“Kal Armaan ki help karne ke liye thanks,” she said after they had driven some way.

He pulled up, tapped her shoulders making her turn and looked at him full in face.

“Aur aaj tumhari jaan bachane ke liye?”

“Meri jaan se kya farq padta hai?” she looked away.

“Kissi ko to padta hoga. Suni nahin unki baat. Khoobsoorat ho tum. Vishwamitra ki tapasya todne aayi Menka ki tarah.”

“Ab ye din aa gaye hain mere? Gundo ke munh se sunna padega ki main khoobsoorat hoon?”

“To mere munh se sun lo.”

“Ye hum aisi bekaar ki baatein kyon kar rahe hain?”

“Take a guess. Meri wajah se to nahin kar rahe hain. Ye kaisi bewkoofaana harquat thi, Ms. Kashyap? Bina kissi backup ke, bina kissi ko bataye aise aa jate hain kya kahin bhi string operation karne?”

She took off one of her ear-rings. “Backup camera tha. Unhone button mein laga camera pahchaan liya tha. But ismein bhi kuchh to record hua hoga.”

“For God’s sake, Ananya. Maine camere ki baat nahin kar raha. Ek tareeka hota hai story investigate karne ka? Editorial discussion karna hota hai aisi leads par? Risk level ke hisaab se decisions lene hote hain? Tumehin pata nahin hai kya?”

“Main suspension par thi.”

“Job ke saath-saath apna dimaag bhi suspend kar liya tha kya? Mujhe nahin pata chalta aur police ko information nahin milti to?”

“I am sorry,” she finally said.

“You better be.”

“To kya main job par wapas aa sakti hoon?”

“Yes, please!” he growled, then added more gently, “Itna har baat ko dil par nahin lete, Ananya. Maine gusse mein kah diya tha ki suspend kar raha hoon. It wasn’t official. Maine HR ko kuchh bola bhi nahin tha. Lekin tum gayab ho gayi. Aur ab Malvika se jahgda kar ke maine tumhari naukri bachayi hai. So, yes, please. Job par wapas aa jao.”

“Malvika ko mujhse kya problem hai?”

“Mujhe kya pata?”

“Jab se aap aaye hain, tab se hi hai. Usse pahle to shayad jaanti bhi nahin thi ki koi Ananya Kashyap hai office mein.”

“To kya tumhari saari problems ki wajah main hoon?”

“Lagta to hai.”

“Ananya. Apne saath tum mujhe bhi bachcha bana dogi. Kya bachkani baatein kar rahi ho?”

“Maine bachchi lagti hoon aapko?”

“Main tumse jhagda nahin karna chahta, Ananya. Please? Hum saath mein kaam kar rahe hain. Kya hum dost nahin ban sakte?”

She fell silent, then said sorry once again.

“So friends?”

“Ek boss aur ak junior kabhi friends nahin ho sakte.”

“Excuse me?”

She grinned. “Mazaak kar rahi thi.”

He smiled, “Waise for the records, khoobsoorat ho tum bahut. So please, thoda soch-samajh kar jaya karo dangerous situations mein.”

She smiled sportingly, but a shiver went down her spine.

—

“Kabir. Dinner par chalein?”

“Aaj nahin, Malvika. Meri wajah se bechari Ms. Kashyap ke paas aaj unka beloved scooter nahin hai. To main unhein ghar drop kar deta hoon.”

“Ananya to…” she gestured outside.

Kabir wondered if Malvika had timed her entry into his cabin so that he could see Ananya leaving with Ronnie.

He smiled at her, “That’s great, then. I am free. Kahan chalna hai?”

“Tumhare ghar?”

“Kuchh khane ko hai nahin ghar par.”

“Don’t worry. I know just where to pick up food and wine from.”

—

“May I come in, Sir?”

“Yes. Ms. Kashyap. Good morning.”

“Good morning, Sir. Aapne mujhe bulaya?”

“Aapne aaj woh news dekhi hai? Medical college waali. Jahan ek student ne–”

“Ji, dekhi.”

“I want you to investigate it.”

“Investigate for what, Sir?”

“Main Dr. Sinha ko jaanta hoon, jin par sexual abuse ka ilzaam laga hai. Mujhe yakeen hai ki woh aisa nahin kar sakte. Koi aur baat hai…”

“Sir, sex offenders aksar hi jab pakde jaate hain to aas paas waalon ko hairaan kar dete hain. Kissi ke chehre par to nahin likha hota–”

“I know. Maine sirf aapko apna view bataya hai. Aur apne bias ki wajah se hi main ye khud nahin kar raha hoon. Aapko main Dr. Sinha ko innocent prove karne ko nahin kah raha. Sirf investigate karne ko kah raha hoon, is assumption par ki story thodee zyada ho sakti hai jitni nazar aa rahi hai. Waise bhi Dr. Sinha ka statement abhi tak kissi ne liya nahin hai. So that is right up your sleeve, isn’t it?” he eyed her mischievously.

Before Ananya could answer Malvika barged in, “Kabir! Kal raat mera bracelet shayad tumhare ghar par chhoot gaya tha…”

Before she could even finish, Kabir produced a pearl bracelet from his pocket.

“Oh, you found it! How sweet… Pata nahin maine neend mein thi, ya itni drunk thi. Main nikli kab? Kaafi der ho gayi thi na? Oh! Ms. Kashyap yahan hain?” she had pretended not to notice Ananya until then.

“Main chalti hoon, Sir. I will follow up with Dr. Sinha.”

“Sure, Ms. Kashyap. Keep me in the loop.”

“Excuse me, Malvika,” his friendly manners to Malvika disappeared as soon as Ananya stepped out, “I need to finalize the bulletin content for this entire week. To agar kuchh urgent baat na karni ho to baad mein milein?”

“Yeah. Okay.”

He stared after Ananya’s receding form. ‘Farq to padta hai tumhein, Ms. Kashyap,’ then  he saw her stopping at Ronnie’s desk, ‘Ya phir tumhein read karne mein main completely wrong hoon?’

—

That evening’s bulletin brought another surprise for Ananya. Kabir had aranged for a sting operation on the businessman and hotel owner involved in Nidhi’s case. The woman in the sting operation was called for a modelling assignment, but in the hotel the man tried to take advantage of her. This was preceisly what Nidhi had also said. After airing this sting operation, he played Nidhi’s statement.

“Ye fabulous hai na, Richa? Agar sirf Nidhi ka statement play karte, to log kitna bharosa karte uska. Lekin is sting operation ke baad to… Maamla ekdum saaf hai, nahin?”

“Baat to sahi hai.”

“Kabir Sir brilliant hain, yaar.”

“Khadoos se brilliant tak ka safar badi jaldi tay kar liya unhone.”

“Main unhein thanks bol kar aati hoon.”

—

To be continued