurd reasons, even the mothers decided against allowing their kids to take classes with Rania.

Rania had to work really hard to pay off Mr. Hadi's debt and provide for her and her father.

"Dad?" Rania asked when she saw the house vacant and dark, despite the fact that nightfall was approaching.

Rania turned on the light switch in the living room while continuing to try to think optimistically. Her calls went unanswered, and her father was nowhere to be found.

"Dad?" Rania called once more, looking warily in all directions around the room.

Her heart pounded quickly; she was really nervous. Never before had she felt so anxious in her own house. But when daylight had not yet set and she saw her vacant house, her mind began to race.

Bang! When Rania saw her father's body swinging on her home's wooden pole with a rope around his neck, she lost all physical power. Rania sagged, losing her footing but not her consciousness.

Rania tried to pass out, but she was unable to. Her tongue remained silent, even when she longed to scream for aid. Her father's face went blue, hard and still. Rania tried to stand up to lower her father's body, but her joints seemed paralyzed.

Rania cried out in her heart, "Dad, please... don't leave me..."