Days passed and Aarna's anxiety started taking heavy turns... She knew Arjun is gonna take over from the next hearing and the thought alone made her excited at the same time nervous as hell... Excited because she trusts him so much to get her out of the prison for sure, nervous because she knew what would happen if she steps out, and no way in hell she is ready for the consequences.

Chandini informed Arjun about Aarna's anxiety attacks which she tried hard to hide but couldn't... And Arjun didn't understand her dilemma but he sure want to... For now, he needs to calm her before the news reaches the Bharadwajs... And if they get to know about her anxiety attacks, they'll suspect something unexpected is gonna happen and there might be heavy risks of the whole plan blowing up and Arjun is not gonna let that happen.

Geeta visited Aarna... By then, she understood, she won't be able to draw any response from her, so today she just brought her speech which she prepared with the help of Arjun... No... Whom is she kidding, the whole speech is written by Arjun and she is just a delivery agent...

As usual, Khatri tried to frustrate Geeta, and if she isn't so involved in her work, she would have blasted Khatri's head... She took a deep breath and walked off inside without giving a f**k at his words...

"Aarna...", Geeta called and she turned around, Geeta left a gasp to see the girl... she has bags under her eyes, her hair disheveled, and her face pale... Geeta could easily make that she didn't take any proper sleep or food in the past few days... Geeta's eyes shifted towards Chandini who gave a look that meant 'I-told-you'... Geeta took a long breath before sitting on the chair and Aarna sat opposite to her...

"I know you don't want to talk and I won't compel you to respond... Your hearing is nearing and Arjun is determined to get you out at least on bail and I'm confident he would do that", said Geeta and Aarna threw a look that meant 'really ??'... Geeta understood she doesn't believe she could ever get out of jail and she didn't know how to assure the young girl...

"Look Aarna... You can't spoil your health like this, this is just the beginning of your fight, fight for justice... you need to trust yourself and us as well... Just stay positive, and in no way you would reveal about Arjun taking up your case... Though the formalities are done, Arjun is taking care of keeping this low till the day of the hearing... So you can't behave like this and make them suspicious...", Geeta said and took a deep breath, she didn't find any difference in Aarna's expression... Though she didn't expect her to respond in words, she expected a nod at least and lack of that, and Khatri's previous provocating words frustrated her...

"Aarna..... girl please respond.....", Geeta begged with tears in her eyes due to anger and frustration... Arjun who is on the call calmed Geeta..... he sent Geeta to calm Aarna but Geeta's outburst can send Aarna into a shell more and he didn't want that at all.....

"Geeta, calm down... look at her, she suffered a lot, so much that we can't even imagine, Please don't lose your calm...", He said and Geeta took a deep breath... "Please Geeta", Arjun begged, which he never did, and two teardrops fell from Geeta's eyes seeing her friend so vulnerable... Arjun soon composed himself..... "Am I clear Geeta ??", he said in his hard tone which hid his vulnerability...

"Yes....", Geeta said adjusting her Bluetooth and looking at Aarna...

"I'm sorry, I lost my cool..... work pressure you know", said Geeta with a low chuckle and cleared her throat to come into the main topic..... "So, Aarna..... We are not asking you to cooperate which we expect from every client, all we expect from you is to just take care of yourself and continue what you are doing in the court... i.e standing silent without actually saying anything except for accepting the crime you never committed", Geeta completed with her confidence returning... "I hope I made myself clear....", she said standing up, Aarna lifted her head a little to meet Geeta's eyes but she didn't even nod... This time, Geeta didn't mind.. but What Aarna said next shocked Geeta and Arjun who is on the call...

"I am fine Arjun", uttering these words, Aarna got up and went back without glancing at Geeta...

Geeta stood there like a statue while Arjun who is on the line sat in his chair with hundreds of emotions flowing inside him... she knows he is hell worried for her... she understood him without any words... The invisible but very strong connection between them is what he wants to cherish for decades to come, if possible for a lifetime... As soon as that thought crossed his head, he shook his head violently and got up... What the hell is he thinking ?? Aarna can't be his... 'why not ??' his stupid heart countered his brain... Geeta's words brought him out of his trance...

