Haseena was on a conference call with various SHOs from a few major cities. They all were collaborating on one case and planning to do a crackdown on the big mafia that does human trafficking, mainly children. As per the sources, they kidnap children, predominately; male children, between the ages of 9 to 10. Once, they have the desired set of children, they shipped them to Banglore and from there these children were sent to different parts of Asia, Arab countries, Europe, and the Americas. In addition to that, the intel they have, as per that, some big porn companies bid on those children and then use them to create pornographic content which unfortunately is one of the most-watched themes/genres over the internet—in the videos, an adult male physically abuse an underage child, live. So, the team that was set up in India, their main goal was to stop any of those children trafficked out of India. Therefore, all the SHOs or higher personnel working on the case were briefed to keep this to themselves, because, one mistake and they will be risking the lives of hundreds of children.
As of now, none of them knew who was handling all this here in India. The only insight they have is: that it's a male close to age 34-35, he is 5'7 inches tall, and currently, he is active in Lucknow. But the most important fact is, that they were unsure whether the information they had on him, was even correct because they didn't even know his name, yet.
Haseena finished her call and held her head between her hands, "What is going on in this world?" She shook her head in disappointment, "Are these people even human?" She sighed deeply, "How cruel one can be?" She was currently swamped by the work: Zayan's marriage, all the cases coming at the station, and this case for which she has to be on alert for any illegal or suspicious activity twenty-four-seven, "I feel like I might die with overwork," she really needed her SI by her side because the work pressure was increasing day by day, "Kaash Karishma Singh aap ne woh sab na kiya hota," she slammed the file on the desk frustratingly and leaned back on the chair and closed her eyes, "I really need a break from all this," She muttered. However, a knock on the door broke her reverie and she looked at the new arrival with her tired eyes.
Pushpa Ji entered the cabin while fidgeting with her hands, "Maddam Sir," She cleared her throat, "Hum sab ko gol gappe khilane le kar ja rahe hai, Riya ki baat pakki hone ki khushi mein, aap bhi chaliye, please."
Haseena looked at Pushpa Ji and then she thought about all the work that needs to be done; she took a deep breath, "I can use this time to refresh my mind," she thought as she got up from her chair, "Chaliye!" She forwarded her hand and followed Pushpa Ji outside of her cabin.
All the staff members were ready including Karishma, Haseena glanced at them and just walked out of the station and everyone else followed her silently. They were just happy that she didn't say, no to their request.
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It was late evening, a slightly cool breeze was blowing after a very hot day, and a pool of chaat lovers was out to enjoy their favorite snack. All the station staff stood beside the gol gappa stall and each one of them was waiting to be served. Haseena and Karishma were standing opposite each other, trying to ignore each other's presence to the best of their abilities. It was Haseena's turn to be served, she forwarded her paper plate to take the piece and as she was placing the gol gappa in her mouth, it cracked before it could make its way to Haseena's mouth. She looked around to see if anyone saw that but everyone was too busy in their conversation to observe her embarrassing moment, she moved her head sideways to shake off the embarrassment and forwarded her plate for another piece. However, a pair of gleaming eyes were taking note of Haseena's every moment; Karishma's lips curved into a smile unknowingly after seeing Haseena's face flushed with embarrassment, "So, the ice queen does display emotions other than being irked all the time." As Karishma was thinking about Haseena, she found Haseena staring at her, and after being caught in the act, Karishma turned her face in another direction as she felt a sudden increase in her heartbeat.
"What happened to her?" Haseena mumbled, "Why does it matter, anyway?" She thought as she turned towards Pushpa Ji to inform her that it was getting late and they should be going back to the station.
Pushpa Ji paid for the treat, and all of them headed back to the station except Karishma who doesn't have any work at the station, so she moved toward her hostel.
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It's been a few days since the official engagement of Zayan and Riya, and wedding preparations were going on in full swing. Pushpa Ji was under a lot of pressure as they have guests coming from all over India and she has to make arrangements for them. So, she requested Karishma to go with her to Zayan's house and discuss this with Salma Bi, to see, if she can help or suggest something in this matter, to which Karishma gladly agreed, before leaving for her traffic duty.
