CBI

Delhi

Next Day

12:00 PM

Khushi Kiran Gupta is in her cabin thinking of arresting Arnav Bhatt and Krithika. She got an arrest warrant against Arnav Bhatt from the judge an hour before. Khushi got it herself from the judge after submitting the verified proofs against Arnav Bhatt and Krithika.

She can see Arnav Bhatt from her cabin, he's talking to one of the constables. She cannot believe that Arnav Bhatt is the son of Karan Mallik. Karan Mallik, a criminal, a mafia king who's under punishment and is living a life in jail now. The same Karan Mallik who's her boyfriend's Arnav Singh Raizada's step-father. She couldn't not believe how she could have missed knowing that Arnav Bhatt is someone's son who's her culprit. And now she knows why, after a thorough read through Arnav Bhatt's BG file. She remembers reading Arnav Bhatt's CV the day he joined and he had kept his Mother's surname after his. No mention of father and nothing. She never bothered about that because what's there to it? Many do. Even her boyfriend kept his Mother's surname. But the difference is, her boyfriend kept it as he hates his father and step-father and Arnav Bhatt kept it, probably, to trap her. And she never doubted. So clever of Karan Mallik to plan something against her by making his son someone whose profession he hates the most. And maybe that's the point, since he knew that she knew his hate towards police officers, he never thought she, the Khushi Kiran Gupta, could guess something like this. He rightly-estimated her and she underestimated him.

Arnav Singh Raizada is in his cabin thinking about step-father, he never knew Karan Mallik has a son who's of his age. He hated his father, Arvind, when he came to know his father cheated on his mother and went away, divorcing her. And when his mother married Karan Mallik for his sake, he thought he could get fatherly love from him and was getting that exactly which proved to be fake as he came to know his step-father's involvement in Mafia and how he trapped his mother.

His thoughts came to a halt as he saw Khushi walking into his cabin.

Arnav looked at her.

"Where's Krithika? Any information?" Khushi asked, looking at him.

"I called her stating she needs here for further investigation an hour ago, and she can walk-in any moment," he replied.

Khushi nods at him and just as she was about to sit, Arnav Bhatt knocks on the door.

ASR and Khushi look at each other.

"Come in," Arnav responds to the knock.

Arnav Bhatt rushes inside, "ASR, did you call Krithika?"

"Yeah, I did. Is she here?" ASR asks Arnav Bhatt.

"Yeah, but-" ASR cuts him off.

"If she's here, tell her to come in," said ASR.

"No. Be here, Arnav." She gestures to Arnav Bhatt to come in more. He comes in as per his Madam's order and closes the door.

"Well, we'll ring one of the constables there," Khushi takes out a landline from the desk and rings one of them.

"Inform Krithika to come into ASR's cabin," Khushi says as soon as the ring goes off.

"Any clues on Krithika's case, Ma'm?" Arnav Bhatt asks curiously.

Khushi just nods at him. And then they hear a knock on the door.

Krithika walks in after ASR's come-in.

"Good Afternoon!" She smiles at them nervously.

"Have you got any clue that can prove Aryan my culprit?" she

Khushi stood up and walked up to Krithika.

"Yeah. We got the clue and in fact, we have an arrest warrant." Khushi squints her eyes.

ASR takes the arrest warrant that was lying on his desk and takes out his handcuffs and walks up to Khushi.

Khushi takes it and shows the warrant to Krithika.

"You're the one who's your culprit," KKG looks at her and Krithika looks shocked. Arnav Bhatt is shocked too.

"And maybe your partner here." Arnav Singh Raizada, in a blink of an eye, handcuffs Arnav Bhatt and Krithika together. Now Arnav Bhatt and Krithika are beside each other with a handcuff on Bhatt's left hand and Krithika's right hand.

"What the hell?" Krithika screams. Arnav Bhatt is in shock and not out of it yet.

