Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai - 22 Aug 2025 EDT
THAKELA LOVE 22.8
Bluffmaster IF Season 1 (Sign-up Open)
Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai - 23 Aug 2025 EDT
Geetmaan finally got married 😍
August disaster. Will Param Sundari save BW this month?
Vivek Agnihotri - Nobody Should Name Their Child Taimur
When you’re in love with ddp
Danger - Param Sundari | Sidharth M, Janhvi K | SONG OUT
Ranbir is accused of secretly following Deepika in social media 😆
SHAADI HOGAYI 23.8
Govinda Sunita Ahuja Divorce Case Update
🚨 Scheduled Downtime Notice 🚨
Important Notification regarding IF
Pick one Emraan Hashmi song
Chapter 8
Qazi Saheb was running late because he was officiating another wedding before theirs. But at least that had given Dilshad some time to orchestrate her mother-of the-groom armaans to some of her heart's desire. She had been able to get flowers and the lights done. There was no need for catering because it was just going to be the four of them plus the wedding officials who would leave right after the ceremony.
Najma had been over-the-moon ecstatic at the news. She'd bounced and cried and giggled all at once. Of course the good news mandated a quickie shopping trip. New lehengas were in order. And matching accessories, of course. Naturally.
Asad had silently handed over his credit card. He had other things on his mind.
Dilshad had already checked in on Zoya and Asad. At least a million times.
They were both in their rooms--Zoya radiant and bubbly, Asad pacing the room, checking his watch every other second and stopping to occasionally gaze out of the window. But Dilshad had missed seeing how many times her son had taken out a broken phone from the drawer and caressed it with a smile.
Asad was right, she thought. The nikah had to be tonight. After what Tanu had done to them only the holiest of ceremonies would cleanse the filth she'd dragged in behind her.
Insha'allah!
"Asad, hurry beta! Qazi saheb is here." Dilshad called out.
She went to to knock on Zoya's door. She wanted to lead her out when it was time to read the vows. And she needed to swipe a dab of kajal behind the girl's ear. She needed to ward off every evil spirit within a 500-mile radius.
An elated Asad walked out, heart hammering and took his position behind the screen. Tears fell from Dilshad's eyes as she tied his sehra. She dropped a kiss on his head and lingered to adjust his collar.
And then when Najma brought Zoya out she glided over to walk them over to the other side. Dilshad gripped Zoya's hand tightly in hers. All her dreams were coming true; she prayed theirs would too.
Lovingly she guided Zoya to take her place. She could feel the girl's hand tremble in hers and she patted it in reassurance. She didn't like that there was no mehendi on Zoya's hands. But there hadn't been time for that. Oh well. She'd double her rasm lists and demands for the Waleema.
She nodded to Qazi saheb who cleared his throat to start the announcement. Happy hearts danced and skipped. Boquets of whispered duas perfumed their home.
The doorbell rang and a set of sharp knocks sliced the peace.
Najma half-rose to get the door but Dilshad waved a hand at her to stop. Qazi saheb stopped reading the mehar. She signaled him to continue but Asad held up his hand to stall him.
She got up to open the door.
Dilshad gasped; a hand flew to her mouth. She staggered back into the room.
"Ammi?" Asad lifted the sehra off his face. "What happened?"
He dived to her side as he saw her wobble and put an arm around her. A police officer and two constables entered.
"Mr. Asad Ahmed Khan?"
"Yes. What's going on?"
The officer raised his baton. "We'll ask the questions, sir."
Asad put his hand in his sherwani pocket to retrieve his phone. It closed around a broken phone wrapped in Hello Kitty tape with a pink post-it note stuck on top.
Shit. He'd forgotten his phone in the room.
"Sir, please keep your hands where we can see them," the officer ordered.
Zoya and Najma had walked up too by now.
A deep frown marred Zoya's face.
She'd seen enough police procedurals on TV to know that tone and orders. They were treating Asad like some kind of a suspect. Her heart had already begun drumming wildly. It tripped in terror now.
Something was very, very wrong.
"How do you know a Ms. Tanveer Ali Baig?"
