EX @ WORK ✔️✔️

Chapter 1.

It was a normal, sunny, working day. The newspaper arrived at exact 6 am and the alarm rang at exact 6:30 am. Mallika, as usual, lazily woke up and did the first thing she does every morning after waking up i.e. drinking black coffee.

As she finished her coffee, the door bell rang and she jogged, with a grin to open the door, actually to take her friend on the other side of the door to take in a bone crushing hug who went on a business trip to Amritsar for three days. 

As soon as Mallika opened the door, and observed the look of her friend Annika, she was shocked, would be an understatement. Annika was in a messy state. She had dark circles under her eyes which were puffy and red indicating she didn't sleep in days. Her curly hair were tied in a messy bun and there was deep cut on her forehead from which blood had stopped flowing. Her hands were covered in blood and there were blood stains on her clothes. She was standing at the door, without any emotion, and lifeless.

"Annika." escaped from Mallika's mouth who was dumbstruck seeing her bestfriend cum sister in such a condition, so vulnerable. Annika walked past Mallika who followed her closing the door.

Mallika quickly closed the shower under which Annika was standing, shivering. December isn't a month to take a cold shower. Mallika tied a towel around Annika's shoulders and made her sit on a chair. She opened her ponytail and dried her hair with the towel. 

"What happened Annika? An... and what's all of this?" Mallika calmly asked, wiping her face and band aiding her forehead.

"They'll destroy me........... They'll destroy me............. They'll destroy me." Annika kept on blabbering and didn't say a word despite of Mallika's continuous questions. 

"Who'll destroy you? Tell me! What happened jaan?" Mallika shook her and Annika hugged her tightly before bursting into tears. The door bell rang after sometime and Mallika broke the hug to open the door but Annika held her hand to stop her from opening the door.

"Don't open it, please Mallika, I beg you, don't open the door." Annika requested moving her head frantically and Mallika, calming her down, walked to open the door only to get another shock. Lady police officers were standing at the door.

"Does Annika Roy lives here." One of them, seeming to be the senior asked.

"Yess.... but why." Mallika asked stammering. 

 "We have her arrest warrant. She is being arrested under section 363 for kidnapping and under section 307 for attempt to murder." One of the lady told leaving Mallika terror-stricken.

"I guess you are mistaken. Annika can't do anything like this." Mallika tried explaining them and preventing them from entering the house but they barged inside and arrested Annika who wasn't even in her right senses.

Mallika followed the police officers to their jeep and tried stopping them but failed and couldn't stop them from taking Annika with them. She quickly got on her scooty and followed the jeep. Annika was taken inside a cell before Mallika's eyes. After a lot of requests, Mallika was allowed to meet Annika for just few minutes.

"Please get me out of here Mallika, please... I didn't do anything." Annika pleaded her friend who just nodded in no wiping her best friend's tears. 

"I will get you out of here. Don't worry, okay?" Mallika assured her and the time for meeting got over.

Two days passed and Mallika failed in finding a Lawyer for Annika's bail. The lawyers she consulted, denied by hearing the name Rishabh Sinha who filed a case againt Annika and is from a powerful and influential family. 

"Annika, I tried a lot but no lawyer is ready to take the case. If you say, I can ask him." Mallika offered and Annika quickly denied. Mallika had come to visit Annika in the police station. 

"Don't call him Mallika. I know he will never come and it will be very difficult for me to see him. But please get me out of here, it stinks. Do anything you can but get me out yaar." Annika literally begged her and Mallika wiped Annika's tears.

Another day passed and Mallika's search for a lawyer went down the drain. She couldn't see her friend like that, in prison, so vulnerable. Annika wasn't even ready to tell what she did to deserve this and Mallika also didn't force her but getting a lawyer was very important and she knew that only one person could fight the case and help Annika out not caring about any influential or powerful person and she would go against Annika's will go get her out. 

Mallika took a deep breath standing in front of his vast Mansion and stepped inside. She was greeted by a main who asked about Mallika's wish. It was 9 pm and Mallika came here with a hope that he would be at home at this hour. She was happy to find out that he was at home and she was asked to wait in his study.

He entered the study talking to someone on call and Mallika stood up. As soon as he saw her, he cut the call and his lips formed a smile.

"What a pleasant Mallika. Such a long time." He gave her a friendly hug which she reciprocated. She took a seat where she was previously sitting after breaking the hug and he took a seat on the adjacent couch. 

"I am not here as a friend but with a case for the lawyer Shivaay Singh Oberoi." She said nerously with a lot of hope in her eyes. 

"What happened Mallika? Is everything alright?" He asked concerned and shook her head.

She told him about everything, how Annika came in that messy condition, what she continuously blabbered, how the police took her with them and how she was trying to find a lawyer from the past three days. When he heard Annika's name, pain flashed in his eyes. He didn't say anything after listening to her and she literally begged him. 

"Mallika calm down. It's not that I am unwilling to take the case or anything, It's just that, I haven't taken any case since an year. I will have to go through the laws and everything once again but firstly, I need to see Annika." He explained and she wiped her tears before nodding her head. 

He asked her to wait in his car outside while he changed into his formals from his night wears.

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