Before the Fall: Rise of the Apocalypse King-Chapter 49: Secret Hobby

Later in the evening, Ivan went to the beach to relax and enjoy the view.

He looked out at the calm waves and the setting sun, thinking to himself,

"Scenes like this won’t last forever. Might as well enjoy it while I can."

After some time, he left the beach and headed to a nearby five-star restaurant for dinner.

Once he finished eating, he checked the time.

The meeting was near.

He got on his bike and rode towards Bratva’s Quarter.

When he reached, his contact was already waiting for him. Without wasting time, the man led Ivan into the meeting place.

The room was dimly lit, with two sofas facing each other.

Sitting on one of them was a bulky man in his forties, puffing on a cigar.

Two men stood behind him, watching closely.

Ivan didn’t flinch.

He walked straight in and sat on the sofa opposite the man.

The man—Sergei Vol—glared at Ivan’s contact and growled,

"Are you messing with me, you piece of shit?

You said someone wanted to talk business, and you bring me this kid?

What is this, huh? Some baby still drinking his mama’s milk?"

He spat the words out with rage, his voice echoing in the room.

Ivan sat quietly, letting him finish.

When Sergei finally leaned back, still scowling, Ivan looked at him calmly.

"You done shouting?" he asked, his face serious but calm.

"Good. Then let’s talk business."

Sergei scoffed and shook his head.

"I don’t deal with pussy outers like you," he said.

"Go crawl back into whatever hole you came out of."

They both stared at each other, after few seconds

Ivan spoke,

Look," Ivan said calmly, "you’ve got 500 gallons of water.

All I need is 400.

Name your price."

Sergei blinked, caught off guard for a second.

Then his face twisted in rage.

He pulled out a pistol and pointed it straight at Ivan’s head.

"I’ll give you one chance," he growled.

"Who the hell sent you, you little fuck?"

Ivan didn’t even flinch.

"It was never a secret to begin with," he said, voice calm as ever.

"Everyone in the circle knows about your stash.

So let’s get back to what we were talking about, shall we?

How much?"

Sergei stared at him now with a bit more seriousness.

He leaned forward and said,

"Fine, runt. Let’s see what you’ve got.

400 million. Take it or leave it."

"350," Ivan replied.

"That’s my final offer."

"Get lost!" Sergei shouted, slamming his fist on the table.

"You’re still making a profit," Ivan said without raising his voice.

"350 million,You need that money for your number two.

Word is she got caught by your rival gang, and they’re asking for a huge ransom."

He paused, letting the words sink in.

"Take this 350.

It solves your problem... and saves her life."

Sergei stared at him silently, eyes narrowing.

"You’re right," he muttered, "but why should I sell it to you?

I can sell it to others and maybe get a better deal."

Ivan stood up, sliding a small piece of paper across the table.

"Yeah, maybe you can," he said.

"But by the time you do, she’ll already be passed around that gang like a fuck toy.

You’ll be lucky to get her back breathing."

He gave Sergei a cold look.

"So think carefully.

Call me when you’re ready."

Without another word, Ivan turned and walked out.

His contact followed quietly behind him.

Sergei watched him leave, his jaw clenched.

"I want every damn thing on this guy by tomorrow," he said quietly.

"Got it, boss," both men behind him said in unison.

-----

As they stepped outside, Ivan turned to his contact.

"You did a good job, Jakob."

He tossed a thick stack of dollar bills toward him.

Jakob caught it and smiled wide.

"Thanks, man! This means a lot."

He tucked the cash into his jacket.

"If you ever need anything, just give me a call," Jakob added.

Ivan nodded.

"What about the others?"

Jakob sighed.

"I’ve asked around, but no one’s selling water right now.

Too risky, they say.

But I’m still digging. I’ll let you know if something comes up."

Ivan gave him a nod of approval.

"Alright. Stay in touch."

With that, they went their separate ways.

Ivan reached his dorm room late that night, tired from the day.

He didn’t waste any time.

He dropped his jacket, lay down, and fell asleep within minutes.

-------

The next morning, when Ivan woke up, Duro was already getting ready for class.

He glanced over and said,

"You’ve been missing a lot of classes lately, man. You’re falling behind."

Ivan stretched and sat up on the bed.

"Yeah, I know... I’ve been a bit busy."

Duro raised an eyebrow.

"Busy doing what exactly?"

Instead of answering, Ivan changed the subject.