A low growl escaped from Zoya's mouth. She knew it had to be that bit*ch. And with a pang she realized what that woman had done. She gripped Asad's hand tight.
"Yes I do, but what's that got to do with anything?" Asad still hadn't connected the dots.
"You need to come with us for questioning."
"Why? Did something happen? An accident? Is she hurt?"
Zoya squeezed her eyes shut. Mr. Khan was too good. Even after all that had happened his first thought was to worry about that tramp. But that's just who he was--he couldn't imagine the worst of anyone. But she knew what Tanveer had done. She just had a strong feeling.
"Ms. Baig claims that you sexually assaulted her. We need to take you in."
With a wail Dilshad fell to the floor.
Asad felt his world tilt. It was as if the oxygen had been sucked out of the room. He couldn't breathe. He bent to attend to Ammi. Her hands were cold.
"Ammi! Najma call Dr. Shah. Quick! And get my phone from my room."
Zoya stepped in front of the officer even as she pressed her own phone into Asad's hands. But that was useless--at this moment Asad, for the life of him, couldn't remember a single phone number.
"Officer ..." She leaned in to read the name off his badge. "Officer Bhatia--"
"Inspector," he corrected her.
"Inspector Bhatia, have you interviewed her? Did you do a full rape kit? Was she beaten? Are there any marks of assault? Did you take pictures? I hope you ensured full security of the evidence's chain of custody."
"Umm ... we ... I ..." Inspector Bhatia wiped his brow with a grimy handkerchief. He really didn't have any answers to her questions. He'd never heard such questions before. The man was just doing his job. He'd been given orders and was dying to be done so that he could go home to a hot meal. His feet were killing him.
"Do you have any evidence against Mr. Khan?" Zoya asked pointedly. Her hands were fisted on her hips.
"I don't know about that ... I'm only here to take him in," he repeated. "Your lawyer can follow up on your questions."
Zoya's eyes sought Asad's. He had helped Dilshad up to the sofa by now. Najma got a glass of water for her.
"Asad," Dilshad whimpered.
"Phuphi, don't worry--"
"Ammi, please. Don't worry. Everything will be OK."
"Mr. Khan, please?" Inspector Bhatia raised his voice.
Dilshad rose.
Her poise roared back with a vengeance. "Inspector Bhatia, please have a seat." She directed Najma to get him water and some sweets.
"My son is getting married. Can this wait?" She asked after he'd settled down and taken a bite of the kaju katli.
He fidgeted. These seemed like nice people. But in his line of work he couldn't really afford to trust every nice person he came across.
"Umm ... Ma'am, it's really out of my hands. We do have to take such complaints seriously ..." His voice tapered off. He hoped they wouldn't make this too difficult.
"But can you take in Mr. Khan just based on a verbal complaint? Don't you have to have some evidence?" Zoya couldn't bear to sit still or silent. This was so wrong. This was just a case of she said, he said. She'd pretty much seen all the episodes and seasons of Law and Order: SVU and the police couldn't just come and arrest you without evidence. And ... wait!
"You have a warrant ...?" She crossed her fingers.
"Yes." He nodded to his constable who stepped up to hand Asad an envelope.
Doom squeezed her heart. Could they really prosecute Asad based on words? And even if they couldn't, could Asad ever recover from this slander?
The officer rose. "Ma'am please, the sooner we take him in the sooner you can start the process of petitioning for bail." It was the only help he could offer.
A sob wrenched Dilshad.
"Zoya, get my phone from my room and find Advocate Mallik. Give him all the details and tell him to meet me at the police station," Asad said quietly. The Inspector was right. The sooner--
She nodded trying not to break down. Grim lines etched his face. That vein in his forehead pulsed. She would gladly strangle Tanveer--
But then she'd end up in jail too.
Asad looked away from Zoya's crumpling face. He wanted to stroke her lower lip, reassure her that he'd take care of everything. But a cold and clammy hand gripped his heart and crushed it. What if--?
He shook his head and let himself be led out. Thank god they didn't handcuff him. But having to sit between the two constables in the official jeep was humiliation enough. But he wouldn't allow himself to get angry. He couldn't afford the luxury. Suddenly he'd been stripped off everything he took for granted. An abyss of doubt and fear had opened up at his feet. Sulphur flames licked and clawed at his soles ...
