FFWhile you were sleeping Chap 21B Pg142 31/1 - Page 50

Riya went in her room, feeling a bit awkward at what Dadi had hinted. She was stressing herself a lot on this topic, but when she entered the room and saw Shaina still lying on the bed, she immediately forgot everything and went to talk with her.

Shaina however was in a very bad mood, and she wanted to remain alone. Somehow the fact Rathore preferred Riya to her was hurting her a lot, and though not deliberately, she had started to feel jealous of her.

But Riya didn't understand this, and thought that Shaina was still upset from Rathore's outburst and continued trying to get her morale up. Riya kept talking for some minutes, when suddenly Shaina screamed, "Leave me alone!" Riya was shocked and kept her mouth shut. She got ready for work and went for breakfast. She was still perturbed about Shaina when she sat down at the table. "Now what's troubling her? Why does she take the whole world's problems on her shoulders!" Arjun thought when he saw her lost again in her thoughts with a worried face.

But before he could ask her about it, Dadi and Trishna came to join them for lunch. And they all started talking about the surprise party for Rathore's birthday tonight. After a few minutes, Arjun and Riya left for work, and Arjun had thought that while in the SUV, he would be able to ask Riya about what was troubling her. However just as he was gonna ask, Riya's mobile started ringing. She picked it up and started talking. They had already reached the office, but Riya was still talking on her mobile. Arjun was getting exasperated at this. When they entered the office, Riya said bye and cut the call. She looked at Arjun and said that it was Trishna asking her about what the dress code would be tonight.

Finally Arjun got the chance to ask Riya about her troubled thoughts, but unfortunately Shree and Chotu entered right then, and he couldn't. "I give up! After work I'll ask her about it!" Arjun thought to himself. He had barely said that when suddenly his phone started to ring. They had a new case. A baby had been kidnapped in a shopping mall yesterday afternoon. Unfortunately the police hadn't been able to help and solve this case till now, and since the baby belonged to a high society family, the ETF had been assigned the case. Arjun called everyone for a meeting and ordered each a specific task for it.

"Riya, you'll search for all information pertaining to that family. I want everything on them, their friends, their hobbies, their enemies. Chotu you will go and ask your informers in the area, if recently other babies have also disappeared or this is an isolated case. Shree, as soon as I get the mother and kid's picture, I'll forward it to you. Requisition all videos and camera footage in that shopping mall, and in any adjoining building which oversee that shopping mall's parking, entry and exit. You can get to see where the baby went and with whom! I'll go and interrogate the mother for more information!" Arjun said.

"We'll meet in two hours now!" Arjun said, and each went to do their job.

Arjun went to interrogate the family. He first started with the mother of the baby, Mrs Sharma. He asked her about the baby's disappearance, a recent photo for Shree and other information.

"How old was the baby?" Arjun asked.

"She'd turn 5 months in a few days," Mrs Sharma replied.

"How was she kidnapped? I mean did you see anyone?" Arjun asked.

"Well I had seen a beautiful saree, so I left her in her baby carrier and went to try it!" Mrs Sharma answered.

"You left her all alone?" Arjun asked incredulously.

"Well yep you see, ideally there is a babysitter which looks after her, but today she was absent, and I had already made shopping plans, so I couldn't cancel them nah. I took my baby with me, since there was no one to look after her at home!" Mrs Sharma replied defending herself.

"Still you left her alone in a boutique! Mrs Sharma do you realise how careless you were!" Arjun said in an angry voice.

Mrs Sharma had tears in her eyes, and Mr Sharma coming right then, looked at his wife crying and shot a glare at Arjun. But these things never did much to intimidate him, and started to question Mr Sharma. But just as he was going to question him, Mr Sharma's phone started ringing, and he went away to reply to it. Arjun felt even angrier when he heard part of Mr Sharma's conversation about going to a party tonight. "Just what type of parents these are?" he asked himself. He waited for Mr Sharma's return and asked him some questions and finally went away. He met everyone like planned in the office again. First he listened to Riya.

"Well they are very rich people. Mrs Sharma is always at some kitty party everyday. She barely looks at the baby. The babysitter does everything!" Riya said.

"What about the babysitter?" Arjun asked.

"Her name is Meera, she's a married woman, don't have any kids. She has very good records, no police cases. Apparently she was sick yesterday, so didn't come to work!" Riya replied.

"Do you have her address? We'll go to check her out!" Arjun said.

He now turned towards Chotu and asked him what he found out, "Not really. No babies have disappeared or kidnapped in the precedent weeks!" chotu replied.

Now turning towards Shree, Arjun asked Shree what he found out.

"Well from the videos, I have managed to capture someone taking the baby from her carrier. However she was wearing a burka, so I haven't been able to identify her yet!" Shree said while putting the image on the big screen for everyone to see it.

They were watching the video, when suddenly Arjun asked Shree to pause the video.

"Shree zoom to her hands, if I'm not wrong, it seems she doesn't have any thumb in her right hand right?" Arjun told everyone.

"Well it's not much, but we can start from this. Shree cross check from the list of the Sharma's enemies if any woman have a thumb missing or cut. Chotu you go to the police station and see if there are any records on a woman, stealing kids in previous years or for other fraudulent acts, who have a thumb missing. Me and Riya will go and interrogate Mrs Meera."

