The car was parked right opposite Dheer's Boutique. Pratap saw Roshni and Phool step in. His heart was stuck in his mouth. He insisted on going with her, but she was determined. He looked a lot like his father. What if she recognised him? The whole plan would be spoiled then. He kept insisting it was not safe. He kept a hawk's watch at the door. Vishal looked ahead, having a packet of chips.
"Chill, bro, they will get out the info, they are smart, you know."
His voice seemed to fall on deaf ears as Pratap looked out of the car window anxiously.
Roshni and Phool stepped into the well-furnished shop and were welcomed by a woman in her twenties. They looked at each other. This was not her; they had searched all over and found a picture of her from a paper clip, and she was indeed mesmerisingly beautiful. They searched around pretending to look at the things.
" May I help you, Miss?" The sales lady asked. The name read Veer.
" Veer is it?" Phool tried to show some confidence.
" Yes, Miss."
" Where's this boutique's owner? We want to order something special."
" You can wait, Miss, she will be here within 15 mins."
" What is it?" A man called out from behind a curtain, really disturbed.
" Sir, they are looking for Ma'am."
"I'm her son, Jagmal. Can I help?" The guy looked no more than twenty.
" No, actually, we want to see your mother. We will wait."
" Stepmother." He corrected.
They waited on the sofa, tensed when Roshni texted Pratap, " We are waiting for her."
She entered with an assistant, and Veer interrupted her walk towards the curtains.
" Ma'am."
" What is it, Veer?" Her voice was urgent and rude.
" These girls want to see you, Ma'am," Veer replied, visibly scared.
" Yes, how may I help?" Dheer came with a pleasant smile.
" We want to order a special Lehenga." Phool started talking as part of the plan. Dheer nodded and went through the requirements with Phool and showed her the catalogues. Phool leafed through some designs while Roshni frowned at Dheer.
" Aree Phool, I have seen her somewhere." Roshni interrupted.
" Me? Where?" Dheer smiled back, a little surprised.
" Weren't you an employee of Sisodia Enterprises?" Her question made Dheer's smile fade a little.
" What?" Dheer's face was visibly pale. " No, never heard of it." A reply came from behind her. An identical-looking woman, perhaps a little older than her, replied.
" Uma Jija..." Dheer asked, surprised.
" But I am sure I saw her there, my father was an employee." Roshni insisted.
" I told you, Miss, you are mistaken." The older lady was firm.
" How dare you talk to my friend this way?" Phool was visibly overacting." Come, Rosh, let's go! We will find another Boutique." Damn it, she said the real name!
They stormed out, crossed the road, and got into the car. Uma watched them go.
" Why did you react, Jija? We could just deny." Dheer asked her from behind. "We lost a client."
" That girl did not come for the lehenga." Uma shook her head, closing the curtains shut.
" What? How do you know?" Dheer asked, confused.
" They went towards a car." Uma paced the room.
" So?"
" That car was Pratap Singh's." Dheer took a step back at her sister's words.
" How do you know that, Jija?" Dheer asked. "he was a child when..."
" I spotted him, an exact reflection of his father's." Uma snapped. "You'd better be careful, Dheer!"
" Jija, are they after us?" Dheer was restless.
" Let me get some information first, Dheer," Uma reassured.
" If Jagmal gets to know of my past, he will drag me to court for fraud and take away all that his father gave me instead of him," Dheer whispered, intimidated.
" Yes, Dheer and Udai Singh will get their lost glory back; we can't let that happen." Uma shook her head. Not after he had the audacity to choose that Jaivanta over me!
" Yes, Jija, what will we do?" Dheer asked. Uma picked up her phone. " We need every information on them if they are doing what we think they are, get rid of that girl first, then Pratap." Dheer looked tense, " Say such things in a lower voice, Jija, Jagmal is in the next room."
Meanwhile, the four friends were in Pratap's room as soon as they entered the house.
" I am sure she was at fault; there was guilt all over her face," Phool concluded.
" But she saw us get in the car; she will be after us." Roshni's voice was tense.
" What? Are you sure?" Pratap was anxious.
" Yes." Roshni stared at Phool, omitting that she had mistakenly taken her name.
" We stop this right now!" Pratap was firm.
" But..."
"Not another word from you." Pratap scolded Roshni, much to Phool and Vishal's surprise. He was angry and worried.
He walked away to the balcony to cool himself off. Roshni followed him there.
" What's wrong?"
" Look, I don't want you to be hurt in any way." Pratap looked at her anxiously.
" I won't be hurt as long as I am with you," Roshni replied with a smile.
" Why do you never listen to me?" He held her hand, sounding helpless.
" Why do you always worry?" She replied in the same tone.
He smiled at her.
" Let me drop you off at home?"
" No, I will go with Phool."
" But..."
" Don't worry, I will call when home." She insisted.
He sat with his phone, anxiously waiting for her to call when she got home. He waved her goodbye anxiously as her smiling face got into Phool's car. She waved back, promising to call. It had been one hour since then. He paced in his room, tensed. His phone rang; it was an unknown number.
" Hello...."
"I'm calling from Sangram Singh Hospital. I found your number from the phone of one of the accident victims."
" Accident?" He couldn't breathe properly.
" Yes, two girls... in a white SUV ... it was hit by another car.... they are unconscious... hello? Hello??" His phone fell from his hand as he rushed out. He could barely speak when he told Dadi to call his parents and inform them. Vishal and Pratap drove to the hospital in a haze.