"Damn Arjun..... did you see that ??", Geeta said with excitement in her tone

"What ?? it's you who visited her, not me, how can I see ??", Arjun said nonchalantly as if he didn't get what she is talking about but Geeta knows her friend well.

"Arjun... shut up... I know you know what I'm talking about... She talked... she talked for you Arjun..... and this is not the first time she spoke, for you... or should I say, only for you... I can see the trust in you in her eyes, irrespective of her situation, the trust and care she has for you is something so shocking... she doesn't want you to take stress for her, so she said she is fine, she sounded convinced, though she is not fine... and you ?? you are doing everything in your power to bring her out of this hell irrespective of her noncooperation... What you guys have is so beautiful Arjun... So beautiful... just don't lose it....", Geeta said getting so happy for him... 

"Geeta, you are thinking too much, it's nothing... now get in the car and go home... ping me after you reach home... take care...", Arjun said hanging up...

He knew she is right but in no way, he is going to accept it...

The next few days, he got busy making strategies but he never skipped enquiring about Aarna's condition from Chandini and he is glad to hear she is fine now... Everyone around them can see their attachment and care for each other but not them. His logic for all this is they only have a professional relationship, that too only from his side, she never responded, hell she hardly spoke 10 words to him till now, how the hell can they get feelings for each other, not possible.

He decided to let go of all those stupid feelings and concentrate on how to prove her innocence for now... and he conveyed the same to Raj and Geeta so they won't utter a word about this anymore...

The D-Day arrived and for the first time in Arjun's career as a criminal lawyer, he is worried about the outcome... He shook his thoughts and started his journey to court... Raj, on knowing his friend's situation, offered to pick him up but Arjun refused assuring his friend, he is fine, who is he kidding ?? Both he and Raj knew he is not... He is going to lock horns with the chief minister of the state today, directly... and He knew that man is bad news. Usually, any political leader has either money, power, or people's love, but this man has all three...

Arjun reached the courtroom and met with an anxious Raj and Geeta... He walked towards them...

"What's wrong ??", Arjun asked with a frown.....

"Aarna is burning with fever Arjun, and it wasn't due to anxiety... she was intentionally made sick... she was....she was.... tor...", Saying this two teardrops left Geeta's eyes...

"What the hell are you talking about ?? What happened to her ??", Arjun seethed in anger...

"She was tortured, assaulted... assaulted sexually...", Raj finished for Geeta.

All Arjun felt is numb... not even anger crossed his face... Raj and Geeta got ready to control his anger or impulsive reactions but nothing came out... After a minute, he walked back and in the next second, he ran towards where he expected Aarna to be present... his feet stopped seeing her... She is covered with a shawl and still, he can see her shivering... He walked towards her and she looked at him, tears spilling from her eyes...

He sat beside her and held her hand... She breathed deeply as if she started breathing only then... He didn't care if Bhardwajs saw him with her like this... he didn't give a f**k about it now... all he wanted is to comfort her... She stopped shivering after a while but he didn't leave her hand. Raj and Geeta moved towards them and tried to warn Arjun as it was time for Bhardwaj's to arrive...

"Arjun... Bhardwajs can come here anytime and...", Started Raj but Arjun cut him off...

"I don't give a f**k about Bharadwajs Raj... so F**k off", Arjun uttered fisting the other hand to control his anger...

"What happened", he asked Chandini with his red eyes expressing his fury...

"I always have night duty but from yesterday, my shift is changed to morning... I got suspicious but everyone's shifts are changed so I didn't think much, I asked my friend who has a night shift to look after Aarna... At around 10 PM, Sir Ji called her and asked her to bring biryani from the opposite hotel... she went to get it, but when she saw a few goons having alcohol waiting outside the jail, she got suspicious and ran inside to Aarna where she saw three men inside Aarna's cell harassing her sexually... They tried to rape her but my friend Rani reached in time... one of them hit her head to the wall, but before they hit her more, sir Ji(Khatri) came and sent them away... This is what Rani told me", Chandini said... Arjun knew that was not the full story...

He looked at Aarna, her hand still in his... now she stopped shivering. He slowly held the shawl and tried to take it off but Aarna held his hand shaking her head with tears in her eyes...