They both reached at the address given by Riya, and were just in time to see a lady, Meera, carrying a baby and rushing into a taxi. Without wasting any time, they followed the taxi. The taxi stopped at the train station, where the lady got off and carried the baby and a bag. Both run after her, and within a few steps had stopped her. They had been right in following this lady, because when they turned her, it turned out that the baby in her hands resembled a lot to the sharma's baby. What was even more flagrant was that Meera did in fact lack a thumb on her right hand.

Riya took the baby from her hands, though Meera didn't want to let her go. She hardly looked like a kidnapper from any angle.

"Why Mrs Meera! People trust their babies with babysitters! Now after what you have done, who will ever trust any babysitter! How much money were you going to ask!" Arjun asked her.

Mrs Meera had tears in her eyes, and was constantly looking at the baby with deep longing.

"I'm not a kidnapper! I wasn't doing this for money!" she said with deep sadness and in between sobs. "You know I'm the unluckiest woman in life. My husband died a few weeks ago, I was pregnant at that time, but after his death I had a miscarriage, I lost my baby. I took work at the Sharma's on the request of my parents-in-law who couldn't see me alone and crying everyday. But when I saw this tiny bundle of flesh, she immediately stole my heart," she said looking at the baby in Riya's arms. "And look at her fate, she maybe rich from her birth, but her parents are too busy in immaterial things for her. Last week I had left her alone with her mum, for a check-up. And can you believe that when I went back, the baby was crying relentlessly in her cradle, her clothes were wet and she hadn't been fed for a few hours, while Mrs Sharma was busy playing cards with her friends in the next room! I felt such an anger at such parents, while I didn't even had a child of my own. That day I decided to take her away. You may well arrest me, but will you people be able to sleep in peace at night knowing that there is a baby out there who is being neglected!" she spat at them.

"And by doing this, you have maybe just snatched away the only person who ever could take care of her, that is you!" Arjun said.

They felt sad at her predicament, but they had no choice but to arrest her. However Arjun had an idea and he was going to implement it. Riya went with Meera to the police station, while he took the baby back to the parents, gave them a lecture of about one hour. Finally he returned to the office.

Riya had just returned back from the police station and went directly to meet Arjun in his office.

"Do you know that the Sharma's have taken back their case! And Meera is free. Apparently they had forgotten that they themselves gave their baby to Meera!" Riya said still confused at this turn in events.

"Yes, I know. And Meera has been given a severe warning, but as from today she'll be staying with the Sharma's permanently and just to be on safe side, at least once every month she'll have to come and meet me here everyday, so that I know she hasn't run away," Arjun said with a smile.

"You did all this! For a stranger?" Riya asked.

"Not for a stranger, but for that baby who should have a better chance at family love," Arjun said.

"But how did you do this?" Riya asked.

"Sorry, I don't share my secrets with anyone," Arjun said with a smile.

"You know, when I first met you, I had you tagged for an arrogant and cruel man. But you turned out to be something else, completely unique!" Riya said with admiration over-flowing in her eyes.

Arjun was smiling at Riya's dreamy eyes and decided to tease her about it, "Hmmm, so you agree that I make a good marriage prospect then, why don't you marry me then?"

"What?" Riya said shockingly and she literally ran away from there, followed by Arjun's laughs echoing in her ears.

After one hour, since they had no case, both returned home earlier than usual to prepare for the party. As soon as they reached home, Riya went to look for Shaina, while Arjun went to check on the preparations.

At about 7 o'clock in the evening, everyone was ready. It was Trishna idea for ladies to be dressed in red, while men in black. So Riya wore a red saree, with a sleeveless blouse and the back tied with lots of strings. While Shaina had worn a simple short red dress and very minimum jewellery. Shaina looked so beautiful in that dress, and Riya had flattered Shaina for it. Though Shaina acknowledged Riya's compliments, Shaina didn't talk much with Riya. Riya had a feeling Shaina was avoiding her, but why she didn't know, and after the party she decided to ask Shaina about it.

Shaina on the other hand, was feeling jealous of Riya because of Rathore's liking her. Hence she had decided to stay away from Riya for some time. She hadn't wanted to even come in this party, but Dadi had somehow convinced her to come. She had worn the dress and the jewellery Rathore had gifted her on her last birthday. She hoped that seeing her in this could revive something in Rathore. However she also decided to stay away from Rathore because she didn't want to dampen his mood, since he was always angry when he saw her. So throughout the party, she avoided Rathore at all costs, while Rathore tried his best to approach her to ask her sorry. On the other hand, Riya's time was taken in looking out that Shaina was ok, and that Rathore was not insulting her. Little did she know that she herself was being observed since the first minute by someone else. that someone who waited till she was alone to approach her and asked her hand for dancing,

Riya's eyes had been continuously following Shaina everywhere she went, she felt responsible for Shaina, and she was ready to defend Shaina if Rathore ever insulted her. So she had been completely taken by surprise when Arjun came towards her and asked her to dance with him.

"Some other time, I'm looking at Shaina," Riya said and dismissed him.

"Well you can always look at her while dancing!" Arjun replied a bit irritated. He didn't waste anytime, grabbed Riya's hands and pulled her to the dance floor.

That's all for today.

Hope everyone like it as much as I liked writing this part.

I'm sorry I had wanted to write more on the party, but when I started to write on the case, I couldn't stop myself from going in more details. Hence the party started so late in this update. But I reassure everyone that I'll be concentrating more on the party in my next update.

Precap:

Ariya dance on a romantic tune( haven't decided on the song yet, I'm open for any suggestions, please PM me the song you want. I'll choose one for my next update.)

Rathore finally manages to catch on Shaina, but he's in a hell lot of surprise…

so how was it?

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