AsYa FF: Silk Ribbons - Chapter 3-10 Updated 10/26 P.11 - Page 8

Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport

As soon as she got off the plane, she knew she had to make some calls. The first number that she dialled was that of the person whom she trusted and loved like an elder brother.

"Rathore," he answered.

"I'm in Mumbai," she said to him. There was silence for a few seconds before he erupted on her.

"What? Why? Why didn't you tell me? You know it's not-."

"I'm feeling better, Sir. Besides, you can't hide the truth forever. The others will suspect something is up and you and I both know that after hearing the name in the news, he's not going to rest until he solves the case," she told Sameer.

"You're still weak. Really weak," he hissed at her.

"I know, but my research skills are still intact and I want to help him," she retorted.

"And Sir, don't worry. I won't be making a comeback into ETF with a bang. The time will come where you all will eventually come knocking at the door," she said to him.

"I trust you, but I don't trust him. He's got a temper and he can take rash decisions," Sameer told her over the phone.

"Arjun Suryakant Rawte never takes rash decisions. You and I both know that. I will be staying at my best friend's place. If you need to call me, you can call me on this number," she said to him.

"Your best friend?" Sameer asked confused.

"You'll find that she needs me more than anything right now," she replied.

"Take care of yourself," he told her before he hung up. She hailed a cab and told the driver the address. As the car sped along the roads of Mumbai, ex-ETF officer and research specialist Riya Mukherjee could only pray that the two of the most important people in her life wouldn't be harmed.

"I didn't tell you, did I?" Zoya asked Asad as they were walking down for lunch.

"Tell me what?" He asked.

"Remember how I told you about my best friend?" Zoya asked. Asad nodded as he remembered her talking about the women who took her in, her Prachi Maasi, and how her niece was her best friend.

"What about her?" He asked.

"Well, she's coming from Delhi and she'll be staying here with us. I asked Phuppi and she said it was okay but I still wanted to run it through with you," she said. Asad smiled at her softly and wound an arm around her waist, not noticing how she jerked slightly.

"If you've asked Ammi, then there really isn't a need to ask me," he said to her. Zoya smiled at him and hugged him quickly.

"When will she be getting here?" He asked.

"I already got a call from her, she's on her way here," Zoya said simply. Asad stared at her gobsmacked before he shook his head.

"What is the point of telling me on the day she's coming?" Asad asked dryly. Zoya chuckled and patted his head.

"Because I knew you wouldn't be able to say no if I tell you on the last minute," Zoya replied cheekily. Asad mock glared at her as she burst into giggles.

"Very funny," he said.

"Isn't it?" She asked. The two walked to the kitchen where Dilshad was finishing up preparing lunch.

"Zoya, could you please put this on the table?" Dilshad asked as she handed her a bowl of rice. Zoya made her way to the table and set the rice down. She glanced at Asad seated at the table, who was making a funny face staring at the plate. Zoya shook her head and went over to set his plate, cutlery, and serviette properly. She made sure to wipe the glass clean of any water droplets.

"Happy?" She asked once done.

"Very," he replied, smiling thankfully at her.

"Zoya call Najma as well. Lunch is ready," Dilshad said. Zoya called Najma and the younger Khan made her way to the table and sat down.

"Aren't you going to eat, Zoya?" Dilshad asked. Zoya shook her head.

"Phuppi, she'll be reaching here any moment and I don't want to eat now because otherwise I won't be able to eat with her," Zoya replied.

"Oh yes, let me know when she arrives. After all, she's your friend, so she must be a wonderful girl," Dilshad said. Zoya could only smile as she remembered her best friend.

As Zoya was cleaning up after everyone had eaten lunch, she felt strong arms snake around her waist and warm lips press against her throat.

"Stop running away from me," he whispered into her ear. Zoya smiled and turned around in his arm.

"I'm not," she whispered before he took her lips against his in a sensuous kiss.

"Mm, Mr. Khan," Zoya moaned as she tried to pull away. His kisses were intense and always left her feeling weak in the knees. He pulled away from her to quirk an eyebrow.

"Any complaints?" He asked, his deep voice sending a warm shiver down her spine. Zoya answered by pulling him down towards her lips.

"Stop talking," she whispered before their tongues intertwined in a heavy battle. As if on cue, the doorbell rang causing the two to pull away sharply.

"SHE'S HERE!" Zoya shouted and darted out of Asad's arm at the speed of light. He stared at his arms where he was just holding her milliseconds before and now was holding onto thin air. Asad looked up and watched her hair whip out of the kitchen as she dashed for the door.

Zoya threw open the door and stared at the person on the other side before squealing like a kid who had been told that Christmas had come early.

Arjun sat at his desk twirling his pen in his hands, his eyebrows furrowed as he read over the case files of JD and Danish. Zainab Farooqui. The name made headlines years ago when the newspaper heard about the factory fire.

"Arjun," a voice said. Arjun looked up to find Sakshi standing at the door of his cabin with his favourite cutting chai in her hands.

"Just leave it here and go," he told her, returning back to the files. Sakshi scrunched her nose but set it down at his table.

"Arjun, you've been reading these files for the last four hours, come on. Let's go have something to eat," she said. Arjun looked up at her with annoyance and Sakshi's winning smile faltered.

"The entire team is going," Sakshi corrected. Arjun sighed and set down his file.

"Fine," he muttered as he followed her out. They made their way to the ETF SUV's where the rest of the team was waiting. Liza and Shree were busy in their own quarrels when they arrived and one look from Arjun shut them up.

They made their way to a nearby restaurant and sat down for lunch. When the newspaper had released Sikander's name, Sakshi knew that Arjun would do anything to solve this case and she also knew that this was the time that he needed support. Though he didn't show it, Arjun was broken beyond repair and Sakshi was willing to do anything to help him.

Arjun's mind, however, was far from thinking about food. His mind kept reverting back to all the information he had about JD and Danish and their ties with Sikander. They were his right hand men. If anyone had the information he required about Sikander, then it was those two.

His thoughts were interrupted when Sameer's phone started to ring. Ever the vigilant cop, Arjun noticed how his former best-friend's face went slightly pasty. He excused himself from the table and walked out the restaurant to receive the call. Arjun too excused himself, feigning a call and walked out to find out.

"Thank god you're okay. If anything happens and if you need anything, let me know," Sameer said into the phone when Arjun appeared behind him. There was a pause before he let out a sigh.

"Rawte is fine. He's studying the crap out of those files taken from the vaults," he said. Arjun raised his eyebrow and crossed his arms in front of his chest as he cleared his throat. Sameer's body froze immediately at the sound. A few seconds ticked by before he spoke again.

"Yes. I'll talk to you later," he said before hanging up and turning around to face him.

"Do you want to tell me who you were talking to or should I ask Shree to track the call?" Arjun asked slyly. Sameer's eyes flashed and he grit his teeth.

"I am the chief of ETF and you are my second in command. Not the other way around. Stay in your limits," Sameer hissed at him.

"I will but you see, when someone enquires about me from you, you're remarks about me aren't exactly what we would call flattering," Arjun replied.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Sameer said before he brushed past him and back into the restaurant. Arjun watched his retreating back with a blank face. Although it had been years since they had spoken civilly to each other, Sameer hadn't changed at all and Arjun immediately knew that Sameer was hiding something from his last remark. It was an old habit of his. If he had something to hide, his remarks became sarcastic and he would flare up for no reason, something that he had seen happening for quite a while now. Especially since the last few days.

"Hide all you want, Rathore. But nothing can stay hidden from me for long," he said.

Arjun made his way back into the restaurant and took his seat. Lunch passed by without much but no one seemed to notice the cold glares that were being passed between the two senior officers.

"RIYA!" Zoya squealed as the two girls practically launched themselves into each other's arms giggling madly. They were meeting after such a long time and both had so much to catch up on.

Riya pulled back from Zoya and looked at her from head to toe before she smiled at her.

"You've changed, Zoya," Riya said, noticing a glow on her best friend's face.

"So have you!" Zoya retorted as she gave her another one-armed hug. Riya chuckled and the two hugged again.

Somebody cleared their throat and the two turned to look at Asad who stood watching the two with his arms folded behind his back. Riya looked at Zoya with confusion and Zoya smiled at her brightly.

"Mr. Khan, this is Riya. Riya Mukherjee. My best friend and sister for all purposes," Zoya introduced. Riya raised her eyebrow at Zoya and she just shrugged.

"Nice to meet you, Ms. Mukherjee," Asad said politely.

"Just Riya would be fine, Mr. Khan," Riya replied.

"Only if you call me Asad," Asad said smiling at her. Riya returned his smile and Asad did a double take at seeing another dimpled smile that could rival Zoya's. Zoya had seen his reaction and she chuckled before walking to him and holding his arm.

"She's a beautiful girl, Mr. Khan and she's my sister. If you do find her pretty trust me, I won't feel jealous at all," Zoya whispered. Asad rolled his eyes at her and kissed her forehead.

"Unfortunately my heart already belongs to you," he told her.

"As does mine to you," Zoya replied. Riya watched the interaction from afar and averted her gaze when she felt that she was witnessing a private moment. It hadn't taken her long to realise that there was something brewing between her sister and Asad. The way Zoya had said Mr. Khan was enough proof for her and although Riya had been scolded by her senior officer for being careless when it came to small things, the love between Zoya and Asad was too strong to be ignored.

Even amidst it, Riya couldn't help but feel a small heart-ache at seeing their love. For Riya, wishing for love was like wishing for a Mithril ring. It was impossible. She was now a weakling left to wander the plains of life alone. No mother, no father, no family left except for Zoya. Then the man she loved, the man she loved would never even look at her twice.

Zoya had seen Riya's crestfallen face and she pulled away from Asad to walk to her. She placed a hand on her shoulder and Riya jerked out of her thoughts and smiled ruefully.

"What happened?" Zoya asked.

"Nothing, I'm just so happy to see you again," Riya said, covering up her grief with ease. At least her police training came in handy some time or another.

