Arjun's POV:

"Did you call me, sir?" 

A while ago, I was working on a case when a constable arrived to inform me that the commissioner had called.

"Yes, Arjun," he replied, "I had something to tell you." The situation appeared to be serious from the way he was speaking.

"I want you to work with Ms. Mehra," he said sternly.

'Wait... what?' I gasped. 

Did he just say work with Mehra? Why on earth does he want me to work with Mehra?

"I am sorry, sir. You already know that I am not going to work with her," I replied seriously. Four years ago, I had sworn not to work with Mehra again.

'I am not breaking my promise.'

"Arjun, you have to work with her. You already know how dangerous that killer is. We'll need both of your brains to bring him down," the commissioner said, looking straight at me. I saw the determination in them and understood that persuading him to change his mind is a waste of time. I sighed and replied with an 'okay'. He smiled and patted my back before walking away, leaving me flustered. 

'Don't fall for her charm, Arjun,' I warned myself. 

I was soon informed of a press conference at which my presence was required. I stood there with Mehra and the commissioner. Those moronic journalists were asking absurd questions. Most of the time, they were mocking us for not having arrested the serial killer yet.

The commissioner assured them that the killer was not a threat, which was obviously a lie. He was lethal. In fact, he was the most ruthless criminal I had ever encountered in my career. The public, on the other hand, needed to be consoled. If they panicked, the situation would deteriorate even further.

We winded up the press conference even though the reporters had more questions. Stupid questions. The commissioner told both of us, Mehra and I, to catch the killer as soon as possible. 

We began to collect all the evidence. Mehra told me about the details, which were not enough. I realized we were still on square one. All we knew was-

• A serial killer.

• Hates cheating women. 

• Kills them

• Flees with their heads.

We didn't know his pattern, I suspected whether there was even a pattern. We were yet to find what weapon he used to sever their heads. The most recent autopsy was identical to the previous ones. Also, there were no fingerprints on the cardboard.

"The killer is too smart," I muttered, irritated. 

"I know," Mehra replied with a sigh and then added, "Arjun, I need to go now. It's almost 11 p.m. and I need to pick Nila up."

"She came back?" I was surprised. I had thought Mehra would keep her away till the whole mystery was solved. 

"No, it's her summer vacation," she replied curtly. 

I made an O with my mouth. She nodded and walked out of the office. After a while, I decided to leave as well. I went outside to find Mehra, who was anxiously looking at her phone. It was raining outside.

Argh! Mumbai and its erratic weather!

"What happened?" I asked her. She didn't reply at first but when I nudged her, she finally looked up at me.

"I am waiting for the cab," she replied with a sheepish smile. Finally, she smiled. 

"Why? Where is your car?" I asked, confused. I was certain that she had her own car.

She showed me her bandaged hand. I nodded in understanding and walked towards my SUV, trying to ignore the twinge in my chest.

'Are you seriously going to leave her there?' my conscience asked. 

'No, I can't be that heartless,' I realized. I scolded myself silently for even thinking about it.

"Come, I will drop you," I said as I gestured for her to get in, but Mehra the Great declined my offer saying that she would take a cab. 

"Just get in, Mehra. You know Mumbai rains well," I replied sternly. She thought for a second about what I had said. I was sure she was measuring the pros and cons. After all, I had known her for the last five years. Finally, she got in and thanked me politely. 

'Why is she so formal?'

"I should drop you at your house?"

"Umm, no. Drop me at Singhania Enterprises," she replied while texting someone on the phone. I had the urge to peek but resisted it. I would look like a creep. Then her words kicked in. 

Wait, Singhania Enterprises, Inc? That name sounded familiar. Singhania... Singhania... Nil Singhania. 

"Why there?" I asked, trying my best not to sound angry. 

"Nila is with Neil," she explained briefly. 

Wait, why was she with him? 

As if Mehra heard my unasked question, she said, "I had to come back to the station after I picked her up with Neil. I couldn't let her be alone at home. Not after that weird acid attack. So, Neil offered help and I accepted." 

I nodded and kept driving, my hands tightening around the steering wheel till my knuckles turned white. I was enraged, but I had no right to be. It was her life, and she could do whatever she pleased. Even so, I was disappointed that she did not call me for help.

'As if you people are very close,' taunted my conscience. 

Mehra was looking outside at the fiercely falling rain, her fingers tracing the raindrops on the glass. Her simple gesture captivated me. I turned on the wipers and forced myself to look away before getting caught.

It was pouring outside. The roads were flooded with rainwater and there was heavy traffic everywhere. People of all ages, from families to individuals, were eager to return home. My attention was drawn to a pregnant woman crossing the street with a young boy of about ten years old. The little boy was tightly hugging her to keep her inside the small black umbrella. Both of them were doing everything they could to keep the other from getting soaked in the rain. I smiled as I witnessed their love and affection for one another.

I turned around to see the beauty sitting next to me. Mehra, like me, was looking at the mother-son duo with affection. She appeared to be happy and beautiful. I almost forgot she was a mother as well. I chuckled, shaking my head, remembering how Mehra would argue with Nila, successfully capturing her attention in the process.

"Why are you laughing?" she asked suspiciously. 

"Nothing."

With that, I resumed driving as the traffic cleared. I could see the huge two-year-old skyscraper with the board, Singhania Enterprises, Inc. Neil rose to fame and fortune in just two years. If the truth was to be told, he was hard-working no matter what I thought of him.

Mehra got out of the SUV after I stopped in front of the building. I was about to drive away when Mehra called out to me.

"Don't you want to meet Nila?" she asked, holding a hand above her head as if that was going to shield her from the angry drops.

I had a close friendship with Nila because I would meet her whenever she was in Mumbai. We'd even gone to the movies a few times together. I didn't want to blow the opportunity of meeting her after almost a year and I knew she'd be disappointed if she found out I didn't meet her. 

So I nodded, parked my SUV, and made my way to Neil's office, which was, of course, on the top floor. The building was nearly empty. Because it was already 11 p.m., most of the employees had gone home. I had once read in a magazine that Neil never made his employees work overtime. I had always wondered how he made this company work so miraculously. 

The elevator's ping jolted me from my trance. We approached his office steadily and knocked twice on the heavy wooden door. But when he didn't respond, we opened it. As I took in the scene in front of me, my jaw hit the floor. I was too horrified to respond but Mehra managed to speak.

"What the fuck?" she gasped.

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