"Please... let me see", he said gently and she took off her hand and he pulled the shawl down... Tears of agony filled his eyes seeing the marks on her neck, she has fingerprints on her neck as if someone choked her tightly... he saw teeth marks as well and he fisted his palms tightly...

Geeta gasped looking at Aarna... Raj held her by her shoulder to console her...

"Those b**t**ds... Arjun..... We have to get her justice for this..... now..... like right now...", Geeta said angry tears flowing from her eyes...

"Who did it ??", Arjun asked Aarna, she stayed silent...

"Even Aarna don't know their names Arjun sir... She said she is seeing them for the first time", Chandini said instead...

"I asked who did it Aarna", asked Arjun again calmly... she stayed silent just shaking her head...

"Arjun sir....", Chandini started but Arjun cut her off...

"Do I look like a fool to you Chandini... call Rani and make her talk to me... Now", Arjun said, the last word with a rise in his tone... Aarna's eyes widened... Arjun easily understood Chandini is hiding something, but he wanted to know everything...

Looking at an angry Arjun, Chandini got afraid, she took her phone out and is about to call Rani but looked at Aarna who shook her head and that stopped Chandini...

Chandini opened her mouth to refuse Arjun and he got the message before she could voice it out, He stood up calmly walking towards Raj...

"Raj... I want Rani's number in the next 5 minutes...", ordered Arjun and looked at Chandini sharply... "I'll remember this Chandini", Said Arjun which had hurt Chandini... In these 5 months of knowing Arjun, he never talked like that, he is a great man with noble values, she respected him a lot and she felt so bad refusing him... She also knew all he wanted is to help Aarna but Aarna in fear of something happening to Arjun and decided to hide the truth... Even Chandini didn't know the truth but she promised to help Aarna hide the truth and now she felt her decision was wrong... She immediately dialed Rani and handed the phone to Arjun with a 'sorry' but Arjun didn't even nod... 

"Hello Rani, this is Arjun Kashyap, kya aap Mujhe bata sakte hai, Kal aapne kya dekha(Can you tell me what exactly did you see yesterday) after returning to Aarna's cell... in detail ??", Arjun asked calmly...

Raj is surprised to see his friend so emotionless and unsympathetic... that woman is in hospital, got hit by a goon saving Aarna but he didn't even ask how is she ?? 

"Saab(sir)... I saw 3 men in the cell, but they weren't touching her, but as soon as they saw me, they tried to tear Aarna's dress but I hit one of them, the other two held me, one my hair and the other my shoulder and thrashed my head to the wall...", replied the woman weakly...

"Thank you for the information Rani, All your hospital bills will be taken care of, don't worry, You'll get the best treatment... Get well soon", Arjun said empathetically and hung up giving the phone back to Chandini...

Everyone looked at him like he did something great but he knew he did what he should do... He again sat beside Aarna and looked at her where she is looking at the plain cement floor...

"Who did this to you Aarna ??", He asked her calmly but she shook her head refusing to tell him, more tears spilling from her eyes... 

"What are you afraid of ?? If you think they would do something to your loved ones, then don't... I would provide security to everyone in the orphanage if you say a word... tell me please...", he begged but she didn't utter a word...

He got up with a deep sigh...... 

"Take care", he said and walked away. After reaching a secluded area, he took deep breaths to control his anger... He hit the pillar with his opened palm to stop himself from reacting impulsively, he need to get back his senses... The session will start in half-hour and he should compose himself before that, thought Arjun...

He saw Khatri coming his way but as soon as he saw Arjun, his steps halted... Arjun can see the fear and also a little sign of victory in his eyes... Arjun instantly doubted Khatri but needs one last confirmation from Aarna before he destroys that man... He calmed himself and walked to Khatri...

"Hello vakeel Saab(Lawyer sir) How come you are here ??", Asked Khatri hiding his nervousness...

"I am here for the same reason you are here", Arjun said without revealing any emotion. Khatri looked at Arjun perplexed by his answer... "Duty Mr. Khatri...", said Arjun... "come let's go for a walk...", Arjun said and Khatri nodded though he is damn afraid from inside... Arjun deliberately took Khatri from the way where Aarna is sitting...

