Hi friends.
I have been sick for a while. Feeling slightly better today. So here is a little something to cheer you up. Read and review.

Khushi POV

An hour later I found myself sipping a piping cup of hot coffee in the company of the mafia leader Advay Mallik. The smell of coffee pervaded the air as the two of us sat in his office. This gangster seemed to be intrigued by my personality. Well, who won't? But he is not aware of the fact that I am Mrs. ASR. Inko to abhi bhi lgta hai ki Arnavji ne Chudail Gupta se shaadi kr rakhi hai. I smirked internally at the thought. Her wailing continued in the background. Advay Mallik grinned listening to her cries. His next words made me purse my lips as I tried to control my laughter.
(Oh man, this guy still believes that  Witch Gupta married Arnavji).

"Ye ASR ne badi hi weird ladki se shaadi ki hai. I mean she is a little..."
(The ASR married a weirdo it seems).

"Psycho na? I know. Bahut chillati hain. But aapko inke baare mein pta kaise chala? Is not their marriage a secret in the mafia world?"
(A psycho? I know. She is a screamer. But how did you know about them?)

Blinking his eyes he sipped his beverage and then stood up with a look of arrogance and humor. I keenly observed his every move. After all, I need to plan my escape sometime soon. Skirting around his office desk he leaned against the wall behind me. With his hands in his pocket, the man answered me.

"Secret tha, kid. But my spies are everywhere. A little birdie told me that ASR ill-treated Shashi Gupta at ARD. He addressed Shashi as 'Sasurji'. So my sources looked around for Gupta's daughter. And the rest is history."

Bobbing my head I acknowledged his words. Devi Maiyya ab samaj aaya ye sab raita phaila kaise! Humare mafiaji ne khud hi bhaanda phoda hai. Hmmm. Mallik's informers did a fine job. It is not their fault because Dad never told anyone about his other adopted child. For the world, Payal is his only daughter. I was always away. Boarding school, Buaji's house, College, or Lavanya's place. I was everywhere but home. Until I met the love of my life. I stopped my musings when Advay Mallik advanced in my direction with a cheerful expression.
(Oh DM, now everything makes sense. My mafiaji revealed the secret of his overconfidence).

"Your plans are so exciting. What's next? Mrs. Raizada's bashing video must have crashed ASRs ego. Share some more of those innovative ideas."

Lo?! Hum koi idea ki dukaan hai? Ye wale gangster kuch ajeeb hi hai. Par ek baat hai. Dimag ki kadar inhe jaise logon ko hoti. Look at my college professor. She loves taunting me. Just because I like to talk with my best friend La. Finishing my cup of coffee I rubbed my hands in glee. Well if he is all ears then I can do something about it.
(What?! Am I Wikipedia? This gangster is strange. But it's people like him who are good judges of characters).

"Humein lgta hai aapko ASR ko yahan bula lena chahiye."
(I think you should invite ASR here).

The man's smile vanished in thin air as his mind registered my words. I gulped. Oopsie. Come on Khushi Singh Raizada there is no time. Make up some convincing story. Something sadist that he will appreciate. Mr. Mallik liked my idea of bashing Chudail. This means that.... of course. Now I know what to say. Before I could open my mouth he muttered in disbelief.

"What do you mean kid?"

"Uhh. Look Advayji sending a video is one thing. But just imagine the ASR pleading and weeping in front of your eyes. A scenario where Chudail is almost on the verge of death."

My words finally made the needed impact. His eyes glimmered in fascination. The gangster was lost in an imaginary world where the
egoistic, ruthless ASR, would transform into a begging cry-baby Raizada. A live torturous moment. Ab isko convince krne ke liye humein itni khichdi banani pdh rhi hai. However, I have to keep myself safe. Which means involving any and every stupid technique under the sun to fool these idiots. Suddenly the man returned to his chair and twirled like a ballet dancer as if I just offered him a bar of milk chocolate with lots of choco-chips. For a second he looked like my husband. There was a slight resemblance. Woahhh. What am I thinking? Maybe I am missing my mafiaji a little too much. My thoughts came to a halt hearing his voice.
(Now I have to cook up stories to convince this idiot).

"Aaah kid. You remind me so much of him."

"Him who?"

"Him. My prankster buddy. We were called double trouble in childhood. But then he left me. For that ASR. His loyalty shifted. Oh NK. I wish you were here."