"Riya, if you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask. Zoya, I have a few things to do. If you need me, I'll be in my room," Asad said, hoping that she would get the hint to come see him later.

Zoya, however, was too busy in the excitement of the arrival of her best friend that she didn't get the hint and only nodded with a smile as he left the two alone.

"Freshen up, I'll get the food ready," Zoya said. Riya started to protest but Zoya waved her off.

"I've been waiting for your arrival so that I can have lunch too," Zoya said. After hearing this Riya sighed and nodded. Zoya showed her the guestroom and then left her to freshen up.

Riya looked around her room. It was spacious and had a simple yet an excellent decor. The cream walls clashed exquisitely against the brown shades of the mahogany furniture. She looked out the window and found the view that peered out towards the vast Indian Ocean and awarded her with a subtle breeze.

Riya sat her stuff down and sat down at the foot of the bed, digging out her phone and dialling Sameer's number.

"Have you reached? Have you had something to eat? What about your medications?" He started firing questions at her without taking a single breath or giving her the chance to speak.

"Sir," Riya started.

"Don't forget your medicines, what ever you do."

"Sir."

"If you feel any form of discomfort or pain or any weakness, call me immediately or let your friend know."

"BHAI!" Riya yelled when he refused to listen to her. She knew it was the only way he would shut up and it worked for Sameer fell silent immediately. Thank god for the fact he considered her his little sister, otherwise she'd be dead for having yelled at him.

"Thank you! Yes, I've reached. I'm about to go have lunch. I have all my medicines with me. I won't forget. I will let you know. Now will you just relax?" Riya asked.

"Thank god you're okay. If anything happens and if you need anything, let me know," he repeated. Riya chuckled softly before the reason why she had really called hit her.

"How is he holding up?" Riya asked. There was a sigh from the other end before he told her that he was fine. Riya heard someone clear their throat and when the line went silent, she immediately knew who it was.

"I'll call later," she replied before she hung up the phone. She held it to her chest as she stared down at the ground. Oh god, what had she done to deserve this? The sudden desire to see him again coursed through her, just to see if he was okay. She knew the reaction it caused whenever the name "Sikander" was mentioned to him.

"You haven't freshened up yet! Lunch is ready," Zoya said as she appeared beside her. Riya looked up at her chirpy friend and sighed.

"I had to make a few calls," Riya said. Zoya knew that something was up but she didn't press.

"Come on, let's go have lunch."

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Asad sat in his study wondering what to do. He had made an excuse of work just so that Zoya and Riya could have time to catch up and now he was at a total loss for what to do. He fiddled around on his laptop and got bored to the point where he started to play Minecraft.

Asad sighed and leaned back. His gaze then fell on the morning newspaper. Picking it up her read the bold headlines again.

"If JD and Danish are truly out in the open, Zoya's life is in danger," Asad thought aloud. He had to do something and since ETF was working on the case, Asad realised it was high time that he went calling on old friends. Picking up his phone, he found the number he was looking for and called.

Two rings, three rings.

"ACP Rawte," he answered.

"It's good to hear from you again," Asad said solemnly. There was silence on the other end before a deep sigh was heaved.

"What do you want, Asad?" Arjun asked. Asad raised his eyebrow.

"What, is that the latest trend for greeting old friends?" He asked.

"I don't have time for games, just spit it out," Arjun snapped.

"You've lost Sam, Juno. You're not losing me that easily. Sam may hold you responsible for Roshni's death but I don't," Asad said firmly. "The quicker you realise that, the better."

Again, there was silence before Arjun spoke up again. This time, his voice was much more civil, though still hard.

"I've lost all hope from life, Asad," Arjun said. Asad clenched his eyes shut tightly.

His two best friends, Sameer and Arjun had helped him along his life after his father's betrayal. Asad had been on the road to recovery and wouldn't have been so uptight had that fateful day not taken place. The day of Roshni's murder changed their friendship. Arjun became cold-hearted and vengeful and the cold war between Sameer and him separated all three friends. Asad hadn't only lost his best friends, but he had lost his brothers. Their broken friendship caused changes within everyone. Asad reverted back to his old self, quiet with pent up anger, while the other two had wiped any form of smiles and fun from their life then disappeared. They came together briefly at Roshni's funeral but even then, the three had spoken not a single word to each other, only mused for the loss of a good friend and wife then parted to never see each other again.

Zoya had been his angel and she brought him back. He started to feel again, the same feelings that had gotten lost within him arose after years since his friendship with Sameer and Arjun broke. Asad Ahmed Khan started to live again. And if anyone tried to take his life from him, Asad wouldn't rest peacefully.

"I did too," Asad replied.

"I'm sure you haven't called for a musing session. Tell me, what's bothering you?" Arjun asked. Although they hadn't talked for years, Arjun couldn't forget his best friends. How could he? A boy who had been disowned by his parents because he dreamt to serve the country had found a family in the form of Sameer Damsingh Rathore and Asad Ahmed Khan. How could he forget his family? How could anyone forget their family?

"Did you read the headlines?" Asad asked.

"I'm the second in command of ETF, I always know the headlines," Arjun retorted.

"JD and Danish," Asad said. There was silence on the other end before Arjun spoke up again.

"How do you know them?" Arjun asked slowly. His heart had skipped a beat when he heard the two names. After several years Arjun had found a lead on Sikander.

"I don't, but someone else does," Asad replied. Arjun sat up straighter in his seat.

"Who?" Asad heaved a sigh. If Zoya required protection, ETF would need to know the whole story, beginning to end.

"Juno, I need you to come over with your team, specially Sam. There's something that you both should know," Asad replied.

"When?" Was the only reply he got and Asad knew that Zoya's protection deal had just been signed.

"Come over tomorrow," Asad replied and told him the address.

"And Juno," Asad said before Arjun could end the call. "Take care of yourself."

ETF Headquarters

Arjun ended the call and threaded his fingers together and placed his chin on them. The phone call from Asad had given him a ray of hope at finding his wife's murderer.

"Sir," Shree's voice interrupted his thoughts and Arjun looked up at the tech expert.

"Sir, I've checked the call records but haven't found anything that could be remotely suspicious," Shree told him.

"Nothing at all?" Arjun asked.

"No Sir. Every call that was made was either made to family or was work related. Nothing out of the ordinary," Shree replied. Arjun nodded and got up to make his way over to the conference room where the rest of the team, minus Liza who was in the laboratory, was discussing the case.

"I've been contacted by someone who might have information about Danish and JD," Arjun said as he sat down on his chair on the rectangular conference table.

"Who?" Rathore asked.

"You'll find out tomorrow. He's asked us to visit him so that he can provide us with the details face-to-face rather than on the phone," Arjun replied coolly.

Rathore was about to say something but his phone rang and glancing at the caller ID, he let it go and instead said, "We'll see what we can find tomorrow."

Arjun watched his retreating back as he spoke on the phone. Arjun didn't know why but he had a very strong feeling that the ETF Chief was hiding something. The only question was, what?

"I've been noticing a few things, Ri," Zoya said as they finished eating. Riya looked at her questioningly.

"Ri, are you feeling okay?" Zoya asked. Riya smiled and nodded.

"Then why all these medicines? Why the sudden weight loss?" Zoya asked. Riya's smile faltered. She wondered what to tell Zoya about the bacteria incident. How would she tell her sister that she had been snatched from the hands of death at the last minute?

"It's nothing, Zoya. I just fell ill a few days ago and that's why," Riya explained. Zoya opened her mouth to say something but Riya barrelled onwards.

"But I could say the same about you. You've changed, Zoe. You look different, I mean you've got this...glow...about your face," Riya said as her eyes narrowed. Zoya jerked and her back went rigid as she let out a laugh.

"Riya, I'm naturally a glowing a person. What's so wrong about that?" Zoya asked letting out a chuckle. The two girls laughed before they were interrupted by Asad's arrival.

"How are you finding things, Riya?" Asad asked politely.

"Wonderful. Your house is beautiful," Riya replied smiling brightly at him.

"Of course it is, he designed it himself," Zoya supplied. Riya's mouth formed and O' before she giggled.

"You know Asad, when we were younger, Zoe always used to say, "If I ever get married, it will be to an architect." I used to ask her why and she would reply that if she married an architect, he would build her the house of her dreams," Riya told him. Asad chuckled and glanced at Zoya who had turned slightly pink and had shoved Riya as she was laughing.

"Looks like your prayers were heard. I haven't known him for long but seeing the love you two share, I can guarantee that he would build you a castle if you said so," Riya said. Asad looked at Riya in surprise and Riya smile back at him.

"It doesn't take an expert to see that you two are in love," Riya answered his unasked question.

"Did you need something, Mr. Khan?" Zoya asked.

"I wanted to talk to you for a minute," Asad replied. Zoya glanced at Riya and Riya got the hint and stood up.

"I'll head to my room and will try to catch up on some sleep. See you both later," Riya said as she made her way to her room leaving Asad and Zoya to themselves.

"Kya hua?" Zoya asked. Asad replied by circling his fingers around her upper arm and pulling her up against him, his lips crashing against hers in a kiss. Zoya gasped in surprise and was awarded with his tongue slipping into her mouth.

"Yeh hua," Asad replied pulling back from her. Zoya frowned at him and shoved him slightly before he led her to his study.

"Zoya, I've invited an old friend over tomorrow," Asad informed her. Zoya nodded as she made herself comfortable on the couch placed next to the large glass window that overlooked the Indian Ocean.

Zoya had first been hesitant for the move but the moment she had stepped foot into the mansion in Mumbai, she had fallen in love. It was situated right along the Indian Ocean and had the most beautiful view that anyone could've ever asked for. When she had found his study, the large glass window and the couch in front of it had become her favourite place to relax.

There would be times where Asad would come home and work in his study and to avoid being away from him for so long, she would slip into his study and lay down on the couch, appeased with the knowledge that he was a mere three feet away from her.

