➡️ To avoid confusion please check the introduction chapter. New characters have been added with their details.

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Mumbai, Maharashtra

"Yes madam."

"Okay, I'll make a note of it."

"Thank you. Bye."

Nuska kept the handset on the telephone and began to enter data in the spreadsheet on her laptop placed in front of her.

"There have been so many absence by the women employees this week," she said to the colleague sitting next to her.

"I don't understand why," replied the lady.

"That's something I've to find out otherwise the HR will create fuss all around," said Nuska noting down the names of the absentees.

Her actions were constantly showing her to religiously involved in her work. She had become quite a devotee to the department she was allotted to manage. It was exactly 6 months months since Nuska had left for Mumbai from Goa with her parents. And after that she had to visit Goa thrice for the court's hearings regarding her assault and murder of Bhushan Sarkar.

Everything during these months for initial phase had broken her but slowly and steadily she was learning how to be unmoved by the people and events around. That Nuska was no more the same girl who arrived at Goa for her interview and not only won her job but also won the heart of the CFO Zaid Khan. Time had taught her how to be stern and remain shrewd to her own principles. She was no more attached to nature and its beauty. She had stopped being curious and jolly to anything new or special she used to come across with. She was just next to any human machine with no fancy.

She worked in a cosmetic producing company in Mumbai called The Swedish Gem. Her job in the personnel management team as a part-time work while she worked full-time with the design team. It was not that she was workaholic from the beginning but the unexpected incidents from the pasts had carved her to stay busy in order to stay oblivious of what she had once gone through. 

It was 5 in the evening when Nuska left for home. Her father called her to inform that he or Abdullah won't be available to pick her to home that day.

"It's okay, Papa. I'll manage." She hanged the call and exited from her office.

Office to home, for Nuska, was a 45 minutes journey from bus. She boarded a bus and found I completely filled with the most exhausting passengers. She cringed before entering into it and stood holding a bar on top of her amongst the portion dominated by ladies. She'd often bent her neck to check the location from the window as where she had to come out at what time.

A guy in his late teenage was using his cellphone when his eyes suddenly fell on Nuska's waist curve as she used her left her to hold the bar. He was sitting on the seat but his lust urged him to leave his place which as soon as he did it was occupied by a old man. The guy made his way through the crowd and very easily he found his portion to stand beside Nuska.

Nuska, all this time, was unaware of the wrong intentions bubbling into that guy's mind until he used his hands to trace her waist with his fingers. Nuska was immediately alarmed sensing the danger. From the bitter experiences of her pasts, she had designed her mind to feel the danger instantly and respond to it quickly.

A hard slap was pasted on the guy's face as his cellphone fell down and he looked into Nuska's red eyes where one could read the sour pain and torture she received from her tutor at the age of sixteen and from her late boss six months ago.

"How dare you think that you'll do this without expecting a severe retaliation from my side?" Shouted Nuska angrily.

The guy's throat turned dry as he observed men around him looking at him in rage and women in disgust.

Nuska came out of the bus holding her purse tightly, wiping her face with her scarf as she was followed by a group of women. And an outsider could see a teenager being manhandled out of the bus in humiliation.

"This dog is a shame to all men!" Said an old man.

"And a curse to women too," added another.