He teetered inches from the precipice.
It was three hours before they released him on his own recognizance at the magistrate's discretion--he was a respectable member of the community who contributed to the Police Widow's Fund annually. And above all, he had no priors. But there would be future legal proceedings and due process. No one knew how long that would drag on.
When he staggered outside he heard a car door open and slam. The next second Zoya was clinging to him. Oh god, he needed this so much! He rocked her to him and breathed in her scent. He filled in his lungs with pure oxygen.
"Zoya, I'm so sorry."
She looked up at him in surprise. What was he apologizing for?
"Why? There's nothing to be sorry about!"
"We didn't get married."
"Oh yes, that. Yeah, I'm sorry about that too," she beamed a cheeky grin up at him. Her dimple blazed.
And he felt lighter. A weight on his shoulders shifted. He threw his head back and laughed. He wouldn't worry about the future. He'd cherish the right here right now. Now when he had her in his arms.
They walked back to the car, hand in hand. She tossed the keys to him. As he reversed and merged into traffic her hand curved on his on the gearshift.
"Asad?"
He turned to look at her. Her voice was low and serious. The dark clouds returned.
"Will we never be free of jails and the Akrams and Tanveers of the world?"
He gripped her hand in his. "We will. I promise."
"Really?" she felt hopeful again.
"Really. And we'll get married tomorrow."
Zoya giggled. When he looked at her again she pointed to the clock display on the dash.
"Tomorrow is today."
"Today, then."
Chapter 9
Half-way home he pulled over to the side of the road.
"Asad, what happened?" Worry lanced her all over again.
He turned in his seat and took her hands in his. "I'm thinking ..." Absently his thumb stroked the top of her hand. "I don't think we should get married right away."
He kissed her hand when she gasped in dismay.
"I mean I want to get married when I'm fully cleared of this foul ... this monstrous charge."
"But Asad--"
"No, listen. There is no physical evidence to tie me to this ... there's just no way that this accusation can stick. It might take some time but when we get married I want it to be a full-blown celebration. We'll even invite the whole town to make Ammi happy."
"And by then Aapi and Jeeju will be here too," Zoya continued his train of thought. It sounded reasonable enough. He was deadass right. They needed a jolt of triumph for sure to erase the bitterness of this nonsense. Or this monstrosity would hang over their heads ... He was right about the lack of evidence too. Even if Tanveer was as bad as one of those daily soap vamps and tried to alter DNA results and crap like that, there really was no--
"Besides ..." Asad faltered.
She raised her haind to cup his neck and pull him in for a kiss. "Besides what?" She asked later.
He turned to stare straight ahead. A fist pounded the steering wheel. "Besides, we wouldn't be able to go on a honeymoon right now ... the Inspector ... I'm not supposed to leave town till the investigation is sorted out."
Zoya pressed her fist to her lips. That. Damn. Bit*ch.
She turned to him and pulled his fist into her hands. She uncurled his rigid fingers and pressed her lips to his palm. "We'll get through this, Asad. No way is that woman going to get away with this."
He remained frozen.
Her hand crept up to his neck to massage the stiffness away.
"Asad?" she whispered.
"Yeah?"
"You we going to take me out of town for a honeymoon?" she asked through a smile.
That question and her dimple teased out a reluctant smile from him. "Um hmm."
"Where?"
"I guess you'll just have to wait and find out."
"Mr. Khan, you're so mean!"
"I try my best, baby. I try my best." Asad re-started the car.
He stopped a few kilometers later. Zoya waited with a smile. She was getting used to this Jahanpanah who remembered things he'd forgotten to say before. And he wasn't the kind to rush. He concentrated fully on the task at hand--he gave it a 100 percent. Aaram se. Unhurried. And for that he needed to pull over. No deep discussions while driving.
"Speaking of jail ..."
Her smile evaporated. "Asad no! No way, no how are you going to jail!"