"Well, according to proofs we've gotten and had them submitted to the judge, he has issued an arrest warrant against you two," Khushi explains.

"But-" Krithika was cut off by Arnav Singh Raizada.

"No buts and ifs. Whatever you've to say, say it in custody or court, that if you want to plead not-guilty," Khushi said looking at Krithika.

"But I'm innocent. I didn't do anything," Krithika screams.

Arnav Bhatt looks on, still in shock and has nothing to say.

ASR and Khushi ignore her words and take her into their custody or lock up. Constables and some of the Inspectors look up in shock to see their Senior Inspector with handcuffs locking his hands.

They enter the lift inside the office and get into digitised custody above their floor.

Inside the lock-up/Custody,

They make them sit beside each other in chairs in front of a desk.

Khushi sits in one of the chairs opposite to them. In the meanwhile ASR goes to his cabin, and takes out a red file that has copies of Krithika and Arnav Bhatt's crimes.

Pearl Fashion House

"Are you sure you've seen Khushi with a guy?" Anjali asked Akash who's in her cabin.

"Yes. I'm so sure. And I'm also sure I've seen that guy somewhere. I just don't remember where." Akash sighs.

"Well, it can be her friend she's with. Don't you think you are being like someone so stereotypical to conclude the same thing you're doing now, like someone who and when they see their sisters or any woman for that matter, laughing with a man?" Anjali raises her brows.

Akash glares at her.

"It's Khushi Kiran Gupta you're talking about. Remember?" Akash comments sarcastically.

"Let's see. I'll ask if she's seriously dating anyone at the moment," Anjali says thinking about Khushi.

"I'll ask too. Why only you?" he frowns.

"Okay. Fine, we both will. Happy?"

Akash smiles as Anjali frowns.

"And don't forget if it's one of her casual relationships, she's gonna whip us for interfering in her romantic life." Anjali warns.

"I'll not forget and I'm sure I've seen her laughing with that guy. She never did that with anyone else," Akash explains what he saw for the nth time.

CBI

Delhi

Custody

Arnav walks back into custody with the red file.

Khushi looks up as she looks at him and another few of the constables walk in.

Constables set up a recording camera to record the interrogation as they do for every other interrogation all the other times.

"So, yeah, Krithika you were screaming that you're innocent, aren't you? And scream the same and again after looking at the proofs here!" Khushi takes the red file and slaps it on the desk.

Before Krithika can open and see, Arnav Bhatt beats her to it. Krithika peeks in. And they both looked shocked after looking at the pictures and content. For contrasting reasons, tho.

"You wanna watch the video?" Khushi doesn't wait for them to answer and takes a pendrive from the file, and connects it to the laptop she has on the desk.

In the video,

Krithika was seen sitting on a bench, maybe because they could see some ground in front of her. And then they saw some feet coming towards her. She stood up and his face was revealed.

Arnav Bhatt! And he seems to be giving two kinds of notes and some drugs to Krithika. They don't talk about anything and as soon as she takes them in her hands, she turns away and walks out of the park, maybe keeping the drugs and notes in her bag as the camera can only show the front.

"So, Arnav Bhatt, you, and Krithika, you, both are partners in the crime, right?" Khushi asked with a poker face.

"I'm innocent," Krithika repeats her words on the verge of crying.

"How can we believe you?" ASR asks Krithika.

"I was blackmailed by Arnav. He has kidnapped my sister and kept her in his cage," she explained.

Arnav Bhatt keeps silent.

"When was she kidnapped?" ASR starts his interrogation.

"A month and half ago."

"How did you know it was Arnav Bhatt who kidnapped your sister?" Khushi continues her interrogation.

"I was about to file a complaint after some 18 hours when I got a call."

"Call about?" Khushi asked.