Asad watched her as she spread out on the couch and stretched, a yawn falling from her lips. He couldn't help but smile at her. Since he had heard the confirmation of Sameer, Arjun, and their team's arrival the next day, Asad had felt that a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He would be meeting his two best friends after such a long time and he wouldn't have to worry too much about Zoya's safety if Arjun and Sameer were around.

"Hey, where are you lost?" Zoya voice shook him out of his reverie and Asad took a seat next to her.

"Nowhere. Just wanted to spend time with you," he said to her. Zoya smiled and hugged him from the side.

"I'm all yours," she said to him. Asad kissed the top of her head gently and the two lovebirds entwined their fingers and started to converse about things that were best left to their ears only.

Riya woke up from her sleep and checked the time. 7:30. Sitting up she stretched and let out a soft yawn. She picked up the phone, her brows shooting up when she saw the five missed calls from Sameer. Knowing that he would be upset if he didn't contact her soon, Riya dialled his number.

"Hello?" A voice answered.

Riya froze with her mouth halfway open to say "Rathore Sir" when she heard the voice of a female.

"Hello?" The woman asked again. Riya didn't know whether to answer or not. She was under orders from the ETF Chief to refrain from contacting any of the members of ETF until her health had fully recovered.

"Look, if you don't want to talk then don't call," the woman said sharply.

"Ayesha?" Riya heard Sameer's voice and then a gasp.

"I don't think so, Sir," Ayesha said as she sat in front of her boss.

"Am I the only one that believes Danish and JD did all this?" Sameer asked incredulously as he stared from Ayesha to Sakshi. The two had come to tell him that although the couple was newlywed, the families from both sides weren't consenting and the two had broken all ties with them and eloped.

"Well, if you really want to know, then yes. You are," Sakshi said smiling cheekily. Sameer rolled his eyes and stood up.

"I'm going to head to talk to Shree and find out whether or not the families have been contacted. You two head to Liza's lab and see what she has to say," he ordered them before he left them.

A few seconds after he had left his phone started to ring. Ayesha picked it up and was about to go after him before Sakshi stopped her and glared at her.

"Excuse me, Mrs. Soon-to-be Rathore, I do feel that you have every right to pick up his phone," Sakshi stated. Ayesha almost smacked her but settled for glaring at her.

"Are you mad? Where the hell did the whole "soon-to-be" come from? He's my boss, Sakshi," Ayesha hissed at her.

"Just pick up the damn phone," Sakshi said as she grabbed it and answered the call, pushing it into Ayesha's hand. Ayesha glared at her icily but held the phone to her ear.

"Hello?" She said. There was silence on the other end of the line.

"Hello?" Ayesha repeated, her frustration seeping through. Her anger flared when the person on the other end refused to talk and she blew up.

"Look, If you don't want to talk then don't call," she snapped.

"Ayesha?" Ayesha's blood went cold as his voice penetrated her ears. Sakshi gasped and stumbled back. Ayesha turned around to face the ETF Chief whose face went from confusion to anger when he saw his phone in her hands.

Ayesha ended the call and stared at him with fear in her eyes. This was the first time that the dabangg lady cop had ever felt fear in her life and her hands started to shake.

"Sakshi, out," he hissed and Sakshi obeyed him immediately, throwing her an apologetic look as she went.

"What. Is the meaning of this?" He growled at her.

"Sir, I-I," Ayesha stuttered not knowing what to say. He snatched the phone from her hands and looked at the number. His face went pale but his eyes were alit with anger.

"OUT!" He roared and Ayesha scrambled out of his office, thanking the God that she hadn't received anything much harsher.

Sameer's heart was beating frantically as he dialled the last call. If Ayesha found out...He didn't even want to think of the consequences.

"Hello?" She answered in a shaky voice.

"Riya, it's me!" Sameer replied. He heard her exhale thankfully and she let out a nervous chuckle.

"That was a close one, Sir. Say, who was the lady that picked up the call?" Riya asked, a hint of amusement hidden in her voice.

"Ayesha Kapoor. She's the ammunition expert here at ETF," Sameer told her as he shut the door to his office and went to sit at his desk.

"Ammunition expert? We didn't have one of those when I was there," Riya noted.

"A lot has changed," he said absentmindedly before he cringed. The line was silent for a while before she spoke again. Sameer heard the resignation and sorrow in her voice as she spoke.

"A lot has changed," she agreed. The two were silent as they mused. Things had definitely changed since Riya's accident. ETF had shifted offices, new members were introduced to the team, and the cases were getting rather intriguing and demanding day by day. The one thing, rather the one person, that hadn't changed was the second in command of ETF. If it would please, his anger was getting worse and worse with every passing moment and Sameer was having difficulty figuring out what to do.

"Sir," Riya's voice broke through his thoughts and Sameer shook his head before he replied.

"I heard about the double homicide in Lokhandwala Complex," Riya said. "Any news on that?"

"Nothing so far. The crime was organised and they were smart with cleaning up evidence," Sameer informed her.

"They?" She asked.

"I'm highly suspicious that it was a duo," Sameer said.

"JD and Danish?"

"Exactly."

"Have you found out anything about the victims?" Riya wondered.

"Just that they married against their parents' wishes," he replied.

"Sir, statistically speaking, in murders that involve a couple who have married without consent, 85% of the time the family is the main culprit," Riya said. Sameer couldn't help but smile as she rambled on with her statistics. This was their Riya. Or Miss. Statistics, as some had taken to calling her.

"Riya," a voice on the other line said.

"I'll call tomorrow," Riya told him before she bid adieu and hung up. Sameer set the phone down and then called Shree into his cabin.

"Where's Ayesha?" He asked.

"Sakshi and her are with Liza," Shree replied. Sameer kept his cool and nodded before dismissing Shree. He looked at the clock and sighed. 8:30. They were only at the beginning of the case and things were seriously getting complicated.

Arjun didn't know why he was doing this but for some reason, after he had talked to Asad, he felt lighter. He didn't know if it was the fact that one out two of his best friends still trusted him and didn't call him a killer that soothed him or the fact that tomorrow he would be getting a step closer to Sikander.

"Arjun."

Arjun refrained from rolling his eyes as Sakshi stepped into his cabin. He honestly had no idea why Rathore kept her in the office. She was an ex-journalist for heaven's sake with zero police training.

"Tea?" She asked smiling brightly at him.

"No," he replied sharply. Sakshi shrugged and pulled out her thermos where she kept his cutting chai and served him.

"I noticed something," she said. Arjun turned his chair to face her and raised an eyebrow.

"Really? Pray tell, what has Ms. Sakshi Anand noticed?" He asked sarcastically. Sakshi blinked but settled herself by leaning back and crossing her arms over her chest.

"A bride always talks to her parents after her wedding," she said as a matter of factly. Arjun rolled his eyes and stood up, leaning down so that his palms were resting on the flat of his desk.

"Sakshi, if only you noticed things that were actually related to the case, then maybe I would've given your judgements a second thought," he said to her. Sakshi stood up and mimicked his pose.

"And if you noticed things that were relevant to me, you'd realise that this is related to the case," she said poking him in the chest. His brows furrowed in confusion and Sakshi smiled brightly before she winked at him and disappeared. Arjun stared at the door, his sharp mind already working on the riddle she left him with.

With a mind like his, it didn't take long for the light bulb to go on and Arjun was soon storming down the halls to where Shree was sitting surrounded with screens that held various types of information.

"Shree."

"Sir."

"Which were the most commonly dialled numbers by the two?" Arjun asked.

"Sir the calls that were made were mostly to their family members and work related. Both Neha and Kapil talked for long hours to their parents almost every night," Shree told him as he picked up the call details he had printed earlier in the day.

"That would be normal if they hadn't broken ties with their families," Arjun said. Shree looked up at him as Arjun met his gaze.

"Call them to the conference room," Arjun ordered.

Riya had taken a quick shower and had pulled on blue jeans and a grey button up full sleeved shirt with the top few buttons open to reveal the soft violet vest she was wearing underneath. Brushing her ebony hair and pinning it out of her face, she made her way down towards the dining area.

As she entered she found an elderly woman and a young girl, a few years younger than herself, placing food on the table.

"Riya beta," the woman said as she spotted her coming towards them. Riya was surprised for a few seconds before she realised that Zoya must've told them about her arrival.

"Hello Aunty," Riya said politely.

"Please beta, if Zoya calls me Phuppi then you also call me Phuppi," Dilshad said as she came over and hugged Riya warmly.

"Thank you Phuppi," Riya replied smiling brightly.

"Wow, Riya. Your smile can seriously take on Zoya's," Najma said as she came over and hugged her too. Riya only laughed as she returned the hug.

"I tell her that all the time," Zoya said as Asad and her walked into the dining area.

"Hush you," Riya said as the entire family sat down for dinner. Riya looked around herself at the happy family. This was what she had wanted since the beginning, a loving and caring family who would always be there to support her. She'd lost her parents in a car accident when she was very young. Her grandmother took care of her and after she passed away, her Prachi Maasi took her in. That was when she had met Zoya.

Soon after Zoya had left with her Aapi and Jiju, Riya threw herself into her studies and got into a police academy where she was trained in martial arts. Her training however wasn't as successful in the shooting department for Riya was yet to overcome her fear of ever being able to shoot anyone. Whenever she thought about that one man that she had shot in the head, her disgust would arise and Riya would start to feel disgusted with herself for taking a life.

Riya's eyes then fell on Asad and Zoya. A small smile touched her lips as she saw the two exchanging glances over the table. But that smile vanished when she thought about her own life. How she had fallen in love with a man who was impossible to break, Riya had no idea. It was an unrequited love that she had harboured for the last two years. Hell, she hadn't told anyone about him, not even Zoya.

Zoya, although had half her mind focussed on Asad, was watching Riya from the corner of her eye. There was an array of emotions that were passing over the Bengali beauty's face. Sorrow, happiness, shyness, determination, then back to sorrow. Zoya hadn't met Riya since the age of fifteen and today, 10 years later, Zoya could tell something big had happened that caused such a drastic change in the chirpy Riya Mukherjee. What? She didn't know. But she was Zoya Farooqui and Zoya Farooqui could do anything. If that meant digging into her best friend's life, so be it.