"Not me." He smiled at her and retook her hands in his. "While I was in there ... at the police station ... it came to me. When the principal got you arrested? That girl who you were trying to protect was Najma, right?"
A harsh breath whooshed out of her. Yep, there wasn't much you could get past Jahanpanah when he put his thinking cap on. A hawk he was ... a hawk that missed nothing. Tanveer, you better watch out.
She said nothing. She didn't want to lie to him.
"How did--?"
"I don't know ... When it comes to you, somehow my instincts and synapses fire on steroids ..."
She cursed the stupid car and the console that separated them. But she still tried to throw herself at him and wrap him in her arms. She was still in her bridal lehenga. Asad held her tight. Once again he felt gratitude for the here and now.
For her.
Without Zoya he would never have been able to extract himself from Tanu's claws. In a few days that woman would have convinced him that she was pregnant and that he was the father ... and in a fit of guilt he'd have proposed and promised to marry--
No. Never.
He re-started the car and Zoya placed a hand on his arm. "Wait!"
He looked at her in alarm.
"Are you sure you have nothing else to say to me, nothing to add? That we won't be making any more stops now cos. Phuphi and Najma must be worried out of their minds!"
He laughed. They merged into the scanty traffic that spotted Bhopal's streets at this time of the night.
But of course he stopped a few minutes later. Zoya giggled. She should have known.
He pulled her into his arms. "You're right, I did forget something."
"What?"
"I forgot to tell you that I love you."
"Aww Asad, I love you too."
They sealed it with a kiss.
The ball rolled faster than they could have imagined. The next morning brought another knock at the door.
Another shock.
Breakfast had been strained. Asad ate with one hand because Dilshad wouldn't let go of his other.
Zoya couldn't stop herself. "Phuphi, I swear to you," she looked around frantically. "I swear on my iPad that I won't let that woman sink her claws into us!"
A reluctant smile tugged at Asad's lips. Only Zoya could find something to say at the time like this--something that made them smile and injected fierce hope into them intravenously.
"She's right, Ammi," he patted Dilshad's hand. "We'll find a way. You know how Zoya is ..." He winked at her.
A hysteric laugh burbled from his mother. She beckoned Zoya to her and asked her to bend so she could kiss the top of her head. "Stop calling me Phuphi. I'm Ammi now."
"Really!" Zoya crowed and gave her Ammi another one of those bear hugs that threatened to topple her over.
"Zoya," Asad warned. "Easy there."
She disengaged releuctantly. Aapi and Jeeju were used to her manic hugs by now and knew to adjust their center of gravity when she lunged. Asad was right. Ammi would need to be eased into it.
That's when they tensed up. The knock. It froze them into different poses of terror as if they'd been playing a deathly game of Statue.
Zoya waved Najma away and strode to get the door. An angry roar from her had Asad charging to be by her side.
He held Zoya back.
"Tanveer? How dare you show up here?"
Chapter 10: 133302270
Chapter 10
Tanveer swanned in, supremely sure of herself. She smirked at Dilshad who came storming at her.
Dilshad had never felt such violence blaze and scorch through her. She lunged at Tanveer's throat. Zoya wished she could've gotten to that throat first. But she rushed over to unwrap Ammi's hands.
"Ammi don't! She's not worth it."
"Oh, Ammi is it? Nice." She glanced at the ring on Zoya's finger. "Wow Zoya, you move fast."
Zoya would've gladly punched the woman's face. But Asad restrained her. He held her hand.
"What do you want, Tanveer?"
"I have a proposition for you, Asad."
He knew he wasn't going to like what she said next. He felt Zoya struggle next to him. Asad turned to give her a reassuring glance. She looked away. Zoya caught Najma's eye and lifted her chin slightly. Najma looked at her in confusion. Zoya jerked her chin again and pointed with her eyes at her phone.
"Shut up, Tanveer!" She tried to distract the woman so that Najma could set her phone to recording. She hoped that Najma would have the sense to text Ammi to do the same.
"Mr. Khan, don't listen to anything she has to say. Get the Inspector on the line, Ammi!" She hoped to create enough of a scene to spur Ammi into action.