All this while Nuska made her way into the adjacent street with red swollen eyes and a gratified smile on her face.

~~~~~

KSE Head office, Goa

Aadam Khan was going through the soft copy of a file in his laptop when other directors and his colleagues started filling the chairs of the meeting room.

"I welcome you all on behalf of the whole KSE team. Pray everyone take their seats." Aadam rose from his seat while his assitant took his position to adjust the presentation monitor.

The old man counted the men and found half of the chairs were vacant. He was about to begin his presentation to all he meeting members but a fifty percent absence even after scheduling the meeting an hour later had made him upset. Still, he began it on a healthy note.

There was a fresh face of a young woman sitting in the middle of the line of directors. Her eyes were bordered with mascara and they sparkled throughout the meeting. She'd often nod at Aadam and was often exchanged a smile with many of the members I'm the team. When Aadam ended his presentation and invite everyone to question then she raised her hand first.

"Okay, yes. Kubra. What's your question?" Aadam dusted his hands and smiled at her.

"Well, uncle... sorry, sir, I don't have a question here but only a  powerful feedback to your idea. I appreciate the efforts your team is trying to put into this new project. I bet, this idea of collaborating with The Swedish Gem along with a number of other business chains for different services will raise the shares of KSE in the most escalating manner!" She stood up from the seat and clapped after finishing her speech.

Everyone in the meeting welcomed this idea but the a problem was raised by an investor called Mr. Chaudhry.

"But, Mr. Aadam Khan, do you think with half of the meeting members not present we can pass this resolution? I mean what about their addition to this idea? What if all of them reject and we come to no conclusion?"

Aadam was about to speak when the same young woman turned to him in a flashy way. She grinned at Aadam and then looked at the man who questioned and began, "Mr. Chaudhry, do you think half a yes is equal to half a no? For it is always optimistic that keeps us going? Isn't it Uncle?"

Aadam Khan nodded at what she said while she continued, "I, being a contributor to this mega meeting, and also being the to-be-declared manager of this project, take the overall responsibility towards convincing the other members and carrying forward the process related to this." She sat leaning in the seat with her arms crossed as the man nodded at her grabbed the glass of water.

One by one people began to discuss things into minute details while the woman felt a hand on her head. "Kubra, I admire the way you're enthusiastic towards this project. I must say I will not regret transferring the the overall responsibility."

Kubra smiled at the old man, "Uncle, I've learnt this daring attitude from you only. You and Daddy are my role models. And I've a long way to go in learning from you people."

The old man and the girl as exchanged a decent hug as he was completely taken by her bold leadership qualities. The meeting was almost over and everyone had almost left the room even Aadam but Kubra was still sitting on Aadam's chair and was asking about a few essentials related to their project from the CO'S assistant.

"Aadam sir, to be honest, won't allow us for this. But yes, if we're able to convince Zaid sir then our job will become easy," said the assistant sitting next to Kubra.

"But, I think it is even more difficult to convince Zaid sir about establishing Mumbai as the headquarter of this chain business. I'm sure he won't comply. Cities other than Goa will fetch us inconvenience only..." the assitant wanted to add more reason of dropping the idea of location shift in the project when he was cut by the woman.

"Have you not seen since I've been to Goa how easily I won the management role of this project? Do you think if I can convince Aadam Uncle then Zaid would deny my proposal?"

The assitant looked at her, confused, and said, "it'd be great if he agrees too."

~~~~~~~

Singapore

"Hmm"

"Ok"

"Yup"

"Sure, bye." Zaid ended the call and rested his head on the back of the sofa when his phone rang again. Without looking at its screen Zaid said to his assistant, "Ravi, please attend this call and tell the person I'm not available to talk."

"It's a new number. Okay I'll do it." Ravi cut the call and kept the phone near to his boss.

Zaid looked at its screen which still showed the call log. It's a number from India, his lips moved a little thinking this.

He left his sofa and went to the window dialling the same number from a different number of his own.

"Hello?" A familiar voice entered into his senses.

"Yeah, a-hello?" he said guessing.

"Yes," said the woman from the other side.

"Can I ask from where you're calling?" Zaid said pulling the nod of his tie slightly.

"From India. Whom you want to talk to?" She asked in a soft tone.

Actually, I'm from KSE's department. Your number is found to have called us.

"Oh! Yes, it was my number. I was calling Zaid Khan."

Zaid took a short look of the phone again and said, "yes, I'm the same person. Who are you, may I know?"

Her voice broke into a small chuckle. "So it's you Zaidi." She spoke with confidence.

Zaid was surprised for a moment. He took a brief pause and said, "Kubra..."

"Yes," she added her confirmation.

~~~~~~~~

Introducing Hira Mani as Kubra Aziz

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