Arjun carefully looked for any kind of reaction from Aarna but nothing came... he got disappointed before he saw Aarna's right leg shivering fiercely which she is trying to cover hard with her shawl... Arjun's hold on Khatri's shoulder tightened seeing it... He knew Khatri is the one who did that to Aarna... His blood boiled in fury...

'I thought to finish you later but you had to put your vile intentions into action Khatri, now no one can save you from me', thought Arjun... He made a few calls and he is grateful to god for the gift, his foresight, he brought the files which consisted the evidence to Khatri's crimes, though not for all the illegal things he did, there are enough to send him inside for a life...

He called Raj and Geeta, asking them to sort all these files... they are confused but soon Raj guessed what his friend is gonna do...

"No Arjun..... This would turn the chief minister completely against you, you would be in trouble... You can't pull this stunt now... We need more time Arjun, don't do this madness, You are risking Aarna's future as well... You do know she could never be freed if this backfires right ??", Raj said but Arjun is not in a state to listen to any of them...

"What are you talking about Raj ??", Geeta asked...

"Arjun is going to expose Khatri now... Are you that dumb Geeta, can't you see these papers....", Raj sighed in frustration...

"Arjun... No... Don't...", Geeta said but Arjun showed his hand shutting them off...

"I know what I'm doing... I took this decision after thinking thoroughly, just do what I asked for", Saying this, he left inside the Mythri's office there...

In the next 15 minutes, the session started, and seeing Arjun near the dock, Mr. Bharadwaj, uncle of the supposed Victim Gagan Bharadwaj received a huge shock... Arjun would have greeted him in normal circumstances but now he didn't... He somewhere suspected Bharadwajs behind the incident that happened to Aarna the previous night... He didn't have any proof to support his claim but it's just his strong instincts...

Mr. Chakraborty, the prosecutor looked surprised seeing Arjun but not shocked, and his reaction did not please Arjun... He expected him to get afraid seeing him as Aarna's lawyer, his reaction came as a warning to Arjun... Did the Bharadwajs has an idea of his plans all along ?? 

His thoughts were interrupted by Judge's arrival... Everyone stood up in respect, the judge sat and everyone followed, Mr. Justice's associate showed all the petitions applied by Ms. Aarna for a change of lawyer, and the no-objection certificate from her previous lawyer Ms. Geeta... The judge nodded in approval and started the session...

Mr. Chakraborty presented so many proofs and accusations on Aarna which he didn't do in the past many months... It's as if they are in a rush to get Aarna punished and close this case as soon as possible... It's as if they knew if they didn't react now, they will surely lose the case... Aarna, seeing Mr. Chakraborty's claims and fierce arguments, lost all hope of getting out of the 4 walls which has been the reality of her life for the past 24 months... Mr. Chakraborty accused her of being a call girl who tried to seduce Mr. Gagan Bharadwaj for money and when he didn't agree to her claim, she along with one of her clients killed Gagan... Aarna wanted to scream 'it's all a lie' on the top of her lungs but all she did is bow her head and look at nothing in particular with an expressionless face... Arjun fisted his palm to control his anger...

Geeta and Raj sat in the front row, Geeta is so worried about seeing tables turning around... Before they reached the court, they were so confident that seeing Arjun, the opposition weakens but seems like they came well-prepared... But how ?? is the right question to ask...

"Since the accused is accepting her crime, I request the court to punish Ms. Aarna severely and set this as a lesson for all those girls who try to exploit innocent guys like my client late Mr. Gagan Bharadwaj... With this, I rest my case, Your Honor", stated Mr. Chakraborty giving a look to Arjun before settling in his chair...

Then the judge asked Arjun if he has anything to say...

"Thank you, your honor, The prosecutor has accused my client of many things which are not supported by any evidence they produced. It is a pre-planned plan to degrade my client. So I request Mr. Chakraborty to choose his words carefully before degrading a woman in the place of justice, that too without evidence", Said Arjun, and the women's welfare organizations who are present there clapped for his statement...

Raj smirked at his friend's open statement which paled the opponents... It was Arjun's plan to have the women's welfare organizations there... He wanted to use the torture Aarna goes through on a daily basis in the jail to get her bail and he knew once Aarna gets out, there will be many issues, and to tackle them, he needs the women's welfare organizations to support him so he decided to make them aware of Aarna's situation and gain their sympathy because he knew to counter the chief minister's people power, he needs to use that women sentiment... There is a slight change in his plan after getting to know what has happened to Aarna the previous night... This time he decided to clearly expose the whole system instead of partially doing it...