"That he has my sister with him. At that point in time, I didn't know it was Arnav Bhatt but yes he was and he did threaten me with my sister's life and did all that, first he'd send voice mails and some of my sister's picture to my telephone and fax respectively. He'd ask me to talk badly of my boyfriend's behaviour. And I did. I didn't want to lose my sister. And later he instructed me to come to this location. At that point he did call me on my landline, only once. I'd go to the location and if sometimes I find a packet with notes and drugs, other times and very rarely too, he'd himself come to me and hand over the notes to me. Two kinds of notes, one for me, a private one, which has instructions on what I need to do and one for me, the one I could show to the police to trap Arjun." Krithika gulped down while explaining.

"Where are the private notes?" Khushi asked. Although she knew the notes and had already seen them, she still asked.

The proofs she submitted to the judge against Arnav Bhatt and Krithika are just few, the proofs that she found through her professional help and the one Arjun gave himself, none from cyanide was ever exposed.

Video Recording from Aryan's Laptop

Private Notes from Aryan.

Drugs and Notes submitted by Krithika.

That's it. These are some circumstantial evidence that lead the judge to issue an arrest warrant.

"In my bag."

One of the constables brings her bag after Khushi's order.

Arnav Bhatt still looks at the video and sits silently.

Krithika was about to take her bag but Khushi stopped her.

"I'd do the honour. Where's it in your bag?" Khushi asked opening the zip of the bag.

"There's a secret zip down there." Krithika points out the edge of the bag and she finds a very small zipper enough to fit in notes.

She takes the notes out.

"These are copies," Khushi exclaims.

"Yes. The original is in my home inside a box which I've kept in under the bed," Krithika replies.

"We need to get it!" Khushi looks at ASR.

"Should I go and get them? You can interrogate until then," ASR questions.

"No need. We'd get it after interrogation. We need those pictures she's claiming to get and even voice mails." Khushi denies going now. And looks at Krithika again.

"So moving on, do you have those pictures from faxes and voice mails?" Khushi asks.

"Yes. I do. But I don't think that would be of much help, especially the voice mail." Krithika sighs.

ASR and KKG gave a look.

"Why?" ASR asked frowning.

"Because it's a woman's voice." Krithika answers.

"A woman? So a woman is involved with Arnav Bhatt," Khushi questions.

"Maybe!" Krithika shrugs.

"What do you say about this, Arnav Bhatt?" Khushi asked, looking at him.

Arnav Bhatt stays silent.

"Why are you silent? Don't want to admit your doings or is Krithika lying?"

Arnav Bhatt is still silent, looking at the file.

"When did you come to know it was Arnav Bhatt who was doing this to you?" ASR asked.

"The day when I came to the CBI to complain," Krithika answers.

"How exactly?" Khushi asks now.

"He's threatening me, why did I come here? His note stated, don't go to CBI. But I did, he was angry and he revealed himself to me, and said so many things that made me confess things I didn't do," Krithika cries remembering that day.

"How dare you come here? Didn't I tell you not to go to CBI?" Arnav Bhatt whispers coming behind her in the name of getting her address and Krithika froze in shock.

She turns around and looks at him, "Does that mean, it's you?" Disbelief is written over her face.

"Yes, it's me. Don't forget your sister is in my custody." He grits his teeth glaring at her angrily.

"Yes, I know," she laughs sarcastically. "Do you think I can forget that? You're very clever, which is why you never mentioned threatening me with my sister in any of your notes because you knew there would be a day when I'd try this and still no one would know that my sister's kidnapped. But don't forget there are pictures that you sent through fax and the voicemail-"

Arnav Bhatt cuts her off.

"What would you do with the pictures and voice-mail? They're no use to you. Remember your sister is with me and one phone call, and she'd be killed." Arnav Bhatt laughs.

"Now that you're here you've to speak what I ask you to speak and right now," he glares at her.

And she does, "Don't you dare threaten me, okay? Don't you remember it's me who hired you to send these two notes and drugs to myself," she whispers and Arnav Bhatt drops his head.

Aryan Singh heard this part and Khushi didn't forget that.