Huh?! What the? Yup, I felt like saying Arnavji's favorite phrase. Advay Mallik misses his prankster buddy who is none other than NK. This man had a connection with my devar ji? Or is this simply a coincidence? What is going on? Is he a close friend who turned into a foe? Ya koi parivar wale? Oh my. Devi Maiyya yahan to poori dal hi kaali hai. Ab humein jeera, mustard seeds, kalonji, etc sb dikhai de rhi hain!
(Or a family member? Oh my. DM I believe there is something majorly wrong over here!)

Aryan POV

I tried everything to follow Khushi's location. But when we reached the outskirts of Delhi there was only  KSR mam's cellphone with a cracked screen waiting for us. I gulped in fear as ASR punched his car door in a rage. Uh oh. Anyone would react like this. But when the wife is like the cheerful and happy-go-lucky Mrs. Raizada then one cannot help but act berserk. I pocketed KSRs phone in hopes that I could repair it or something. My team and I tried to remain nonchalant as Aman and ASR exchanged some heated words.

"Shut up, Aman Mathur! Just shut up."

"Stop this juvenile behavior ASR. We need to work on finding Khushi. Control that madness for the right time."

ASR continued to pace back and forth with an equally disturbed Aman standing nearby. I shook my head disappointed by the turn of events. We should have been more alert. Khushi Singh Raizada does not deserve this. Even after so much protection, she was kidnapped as if she were a commoner and not the wife of the mafia leader ASR. I cringed listening to the cold voice of our Boss.

"Khushi is safe ONLY TILL those guys believe that Payal is my wife. We don't have extra time MATHUR!"

Frightened by the display of rage I tried not to tremble. Now I understand why everyone calls this man a white-eyed demon. If you press his wrong nerve then this man can destroy your life. I cannot even imagine the death of our enemy. ASR will give him a slow death for taking away his wife. My phone beeped twice alerting me about a notification. Trying to be discreet I checked my phone. As I read the post my eyes widened reading each word. Huh? It was a post by KSR. Hain? Did she just log in from a different gadget? Without delaying I screamed in triumph.

"ASR!! AMAN!! Look KSR posted on Facebook. We can now track her current location!!"

The two men who were about to have a physical fight stopped their activities only to stare in my direction. I rushed towards them along with my team and thrust my phone in their faces. The display of excitement was ignored because I provided some much-needed info. Thank goodness. A shell-shocked ASR and a gaping Aman Mathur. Wow. Never expected that. However, ASRs next words surprised me.

"After rescuing Khushi you are going on a paid vacation Aryan Malhotra!"

My eyes shimmered with happiness. I applied for leave last month but due to certain issues, ASR had to halt it. The phrase paid vacation from his mouth felt like nirvana. Doing an impromptu jig in my mind I quickly worked on my laptop to look into KSR's location. It did not take me long to track her down. Currently, the Boss' wife was in an abandoned under-construction warehouse. A disputed property with lots of legal issues. Aman ordered me to share the location with everyone, so I did. Finally, after hours of effort, we were moving towards Khushi Singh Raizada.

Khushi POV

"Mmmmmmmh!.....Mmmmmmh!....Mmmmmmm!"

"Oh Shut Up Chudail!"
(Witch!)

With a frown on my face, I paced back and forth near the three-seater sofa where Payal Gupta sat entrapped. Her muffled cries gave me a headache. But there was not much to do anyway. Advay the Gangster told me to sit with Mrs. Raizada as he wanted to have a secret meeting with his guards. Thankfully Payal had her cell phone in her pocket. So I dropped another clue on Facebook for Aryanji. I am sure that by now my husband is halfway toward this warehouse. God, I am so pissed off. Devi Maiyya bas ek baar humaare mafiaji yahan aajaiyein phir to samjho uss Advay Mallik ki chutti hojaegi. I would love to see the expression on his face after knowing my true identity. Bada aaya mujhe kidnap krne wala.
(Oh god, please get my husband here asap then this Advay Mallik will regret his every crime).

"Mmmmmmmh....mmmmmmh..."

"Bada shauq tha na Payal Gupta mere kapde pehene ka, meri jagah lena ka? Now suffer. It is not easy being Mrs. ASR."
(You wanted to wear my clothes, to replace me, right Payal Gupta?)

Suddenly there was a commotion outside. My eyes widened and a smile replaced the earlier frown on my face. Oh wow. Thank goodness. Devi Maiyya lagta hai humare patidev aagaye. With a knowing grin, I turned around only to see Advay Mallik's guards. They dragged Payal and asked me to tag along. Pursing my lips I followed them. Finally, after waiting for hours I got my first glimpse of Arnav Singh Raizada. My husband stood a few feet away with our men, flanked by Amanji and Aryanji. There were no emotions in his eyes. The cold and dark look in his different-colored orbs made me gulp. Aaj to kisi ka katil hone wala hai. I mused. Our eyes met for a brief moment. He blinked twice in reassurance. I nodded in acceptance. At that exact moment, Advay Mallik interrupted us.
(Oh thank goodness. My husband is here. Today someone will surely die).