The judge silenced the crowd and warned Mr. Chakraborty against using derogatory words for the accused and asked Arjun to continue.

"My lord, Except for the fact that my client Ms. Aarna is accepting her crime, no other strong evidence is produced to the court, and demanding a severe punishment is a baseless move... I believe my client needs proper treatment to come to terms with what has happened to her to open up a bit. As ordered by the court, she took the tests and these are the reports...", said Arjun handing the documents to the assistant who forwarded them to the judge and he started looking at them...

"The reports clearly state my client needs proper care and a serene environment which can make her feel safe... Only then she can recover.....", continued Arjun while taking details of all the evidence Mr. Chakraborty submitted against Aarna and detailed how they are not proving anything and baseless for the case... He took out such loopholes from each piece of evidence so meticulously that it blew everyone's mind and Raj's smirk widened and Geeta's confidence returned... Aarna, for the first time in these 24 months of her court appearances, lifted her head and looked at people, especially Arjun in amusement, She provided no information at all yet he made their side so strong...

"Since there is no concrete evidence to prove my client guilty, I would request the honorable court to grant bail to Ms. Aarna so that she can be in a safe environment and continue her treatment, once she gets fine enough to tell everything that has happened that night, justice will be served, my lord", Arjun stated

"Objection your honor", Mr. Chakraborty raised from his seat... Judge asks him to continue...

"Defense lawyer is misguiding the court with his illogical statements... If people who commit such heinous crimes are set free in society, it won't be safe for the citizens... And why can't Ms. Aarna take her treatment from prison..... All facilities are provided there... What does Mr. Kashyap mean by 'Safe Environment' ?? If she isn't safe in a place where about 50 policemen and women are guarding, then she isn't safe anywhere. I highly condemn Mr. Kashyap's statement, he is clearly degrading our police system which relentlessly works for the welfare of our citizens without any holidays or festivals", Mr. Chakraborty fired in an attempt of putting Arjun in a hard situation but seeing Arjun's smirk, he understood what a blunder he did... 

"I have no intention of degrading our system my lord, Mr. Chakraborty has completely misinterpreted my words, no problem, I would like to clarify myself... A safe environment is where a person fears no attacks, no constant fear of getting abused, no fear of conspiracy.... and....", he took a pause to control his anger... "no fear of someone breaking into your cell and sexually abusing you", finished Arjun and there is absolute silence in the courtroom before several indistinct noises are heard...

"Order... Order", the judge has to calm the crowd..... "I would like defense to elaborate on his point", he said after the crowd calmed down a little...

Arjun looked at Khatri whose face paled... 'It's your end' Arjun thought before starting his speech

"My lord, My client Ms. Aarna, has been getting harassed from the time she was jailed, i.e for the past 24 months... she is harassed by fellow inmates, janitors, head constables, and even the authorities. The harassment includes Verbal abuse, physical abuse, and sexual assault as well...", Arjun stated but is interrupted by Mr. Chakraborty

"Objection my lord, the Defense lawyer is creating stories to hide his client's crime and gain sympathy", stated Mr. Chakraborty

"I have evidence for every word I utter Your Honor, I request the prosecutor to let me finish...", Arjun said looking fiercely at the opponent's lawyer..... The judge asked Arjun to finish asking Mr. Chakraborty to sit...

"Jailer Mr. Shiv Khatri, is the man behind all these harassments against the inmates... Your honor, these are the copies of complaints the female prisoners, his colleagues, and a female lawyer lodged against him for sexually assaulting them... But, all the cases were dismissed, and in some cases, even the FIR wasn't registered... These are some of the recordings of the victims as well..... and not only Inspector Shiv Khatri, there are other policemen and women as well who are involved in these activities, They also supply drugs to the inmates...", With Arjun's every word, the police officials' face paled... Arjun submitted all the evidence he collected against them, especially Shiv Khatri... Arjun mentioned all those activities that the corrupted police authorities carry inside the prison not to forget with evidence... Though he doesn't have a proof for everything, what he had is more than enough for what he desired... He also called some police officials who testified against Khatri which made his words stronger... He deliberately didn't call Chandini as he didn't want to expose her to the world yet, everyone knew that she is helping him with Aarna but no one knows that she is also a mole who helped with all the documents against Khatri and others... 