"You can even check cctv footage of that day, the corridor in your office. It happened there," she informs.

KKG nods and gestures to a constable. He goes out to do the said work.

"Arnav Bhatt, she's accusing you of so many things? What do you have to say in your defence?" ASR asked, looking at Arnav Bhatt.

Arnav Bhatt was just silent listening to the interrogation that was going on.

Khushi was frustrated.

"Will you open your mouth or not?" she screams.

Arnav Bhatt finally looks up and laughs. "I've nothing to say in my defence. Whatever she said, it's true. I did that. I agree with every word of hers." He accepts his crimes.

"Didn't I say he's the one? I was threatened, blackmailed. I couldn't do anything. I'm innocent. I'm just a victim." she cries.

KKG and ASR look at her crying.

"Victims will surely get their well-deserved justice and culprits, their punishment, Krithika," KKG threw her words at her.

Krithika slightly nods.

Constable gets back in the room with the footage. KKG and ASR turn on the laptop and put the pendrive constable has given them. They turn it to their side and watch, from the video, one can guess that Krithika was speaking right. Because the expressions they showed are the same in the video. Arnav Bhatt laughing, whispering from behind, and so on.

ASR and KKG look at each other. Krithika is sniffling and Arnav Bhatt's silent.

"Why did you do that?" ASR asked, looking away from the video and Khushi.

"Because I hate Khushi Kiran Gupta, her mother, and Aryan's mother. They're the reason why my father, Karan Mallik, is in jail now," he grits his teeth.

"Karan Mallik, a mafia king, is your father?" Khushi asks, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Yes." He nods.

"What's Bhatt doing in your surname, then," she questions.

"Because I wanted the Bhatt name, my mother's surname, only to trap you." he admits.

"Trap me and what more," she questions.

"I wanted to torture you the way my father's getting tortured now. I wanted to make you want to die instead of getting such torture from me." He laughs and a tear escapes his eye as he keeps laughing.

ASR and other constables stand in shock looking at the way he's laughing, as if he's a maniac.

Khushi rolled her eyes. "Where's Krithika's sister?"

"Why would I tell? My plan's failed," his laughter turns into chuckle.

"So, you wouldn't tell? Fine, then."

KKG asked her constables to stop the recording and they did.

"Send the recording to me. Lock them separately and make them sit apart." She instructs constables and they do.

ASR and KKG looked on as they kept locked in a corner apart from each other.

Khushi sends the constables away and walks out. ASR, after giving a final look at them, walks out.

Now they were just two and a few more people from the department guarding the custody and lock-ups.

Khushi, as soon as saw ASR walking out, changes the password for the digitised lock and removes the fingerprint of Arnav Bhatt's that was registered along with hers before. She cleans the surface of the locker after locking it with a password and her fingerprints, removing any traces of her finger pattern.

Done with the work, Khushi walks upto ASR, "we need to get those pictures, voicemails, and notes from Krithika's home."

"Yes, we'll get going. But after lunch? It's already 12:40 PM?" ASR rubs his hands on his stomach as they walk down, abandoning the lift.

Khushi glares at him.

ASR pouts. "I'm famished." He looks at the canteen as they reach down.

Khushi glares more.

He pouts more looking back at her.

Khushi sighs and walks towards the canteen.

"Are we eating here?" ASR asked. Khushi gives no reply and walks up to the counter. She buys some avocado and egg sandwiches and passes them to ASR.

"What about you?" ASR asked, looking at 4 sandwiches.

"I don't wanna eat now." Khushi sighs.

Arnav frowns and turns towards the counter. "Excuse me-"

Khushi cuts him off.

"I don't want to eat anything, Arnav. Don't buy!" Khush grabs his shirt from back with her two fingers and drags him back a little.

"Who said I'm buying something for you?" Arnav frowns. Khushi frowns back, in confusion.

A man from desk responds to Arnav's plea, slight lately as he's lost in accounts and that brings ASR back and he turns towards the counter.

