EX @ WORK ✔️✔️

Chapter 8.

Annika sat on the chair in the canteen lost in some deep, depressing thoughts. It was all new to her, the court, the lawyers, the police and the villain. The encounter with Vaibhav Sinha made her almost mad. She had never wanted this. Though she was a thrill sucker but all of that didn't thrill her, instead it depressed her so much. Of all those action movies she had watched before, she never thought that in real life, it would be so depressing.

On one hand, she was thinking about Shivaay, the only person she had ever loved. She did believe in 'Love can Happen Twice' but she couldn't imagine falling in Love with some other person because she couldn't give the space she had in her heart for Shivaay to anyone else.

After she broke up with him, she cursed herself alot for breaking his heart. He was the perfect partner one could wish for. She never wanted to leave him but the odds were not in her favour. Maybe, love was there in her life but to be destined with her love wasn't.

After everything happened, they came close to each other once again. She knew that Shivaay had build hopes but she couldn't just got back together with him or what would be the point of breaking up in the first place.

"Have something! Everything is gonna be alright Annika. You are gonna win this case and I can bet on that. Pull up that smiley face and eat something. It is going to be a long afternoon." Shivaay handed her the place of French fries and gave a smile that she adored the most.

They both talked for a while. He tried to cheer her up using several of his techniques but she was lost, completely. He had never seen this side of hers before. Maybe it never existed but was born because of all the chaos she was put in or had put herself into.

Admist all of that chaos, one thing was clear that after all this ends, Shivaay was gonna take Annika to their favorite place and propose her for marriage because in all that time when she wasn't with him, he realized that life had become though again. All the fun she brought with her in his life also went away with her.

Mallika and Aditya came to them and told them about the time. After few minutes, the hearing continued.

"Your honors, today, in the morning, a case was filed against Rishabh Sinha for illegal smuggling of drugs and trafficking of people by Shivaay Singh Oberoi that is me." He spoke as the copy of FIR was passed to the judges and tension lines appeared on Rishabh's forehead as he shifted uncomfortably on his chair giving a glare to his lawyer, Vishal.

"Advocate Shivaay just cannot put false accusations on my client without any solid proof your honors." Vishal gained special attention of everyone as his extra loud voice echoed in the room.

"Mr. Sharma, you need to calm down. I am sure that Mr. Oberoi isn't saying anything without the proof. You may carry on Mr. Oberoi." One of the judges said and Vishal sat on the chair angrily.

"As I was saying, I am about to call a witness whose testimony is going to prove that my client, Annika is not guilty of kidnapping and attempt to murder and her testimony is also going to prove that all the allegations put on Rishabh Sinha are true." Shivaay said and looked at Annika.

"I would like to call Ms. Annika in the witness stand." As soon as the words escaped his mouth, Rishabh looked at Annika. It was a threatening look.

"So Ms. Annika, would you like to tell us what exactly happened to you?" He asked a bit scared Annika standing in front of him.

"On the eve of 24th December, I was at a pub partying. I wasn't drunk, I hardly had any tequila cause I had to catch a flight early morning. I was sitting there and then saw a few girls, not more than fifteen years old. They all were minors and as minors are not allowed in pubs, I decided to ask them, this I followed them. They opened a door, which didn't even look like a door, it was so nicely painted as a wall to fool any person seeing it. There were stairs behind the door. I descended down them and it looked like a factory but with few people. It was a narrow pathway with three rooms on either side of the wall and there were a lot of boxes in the pathway which when ended was a huge door. That place smelled like hospital and drugs, I know this because I was prone to them. There was something very fishy about that place. I proceeded, making sure no one would see me. I was proved right when I found the boxes filled with drugs. In addition, I entered one of the rooms where the girls entered. They all became very scared seeing me there, already they were crying. Upon asking, they told me that they had been trafficked from some country for their organs to be sold or to be sold as slaves. I was talking to them only when Rahul Rao came there. He tried grabbing me but somehow, I fled. I was so scared that despite of wanting to report, I couldn't and the next day, at the airport, I was kidnapped and that's when I first met Rishabh Sinha." She confessed and took a deep breath.

"What rubbish your honors. Just because she has been caught, it doesn't mean that she will create stories. You should start writing because that's what you are best in, making stories, Ms. Annika." Vishal said. 

"Your honors, Rishabh Sinha might've destroyed the phone from which Ms. Annika was making the video but there is something called backup and I would like to show you the video." Shivaay said passing a chip.

The video started with a box opening full of drugs the the talk with the girls and it ended when Rahul snatched the phone.

"Last night, when I got to know about the truth, I hired a team of private investigators and since we are in this court from the past few hours, the investigators did their job and the club is sealed. Few men have been arrested and the girls have been rescued." He said and sat back to his place.

The judges waited for the investigation team and ten when they came, they took their time in discussing.

"According to all the proofs and testimonies, Ms. Annika is proven innocent and according to the Sections 370 and 370A, specific criminalisation of recruitment, transfer, transport, harbouring a person for the purpose of prostitution, forced labour, organ removal by use of threats or inducement; conduct which had previously been covered by general provisions dealing with slavery and abduction. Rishabh Sinha is jailed for 7 years.
According to Section 363, Rishabh Sinha shall be punished for imprisonment of 7 years for kidnapping.
According to Section 307, Rishabh Sinha shall be punished for imprisonment of 10 years for attempt to murder.
The smuggling of drugs was on the commercial scale, so according to that, punishment for 10 years.dbh
It makes a total of 34 years of imprisonment for Rishabh Sinha plus, a huge amount of fine." 

"The court is dismissed." Rajan Bahl said and Rishabh Sinha was arrested.

Rishabh was being taken by the police when Shivaay can in front of him.

"I have never lost a single case and this one was special. You were always so dump because if you were even a little smart, all of this wouldn't have happened." He smiled and eating his shades walked away.

...

So, I decided to give one more chapter before the epilogue. Enjoy!!