"What do you mean my husband has been arrested?On what charges?", screamed Razia over the phone.
She couldn't understand what was happening. How had her law-abiding husband been arrested for murder? This had to be a cruel joke. They had got the wrong man, she was sure of it. Quickly she dialed Siddiqui constructions.
"Rashid miyan, he's been arrested."
"Razia bhabhi…who has been arrested?", asked a confused Rashid. He was neck deep in work and he didn't have time for this woman's hysterics.
"Siddiqui…he's been arrested…for MURDER"
"WHAT?!"
Rashid felt his day go from bad to worse. The chairman and CEO of this company…his brother-in-law had been arrested. What had happened?
"Wait let me call a lawyer. If the charge is this serious we will need a good lawyer to take with us to the police station. You leave for the police station…I'll call the best lawyers to help us...him."
Razia tried to calm herself down. She needed to compose herself. She saw the sense in what Rashid was saying and agreed that she needed to be at the station now.
"Humeira…HUMEIRA!" Razia yelled for her daughter.
"Ji, Ammi…you called?" asked Humeira timidly.
"Your Abu has been arrested for murder…we need to go down to the station immediately. We need to leave now."
"Ammi…Abu…how is this possible…I don't believe that…Ammi…MURDER?"
"Stop stuttering Humeira and come fast. We must not waste time!"
Humeira found her composure and ran to her room to get dressed as fast as she could.
"Nikhat, Nuzrat…Abu…he's in jail…I am going with Ammi now…please tell Bua…"
Nikhat and Nuzrat, Ayaan and Asad's sisters stood rooted to the spot…stunned by what they had just heard. Nodding numbly at what Humeira had just told them they ran towards their mother's room.
****
"I legally own Siddiqui Constructions? How much of it is mine?"
"Well Zoya…all of it. Your father…"
"Don't call him that!"
"Sorry…I meant Siddiqui set up his company using your mother's money, which means the initial, vital and only investment was made by the money he acquired by murder and fraud. So by law this is all yours as your mother had only one child…and that is you."
Ayaan was shocked. The company his father worked for was started on blood money and was rightfully owned by Zoya…
"What about Mammi and Humeira?" asked Ayaan
"Who are they?"
Asad sent a quelling glance towards Ayaan. In all the drama they had forgotten to tell Zoya that she had a half-sister who was very much alive. Asad walked towards Zoya, sitting next to her, holding her close to him. He didn't care that his Ammi, his sister, Ayaan and Raj were sitting there. He wanted Zoya to seek comfort from him and he would be damned if anyone took offense to it.
"Zoya…Humeira is…well...Humeira is your half-sister. Your Ab…Siddiqui is married and he has a daughter…Ayaan's cousin…well not by blood…but cousin none the less."
Zoya was shocked. Her biological father had another daughter…another wife…that he hadn't left. She didn't know why it hurt her but it did. She snuggled closer to Asad wanting to feel his warmth and his steady breath.
Asad felt Zoya's mood change. He knew that even though she was behaving indifferent this new piece of information had upset her deeply. He was glad that she sort comfort in him. He loved that she trusted him so implicitly.
"Zoya…your half-sister and her mother have no right on the company or anything that was bought using your mother's money. It belongs solely to you. Anything they had before your mother of course is still theirs. We will have to investigate all of Siddiqui's assets. But I can assure the construction company is definitely yours. All that has to be done is to legally name you its owner.", said Raj
"But won't Siddiqui's legal team fight us on this?"
"They can't win on this one Zoya…we have Siddiqui on tape claiming he tried to kill you because you could rightfully claim the company he built. Hard for any lawyer to fight against that, don't ya think? Also, Siddiqui has far greater legal troubles to handle…like his inevitable murder trial."
Zoya nodded. It was a lot of information to process but she knew with every fibre of her being that she wanted to take back what was rightfully hers…her mother's!
"I want that company and I want you to find out what else belongs to me…it belongs to my mother and I want it. Please make sure the legality issues are dealt with. Oh and for the murder trial, Mr. Sharma, make sure he fries!"
Zoya walked out of the stunned room as calmly as she could. She didn't care if she sounded harsh or mean or materialistic…she wanted what was hers not because of the money worth but because she could not stand the fact that the man who killed her mother would continue to benefit and reap the comforts of her mother's…her grandfather's wealth. She would not let that happen!
****
Rashid impatiently waited for the phone to be picked up. His brother-in-law needed a good lawyer…
"Mr. Sharma, Good Evening, Let me introduce myself I am Rashid Ahmed Khan, President of Siddiqui Constructions. I know you are the best lawyer in town and I am in need of your services to get my brother-in-law off a murder charge!"
Bhabhi Ji Ghar Pe Hain?
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