"Well well well! The great ASR found me so soon. That is surprising. Oh, he seems angry. Bring his wife forward."

His guards threw Payal on the dirty ground making me cringe. Her cries continued to irritate me. Arnavji glared in Chudails direction and then locked his eyes on Mallik.   Knowing what I had to do I walked toward my husband. The confused Advay did not understand much. But when my man stood in front of me in a protective stance things became crystal clear for Mr. Mallik. Uh oh. Beta ab to tera kalyan hogaya. My mafiaji addressed him with an iciness in his tone.
(Now you are dead).

"Meet my wife and your sister-in-law Advay Mallik. Khushi Singh Raizada!"

"WHAT NONSENSE!? YOUR WIFE IS PAYAL GUPTA. SHE IS SHASHI GUPTA'S DAUGHTER!! Do Not try to FOOL Me!!! She is a kid for god's sake."

Advay Mallik was in shock. But denial followed. He is still not able to believe that I am Mrs. ASR. And Chudail is nothing but our family maid. Guffawing at his anger I pointed my index finger in his direction. It's time to turn the tables. How dare he address me as a 'kid'? It seems that he has a connection with my husband's family. Of course. Only our close ones tend to betray us. This guy has deep-rooted jealousy concerning my hubby. Haah. Advay Mallik is Payal 2.0! Narrowing my eyes I declared in a smug tone.

"Let me reintroduce myself Mr. Mallik. I am Khushi Singh Raizada. The Mafia Queen! Not 'KID'!"

Realization dawned upon him. I could see the light bulb glow behind his eyes. Welcome to reality, my friend. In the meanwhile, Chudail ripped off the tape from her face and screamed like a banshee making all of us sigh in agitation. Ughh. Not again Devi Maiyya. When will this idiot learn? But then action scene mein agar drama na ho to masalaedar moment nahi lgta. Right?
(But what is an action scene without some drama in it).

"Wohi to hum keh rahe hain kabse. She is ASRs wife. NOT ME. I AM JUST A MAID. You Foolish Gangster!!!"
(That's what I have been screaming till now).

Advay Mallik stared in my direction. His expression was so easy to decipher. Shock. Embarrassment. Lividness. Fury. I rolled my eyes and enjoyed the show placing an arm on my husband's shoulder. Things happened rather quickly. One second Advay Malliks men were standing near Payal and the next second they were kneeling on the ground while Aryan and our men stood behind them, armed, ready to kill, only waiting for a signal from their boss.

Aman Mathur explained to a furious Advay Mallik how I am a beauty with brains. The fact that he misunderstood my position in the mafia world felt like a slap on his face. The humiliation dripped from his stance. Amidst all of this anger started bubbling within me.
I recalled how this very gangster was making grand plans. He wanted to destroy Arnavjis pride. He wanted my hubby to kneel before him and beg for my life. Just the idea of someone hurting my love triggered a rush inside me. Unable to control myself I did something unexpected, making every head in the warehouse, turn in my direction.

I pulled out the gun that was tucked in the back of my husband's trousers. I raised my hand with the gun, I saw Advay Mallik's eyes widen. I didn't even think about it as I pulled the trigger and shot him in the kneecap. The adrenaline rush running deep within my system finally found the perfect release. Huh, practice kaam aagai. I can shoot someone if needed. Nice.
(The practice worked).

I stood there breathing heavily and let my arm drop as the gun fell to the floor, I looked up at Arnavji with wide eyes to see him slack-jawed, I would have laughed at the bizarre scene in front of me. However, Payal Gupta had to steal the show as always. She screamed out loud as if I had just murdered the guy and lost consciousness. Whatever. Dramaqueen. With a sweeping glance, I noticed, Advay Mallik, leaning toward the floor with a sneer. His eyes did not leave mine. Taking advantage of his attention further I removed one of my shoes and threw it on his face.

"Mere Mafiaji ko insult krne ki sochna bhi mat Advay Mallik. And don't ever call me 'kid'."
(Don't you ever think about insulting my Mafiaji, Advay Mallik).
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Thank you all. Hope you all enjoy the Valentines week. And all my single buddies buy something red and cute for yourself. Feel happy. Show yourself some love😉