"Now you tell me, my lord, how is the prison safe ?? when people who are supposed to protect are behaving like animals... I want to reveal the latest attack on my client Ms. Aarna, which happened last night... and I want the monster who did it to be punished severely... We didn't know about the attacker yet as my client is traumatized to even talk about it, but the marks on her neck could definitely tell...", Arjun continued arguing fiercely leaving Mr. Chakraborty speechless and Khatri almost unconscious...

"My client Ms. Aarna was a young girl who was in the final year of graduation when this incident happened your honor, She was grown up in an orphanage, and didn't see the real world, it became very difficult for my client to handle the incident, their harassments and tortures are the reason which made her like this... After all the trouble and pain she has undergone, my client deserves the best treatment and a safe environment away from that place to get well, so I request you to grant Ms. Aarna bail and also punish all the officials who are responsible for her and many other innocents' trauma", finished Arjun and like always, the opponent has nothing to say when he is done with them...

"Considering all the evidence and witnesses, the court dismisses inspector Shiv Khatri, Bimala Raati, Sunil Goyal, Savita Sharma, and Manav Madan from their duties on immediate effect and urge the respective authorities to start the investigation immediately, ordering the police officials to take them into custody until further hearing...", The judge said...... "The court orders the police department to work with the medical team and investigate the attack on Ms. Aarna that happened the previous night", he continued 

Arjun is anticipating the judgment regarding Aarna, nervousness is clearly seen on his face, but Geeta and Raj are confident that bail will be granted for Aarna after Arjun's mindblowing points...

"Due to the lack of strong evidence against Ms. Aarna, the court grants bail to her but she cannot leave the country or for that matter this city, and should be available always to the officials for interrogation... The concerned authorities should make sure she is getting treated for her mental health and anxiety issues, the court is adjourned.....", pronounces the judge and leaves the courtroom followed by many... Arjun stumbles on the chair with his head on the table hiding it in between his hands, there is moisture in his eyes which he didn't want to show to anyone, he soon composed himself and stood up to talk to Shiv Khatri and give him a lesson for life... He deliberately avoided looking at Aarna as her any reaction could change his mood, so he avoided it for now...

Seeing Arjun, Khatri fumed in anger...

"It's just a police custody for now Khatri, imagine what would happen to you when I present the complete proof against you in Fatima's case... Do you really think I didn't have them ?? No, I didn't choose to do that... Because I want to kill you like a slow poison... You know what ?? I did not have any intention to do this to you this early but you brought it on yourself...", Arjun said and Khatri looked at him in confusion and anger... "I know it's you who assaulted her yesterday... I'm not stupid Khatri, I already warned you to be careful with me, but you took it lightly... Now You will see everything slipping away from you, Abhi toh sirf naukri Chuti hai(You only lost your job till now) wait and see what all you'll lose in the near future", said Arjun and walked away leaving a shocked and angry Khatri...

Raj hugged Arjun and he gave a big smile in return... He saw Chandini taking Aarna but he couldn't see her face, Is she happy or Is she afraid ?? And the main problem, where will she stay now ??  Will she go back to the orphanage ?? And if she did, will it be safe for her ??

Among all these thoughts, a hand shook him... He came out of his reverie and greeted Mr. Bharadwaj who appeared genuine to him always...

"You are just awesome Arjun... I'm thoroughly impressed with your game... and I genuinely want you to win if the girl is innocent... Trust me, I didn't know that all this is happening with her there... If I knew I would have done something to help her definitely because no girl deserves that kind of treatment... Anyways, All the best", uttered Mr. Yash Bharadwaj genuinely... His attitude always surprised Arjun..... This man is a puzzle to him, is he really kind or is he acting ?? But he never appeared shady to him...

"Thank you sir... see you soon", Arjun said and He received a genuine smile in return which confused him more... But for now, he decided to celebrate his victory just as he promised Raj...

Arjun left for the station to submit court orders to the jail authorities... Raj offered Arjun he would accompany but Arjun refused asking him to go and concentrate on his cases and other works...