On the other hand, Haseena got some leads on the 'Child trafficking case', so without informing anyone at the station, she left to find that information in a civil dress, in order to avoid arising any suspicion.
"Where is she going?" Karishma saw Haseena's car cross the intersection, "at this hour," she looked at her watch—which was showing 6:00 PM. "Shouldn't she be going home?" She mumbled and thought of ignoring her, "Bhakk!" She threw her hand in the air frustratingly and the next moment, she was sitting on her bike and was following Haseena's car from a safe distance.
Haseena arrived at the address, it was a residential building, "Are they operating from here? Or, is this a setup?" She muttered, "I should be careful." She pressed the button for the elevator and started waiting for it.
Karishma reached the address a few minutes after Haseena and saw Haseena entering the elevator, she ran to catch up but ended up missing the elevator. However, she saw the elevator stopping on the 11th floor. "What is she doing there?" She pressed the button agitatedly this time, "It's a deserted floor." She pressed the button again, "shouldn't she inquire first where she is going?" She hit the button in frustration, once again.
"Beta, tumhare button bar bar dabne se elevator toh jaldi nahi a jaye gi," an elderly lady who was standing behind Karishma, spoke.
Karishma wanted to say something to her but after looking at the woman's age, she stood quietly. As soon as the elevator arrived, she entered the elevator and pressed the button for the 11th floor. In spite of being in the elevator, she couldn't stop fidgeting as she continued to pace in a limited space.
The woman looked at Karishma, "Are you okay, beta?"
"Ji aunty," That's all she mustered up.
The old woman didn't say anything and just got off on her floor. The elevator which was bustling a few minutes back became deserted as it reached the 11th floor. Karishma got off on her floor and started looking around for Haseena, the floor was still under construction and no civilian was allowed to go there. Even though she was on the floor but she couldn't see Haseena anywhere; she was wandering desperately, hoping, that nothing has happened to her. As she was looking around, she saw Haseena coming toward the elevator, busy in her own world. But before Haseena could reach the elevator, Karishma saw a figure throwing a knife in the air which was aiming at Haseena, and running away from there. But, before it could reach Haseena, Karishma pushed Haseena in another direction with full force and ended up losing their balance, as a result, both of them landed on the floor with Karishma on top of Haseena.
"What are you doing here?" Haseena asked with a mix of surprise and shock in her voice.
Karishma's eyes were scanning Haseena for any injuries but after finding her safe, she cleared her throat and with a mischievous grin, she uttered, "I can ask you the same."
Haseena felt speechless for a moment, "I have some work here," she said without realizing their position, "What are you doing here?"
"Why?" Karishma gently removes a strand of Haseena's hair from Haseena's face with her index finger, "Are you keeping tabs on me, WIFE?"
Haseena felt her ears heating up on Karishma's action and words, "What nonsense?" She pushed Karishma away from her and got up from the floor while dusting herself, she started walking towards the elevator.
Karishma heaved a sigh of relief as she was successful in distracting Haseena but she felt fear settling in her due to this attack on Haseena. She bent over to pick up the knife from the floor with a handkerchief and shoved it in the pocket of her jacket which she was planning to drop at forensics, later, and started following Haseena while plastering a smile on her face.
Haseena cleared her throat, once, she saw Karishma enter the elevator, "Don't you dare to call me that word ever again," She warned Karishma with her finger in the air as she leaned against the cold metal.
"What word you are talking about?" Karishma wrapped her index finger with Haseena's that was still in the air and took a few steps towards her, "I have said so many words today," as she gently put Haseena's hand down but their fingers remained intertwined.
Before Haseena could say a word, a pool of people entered the elevator on the 9th floor, pushing Karishma and as a result, she ended up losing her balance, and without any realization, in an effort to balance herself, she tried to put the hand on the elevator but her hand landed on Haseena's chest and she knew it, as soon as it happened, because she could feel Haseena's thumping heart against her palm.
"Take your hand off of me," Haseena muttered in an irate tone.
Karishma made an effort to remove her hand but more people entered on the next floor, pushing everyone already present more into each other, "I can't even move," she leaned towards Haseena's ears, "It seems like you have to wait for a few more minutes, Wife."