"Hey... what about Nali? Alina’s sister?"

Duro smirked, instantly catching on.

"Oh? So that’s where your mind’s at?" he teased.

"I gotta say, good taste. She’s cute."

Ivan gave a small smile but said nothing.

Duro continued,

"She’s really shy though. Doesn’t talk much to anyone. Her only real friend is Rane—you know, the tom girl chick who always sits next to her."

He shook his head playfully.

"If you’re thinking of courting her, it’s gonna be a long road, bro."

Ivan nodded, quietly thinking.

But what neither of them knew...

was that the same quiet, shy girl—Nali

had a secret side to her.

A side no one had ever seen.

Not even her own sister.

"So, are you coming to class today or still going AFC?". ( note:AFC- Away from class)

Duro asked.

Ivan smirked and replied,

"Yeah, I’m coming today."

Duro laughed.

"Damn, you must really like her if you’re showing up to class now."

"Shut up, man," Ivan said, rolling his eyes.

He got out of bed and walked into the bathroom to freshen up.

A while later, both of them headed to the mess hall for breakfast.

They grabbed their food, sat down, and ate while chatting about random stuff.

After finishing their meal, they picked up their bags and walked toward the classrooms.

Another regular day... or so it seemed.

-----

The classroom was still the same—loud, messy, and half asleep.

Some students were chatting in groups, others had their heads down, trying to catch a few more minutes of sleep.

Ivan and Duro walked in and made their way to their seats near the middle row.

After sitting down, Ivan casually looked over at Nali’s seat.

She was there, wearing a simple oversized hoodie, faded jeans, and round glasses.

Her hair was tied back loosely, and she was quietly talking to the girl beside her—Rane.

Ivan kept watching her for a few minutes, lost in thought.

Duro noticed and leaned in with a smirk.

"Dude, chill. If you stare at her like that, you’ll probably scare her off."

Ivan looked away quickly, pretending to fix his bag.

Duro whispered,

"Okay, listen. She always eats lunch alone. That tomboy friend of hers usually hangs out with her own group during break."

He leaned closer.

"No one really knows where Nali goes. She just disappears.

So here’s your chance—follow her during lunch.

Talk to her. Get to know her.

Maybe she’ll like your average face... or maybe she’ll run for her life."

He laughed, and Ivan shook his head with a small smile.

"Really helpful man," Ivan said under his breath.

---

The bell rang, marking the end of the lecture and the start of lunch break.

As usual, Rane said goodbye to Nali and walked off to join a group of girls near the hallway, leaving Nali behind.

Nali slowly packed her bag, took one last glance around the room, and quietly walked out of the classroom.

Remembering Duro’s dumb advice, Ivan got up and followed her—keeping a little distance so she wouldn’t notice.

She walked past a few classrooms, crossed through the garden, and kept going until she reached the old, abandoned building on the edge of the campus.

It was a quiet place—no classes, no students. Most people avoided it.

Ivan’s curiosity started to grow.

"What is she doing here all alone?" he thought.

"She didn’t come all the way here just to eat lunch, right?"

He kept following her slowly, careful not to make any noise.

Something about the whole thing felt strange... and interesting.

And just like Ivan guessed—she didn’t come there to eat lunch at all.

Once Nali stepped inside the old building, she looked around carefully, then pulled out a camera stick from her bag.

She set it up in front of her, fixed the camera on it, and made sure it was standing steady.

Next, she spread out a cloth on the floor a little away from the camera.

Watching all this from behind a broken wall, Ivan frowned in confusion.

"What the hell is she doing?" he muttered to himself.

"No way... she’s not actually going to do what I think, right?"

But it looked like God really wanted to surprise him that day—because what he feared... actually started happening.

Ivan’s eyes widened in disbelief.

And then, out of nowhere, a wicked grin appeared on his face.

"Nali... oh Nali," he whispered to himself.

"Who would’ve thought a shy little girl like you had this kind of... hobby."

He chuckled under his breath.

"You really opened my eyes today.

And once again proved that old saying—

Never judge a book by its cover."

With that thought, Ivan slowly pulled out his cellphone from his pocket.

Keeping his body low and movements quiet, he tapped the camera app and pointed it towards her.

He hit the record button.

The screen lit up with the scene unfolding in front of him.

"Well, well..." he muttered with a smirk,

"This just keeps getting more interesting."

Hidden behind the wall, Ivan kept recording—his mind already running wild with ideas... and plans.