Khushi is still frowning. If he's not buying food for me, what else he'd do? Buy more for himself?

"Yeah, I want to return these sandwiches which my girlfriend bought," he says, keeping the packet on the counter.

Khushi sighs and takes the packet back. "Pack 2 Baked Chicken Fajitas, please!"

Arnav smiles at that and takes the packet from Khushi's hand.

"You'll never change, will you?" Khushi sighs rolling her eyes.

Arnav grins and nods his head horizontally.

They get the packet and after paying, they go to Khushi's cabin and start their lunch. And Arnav, while Khushi was eating and he himself was, steals one plate of Baked Chicken Fajitas and replaces it with his two sandwiches on her plate. Khushi notices this from the corner of her eyes and chuckles silently. She remembers him telling her a week ago when they were talking in the night as usual and he mentioned that he had started dieting, and he doesn't want to eat any kind of meat anymore. And here he's, stealing his favourite dish discreetly.

"You'll never change, Arnav. Trust me!" she slaps his arm.

Arnav smiles sheepishly.

"That's why I tell you never force me to diet?" Arnav bites his tongue.

"Me? And forced you to diet?" Khushi looks at him weirdly.

"Yeah. I mean look at you, you're so thin and if somebody your Nani knows that you're dating a man who's so muscular, she'll think you're so delicate in my arms when in reality it's the other way around. So, that's why I am trying to be thin like you," he grins.

"Shut up, you Crazy man! No need to mock my appetite. It's just today I wasn't feeling hungry and you know that," she scoffs.

"Yeah, and this I-wasn't-feeling-hungry feeling of yours appears every three days, right?" He looks at her.

"Okay. I'm sorry, fine?" She rolls her eyes and continues her lunch.

Arnav smiles his head at her attitude and continues his lunch, pulling her leg and hair at so many instances and getting fire glares in return.

3:50 PM

CBI

Arnav and Khushi went to Krithika's home and brought the evidence to their custody, verified the voicemails, pictures, everything matches, except that the cctv footage has no audio and no speechreading technique is that accurate to guess the exact spoken words. Adding to it, they verified the voicemail which by the way has some software in it that converted it to a female voice and their technicians have done a good job in cracking the original code and sent those proofs along with the interrogation recording to the judge.

Proofs:

Video Recording from Aryan's Laptop

Private Notes from Aryan.

Drugs and Notes submitted by Krithika.

Krithika's confession.

CCTV Footage of Corridor.

Pictures, Original Notes(private) and Voicemail.

And the most important one, Confession Video of Arnav Bhatt.

The court will declare a date for the hearing session and if all goes well, Arnav Bhatt will be behind the bars just beside his father for whom he did all this.

"Since, this case is almost solved and other cops are already looking for Krithika's sister in Arnav's radar, can we have dinner tonight?" He asks, clapping his hands.

Khushi glares at him.

"How many times do you think I need to repeat? Told you, right? Even walls can have ears."

"Sorry. What should I do? I am not used to it. My office was so peaceful and had a carefree environment unlike yours," he pouts, missing his heaven like office.

"Who told you to join here, then?" Khushi frowns and Arnav pouts.

"Well, to impress you?" he grins.

"Well, I'm not impressed. So, you're failed and now get out of my cabin and do some work." Khushi dismisses Arnav and Arnav makes a poker face and gets out of her cabin.

"Don't know what else this Madam of mine will need to see me do, to impress her," he mumbles to himself walking to his cabin.

"Crazy man!" Khushi mumbles to herself.

The day ends with some of the cops returning to office empty handed, Khushi receiving the date of hearing, and ASR doing some random work.

Night

Shantivan

9:30 PM

Khushi is in her room thinking about the day's happenings when she hears a knock.

Khushi asks them to come in.

And she can see two pairs of feet appearing from the door. She looks up.

Anjali and Akash!

