But they didn’t know what would happen a minute later.  

The leader took another step closer and leaned toward her.

“So, are you giving it to me the easy way, or are we going to explain?”

Veronica looked at him carefully. No shouting, no panic. Just tension in his eyes and a cold, focused expression.

“Do you really think this is a good idea?” she asked quietly.

The boys exchanged glances and laughed.

“Did you hear that? She’s scaring us.”

“Girl, do you even realize who you’re talking to?”

“There’s no one here. Just you and me.”

Veronica suddenly grinned.

“Exactly. Just you and me.”

One of them froze.

“Why are you smiling?”

“Because you have no idea what you’ve gotten yourself into,” she replied.

The leader stepped forward, irritated.

“Stop pretending. The phone and the chain. Now.”

And at that moment, from around the bend in the alley, from the shadows of the trees, two large men slowly emerged. They were the girl’s bodyguards. Tall, dressed in black, with cold faces. They moved calmly, without fuss, but their gait conveyed a sense of power.

The hooligans had no idea they’d just tried to rob the daughter of one of the richest men.

The boys turned around.

“Who’s that?”

One of the guards came closer and said curtly,

“Problems?”

Veronica didn’t even turn around.

“Not anymore,” she replied calmly.

The smiles vanished from the boys’ faces.