"Riya, where are you originally from?" Najma asked as they ate.

"Kolkata," Zoya replied immediately.

"Ms. Farooqui. Is your name Riya?" Asad asked from where he was sitting. Zoya narrowed her eyes at him and he rolled his eyes at her. Riya chuckled at the exchange and looked at Najma.

"What she said," she replied. Najma and Dilshad laughed and they got up having finished with dinner.

"Ammi, I'm having a few guests over tomorrow. They'll be here by ten," Asad said as they were cleaning up.

"That's no problem. You can attend to the guests while the Najma, Zoya, and I head to a Qur'aan Khawani at Mehjabeen's place," Dilshad said.

"Woh...Actually..." Asad started his usual stutter causing Zoya to smack her palm against her forehead.

"There he goes again," she muttered darkly under her breath.

"Ammi, woh, I was wondering if Zoya could stay back. I wanted them to meet Zoya," Asad said. Dilshad stopped what she was doing and looked at him before she smiled and nodded.

"No problem, then Najma and I will go," Dilshad said.

Asad sighed in thankfulness and smiled at Zoya who stuck her tongue out at him. He frowned at her and she immediately sucked her tongue back in and smiled innocently at him.

As they departed, Riya wondered whether she should stay home tomorrow if there were guests coming over. After pondering the thought, she made her way to Dilshad's room and knocked lightly on the door.

"Come in," Dilshad replied. Riya pushed the door open and entered the room.

"Phuppi, I was wondering if I could accompany you and Najma to the Qur'aan Khawani tomorrow?" Riya said as she twiddled her thumbs.

"Of course. Forgive me for not asking earlier, my dear," Dilshad said looking apologetic.

"Please Phuppi. Don't apologize. It's just that I think I would prefer to go out rather than stay at home tomorrow," Riya replied.

"Have you never visited Mumbai?" Dilshad asked. Riya was silent as her thoughts wandered to the numerous cases she had spent working on in this city. No, Mumbai was her home. She knew every nook and cranny of this city. She knew the major drug cartels, the areas where the drug lords were situated before the police raid, the gun traffickers high point. Riya knew the city inside out.

"No," she replied.

(c)Copyright ShieldsMistress

All Rights Reserved. No part of this written piece may be reproduced without ShieldsMistress' expressed consent. For permission requests, write to the author.

"There is a link," Arjun said as he leaned down and looked around at his team members.

"Ayesha had told me that Kapil and Neha married without their parents' consent and that they broke all their ties with the families before they eloped. If this was the case, then why were they calling their parents every night and talking to them for several hours?" Arjun asked. The team members looked at each other, save for Sakshi, who was beaming like the Cheshire cat.

"Sakshi, he's not handing out chocolates so stop smiling," Shree hissed in her ear. Sakshi shook her head and continued smiling. Chhotu glanced at Shree with a look that said "She's mental."

"Sakshi, dekho beta, if Arjun Sir sees you smiling like this then he's going to lose his temper and we're going to lose a good night's sleep. So, stop. Smiling," Shree hissed at her. Sakshi glared at him before she returned her gaze to Arjun.

"Would you like to add something, Ms. Sakshi Anand?" Arjun asked after sighing. He'd noticed her smile and he had been ignoring it for the last five minutes. He'd spoken when he couldn't take it no more.

Shree and Chhotu smacked their foreheads and shook their heads at her. But Sakshi being Sakshi only needed an opportunity to tease Arjun and smiled ever wider.

"I didn't know you valued my opinion so much, Arjun," Sakshi said grinning at him. Arjun blinked at her as Ayesha and Liza sniggered.

"Well, let's call it a day Sameer. We've got to meet the parents tomorrow as well as go with Arjun to his informer," Sakshi said standing up and packing her bag. Sameer agreed and he shut the file he was working on.

"Bye. Bye Arjun," Sakshi said as she blew him a kiss and winked at him before departing in giggles. Ayesha and Liza had to stuff their fists into their mouths to stop themselves from laughing while Shree and Chhotu had gone pale as they spotted Arjun's enraged face.

"That's enough," Sameer's voice boomed causing everyone to go silent.

"We'll meet here at seven for a briefing and then head out at nine," Sameer said as he got up and left.

Arjun made his way to his SUV and slid into it before driving to Ravi Lodge. He had simply refused to go back to the home Roshni and him had shared ever since the night of her murder. There were too many memories of her and if he went back, he would lose himself to his mind.

As he sat down at his desk at the lodge, he pulled open the drawer to pull out JD and Danish's files when his eyes fell on something. Setting the files down on the top of the desk, he pulled out the slightly dusty dark blue diary. Arjun stared at it for a few seconds before he swiped the dust clean and opening to the first page.

"Property of Riya Mukherjee" was written neatly in the centre. Turning the pages, he found several notes that were scrawled in a hurry regarding the first case that they worked on together in which Sheen had been kidnapped. Arjun's fingers traced the writing on the paper, the knowledge that her hand had slid across this page as she wrote caused a painful clench in his chest and Arjun let out a deep shaky breath. He flipped a few pages over and found an entry dated September 1, 2012.

Dear Diary,

The feeling of seeing him walk into the venue at Kalki Devi's place is indefinable. I don't know why but seeing him in the black suit, looking sharp as he always does, made my heart flip. This has never happened before. I have never had this reaction to any man in my entire life. There's just something about him that draws me to him. What? I don't know.

God, what are the ethical issues of falling for your boss? It's some sort of a stereotype. Except that I'm not his secretary nor am I in any form worthy of a man like him. I can't even shoot a bull's eye on a dartboard for heaven's sake! And he can shoot mid-air while not looking and still hit a bull's eye.

And then that idiot Shree. Why did he have to say anything about Arjun Sir being my husband? Didn't he know? Aur phir Arjun Sir, he didn't even listen to me when I tried to explain. He never listens to me. It wasn't even my fault that that kid was after me. What's happening in my life right now? It's all a jumble of mess. I can't think straight; I can't do anything without having my mind revert back to him.

What do I do?

Arjun reached the end of the entry and shut the diary. He shut his eyes tightly and ran a hand through his hair. Why was he feeling like this now? Why was he feeling for a woman who had been dead for over a year? Arjun growled before he slammed the diary on the desk top and stood up roughly, sending his chair crashing to the ground.

"Damn you, Riya Mukherjee. Get out of my head," he hissed to the silence of his room.

"Ouch!" Riya gasped as the steel blade of the knife penetrated the skin of her thumb.

"Riya! Careful!" Asad had just grabbed himself a glass of water and was heading back when he heard Riya's gasp of pain. He turned around in time to see her drop the knife that she was slicing the apple with in alarm as blood rushed down her finger. Asad quickly made his way over to her and took her hand in his to run it under the water.

Riya felt tears sting her eyes as the water burned the fresh wound on her thumb. She had been shot in the arm once but for some reason, this was much more painful.

"Let me get the first aid box," Asad said as he headed out.

"No, Asad. It's okay. It'll heal on its own," Riya protested but he sent her a glare and she fell silent.

Three minutes later she was sitting at the table as Asad dressed her wound. He applied an antiseptic on the wound and blew on it when she let out a sharp hiss of pain.

"Is it really hurting that much?" Asad asked when he noticed a teardrop fall from her eyes. Riya hastily brushed it away and Asad smiled as Zoya's face came to mind. When she got hurt and started to cry, she would brush away her tears before Asad or anyone else could see and Riya was just the same.

"It's hurting beyond words this time," Riya said absentmindedly. Assuming that she had injured herself in a chopping incident before, Asad only smiled gently at her before he decided to tease her.

"Ammi always says that if you injure yourself with a knife, it's because someone has deprecated you in your absence," Asad remarked. Riya tensed up for a second and this didn't go amiss by Asad who looked up at her and was alarmed to see the colour drain from her face.

"Hey, hey. I'm joking, relax," he said gently placing a hand on her shoulder. She visibly relaxed but her face was still pallid while her gaze was slightly hazy.

"So, Zoya has spoken about you a lot. But she never told me what your occupation is," Asad said as he shut the lid to the first aid box.

"Well I used to be in the Eme-."

"Riya! What happened to your hand?" Zoya said as she came in and saw the bandage on Riya's hand. Zoya looked at Asad sharply and he held his hands up in mock defense.

"I promise I had nothing to do with it," he said. Riya chuckled and patted the seat next to her for Zoya to come and sit.

"Relax, it was just a minor chopping incident," Riya said. Zoya raised her eyebrow and then smiled.

"If you injure yourself with a knife, it's because someone has deprecated you in your absence," Zoya said. Asad and Riya burst into laughter and Zoya's face morphed into that of confusion.

"What?"
"Well now that you both have said, someone most definitely has castigated me in my absence," Riya said jokingly. If only she knew that her Arjun Sir had definitely given her a bad press.

Zoya lay in her bed drawing patterns on the bed sheet. She was humming softly to "Ho Hey" and didn't hear her door open and close. An arm wound around her waist and Zoya smiled and rolled over to hug Asad around the waist tightly.

"Thank you," she said after a while. He looked down at her questioningly and Zoya leaned up to kiss his cheek softly.

"For helping Riya," she said. Asad chuckled and pecked her lips.

"You know, she's just like you. Strong, independent," he said. Zoya smiled and nodded.

"Part of the reason why we get along so well. Riya and I used to steal mangoes from a neighbouring house," Zoya said giggling.

"It used to be so much fun. Gayatri Aunty always had to chase us down the street after we stole her mangoes, but that never stopped us," she continued.

"If I cannot stop you, I can only imagine what it must have been for her to handle the two of you together," Asad said. Zoya laughed but soon her smile slid off her face and Asad noticed it immediately.

"Hey, what's wrong?" He asked nudging her nose with his.

