Chapter 5: You are not welcome!

2 months ago

aakanksha4

@aakanksha4

"I can’t believe this is happening — again!"
Shree muttered, shaking his head in pure disbelief, as he watched Chotu and Rathore preparing the adjoining meeting room for the new recruit’s orientation.

At the conference table, Arjun barely lifted his head from the file he was pretending to read. He followed Shree’s line of sight for a moment, then returned to ignoring them all, jaw tight.

Ever since the announcement of the exam results, the ETF conference room had felt... different.
The weight of the past still hung thick in the air — the ghosts of their fallen team mates, the blood on their hands.
For months, only cases — murders, kidnappings, criminal profiles — had filled their discussions.

But now...
Now, an unwanted change hovered over them — a new GIRL.

--

The recruits had been given one week to join.
It was already Friday — the last possible day for official joining.

All week, Shree and Chotu had secretly prayed that she wouldn't show up.
And if she didn’t? Then it would be on her — not them. No need for confrontations, no new wounds ripped open.

Today felt like their final gamble.

Chotu carefully adjusted the chairs one last time.
Rathore straightened the files on the desk.
Shree offered to make coffee for everyone, though his hands fidgeted with nerves.

Before he could even finish the offer, Arjun had already slipped out, disappearing wordlessly to his regular teabreak.

--

When Arjun returned fifteen minutes later, he immediately noticed it.
Two anxious faces in the conference room.
A tension so sharp you could almost hear it hum.

He didn’t even have to ask.
Their worst fears had come true.

Through the glass doors of the adjoining meeting room, Arjun’s eyes landed on the scene:
Rathore sitting opposite a young woman — the ‘unnecessary’ addition to their broken team.

Rathore spotted him too and subtly signalled him to come in.

Arjun’s face hardened in open rebellion.
A sharp, defiant shake of his head: No.

Rathore sighed, frustrated beyond words, and marched out towards them.

---

"I told you," Rathore said under his breath, "You’re supposed to be with me. There."
He jabbed a finger towards the meeting room.

"And I told you," Arjun retorted coldly, "I won’t be. THERE. Remember?"

Shree leaned in, whispering desperately, "Sir, kuch toh kar sakte hain? Reject kar sakte hain kya?"

Rathore shook his head.

"She’s here. She’s cleared everything. We have no grounds to disqualify her."

"This is happening. Behave yourselves."

Grinding his teeth, Arjun finally pushed his chair back violently and stood up.

"You really want me in THERE?" Arjun said darkly. "Fine."

Without waiting for permission, he stormed toward the meeting room.

"You both know what you have to do!"
Arjun barked to Shree and Chotu without turning around.

Rathore frowned.

"Raute, kya karne wale ho tum?!"
But Arjun had already disappeared inside.

---

The glass doors swung open with a soft whoosh.

Arjun strode inside, a notepad in one hand, his mind already running through a mental list of ways to chase the girlaway.

If Rathore wouldn't reject her, he would make sure she ran away herself.

A soft, clear voice broke his thoughts.

"Good morning, Sir."

Automatically, his lips moved.

"Good morning."

He looked up.

And for the first time in months —maybe years —
Arjun Suryakant Raute froze.

---

She sat there — poised, professional —hands folded neatly, posture alert.
Her thick curls framed her bright face like a halo, her eyes shining not with fear, but with quiet strength.

For a heartbeat longer than necessary, their eyes locked.

Something shifted inside Arjun — a tremor he didn’t like.

Recovering quickly, he threw thebnotepad harshly onto the table.
Ignoring her extended hand of greeting completely, he dropped into the seat across from her.
Without a word, he unslung his service revolver and placed it on the table between them.

A clear message:
This is not a welcome. This is war.

Riya faltered for a second — hurt flickering in her eyes — but she withdrew her hand gracefully and sat down.

Or tried to.

"Did I ask you to sit?"
Arjun snapped coldly.

Riya froze mid-motion, startled.

"Uh... I..." she stammered.

"Riya, sit down," Rathore intervened sharply as he entered, sending Arjun a murderous glare.

---

While Rathore began formally reviewing Riya’s impressive credentials —
Masters in Criminal Psychology. Specialization in Crime Analysis. Internship with military intelligence —
Arjun tuned them out.

Instead, he studied her through narrowed eyes — the way her neatly pressed blazer fit like armour, the way she sat straight despite the hostile air around her, the subtle glimmer of excitement she couldn’t quite hide.

She was too young. She was not broken yet.
But he would fix that.

---

Without warning, Arjun interrupted.

Playing with his pen, he asked in an almost casual tone:

"Laash dekhi hai kabhi? Ek mare hue insaan ka chehra?"

Silence.

Riya’s eyes darted uncertainly between him and Rathore.

"Nahi dekhi?" Arjun repeated mercilessly.
"Kya tumne kabhi un aankhon mein dekha hai jab zindagi chhod kar chali jaati hai?"

Riya shook her head, visibly uncomfortable.

Arjun leaned back, smirking.

Shree and Chotu smiled at the other side of the door and shared a hi-five in excitement.

"The skin turns brown, hard, brittle.
The face shrinks.
The eyes... lose everything.
Enlarged pupils. Empty gaze. Fixed in death."

Riya swallowed hard.

But then, softly —
she completed his sentence:

"They become unresponsive to light. And the oxygen loss dulls everything... but the trauma stays etched.", she said looking right into his eyes, seeing right through him.

Arjun’s smirk slipped. Her last words felt like a personal attack.

Rathore raised an eyebrow, impressed.

But Arjun was not. He leaned in, eyes sharp.

"You think books prepared you for that?
You think theories can explain a dying scream?"

He threw challenge after challenge at her —
describing blood-soaked crime scenes, soulless murderers, innocence destroyed.

Riya held on.

Her voice trembled, but didn’t break.

"Understanding criminal minds doesn't mean forgiving them, Sir.
It means catching them faster.
Stopping them sooner.
Saving lives."

For a fleeting second, something in Arjun's hardened heart cracked.

But the wall was slammed back up instantly.

---

As the session ended, Arjun stood abruptly.

He turned towards Rathore and the others outside and shouted:

"She doesn’t belong here, Rathore!"

The words echoed across the hall, loud enough for Riya to hear clearly.

Chotu and Shree exchanged looks.
They hadn’t expected him to be this harsh, but they somehow wanted the same thing that he did, that she LEAVES.

Rathore closed his eyes briefly, then composed himself.

Turning to Shree and Chotu, he said firmly:

"Shree, collect her joining letter and paperwork.
Chotu, get her ID and service book formalities started.
Bring it to my cabin for signatures.
Now."

The order was clear.
No room for arguments.

Riya Mukherjee was officially a part of ETF.

Whether they liked it or not.

Whether they were ready or not.

Author's note:

Hey everyone! I hope you’ve enjoyed the updates so far—especially since I posted the first few parts quickly to get the story rolling. Now that the foundation’s been set, I’d really love to hear your thoughts on how things are going. Your views are super important as they’ll guide the future updates.

From here on, I plan to update weekly, though it might be earlier or even delayed depending on how the story’s being received. Also, I’ll try to PM those of you who are actively commenting and engaged, as it’s tough to tell who’s reading otherwise. So, if you’re enjoying the ride, drop a comment, and let me know what you think!

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