Tanveer snorted and walked over to sit on the sofa. "May be you should shut up Zoya and listen very carefully to what I have to say. Come, sit." She patted the seat next to her.
"Asad you might want to pay attention too. Zoya, what would you say if I told you that I have a way of getting your Mr. Khan out of this mess that he's in?"
Zoya's eyes met Najma's. She blinked at her several times. Please Tamatar, go stand behind her and keep recording every foul word out of this woman's mouth!
Najma nodded slightly. She understood.
Yay!
Zoya walked over to sit on the chair farthest from Tanu. She reached her arm out to Asad to call him over by her side. She hoped, with fingers crossed, that it would make Tanu speak up louder.
Asad crossed his arms over his chest. "Go ahead. Let's see what more lies you can cook up."
Tanveer tut tutted at his skepticism. "So frosty? It's for your own good, you know."
She crossed her legs and got comfortable. "Here's an idea. Why don't you pay me off to withdraw the charges against you?" She counted off on her fingers. "You'll be free of me, your honor will be intact, you can get married, live happily ever after, and I'll--well let's just say it's a win-win."
"No way," Asad spoke through gritted teeth.
"No Mr. Khan, wait," Zoya stood up to link her arm with his. "May be we should listen to what she has to say?"
"Never! Zoya don't even think of asking me to cave in to her demands. She's a vile and vicious woman. She doesn't deserve to get off scot-free!"
"Asad! Zoya's right," Dilshad pleaded with him.
"No Ammi. I won't budge on this!" He turned away from them.
"Fine then," Tanveer rose langorously from the sofa. "I'll be on my way. I'll see you in court, Asad."
"I'll take my chances in court. Now leave," he spat out.
Zoya dug her nails into his arm and turned him around. When he looked at her she widened her eyes at him. Oh god, please make Mr. Khan understand!
Tanveer was by the door.
"Wait!" he called out.
She stopped.
"Come back. Let's talk about this reasonably."
Zoya exhaled. She didn't realize she'd been holding her breath. Thank you, Allah miyan!
"I'm glad better sense prevailed," the woman gloated. "Let's all be adults about this."
Tanveer sat back down at the couch. Zoya's heartbeat accelerated. Please god, make her talk and don't make any phone batteries run out. She too had managed to switch the voice recorder on her phone.
"How much?" Asad couldn't bear to prolong the conversation. He felt sickened by this woman's presence in his house. Sick flashes of her lipstick stains on him threatened to send him retching to the bathroom.
"Five crores," she said softly.
"Are you freaking batshit crazy?" Zoya vaulted out her chair.
Asad yanked her down by his side.
"Really," he laughed grimly. "Five crores? Five crores for what exactly?"
"To make all your troubles go away. Isn't your peace of mind," she looked up archly at Zoya. "Your happiness with Ms. Farooqui, worth that much to you?"
Asad clenched his fists and sprang up to pace the floor. If he didn't move he would break something.
Someone.
Zoya knew that Asad was furious. He was too tightly wrung to be of any help now. She laughed.
They all turned to look at her.
"I know exactly why she's asking for all this money, Mr. Khan. After all she worked so hard for it, didn't she?"
Zoya crossed her fingers behind her back. Please, please don't anyone interrupt or stop me. We need to get her on tape.
"What do you mean, Zoya?" Najma asked innocently.
Thank you, baby girl!
"Oh Najma, you don't know? You know what Tanveer did? In fact, Tanveer why don't you tell her yourself?"
Tanveer laughed. "No Zoya, you do it. You're certainly doing a fine job so far. You have such a flair for the dramatic!" She gave her a thumbs up.
Thank you, Tanveer! Keep implicating yourself, bit*ch.
"So yes, Najma. That day of your cousin's wedding when I had to come back home because--because you know ..."
Najma grinned at her. Sure she knew. Only Zoya could land herself in and out of messes that quick.
"I walked in and saw Tanveer with Mr. Khan on that sofa." She glared at the woman. "But Mr. Khan was unconscious ..."
She turned to point a finger at Tanveer. "Oh yeah Tanveer, what was that drug you gave him? Was it Rohypnol or GHB? Where ever did you get it from?"