"Mr. Khan, I've been noticing something about her. She's changed. She's not the same Riya anymore. She's quieter and spends most of her time listening than speaking," Zoya said frowning. Asad sighed and sat up. Zoya sat up and looked at him as well.

"Ms. Farooqui, you last saw her a decade ago. Things have got to change over the course of ten years. You were children back then, now you're adults. Obviously changes will happen," Asad explained in a soothing tone.

"But not to this extent," Zoya muttered under her breath.

"Sleep, I'm here for another fifteen minutes before I head to the study to finish up a few things," he said as he lay back down and gathered her into his arms.

"Mmm, good night," Zoya mumbled as she found solace in the warmth of his embrace.

The next day found Riya and Zoya sitting at the breakfast table chatting amicably. Zoya was dressed in blue jeans and a loose black full-sleeved shirt while Riya was dressed in a long blue georgette and brocade anarkali suit that included a pink border with golden work on the waist and hem.

Zoya was admiring the suit while Riya was telling her how she had decided to add more indian clothing to her wardrobe.

"I don't wear them too often," Zoya said.

"I know you don't but I've seen you're wardrobe Zoya, it's filled with sarees and suits," Riya said.

"Riya beta, are you ready?" Dilshad asked as she appeared in the dining room.

"Yes Phuppi, I'm ready," Riya said. Zoya looked between the two with confusion before she voiced her thoughts.

"Where are you two going?" Zoya asked.

"Riya, Najma, and I are going to the Qur'an Khawani at Mehjabeen's house," Dilshad told Zoya.

"Why are you taking Riya with you? I won't be able to spend time with her!" Zoya protested.

"Zoe, I asked to go and besides, Asad and you need to meet a few people. You'll be busy with guests so what's the need for my presence?" Riya asked placing a hand on her shoulder.

"But," Zoya started to protest but then fell silent not knowing what to say and partially because Riya did have a point.

"I'll see you later," Riya said as Dilshad, Najma, and her made their way to the entrance and out the door.

"Did I just hear Riya leaving as well?" Asad asked as he came into the dining room fixing the button of his white button up shirt.

"Apparently she wanted to go because she knew that I would become busy with your guests and she won't have anything to do. She has a point," Zoya grumbled. Asad sat down next to her and tapped her shoulder. Zoya looked up at him dully.

"Good morning to you too," he sighed. Zoya turned her head away before she froze and turned her head back and then smiled at him, leaning in to kiss him good morning.

"Good morning," she said sweetly, giggling as Asad kissed her again.

"Cut it out, your guests will be here soon," Zoya said as he continued to shower her face with kisses.

"It's eight, they'll come at ten. We've got two hours to waste," he told her in the midst of kissing her jawline.

"Mr. Khan," Zoya said as she gently pushed against him. He encircled his fingers around her wrist and kissed the inside of her wrist wringing out a shudder from her.

"What?"

"Breakfast?" She asked as she held a plate full of bread and jam. Asad looked at the plate then at her before he started to laugh. Zoya joined him and the two laughed and enjoyed their breakfast like any couple deeply in love would.

True to their words, as soon as the clock chimed ten-o-clock, the doorbell rang. Asad and Zoya were sitting in the study room, Asad was sprawled across the sofa with his head in Zoya's lap as she played with his hair and told him stories about her and Riya's childhood together, with the occasional kissed thrown in here and there.

Zoya watched Asad get up from her lap and disappear through door as he went to answer the door. In the meantime Zoya fixed the cushions that had been disturbed from their original location and mentally chuckled.

He's rubbing off on me. Zoya thought sweetly.

Asad opened the door and was greeted with the sight of his two best friends. After a long time, Asad's heart felt heavy. His two best friends were right here. Right here standing before him. The only thing missing was the smile. Both of them had looks of arrogance and determination on their faces and Asad felt a pang of sorrow when they made no reaction to seeing him again whatsoever.

"Come on in," he said as he stepped aside to let them through. Asad watched as the two made their way into the house followed by five other people, three females and two males.

"Shreekanth Sen," the boy with the curly hair and spectacles said as he held out his hand for him to shake. Asad shook his hand and smiled warmly at him.

"I've heard about your company, Mr. Khan. You've made great progress over the years," Shree said excitedly.

"Thank you," Asad replied politely. One by one each of the five introduced themselves and Asad welcomed them into his home. It was only when they had finished introducing themselves that Arjun finally spoke.

"We're not here for a tea party, get to work," Arjun said. Asad looked at him before he sighed and turned back to the other five.

"Come on in and make yourselves comfortable," he said as he lead them to the living room area. The five sat down but Sameer and Arjun remained standing.

"I promise I haven't put any needles in the couches," Asad said as he remembered one of his college memories with his mates where the had stuffed needles in one of the professor's seat and had ended up getting away with it. Asad could've sworn that he saw a flicker of something in both his best friends' eyes but it was gone before he could even identify it. Sighing deeply, he smiled at the other five.

"Welcome," he said. "Let me get something made for you."

The five smiled back at him generously as Asad made the offering of food and tea to them.

"Himakshi Bai," Asad called for his house help immediately.

"Leave it Mr. Khan. Himakshi Bai is busy with the cleaning so I'll prepare something," Zoya said as she walked into the room.

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All Rights Reserved. No part of this written piece may be reproduced without ShieldsMistress' expressed consent. For permission requests, write to the author.

Asad smiled at her and held out a hand for her. She took it and was pulled close to his side as he turned his head to look at the two men that were standing.

"This is Zoya," he said, stopping himself from adding "your Bhabhi" to his sentence.

"And this is Sameer Damsingh Rathore, Chief of the Emergency Task Force and Arjun Suryakant Rawte, the Second in Command of ETF," Asad said after introducing everyone to her. Zoya smiled at the two men politely, noticing how one of them stiffened slightly.

"Mr. Rawte, are you okay?" Zoya asked, her smile faltering.

Arjun's mind had gone hazy when Zoya had smiled at him. Immediately a girl's face had erupted in his mind's eye, the face of a girl who was smiling and laughing with Shree, her dimple appearing on her cheeks and acting predator to anyone who dared to look upon her smiling.

"Goddammit," he hissed as he turned his back to her. Sameer knew the reason for his reaction; even he had been surprised to see a smile that reminded him of a certain dimpled doll.

"We've come here for work, Mr. Khan, it's best that we get what we need," Arjun said through gritted teeth. Asad felt a pang in his heart when he heard himself being referred to so formally from one of his best friends and he pulled Zoya closer to him, drawing her strength in him.

"Mr. Khan, why are there police officers here in the first place?" Zoya asked looking up at him. Zoya was shocked when she saw his broken expression that soon morphed into the stoic mask of the businessman that she had often seen. She entwined her fingers with his and looked up at him.

"Zoya, they're here to ask you about what you know about JD and Danish," Asad said. Zoya's eyes widened a fraction before she turned to look at Sameer and Arjun's back.

"Why?" She croaked.

"Look, Mrs. Khan, ple-."

"Ms. Farooqui, actually," Asad corrected Ayesha as she spoke up. Ayesha faltered but composed herself and cleared her throat again.

"Ms. Farooqui, please don't hesitate. Whatever information you have for us will only help us catch those killers," Ayesha said warmly. Zoya looked at Ayesha then at Asad, who gave her hand an encouraging squeeze. Zoya sighed and then took a seat on the couch.

"Ask," she said. Arjun turned to her and made his way towards her.

"How do you know them?" He asked.

"My mother used to be their teacher," Zoya replied. Arjun cocked his head to the side and narrowed his eyes at her.

"Your mother?" He asked. Zoya glanced at him then grinned weakly.

"Don't tell me you've never heard of Zainab Farooqui," she said. The entire ETF team suffered a second of shock before Arjun spoke again. Who hadn't heard of the brutal murder of Zainab Farooqui? JD and Danish's first ever killing that they never had been charged for.

"Did you see the murder?" Arjun asked.

"Arjun," Asad interjected and the rest of the occupants looked at Asad, who had spoken in a firm tone.

"I'm doing my job," Arjun replied to Asad.

"Then do it by keeping in mind that you are talking to a primary witness of a traumatic experience," Asad snapped at Arjun, who glared back at him.
"Mr. Khan, relax. If I don't feel comfortable answering a question, I won't answer it," Zoya reassured him, her suspicion about Asad and Arjun knowing each other was confirmed.

"What were Danish and JD like as people?" Arjun asked sitting down from across Zoya.

"I wouldn't know. They were older than me and I hardly spoke to any of my mother's students," she replied.

"So out of all your mother's students, what was so special about these two that you remember them so vividly?" Arjun inquired. Zoya smiled at him humorously.

"Would you forget the person who killed someone close to you?" She retaliated. Arjun felt like somebody threw a bucket of ice-cold water on him and his gaze hardened while he shot up from his seat.

"Stay in your limits and tell me what you know about Sikander," he hissed at Zoya, who blinked at him in surprise before her eyes flashed in anger. But before she could do anything, Arjun found himself face to face with an angered Asad.

"Stay within your limits. Roshni's death has nothing to do with this so keep it separate from your work," Asad growled. It was enough, Asad knew Arjun had changed but to the extent where he would burst on anyone was irritating and discerning. Shree and Chhotu were standing behind Arjun holding onto his shoulder while Sameer was standing a few feet away watching the scene with a stern face. He knew Asad never blamed Arjun for Roshni's death but in Sameer's eyes, Roshni's murderer was only Arjun Suryakant Rawte.

"Sir," Shree said trying to calm him down. Sakshi made her way over to Arjun and placed a gentle hand on his arm.

"Arjun please, relax," she whispered to him softly. Arjun didn't know why but he loosened up and forced his anger away, but his glare was still fixed on Asad.

"You two know each other," Zoya said, her words more of a statement than a question. Asad stepped back and wound an arm around her shoulder.

"I think I do," Asad said softly. How wrong he had been thinking that Arjun would have changed after so many years. He had misinterpreted Arjun's agreement to help him as an act of an old friendship when the truth was that he was only looking for his wife's murderer.