"Hi, Khushi!" They greet her smiling.

"Hi," Khushi smiles as they come and sit beside her, one on each side.

"What's up? Looking too busy these days," Akash starts the conversation.

"Yeah. Working on a complicated deal," she replies, twisting her mouth taking a deep breath.

"Even we were working on complicated deals these days," Anjali pouts.

Khushi laughs. "Yours complicated deal and ours complicated deal has different context and different adventure, you know?" she air-quotes.

"Yeah, sweetheart. I know." Anjali pouts.

"Listen, I'm thinking about marrying my girlfriend," Akash opens his mouth only to say this.

"From where did you get your girlfriend? I think, a week back, you were very much single." She raises her eyebrows.

"Ahh. That's my ex-girlfriend actually. We patched up a few days ago and decided to marry," he explains.

"Oh, that's great, then. Go and talk with Nani. She'd dance in happiness and I'm sure of that," Khushi replies.

"I know but how can I marry before you?" Akash adjusts his spectacles.

Khushi looks at him weirdly.

"Even our Nani is way more modern in her thoughts than you." Khushi scoffs.

"And from when did you start caring about such trivial things, you didn't before!" she exclaims.

"Yeah, but my girlfriend's parents are not that modern and when I said I've an elder sister, who's just 3 months elder to me, they said, I should get you married first and then only they'll allow me marry my girlfriend," Akash explains smiling sheepishly.

Khushi rolls her eyes.

"God! So what should I do now?" she asks.

"Are you dating anyone seriously or in a serious relationship?" Anjali asks.

"Please say Khushi, whatever your answer is, my life will be depended on that only." He fakes his tears.

"Are you, like, serious?" Khushi asked looking at him wiping his tears.

"Ye..s!" He sniffles. His acting was so great that it couldn't even bring him a tiny recognition award, Oscar is just out of his planet.

Khushi slaps his head, "Don't act in front of me. You suck at it, you know! Continue being a businessman, that's better for you."

Anjali, who tried to control her laughter looking at Akash's over-acting, laughs out loud and so hard that it could shake the whole mansion.

"Come to the point, Akash." Khushi asks him straight, trying to control her laughter and maintaining a poker face.

"Okay, fine," Akash whips his acting and embarrassment and looks at Khushi, "So, Isawyouwithaguylaughingwithhim," he said in a go without a pause.

"What?" Khushi frowns and is about to slap his head again.

"I saw you with a guy laughing with him and he's so much like an employee of ours, you know, what's his name, Anjali?" Akash looks at Anjali.

"I think he's Arnav Singh Raizada, our Ex-Fashion Designer!" Anjali exclaims.

Anjali and Akash sat for sometime as Akash tried to remember where he saw his face, and remembered him after a whole of one hour, he saw in some of his meetings, Arnav Singh Raizada. His Employee. A Fashion Designer.

Khushi sighs, "Alright, fine! We're in a relationship and it's serious. Happy?" Khushi replies slightly blushing and is back to her KKG swag again. But Akash and Anjali are her cousins for a reason, they didn't miss the blush.

"Aww! See who's blushing," Anjali teases.

"You met him when you came to meet me or Anjali?" Akash asked.

"No." Khushi denies.

"Then?"

"I met him way before, not in the company," Khushi replies.

"Then why don't you say this to Nani. She'll be happy, right?"

And they hear a door creaking open.

To be continued..,

I'll update rest of the part late-night or in the midnight. Flashback of ArShi's meet, ArShi's parents flashback, and final twist in the story which is climax is all left. That I'll update as I said.

This update is of like 5K and I need to write more 5K+ for complete this story and I'm already writing it from morning. You'll get that update soon. 

Until this adjust with this update. 

My work was hectic this week and I couldn't get any time for writing as I promised.  Apologies for that.

Hope you understand and thanks for being patient. 

Anyone wondered what's the coded message and how it's being decoded? 

-polymath_land

(28/08/22)