Tanveer smirked. She was enjoying herself too much. This was all just a prelude to her becoming very rich.
"Rohypnol's easier to score. Anything's easily available on the internet these days."
Shit. Zoya knew how ambiguous this answer would sound on tape. She hoped to god that the woman wasn't on to them. She better be super cautious.
Asad lunged at the woman in the meanwhile. He wanted to strangle her with his bare hands.
"Mr. Khan, no," Zoya cautioned him.
"Tanveer, you could have poisoned him," Dilshad cried.
"But I didn't, did I, Khala? Relax, I knew exactly what I was doing." She sighed. "OK, I'm getting bored of this--"
"Not yet, Tanveer. Remember Najma still doesn't know how low you can go."
"Whatever," Tanveer turned away to gaze at her nails.
"So where was I? Yes, Tanveer drugged Mr. Khan and tried to seduce him."
"Ugh, that's gross," Najma said. "So uncool."
"Exactly."
"But why would she do that? Obviously when Bhaijaan recovered he would have no memory of this."
"That's what Tanveer was counting on, Najma. Because then she could trick him into thinking that the baby was his."
"Baby!" Najma squealed. "What baby?"
"The one she's pregnant with." Dilshad said in a dull monotone. "This characterless woman needed my son to take responsibity for god knows whose child."
"And then when Zoya caught her red-handed she decided to come up with this genius idea of accusing me of rape." Did Asad know what their plan was? Zoya couldn't be sure.
Najma's gasps tripped over themselves. "Is that true, Tanveer? Is it?"
Zoya's heart raced. This was awesome. Thank you Najma for this direct question.
"Please!" Tanveer retorted. "In this big bad world, a girl has to do what a girl's got to do."
"There are a lot of women struggling to make ends meet in this world," Zoya hissed at her in renewed anger. "But they don't make false accusations of rape against men who treated them only with respect!"
Tanveer harrumphed carelessly.
"How could you?" Dilshad couldn't stop herself. "We treated you with kindness, helped you when you were in trouble. And this is how you repay us? Asad wouldn't lay a hand on a woman and you blame him for such a disgusting thing?"
Asad had walked away to cool off in the kitchen. He got himself a glass of chilled water. His shoulders ached with the control it took to not swing at something. He should have worked at his punching bag last night ... but they'd come back too late ...
Zoya wasn't yet satisfied with what they had. Would it be enough to nail her? But she was hopping mad too. How dare this woman act so nonchalant and do such a hideous thing!
She marched closer to Tanveer and leaned in. "You're a sick woman. One reckless accusation like this and you make all real victims of rape look bad. The next time the police won't believe an innocent girl because of women like you!"
"Look," Tanveer was getting pissed off. "I don't really have the time to worry about other women. This is about me so let's stay focused, OK?" She turned to Asad who was still in the kitchen taking deep breaths to steady himself. "So what's your decision, Asad? Am I going to get that money or are you going to prison?"
A muscle ticked in his neck. His chin was taut with uncoiled tension. He cleared his throat.
"You already have your answer, Tanveer. I do not compromise or negotiate with criminals."
Dilshad bent her head in sorrow. She knew her son was right but she wished he'd bend just a little this time.
But no. He was right. Giving in to this snake would mean having to live their lives with shame.
"Are you sure?" Tanveer was miffed. He was a good mark but he was too damn stubborn for his own good. "OK, here's my final offer. I'll take a crore to disappear from your life."
"And you'll withdraw the charges?" Zoya jumped in before Asad could respond.
"Sure, if you make it all out in cash."
"Zoya, I won't--"
Zoya shushed him--finally she got her turn to return the favor.
"You better listen to her, Asad. You got yourself a smart woman there."
He rounded on her. "Shut up! I don't want--"
Zoya herded him away. She looked at Ammi and signed with her head. Get Mr. Khan calmed down.
"I'll get Mr. Khan to agree. Give us till tomorrow. Where do you want to meet?"
Chapter 11
Asad erupted right after the door closed behind her.
"What's wrong with you? Why did you agree to her demands--she's a snake. That's got to be another one of her tricks!" He slammed his hand in the wall.