"That's enough," Sameer spoke up form the side and they looked at him.

"Ms. Farooqui, could you please tell us what you remember from the night your mother was murdered?" Sameer asked more gently as he came and stood in front of her. Zoya smiled a small smile in relief and nodded before proceeding to tell her tale.

Riya bid goodbye as the three of them exited the house after the Qur'an Khawani finished. Although Riya was not practiced in reading Arabic, she busied herself with helping in serving the drink and attending the final dua'a that was recited at the end.

"Phuppi, how long is the drive back home?" Riya asked.

"Around twenty to twenty-five minutes," Dilshad replied.

"Phuppi, I have to be somewhere in five minutes so is it okay if I hail a cab and head out?" Riya asked.

"But Riya, why take a cab when we have a car and a driver?" Najma asked.

"I prefer to take the cab and plus you both must be wanting to get home too," Riya replied. After a bit of persuasion, Dilshad finally agreed on letting Riya go and Riya turned and made her way towards the main road to hail a cab.

"ETF Headquarters, Versova," she said to the driver. He revved the engine and as the car started to move, Riya's heart started to hammer. It had been a few days since she'd been in Mumbai and she'd only been frolicking and doing nothing of importance, more specifically, she wasn't doing what she had promised to do and that was finding out about JD and Danish. She had to meet Rathore Sir and she had to do it immediately.

"Keep the change," she said as she handed the money to the driver and turned around to face the building that she had worked at. Her brows furrowed when her eyes fell on the building.

"What?" She wondered as she stared at the billboard reading "Casimir Fisheries" instead of "Emergency Task Force".

Riya quickly fished out her phone from her purse and dialled his number. But much to her misfortune, he did not pick up. Riya tried to call him but to no avail. She knew she couldn't call anyone else; it was against the orders she had received from her senior.

She stood in front of the building staring at it, wondering where her office had been moved to before sighing dejectedly and turning around to hail another cab to head home.

Riya kept on checking her phone, waiting for him to call her back so that at least she could ask him where the new office was located now. But nothing, no calls, no messages.

"Yeh lo Madamji," the taxi driver said as he stopped the car in front of Khan Mansion. Riya got out and bent down to face the driver through the window to hand him the money.

"I don't know of how much help this all will be but it's all I have to say," Zoya said as she finished. Sakshi stood up and quickly walked up to Zoya to envelope her in a warm hug.

"Trust me, Zoya. I know what it feels like to not have a family," Sakshi whispered in her ear. Zoya was stunned but she returned the hug just as warmly.

"If we showed you pictures would you be able to identify them?" Sameer asked.

"Of course, but Mr. Rathore, I remember them as teens. Faces change a lot over the years," Zoya said.

"They do indeed, but it will give us something to start off with for sure," Sameer replied before turning around to face Arjun who was staring at Zoya in wonder.

"Rawte, what does you incredibly sharp mind have to say about this?" He asked, almost in a mocking tone. Arjun glanced at him with an annoyed expression on his face.

"My area of expertise tells me that there is more to this case than meets the eye," he replied before he pulled on his Ray Bans again and then looked at Asad.

"What about the other thing we talked about?" Asad asked, causing Zoya and the rest of the ETF team's heads to turn to him, excluding Sameer.

"Zoya's protection is in our hands, don't worry about it," Sameer said as he walked to stand in front of Asad.

"Thanks Sam, Juno," Asad said addressing them respectively. Zoya stood up and then looked at Arjun and Sameer with a surprised expression on her face.

"Wait, these are the Sam and Juno you told me about?" She asked Asad incredulously.

Asad nodded positively and Zoya's face broke out into a huge smile before she pulled the two senior ETF officers into a hug, surprising the three men and the ETF team.

"It's so good to finally meet you again. Pata hai, Mr. Khan never stops talking about you guys. It's always "Sam, Juno, and I this" and "Sam, Juno, and I that". It's such a pleasure to meet you two," Zoya said as she pulled back. Asad chuckled and wound an arm around her waist and pulled her against his side.

"Haila, Arjun Sir and Rathore Sir were best friends?" Chhotu asked surprised.

"So? Aren't you and Shree best friends?" Ayesha asked.

"Chhotu, if my wife is killed, promise me you won't break your friendship with me," Shree said.

"Arrey nahi yaar, if your wife is killed then we'll just buy you another one. After all, we've got so many different companies making laptops nowadays," Chhotu replied. Sakshi and Ayesha stifled their laughter as Shree glared at Chhotu. After all, Chhotu was right. Shree's first and only love was his Laptop, or his "Lappy" as he called it.

Meanwhile, Arjun was glaring at Zoya while Sameer was staring at Asad and Zoya with an odd expression on his face. This was the limit for Arjun and he turned his glare on Asad.

"Tell your girlfriend to watch her actions and what's with this "Juno" crap? It's either "ACP" or "Sir" if you want to address me," he hissed. Asad's face went from smiling to anger within a few seconds and he glared at Arjun.

"I'm not talking to an ACP or Sir here. I'm talking to my best friends," Asad replied coolly. Arjun took a step towards Asad and the two men stared at each other in the eyes.

"Your best friend died the day Roshni was killed by Sikander," Arjun growled before he turned on his heel and strode out the door. Asad turned his gaze towards Sameer, who gritted his teeth and turned to his team.

"What are you all staring at? We've got work to do," he snapped. Sakshi, Shree, Chhotu, and Liza scrambled onto their feet and followed Arjun's footsteps heading out the door while Ayesha held back, watching Asad and Zoya with something close to awe.

"Ayesha, tumhe special invitation dena hoga kya?" Sameer barked. Ayesha's gaze flickered towards him before she bent her head and turned to head out.

"Mr. Khan, please stop him," Zoya said tugging on Asad's arm.

"Sam," Asad said causing Sameer to halt in his tracks. Zoya moved from next to Asad and made her way to stand in front of Sameer.

"I never meant any disrespect to anyone," Zoya said softly. Sameer looked down at her before he brushed past her.

"It's pointless," Asad said as he sat down on the couch with a defeated sigh. Zoya wrapped her arms around his neck and he laid his head against her stomach. Zoya froze and gently pulled back to lean down and kiss his forehead.

"Mr. Khan," Zoya whispered.

"Zoya, please. There's no need to tell the rest of the family members about ETF and everything that took place here today," Asad said to her in a slow voice. Zoya nodded as she gently stroked his hair. Asad gripped her wrist and held onto it before looking up into her eyes.

"That includes Riya as well," he said, his eyes boring into hers.

"Arre madam, kya 150 rupee de rahi ho. 200 rupee ka bhaada hai," the driver said as he counted the money.

"Zyaada dimaagh kharaab ho rahe hain aaj kal tum logon ke. 150 rupee rakho aur chalte bano, 200 kisi haal nahi dene waali hoon," Riya replied. Was he mad? 200 for such a short ride? The driver started to argue back and Riya being Riya wouldn't hear a word from him.

Arjun opened the door to his SUV and sat down at the driver's sear and waited for his team to sit down. Arjun looked out the window and his gaze fell on a girl who was talking, more like arguing, with the taxi driver. She was wearing a royal blue anarkali and her long ebony tresses were falling like a curtain around her face, hiding it from view. For the first time since Roshni's death, Arjun found himself feeling an odd pull towards this girl. Why? He didn't know. A sudden desire to see her face rose within him and Arjun found himself tilting his head just to get a glimpse of her.

"Rawte!" Sameer snapped causing him to return to reality. Arjun turned to look at Sameer before he started the car. Throwing one last look at the girl across the road, Arjun stepped on the gas pedal.

Riya heard the sound of a car's engine being revved and she turned around to see a black SUV heading down the lane. Riya felt an eerie feeling creep over her but she shrugged it off and then turned back.

"Nahi manoge?" Riya asked. The driver shook his head and demanded 200 rupees again and Riya growled before she pulled out her ETF badge.

"Ab manoge?" She growled.

"Apni hi gaadi samjho, Madamji. Itna paisa kaafi hoga," the driver said his pupils dilating as he stared at her in fear. Riya smiled sweetly before she straightened and turned around. Sometimes, the results were better if she used her ETF badge.

"Hey guys," Riya said as she stepped into the house to find Zoya and Asad on the couch. Zoya smiled at her and moved away from Asad.

"Where are Ammi and Najma?" Riya asked looking around.

"Not here yet, they stopped at Rukhsana Aunty's place," Zoya told her. Riya nodded and looked at Asad who was staring at the floor with a pensive expression. She looked questioningly at Zoya who just shook her head at her.

"Why don't you change?" Zoya suggested. Riya nodded and then headed to her room, once she was at the foot of the stairs, Riya turned to look back at the two. Something had happened in her absence.

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Sameer checked his phone and was surprised to see two missed calls from Riya. He quickly dialled her number and waited for her to pick up.

"Hello?"

"Are you okay? What happened? Why did you call?" Sameer fired instantly. Riya chuckled and told him to relax.

"I decided to come see you today," Riya said. Immediately he started to protest but she silenced him before continuing.

"I decided to come see you today but when I came to the office, it wasn't there anymore. Did they shift?" Riya asked. Sameer sighed thankfully before he replied.

"The office was re-located shortly after your, ah, accident," Sameer replied as he rubbed his temple.

"Makes sense, no wonder I couldn't find it," Riya replied as she changed into black jeans and a purple button up t-shirt.

"Riya, even if you were able to find it, it wouldn't have mattered anyway," Sameer said. Riya stopped and her brows furrowed in confusion.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"I wasn't in today. None of the team members were in. We were out...investigating," he said. Riya noticed how his voice had gone stone cold when he said the word "investigating".

"Sir, is everything alright?" She asked worried. Sameer sighed before he assured her everything was fine.

"I will come meet you tomorrow," Riya said, "just give me the address."

"No. You are not to step foot back into the office until you are fully recovered," Sameer said firmly. He had been present when the doctor had told him that she was weaker than ever. It would take her well over twenty-four months to fully recover and another six to slowly get back into her normal routine.