"That word!" Haseena uttered with gritted teeth, "I'm not your...whatever, you call me."
Karishma was enjoying Haseena's helplessness. It's very rare to see Haseena like that, she wants to take all of this moment in, "Your heart," someone pushed Karishma and her head ended up colliding with Haseena's, "is pounding." She scanned Haseena's face which was flushed, "is it my effect on you, WIFE?"
Haseena threw daggers at Karishma with her eyes as if she was going to eat her alive at that very moment, "One more time, and, you will see the worst of me."
"Fine. Fine. Ice Queen." Karishma said while moving away as a few people got off at the third floor, "you don't mind if I call you Ice Queen, right?"
Haseena looked at Karishma irritatingly as she uttered that name but didn't say anything.
"I'll take that as a 'yes' then," She paused for Haseena's response but when she didn't say anything, Karishma continued to say, "Are you planning to leave my finger?" Karishma pointed at their intertwined fingers, "or you like holding my hand, Ice Queen."
Haseena let go of Karishma's hand immediately and started waiting for the elevator to reach the ground floor.
"You dislike me very much," Karishma asked as she stood in the opposite corner.
"You have no idea," Haseena replied before moving out of the elevator.
"And, I deserve every bit of it," She mumbled as her guilt started taking over her while she followed Haseena quietly.
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It was around 9:30 PM, Pushpa Ji was sitting with Salma Bi to discuss the living arrangement for the upcoming days when Salma Bi asked Karishma to go and get Zayan, who is at Haseena's place. Karishma opened her mouth to say 'no' when Salma Bi's voice echoed in the room, once again, you can use the door on the lawn, you don't have to go all the way out, the door on the lawn is connected to Mallik house.
"Ji," Karishma got up quietly and after following the directions, she entered Mallik's house. It was the back of the house and the first thing she saw; was the huge swimming pool, surrounded by multiple pool chairs which were obviously emptied at this hour. She went around the pool, and as she slid the glass door, and was about to enter the main hall when she saw a medium-size Siberian cat which had a white coat with streaks of black in it, walking towards her with all its majesty, "This thing can give a tough competition to all the runway models," She thought as she saw the cat approaching her with its tail erect in the air. Karishma gulped after looking at it, "I hate cats," she mumbled as she took the step backward. The cat was continuously moving toward Karishma while gazing at her with its ice-cold blue eyes. "Picasso," Karishma heard Haseena's voice, and she noticed the cat stopped in her tracks as soon as she heard Haseena's voice.
Haseena came to the main hall and found Picasso staring at the intruder, "What are you doing here?" She asked Karishma as she stepped outside.
Karishma didn't realize that she is literally standing at the edge of the pool, "I was here to call Zayan, Bi is calling him," after saying that she turned to leave but ended up losing her balance due to the damp floor, however, Haseena held Karisham's hand to stop the fall but didn't pull Karishma towards her.
"You have enjoyed a lot today at my expense, let me have some fun too," Haseena said as she loosened her grip slightly which made Karishma tilt towards the pool more.
"I don't know how to swim," Karishma said in a shaky voice, "please, don't leave my hand," she almost pleaded.
"I don't believe you," she let go of Karishma's hand after saying that and without turning back she started walking towards the main hall. Zayan who was just there to check on Haseena and why she hasn't been back yet—found Karishma struggling in the pool.
"Haseena, look!" He pointed towards the pool and in the blink of an eye, he was there rescuing Karishma. He placed Karishma on the floor and started giving her chest compression while continuously tapping on her cheeks in an effort to make Karishma regain her consciousness. "How long are you planning to stand there?" He almost yelled.
Haseena was too stunned to respond. She was watching the scene play out in front of her but she didn't feel a part of it. Nevertheless, Zayan's voice brought her back to reality and she moved toward the lifeless figure lying in front of her.
"You try to give her chest compression and let me call Ammi; she will check on her," He shook Haseena's shoulder who still seemed to be in a daze.