"Asad!" Dilshad cried. "Hamari baat to suno."
"Ammi!" he rounded on her. "I don't understand why you're siding with Zoya on this!"
Zoya said nothing. She just went to the kitchen and brought him a glass of water to drink.
He glared at her and crossed his arms over his chest refusing the offered glass. Zoya grabbed his hand and pressed the glass into it.
"Mr. Khan drink up and then listen to my plan. Najma you got it, right? And Ammi?"
She took out her own phone and played back the recording. The sound was low but clear. She turned up the volume full blast and they listened to most of the confession. Najma played back hers next. This playback was the clearest and most complete. Dilshad's was in pretty good condition too.
Asad's brows lifted and then a slow smile spread across his face. The next steps were clear. While Zoya got busy making and downloading copies Asad began to call his lawyers.
His lawyer had some good news too. One of his investigators had unearthed a curious story. Someone at her factory told him that there had been a big fight they'd overheard a few weeks ago. And then one of the partners had quit and was now suing her. They couldn't get the partner to talk though. Would Mr. Khan like to give him a call?
Something told Asad that he knew what the fight was about. Could Tanveer have tried her tricks on others before? Is that why she'd come to Bhopal?
"Mr. Amin, I can understand your caution. Let me tell you a story and then you tell me if you've heard it before?"
He narrated the events of that night--the drugging, the faux seduction and then the final accusation.
The man at the other end sighed. "You got lucky that you were interrupted. I had no such savior, and I fell for all her lies. I paid her ... I'm married. When she asked for more I told my wife and we decided that she couldn't hold anything over us any more. The next day the police came."
Asad told him of their suspicions: Tanveer was pregnant and was looking to pass off her child as legitimate.
The man swore. "What do you need?" he offered.
The woman was smart. She had chosen a busy railway station platform for the transaction. No one would question a large suitcase here. With the crowds, escape would be quick and easy.
Once they'd played the recordings back for Inspector Bhatia, had the affidavit from Mr. Amin faxed over and shown him other financial records, the police were more open-minded about the plan to entrap Ms. Baig.
They'd watch from a safe distance. If they saw the exchange happen--Tanveer had promised that she'd give them an affidavit of withdrawn charges, then they would arrest her for blackmail and making a false report.
To be even more sure, Zoya had insisted that Asad wear a wire to catch the conversation. "If the police refuse, I'll rig something up and we can get even more evidence against her. Get her to talk and say something incriminating."
When he saw her walking towards him he grimaced in revulsion. The woman was poison. It made him mad at himself for falling for her bullsh*it.
He waited for her to get closer so that he could catch her on tape.
"Asad!" she smiled up at him. Her eyes lit up at the size of the rolling suitcase that he held behind him. "You got it! I hope it wasn't too inconvenient."
His lips thinned into a grim line. "Do you have it? The notarized--?"
"Of course! I don't renege on promises." She rummaged through her bag and fished out a manila envelope.
"I'm going to look through it to make sure it's real. In fact I have my lawyer here who'll check it for me." He signaled someone over.
Tanveer's face fell. She didn't like the sound of that but she covered it up well. "Sure, he'll see that the whole thing is in order. But I don't like surprises Asad," she said softly as the lawyer read through the papers. "You should have told me that you were getting your lawyer."
"Once bitten, twice shy. You must have heard of that saying, I'm sure. Mr. Mallik, is it all right?"
The man nodded and walked away after handing the papers back to Asad. "I'm going to make doubly sure, Tanveer. I hope you don't mind. It's hard to trust you."
She smirked at him.
"Why don't you sit down," Asad offered. "How far along is your pregnancy by the way? You must get tired."
She sighed. "About two months."
"Two months! How were you planning to pass me off as the father?"
"Please Asad. I'd have claimed the baby was premature."
"But how? Doctors and nurses aren't dumb. They'd know."
"I know a doctor who owes me a favor. Are you done looking at the papers? Can I have the bag now?"