Arjun reached and walked inside... He met with Chandini in the corridor, he just nodded his head in acknowledgment and left to complete the formalities...

Aarna came out to where Arjun is waiting, after changing her clothes, which are the same she wore 24 months ago when she was brought there, the clothes are now too loose on her as she lost quite an amount of weight from then...

"Sign here...", Arjun said gently showing her the place and handing her the pen...

Aarna signed and took the bag which Chandini handed her over which consisted of two books, her institute t-shirt, and a diary...

When they are at the gate, Chandini briskly walked to Aarna and suddenly hugged her...

"I am relieved from my duties towards you I guess... My family will be seeing a stress-free Chandini from now on as I don't have to worry about how you will be, as this man will make sure you are completely fine, safe, and happy", said Chandini hugging Aarna...

Tears flew from Aarna's eyes, she knew if not for Chandini, she would have suffered much more than she did... She is and will always be thankful for the support Chandini has given irrespective of her trust issues and unresponsiveness...

"Thank you", Aarna stuttered, her tears explaining all the other words she couldn't say... Both Arjun and Chandini understood her overwhelmed feelings... Chandini shook her head emotionally...

"Now go girl... Have fun... Soon you'll be free from all the accusations, just co-operate with Arjun sir...", Chandini said...

Aarna gave a look thinking to herself 'What if I want this self-destruction  ??'

"Well it's us who wants to see her free, but don't know what she wants..... Aarna  ??", Arjun asked looking at her...

She is so surprised to hear her thoughts from his mouth... She stayed silent looking here and there and Arjun got the hint...

"Okay Chandini, we'll go now...", Arjun said and walked to his car making sure Aarna followed him...

He opened her door and she sat inside buckling up... Arjun settled in the driver seat and started the car...

"Where do you want to go  ?? ", Arjun asked and Aarna felt like cold ice falling on her head...

She should find a place to stay... She can't go back to the orphanage because of the threats... She doesn't have any money too to rent a place, how is she going to manage  ?? She was dependent on the donors for her travel expenses to college and scholarships for education but since her case, no one is ready to help her, it's pretty clear...

She is sure, the mother will accept her with open arms but she will be pushing the whole orphanage into danger as she is sure there will be attacks on her to keep reminding her of who is the boss here and she shouldn't open her mouth...

Aarna looked at Arjun and he understood her dilemma, god he is such a fool, he should have told her completely before asking her the question...

"I don't want you to go back to the orphanage, you know about the threat you possess after last night, so I want you to stay with Geeta, I'll arrange for security... I have made all the arrangements for your stay, you need not worry... Okay  ??", Arjun asked...

Aarna felt ashamed of herself, to be dependent on him for everything, she isn't his responsibility, she is no one to him, and her dignity and self-respect are wounded but she has no option... It's not his fault that he is so kind and generous, she knew he has no intention of hurting her... She tried hard not to show her inner feelings on her face, she knew he would understand her without her uttering a word... So she gave him a forced smile with a nod to hide her actual feelings but Arjun got her problem and he took a different approach to address it.

"You won't be a freeloader, trust me, why would I spend my money on you  ?? You are just my client... I want you to work for me in return, we are searching for a person who could actually work with the huge database we have and convert the hard copies into digital data... Since you are a graduate in computer science, I would like you to do the work and we'll pay you... Is it fine with you  ??", Arjun asked without letting out any of his emotions...

Aarna slightly smiled and nodded...

"Words Miss.", Arjun said with a smirk on his face which made Aarna's smile widen, she didn't smile in the past 24 months, let alone this widely...

"Yes...", Aarna said... She didn't know what should she call him ?? She called him by his name a few days back but then she didn't think much, it just came out of her mouth out of nowhere...

"Arjun... You can call me Arjun", he said with a genuine smile which she reciprocated...

-------------- 

@Chief Minister's office

"You can leave now", the chief minister calmly said to his assistant who is quite surprised by his behavior, he knew the CM is a very calm and noble person, but he expected him to get angry at least now when he got to know about his son's murderer out on bail...

"I'm sorry sir", the assistant uttered feeling very bad for his boss...