"Hmm..." She nodded her head vigorously, this time, and placed her cheek next to Karishma's mouth to check if she was breathing—--she can feel Karishma's warm breath on her face; a sigh of relief escaped from her mouth. Then, Haseena placed the heel of her palm on Karishma's chest as she started exerting pressure on Karishma's chest and started counting the compressions, "one..two...three...," she stopped for a while and looked at Karishma, "one...two...three..four," she continued to give chest compressions to Karishma while tapping her cheeks lightly. After a few minutes, she saw Karishma opening her eyes, "How are you feeling?" She asked, hastily.
It takes a few seconds for Karishma to realize what has transpired, then she looked at Haseena who was hovering over her with concern in her eyes, "I'm okay," she said while making an effort to get up.
"Are you sure?" Haseena asked as she placed one of Karishma's hands around her shoulder and then she placed her one hand around Karishma's waist to provide her the necessary support to get up.
Karishma just nodded her head as Haseena's concern for her amazed her.
Haseena was making Karishma sit on the chair when Zayan arrived with a leather bag in his hand, "She is coming," He made eye contact with Haseena.
Haseena just nodded her head and placed a towel around Karishma's shoulder.
"And, how are you feeling?" He asked Karishma as he placed the bag on the table and started arranging its content on the table.
"I'm feeling fine," Karishma replied in a low voice.
"How irresponsible of you, Haseena," Zayan charged at Haseena, "What if something has happened to her, you didn't even turn to look. Are your ears working fine or do you need to see the doctor too?" He was pacing in the hall trying to calm himself, "you didn't even hear the splash?" He held Haseena's upper arm and slightly shook her.
Haseena didn't respond and was taking all the rebuking quietly. Though Karishma was watching her amusingly and wanted to stop Zayan before she could intervene, she saw a woman in an electric wheelchair, enter the hall.
"What happened?" The woman inquired as she took the stethoscope from the table that Zayan has just arranged for her.
"Ask her, Ammi," Zayan pointed towards Haseena.
"What did you do this time, Haseena?" Noor Jahan Begum looked at her daughter with a stern face and direct her chair towards Karishma who was sitting quietly.
"Nothing happened aunty," Karishma spoke for the first time in all this chaos, "I saw him," she pointed towards Picasso who was sitting in the corner, "and couldn't hold my balance and fell in the pool." She looked at Haseena, "Maddam Sir didn't do anything."
Haseena looked at Karishma from the corner of her eyes but remained silent, "Then, why is Zayan yelling at her?" Noor Jahan Begaum asked as she asked Karishma to take a deep breath.
"Because, Maddam Sir, didn't turn to check on her if she is fine," He said in an irritated tone, "a momentous delay can cost Karishma her life."
Noor Jahan begum looked at Haseena, then at Karishma, "she lives in her head too much, nowadays, ho sake to isko maaf kar dena," she put the stethoscope down and gestured Zayan to wrap the sphygmomanometer (BP machine) around Karishma's biceps.
Zayan shook his head and started doing the task as he was instructed.
Karishma noticed the tremors in the woman's hand which were limiting her ability to hold the instruments, properly. "Arre...kese baatain kar rahi hain aap, maddam sir ki koi galti nahi hai. Meri hi galti hai, muje dhayan se chalna chaye tha," Karishma responded while hugging herself as she felt a shiver run throughout her body.
"Bahut achi bachi ho," Noor Jahan Begum looked at Karishma endearingly, "BP toh normal hai, and I haven't heard anything alarming from your chest too but tell me if you are having any issues with breathing?" She asked, politely.
"Nahi, I don't have any issues," Karishma uttered in a shaky voice as she started feeling cold.
"Can you take her to your room and give her something to change or do you want her to get sick," Noor Jahan Begum asked in a stern voice as she diverted her attention towards Haseena.
"Ji Ammi," Haseena muttered and forwarded her hand to Karishma which she took gladly and both of them started climbing the stairs up to Haseena's room.
"Come soon!" Zayan yelled as he looked at their connected door from where Salma Bi and Pushpa Ji were entering.
"We have sent Karishma to call you but she never came back," Salam Bi uttered as soon as she entered the house.
"Ayee bata hoon sab," Zayan said as he pointed towards the living room and all the ladies just followed his lead quietly.