He tried to tamp his rising fury and distaste. "Not yet. I want to be absolutely sure." He pointed to a page. "Here you say that you were mistaken and under stress and that's why you identified me wrongly as your assailant. I'm not sure that's enough for the police to drop the charges against me."
She huffed in impatience. "What else do you want from me?"
"Come to the police station and formally withdraw the complaint."
"C'mon Asad. Won't that look suspicious? What if the police think that you are forcing me to withdraw the complaint?"
"I don't care about what they think! I want this nightmare to end. These papers don't really say anything about the conspiracy to blackmail me."
"Are you kidding me? I can't go to the police and say that I blackmailed you!"
"Fine! Say it to my face then. I want to hear from your mouth every nasty little scheme you rigged to fleece and fool me." He held the bag away. "Say it so that I can stop blaming myself for ever having trusted you!"
She exhaled in annoyance.
"Say it or you can kiss this money good bye," Asad threatened.
She did. She wanted the money so bad that she blurted out every little sick detail: the drug, the plan to trick him into paternity, the rape charge because she was so mad at being foiled by his little Ms. Farooqui and the eventual deal to make the charges disappear.
She gloated in fact. "You needed this, Asad," she said. "Think of it as a wake-up call. I don't know how you can call yourself a businessman when you fell for the oldest trick in the book. At least now you'll learn to be more cautious. You should really be thanking me."
He laughed. He'd seen Inspector Bhatia moving toward them. "Yes, thank you, Tanveer. Thank you for opening my eyes. For making the best thing in the world fall into my arms. For making me realize which things matter the most. You're right, I do owe you a lot."
He watched the female constables cuff her as she sputtered in fury.
"Tanveer?" he called out before they led her away. "We're not done with you. Like Mr. Amin," her eyes widened in panic. "Yes, I talked to him. Like him, I plan to sue you for libel, defamation and slander and whatever else will make the judge throw the book at you. He's promised to testify and we have the evidence you see. We have you on tape from yesterday and today."
Asad removed the wire from his chest and handed it to Inspector Bhatia. He shook his hand. "Thanks for helping us."
"No thank you, Mr. Khan. Thanks for playing along and helping us close this case. You've saved the taxpayers a lot of money and us valuable time by not having to follow up on bogus cases and trials."
"Inspector Bhatia? I have a favor. A request really."
"Yes?"
"Don't let ... " He cleared his throat. "If a woman comes to you and tells you that she's been raped, don't turn her away or distrust her just because a woman like Tanveer cried wolf."
Inspector Bhatia's eyes softened. He patted Asad's shoulder warmly. "I won't," he added. "You're right, 9 out of 10 cases are genuine. And the top most reason that women don't report assault is that they fear we won't believe them. You're a good man, Mr. Khan. Not many men would think or say this. In fact they would go to the other extreme and question every report ever made. They would end up believing that women always cooked up rape charges to extort money."
Asad nodded. Coming to this realization hadn't been an easy road. Each time he cringed remembering Tanu's hands and lips on him he couldn't bear to think of what women who were raped went through. Their trauma must be so much more severe and last so much longer, he thought. How could anyone force themselves on someone? Why do people do it? Men mostly. Women like Tanveer were outliers.
He rocked Zoya in his arms as she ran to him. Asad didn't care who saw or sniggered or catcalled. He inhaled deeply, gratefully. She was sobbing. "It's over," he comforted her.
It really was over.
Chapter 12: 133351430
Theme - Theme 1 : The Bag (Graphicer - WildestDreams) The Weight of Love The rain drummed softly against the glass windows of the airport, a...
Asya FF: Rendezvous with Honor Asad Ahmed Khan is the prodigal son. All the tabloids say so. Coming from an affluent family in Bhopal, he's done...
[NOCOPY] Hello everyone! Happy to be here. I was searching for an opportunity to be here with all of you as a member after a long time as writer...
Writer - ExoticDisaster | Graphicer - Oh_nakhrewaali | Theme - Bag Unfolding Yesterday Zoya coughed, pulling the scarf higher over her nose and...
This is one of the entries I had submitted for Valentine's day contest - A Bag full of love. cover : oh_nakhrewaali | writer : missFiesty_69 |...
Anupamaa
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
4