"But Sir, I will only come to meet you. No one else will know about my return," Riya assured him. Sameer leaned forward in his chair and placed his elbows on the table-top before tightening his grip on the phone.

"Think like an ETF officer Riya. You're talking about walking into the Emergency Task Force Building that has CCTV cameras installed at every corner under the assumption that no one will find out," Sameer growled at her. Riya opened her mouth to protest before she closed it. He was right; she couldn't just walk in and out of the building.

"Not to mention that my second in command has a brain that works at high speed and it won't take him more than a snap of his fingers to locate you," he added. Riya swallowed before the perfect image of the hot headed second in command conjured in her mind's eye.

"Listen, if you really need to meet me, then meet me at the South Brock's Cafe."

"Riya!" Zoya's entrance caused Riya to hastily reply in affirmative and disconnect the call.

"You could've continued talking," Zoya said as she came and sat down next to her.

"Wasn't really anything important," Riya said as she folded her legs turning to face Zoya.

"What's up?" She asked when she noticed how Zoya was looking slightly tense.

"Ri, you know how you said you would always be there for me if anything went wrong?" Zoya asked, chewing on her bottom lip. Riya nodded and urged Zoya to continue.

Zoya looked at Riya with something that could only be defined as gratitude and genuine affection before she hugged her tightly. Riya was surprised at first but she returned the hug and patted Zoya's back soothingly.

"Tell me, what's the matter?" Riya asked. Zoya pulled back and spilled the beans on how everyone is suspecting JD and Danish's return. When they were younger, Zoya had told Prachi Maasi her entire story and although Riya wasn't too mature back then, she still understood and remembered the whole story. That was the number one reason why she had flown back to Mumbai when she had seen the news. This was something that was connected to not only Zoya but now to Riya as well because this was when she had found out that Zainab Aunty's murderers were also linked with Sikander.

"Shh, nothing will happen to you," Riya assured Zoya who was now hugging her knees close to her chest.

"I can't help but feel this odd fear Ri, as if something bad is going to happen," Zoya said as she looked up at Riya. No matter how close Riya was to her, Zoya couldn't bring herself to break her word to Asad about not letting anyone know about the visit from ETF. She wanted to, she really did. But even then she couldn't.

Riya watched Zoya's face, she could sense some sort of inner battle that Zoya was fighting but Riya didn't intervene. Yes Zoya was the closest she had ever had to a sister but even then, Riya had never told Zoya about her police academy training or her affiliation with ETF. In Zoya's eyes, Riya was just an ordinary researcher and journalist, hence her statistical knowledge. Riya had planned to tell Zoya about her police training a year ago but before she could do so, Riya was landed in the hospital as she fought between life and death. Needless to say, both friends were as close as they would come but even then there were secrets that were forced to be kept between the two, much against their wishes.

"Hush, you don't say stuff like that," Riya admonished as she placed a comforting arm around Zoya shoulder.

"Zoya, Asad is here with you. He won't let anything happen to you," Riya told her, breathing a sigh of relief when a small smile appeared on Zoya's lips. She watched as the old twinkle returned in Zoya's eyes as she thought about the handsome architect.

"You're right, Riya," Zoya said at the end.

"I'm always right," Riya said as she waved her thanks off. Zoya and Riya laughed heartily, attracting the attention of the passer by who peaked into the room to find the two laughing amicably.

"What are you two laughing about?" Asad asked as he pushed open the door. Zoya flew into his arms and he stumbled slightly before he wrapped an arm around her shoulder and cocked his head at Riya who just smiled at him brightly.

"You're the best, you know that?" Zoya asked as she looked up at him. Asad looked down at her before he smiled and captured her lips in a soft kiss. Zoya fell into his kiss with a soft sigh. She melted in his arms and pressed herself against his hard body. The feel of his rock hard chest pressed against hers while his hands had sneaked under her shirt to gently swirl around the flesh of her hips was enough to cause her to release an almost inaudible moan.

"Oh yeah, let's just forget that I'm here too," Riya said before bursting into laughter when the two lovebirds jerked away from each other and blushed.

"Sorry," Asad muttered before he turned on his heel and headed out the door leaving a blushing Zoya to deal with a hysterical Riya.

Ayesha made her way to Sameer's cabin and knocked. When she heard him reply she entered the room after heaving a shaky sigh. Sameer looked up and his eyes narrowed before he turned the chair around so that the back was facing her.

"Sir, I..." Ayesha trailed off not knowing what to say. She wanted to apologize for earlier as well as to make sure he was okay after the whole scenario at Khan Villa.

"What?" He asked, refusing to face her. Ayesha gathered her courage and walked around his desk and chair to stand in front of him. Sameer was surprised when he saw her come around to stand in front of him but before he could turn his back on her she reached up to hold both her ears and looked at her shoes guiltily.

"Sir, I'm sorry. Woh, uss waqt, Sakshi ne kaha toh, I answered the phone. I promise I wouldn't have done anything if she hadn't said anything," Ayesha said quickly. Sameer wanted to smile at her childishness but his anger got the best of him where he stood up and glared at her.

"Let me get this straight. Sakshi told you to answer the phone, so you answered it?" Sameer asked. Ayesha nodded slowly.

"So tomorrow when she tells you to jump off a cliff, you will jump off a cliff?" Sameer asked. Ayesha looked up at him shocked and was about to say something but his eyes flashed dangerously and she fell silent.

"You are an ETF Officer Ms. Ayesha Kapoor. You should know better whose orders to follow," Sameer snapped before he turned on her heel and stormed out of the cabin as Arjun was making his way into it.

Arjun watched his retreating back before he turned to look at the Ammunition Expert standing at the desk with a blank expression on her face. He sighed before he went and dropped the files onto Sameer's desk before turning around and walking back to the door. Once there he stopped and looked back.

"Rathore can never say no to Gajar Ka Halwa," Arjun informed Ayesha before he disappeared through the door. Ayesha stared at the door before a smile crept onto her face.

"Thank you," she said to no one as she headed out to where the rest of the team was.

Arjun watched her go before he turned and sat down at his own desk. His phone began to ring and Arjun answered it.

"Arjun Sir," it was one of his informers, Aashish.

"Bolo," He replied.

"Sir, we've received information that JD and Danish were spotted in Kherwadi," Aashish told him.

"Confirmed?" He asked.

"Well, Sir," Aashish hesitated, causing Arjun's anger to flare.

"Has this information been confirmed?" He asked.

"Sir, the woman who gave us this information is Aakanksha Oberoi," Aashish told him.

"You're lucky that she's one of the past victims," Arjun told him before disconnecting the call and making his way to the Conference Room.

"They've been spotted at Kherwadi by Aakanksha Oberoi, let's go," he told the team.

"Who?" Sakshi asked. Arjun stopped to look at her.

"Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone," Arjun replied sarcastically.

"What? Really Arjun? Oh my gosh, Arjun! You're telling me this now! Pehle nahi bataa sakte the!" Sakshi exclaimed as she pulled out her mirror and frantically started to brush her hair together. Shree smacked his forehead while Chhotu and Ayesha shook their heads.

"Sakshi, he's being sarcastic," Shree hissed in her ear. Sakshi stopped her fussing and looked at Arjun who was glaring at her icily.

"JD and Danish, Sakshi. Who else?" He asked before he picked up his gun and headed out the door.

"Ayesha inform Rathore," Arjun called over his shoulder.

They reached Aakanksha's house and Sameer rung the doorbell. A girl with black curly hair and an oval face opened the door.

"Yes?" She asked.

"Aakanksha Oberoi?" Sameer asked, the girl nodded and inquired who they were.

"Sameer Rathore, Emergency Task Force. We've received news that you were the one that spotted JD and Danish in Kherwadi?" Sameer asked. Aakanksha's face drained of all colour but she stepped back and allowed them entry in her home.

"I wasn't the one that spotted them. I was told it was them there," Aakanksha said as she sat down on the couch. Arjun and Sameer looked at each other before returning their gazes to Aakanksha.

"Told?" Shree asked.

"I was told it was them," Aakanksha repeated.

"Who told you?" Arjun asked. Aakanksha looked at him blankly before she looked own at her hands.

"They tell me all the time. They tell me everything," Aakanksha muttered.

"Oh!" Shree said softly as he quickly dialled Liza's number and headed to a corner.

"What's up, Specky?" Liza chirped when she picked up. Shree made a face but wasn't in the mood to argue much.

"Search the database for Aakanksha Oberoi," he told her. He heard Liza's let out a whistle before she chuckled.

"Why Specky, don't tell me that you've forgotten that you're the ETF Whiz Kid while I'm the forensic expert," Liza mocked.

"Just do as you're told," Shree snapped. Liza chuckled before there was some clicks and silence.

"Liza?"

"Relax, Specky. You're not getting rid of me that easily," Liza replied causing Shree to roll his eyes.

"Here it is. Aakanksha Oberoi, age 26, and..." Liza trailed off and Shree called her name a few times.

"And she's JD's rape victim," Liza whispered.

"Medical history?" Shree asked.

"She checked in with Dr. Mehta for treatment of Schizophrenia," Liza replied. Shree disconnected the call and made his way to Arjun and Sameer. On the other hand, Liza looked at her phone when the line went dead and scoffed.

"Idiot. Can't even say a simple thank you, hmpf," she said to the phone before turning her chair back to face the microscope.

"Sir, a minute please. Both of you," Shree said as Sameer and Arjun moved to the side with him. Shree looked at Aakanksha before he turned his gaze back to Sameer and Arjun.

"Aakanksha is a schizophrenic. The "they" she keeps on referring to is the voices in her mind," Shree informed them. Sameer gritted his teeth before he punched the wall next to him angrily.

"Dammit!" He growled.

"Information's faulty Rathore," Arjun said, equally frustrated.

"And Sir, she's also JD's rape victim," Shree informed them.