"It's fine Raman, I completely believe in our judicial system, I want her to be acquitted if she is really innocent, but if she is not, I want the court to punish her", He said with a smile which indicated his pain of losing his son too and his PA can see that...

He nodded and left the place praying to god to take away their favorite leader's pain, and as soon as he went out, the facade dropped from Jayant Bharadwaj's face which is now colored red with fury...

"How ?? How the hell did that b**t**d manage to get her out on bail ??", he screamed to no one in particular...

After a few minutes, the men who he employs to do his dirty work came inside... He got up from his chair and slapped the two men across their faces...

"I told you to scare her so that she doesn't open her mouth in court, not to let that Shiv Khatri assault her, that too when that Kashyap is behind him all the time you b**t**ds", he said delivering a final slap...

They apologized to him and after taking out all his anger on them, he sent them out and sat on his chair planning his further steps...

Jayant Bharadwaj, a man with big aspirations, a man of the masses, known as the Sivaji of Today by the people, is altogether a different man with cruel intentions, but careful enough to hide his original self, his own wife didn't know about his real face... that cautious he is... He wouldn't let anyone play with his dreams, and when his own son's actions came in between his dreams, he couldn't bear it... He even used his younger brother, who is a philanthropist, for his political gains, and to build an image of 'God' in people's minds... Yash Bharadwaj is a 'Lakshman' who follows his brother's orders always and is always ready to sacrifice anything for his elder brother, who means the world to him... His brother's love and support are Jayant's biggest strengths...

After deceiving everyone including his younger brother whom he loves a lot to reach where he is today, He can't let a mere girl ruin his carefully built political career, he doesn't want Aarna to open her mouth, not now, not ever... and he deliberately didn't get the case closed instantly as he wants to use that as a sympathy factor for the coming elections, the national party is strengthening its presence in the state and to counter that, he decided to use his son's murder case as a pawn to win the elections, everything is going smoothly until Arjun Kashyap happened... Jayant Bharadwaj knew from the start about Arjun's involvement in the case, Arjun is clever, he should give it to him, he tried everything in his power to hide the matter but nothing is hidden from his eyes, Jayant let Arjun play his games, he knew Arjun has the caliber to prove Aarna innocent, but thought, he could handle him as he knew Arjun's next step even before him... But he was wrong... His calculations about Arjun Kashyap are entirely wrong and that is frustrating the old man...

He thought after learning about the attack on Aarna, Arjun would collapse and lose his confidence but it had the opposite effect on him... And he didn't expect Arjun to destroy Shiv Khatri like that, it was the most unexpected move and came as a shock to him...

After Arjun understood that he was being followed, he took measures to hide the fact that he is the one who is handling Aarna's case, till then, Jayant Bharadwaj has every idea about What Arjun is planning and his conversations word to word, but from then, he got to know only the external details, and he thought that was enough to defeat Arjun, but clearly, he underestimated Arjun...

He started thinking about his next step, he knew Aarna won't open her mouth but if this continues, the day is not far from when she will reveal everything to Arjun and he decided to stop her and do something which shuts her mouth forever...

-------------------

Arjun took Aarna to Geeta's flat and opened the door... He showed her the flat and handed the keys to her...

"These are the spare keys, take some rest, and join the office from next Monday, and one more thing, (taking out a phone from his pocket) keep it with you, my number, your friend's and the mother's number is saved in it... call me if you feel anything suspicious... do not go out under any circumstances, there will be security personnel outside, their numbers are in this as well, call them...", Arjun said and she nodded without concentrating much on his words as she is exhausted but then it caught her...

"m....my friend ??", She stuttered with fear... 'no..... this isn't true... This is not happening, Radhuuu' Aarna thought...

"Radhika..... she is the one who told me about the back story of Gagan Bharadwaj... Don't worry, she is safe...", Saying this Arjun walked out of the door, instructing her to lock the door properly as he is receiving calls on calls from the office...

He wants to talk to her about her plans of pursuing post-graduation like her batchmates, who are pursuing PG in the same university, whereas Aarna went there to write her supplementary graduation final year exams after more than a year and a half... But he knew she is already feeling indebted to him, so thought not to overwhelm her and instead give her some time to adjust to the new arrangements before talking about her future... Also, he knew there is a long way to go in this case, it's just the beginning, so he decided not to burden her with the load...