"Aakanksha?" A voice said. They turned to face an elderly woman come into the room. She was surprised seeing them there but then she went to Aakanksha and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Who are you people and what do you need from my daughter?" She asked sharply.

"Emergency Task Force. Mrs. Oberoi, you're daughter suffers from schizophrenia and yet you allow her to contact the police with false information?" Sameer asked with displeasure. A look of guilt passed over her face but she quickly masked it with irritation.

"My daughter's health is my concern only. I request you to leave immediately," she said to them.

"It's funny how you say it's your concern yet you leave her alone at home," Sameer said darkly. Mrs. Oberoi looked at him before she turned her back to them and took Aakanksha inside.

"So irresponsible," Sakshi muttered.

On the other hand, a man stood at the large glass window with his back to the door. A crisp black suit adorned his body and a single signet ring was worn on his right hand. The diamonds that created the letter "S" on the ring glinted in the moonlight. The door opened and he looked back at the guests through the corner of his eye.

"Well?"

"ETF has been assigned the case," one of them replied as the other strolled over to the sofa and stretched out on it.

"Excellent," the man whispered before he turned his gaze back to gaze out the large window.

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A few hours later, Riya walked down the steps and then leaned against the wall breathing heavily. She had missed out on her afternoon medications and she had walked around a lot. Now she was suffering the consequences. Taking a few deep breaths to clear the dizziness she quickly made her way to the kitchen to drink a glass of water.

"Come on, Riya. You promised Rathore Sir you would take medicines on time," Riya muttered to herself as she returned to her room to take out her tablets. Once she had taken it, Riya sat down on the bed leaning back against the headboard. She closed her eyes and she didn't know when sleep consumed her.

Riya was laying on the grass in a meadow, her gaze facing the sky. She felt an arm go around her waist and she smiled before she turned her face away from him. His hand trailed up from her waist to her shoulder and she felt him kiss her shoulder.

"Are you upset with me?" He asked, his voice deep and husky. Riya turned back to him and smiled at him brightly.

"Why would I be upset with you?" She asked as she slipped her arms around his neck. He smiled at her and bent down to kiss her forehead.

"Then why did you leave me?" He asked solemnly. Riya pouted before she pulled him close to her and hugged him tightly.

"I was forced to. I never wanted to leave you," she said to him. He frowned and pulled back to look down upon her face.

"But you did."

"So what if I left you physically. I'm always there with you just as you are always with me," she said to him softly. He smiled at her and hugged her again.

"Come back, Riya. Please come back," he said. Riya returned his hug, her hands running up and down his back.

Suddenly the dream changed, she wasn't laying on the grass with him but instead standing in a long hallway with him at the far end of it. Riya smiled and ran towards him but found that she couldn't reach him no matter how hard she ran.

"No," she whispered as he looked up at her with a hollow expression. Then she saw a figure approach him from behind him, the steel blade glinted and Riya opened her mouth to scream at him. Her voice however was caught in her throat and Riya scrambled towards him again, but to no avail The hallway stretched out the more she ran and tears started to pour down her cheeks as her arms were held wide open towards him. The figure behind him held his neck back and with a flick of his wrist, slit his throat.

"ARJUN SIR!" Riya screamed as she shot up in bed. Riya looked around the room, her eyes going wide at the peculiar surroundings. Her heart was beating frantically and it took a moment for her before reality came rushing back to her. Riya let out a weak sob as she realised that it had all been a dream before she fell back on to the bed and curled into a ball. Her tears weren't stopping and she sobbed for only she knows how long.

"Why? Why me?" She asked as she clutched the pillow to her chest tightly. Absentmindedly, her hand reached out to her phone and her phone and she quickly pressed the call button.

Arjun sat on his couch at Ravi Lodge with a case file propped on his leg. He was reading it when his phone began to ring. Arjun looked at the caller ID and his brows furrowed in confusion.

"Private number?" He wondered before he accepted the call and held the phone to his ear.

"Hello?" He asked. There was silence on the other end of the line.

"Hello?" He repeated. But once again he got no response. He started to get irritated and repeated himself a few times hoping that someone would talk to him, but to no avail. For some reason, Arjun felt that there was someone who wanted to talk to him on the other end but couldn't. There was this odd feeling that he had answered calls like this many times before.

"Listen here, if this is a wrong number then you're safe, but if it's not, then things aren't going to end well for you, samjhe ya samjhaun?" He asked. Immediately the line went dead and Arjun looked at his phone in confusion before he growled and placed his phone on the table, returning to his file with an odd feeling nagging at him.

"Listen here, if this is a wrong number then you're safe, but if it's not, then things aren't going to end well for you, samjhe ya samjhaun?"

Riya immediately ended the call as more tears sprung to her eyes and sobs escaped her mouth. He was safe! She didn't realise that her actions could have serious consequences for all she cared about at that moment was that he was alive and he was safe. Tear struck and heavy-hearted, Riya fell asleep.

Zoya and Asad were standing in the balcony staring at the waves of the Indian Ocean. The sea was calm, but their inner turmoil resembled that of one at unrest. Asad glanced at Zoya and saw that she was lost in deep though. He placed an arm around her shoulder and drew her close to him. Zoya came willingly and allowed him to press kisses against her cheeks and forehead.

"Mr. Khan, what really happened between you three friends?" She asked when he had pressed a final kiss against her lips. Asad sighed and looked down at her. The moon reflected in her eyes, causing them to shine much brighter.

"Roshni," he said. Zoya's brows furrowed in confusion and she looked at him.

"Roshni was Sameer's best friend. When she first came to College, she managed to steal Arjun's heart. Sam and I noticed the change in his behaviour. He started to spend more time with her, show her around, and take her out. Eventually the two fell madly in love with each other and after we graduated he proposed," Asad told her.

"Sam and Juno left for police training soon after for a year and when they came back, Roshni and Arjun's wedding was held. The three of us were as close as we could get. Sam was the happiest at seeing Arjun and Roshni so happy together. But then came the fateful day when Arjun was informed they had found Sikander's location. It was all a trap, by the time Arjun came back, Roshni was captured by Sikander and in front of his eyes, Sikander stabbed Roshni to death. They beat Arjun mercilessly and when we got there, he was unconscious while Roshni's dead body lay in front of him, her lifeless eyes staring at us," he continued. Zoya now had tears streaming down her cheeks and she nestled more against his chest.

"Then what happened?" She asked in a small voice.

"Then all hell broke loose. Sam blamed Juno for being so reckless and not understanding fact from fiction. He says Juno is the reason why Roshni is no more. I tried to explain to him that that wasn't the case but he was adamant on his decision. Then just in a matter of twelve hours, the friendship that was as strong as brotherhood between us three was broken and we were left standing at opposite ends. Today was the day when I was seeing them again after so long, everything has changed Zoya. Everything has changed," Asad finished before he buried his nose in her hair and hugged her to him tightly.

All of a sudden Zoya jerked back and sprinted to the bathroom. Asad stood confused for a moment before he rushed after her to find her vomiting into the seat.

"Zoya!" He cried as he quickly made his way to her and held her hair back as she emptied her stomach.

"I'm fine, Mr. Khan," she muttered. She was shaking but managed to haul herself up and flush the seat before sitting down on top and holding her head in her hands.

"Zoya, what's happening?" He asked. Zoya looked up at him and shook her head.

"I ate something that didn't sit well with me," Zoya said as she stood up.

"And you're telling me now?" He asked, frowning at her. Zoya let out a shaky laugh before she moved to the sink to brush her teeth. Once done, she looked at him and smiled softly.

"Don't worry, I'm fine," she said before moving out and heading to her room. Zoya locked the door behind her and swallowed tightly.

"This isn't good," she said as her hand went to her stomach.

A Desire So Strange (Ch. 19)

"Mr. Khan, please. Give me a chance to explain!" Zoya begged as she got to the steps. Tanveer yanked her arm back roughly and glared at her.

"I told you, Zoya. Don't mess with me," Tanveer hissed at her so that no one except Zoya could hear. With that, she roughly pushed Zoya. The last thing she remembered was Dilshad and Najma's voice calling her name and a searing pain in her head before everything went black.

Zoya's eyelashes fluttered open and she came face to face with the family doctor who smiled at her.

"Welcome back," he said. Zoya looked around at her surroundings and found herself to be in her room. She turned her gaze back to the doctor and he gave her a reassuring look.

"What happened?" She asked.

"You fell down the stairs," he said. "But nothing to worry about, both you and the baby are safe."

Zoya did a double take when she heard the word "baby". Her hand immediately went to her stomach and the doctor smiled at her.

"You're five weeks pregnant," he informed her. Zoya let out a strangle sob and she quickly put a hand over her mouth.

"Your husband will be most happy," he told her. Zoya's eyes opened and she looked at him before she remembered that she had been trapped by Tanveer's evil tricks and Mr. Khan refused to talk to her now.

"No. You will not tell this news to anyone outside," she said. He opened his mouth to protest but she silenced him with a pleading look.

"You will respect the doctor-patient code will you not?" She asked. He sighed but then nodded before he stood up and left. Zoya's hand went down to her stomach where her and Asad's baby rested.

"I'm pregnant," she whispered to herself.

Zoya gently touched her stomach and moved it around to feel her unborn child. Now at twelve weeks, her stomach was visible as long as she didn't wear tight shirts, hence her change in dressing style. She had wanted to tell Asad about her pregnancy but before she could do so, JD and Danish had escaped prison and he had become more stressed out. Zoya knew he was worried for her and she didn't want to increase his worry.

"Ammi and Abbu love you no matter what," she whispered to her child before she gently lowered herself onto the bed, laying on her side. One hand resting protectively over her abdomen and the other tucked under the side of her face, she hummed a lullaby to her child and to herself before she fell asleep with a smile on her face.

That's all for now! Next chapter should be up within the week! Hope you guys enjoyed and yes, please please please leave reviews and tell me your thoughts because I love hearing from you all.

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All Rights Reserved. No part of this written piece may be reproduced without ShieldsMistress' expressed consent. For permission requests, write to the author.