Anjali coughed profusely because of all the dust Shyam raised when he threw her on the floor of some dark tiny room filled with boxes and wooden debris. Anjali briefly wondered if this was the place where Shyam kept her Chote... but the other thought was more overwhelming:

- Shyam, what are you going to do with me?

He kneeled before her and searched her face for something... Probably not having found it he smirked devilishly:

- What happen to "Shyam-ji" and respective "You"? Forgot how to treat your husband, Rani Sahiba?

Anjali winced terrified with his closeness and that hungry gaze he had... but something in her broke free - she was too tired to be afraid of him. Anjali took all her courage to stop her voice from trembling and say:

- I have no respect for you and you are not my husband. You'd killed my daughter! I hate you!

Shyam took lock of her hair and shifted it to her back... then his hand followed the curve of her hack and shoulder making Anjali shiver with disgust. She couldn't move away because her hands and legs were tied but she did her best to shake his hand off her body.

Shyam's expression was menacing:

- You'll learn to love me again, Rani Sahiba. I promise you that. You could never refuse me...

Anjali screamed:

- Never! You're a monster! What do you want with me? Why do you keep torturing me?

Shyam shook his head and wipes a smudge of dirt from her check:

- Tsk-tsk, Rani Sahiba, you are stupid - that always worked in my favour. But you're wrong - I don't want anything from you... I owe you and I'd like to keep my belongings close to me. If I want anything from anybody it'll be the man who destroyed my life, who took everything from me...

Shyam stood up heaving - veins were popping on his forehead, he kept clenching and unclenching his fists in a fit of anger. He growled:

- I'll make him pay for my life! With his life! Yes! I'm going to kill that little spoiled arrogant brat!

Anjali felt like air was sucked out from around her - she couldn't breathe. Chote! Her little brother who'd already suffered so much!

She pleaded:

- No, Shyam, please! You have me, leave him out of it!

He dropped in front of her, inches from her face so she'd felt her breath on her face when he spoke:

- I already have you, Rani Sahiba, there's nothing more you can offer me! So shut up!

- Money! - exclaimed Anjali holding to this straw like a saving lifeline, - that's what you were after this whole time! I'll give you all the money I have!

Shyam looked genuinely disgusted by this offer:

- That the problem with you, rich people! You think you can buy anything, don't you? Well, Rani Sahiba, not everything is for sale! I may have traded my love for your filthy money but my pride can be paid only with his life!

He reached to his pants pocked and took out her phone. It was vibrating and Anjali saw the caller ID... "Chote"

Shyam smiled crazily giddy with power over her family:

- Let's talk, shall we?

...

Meantime in Shantivan

- She's not in her room! - Khushi's worried voice sounded from upstairs.

- I'd checked the garden - she's not there, - Arnav was devastated... Di vanished.

- Maybe, she had something urgent to attend to? - Khushi was still hopeful.

- No, she wanted to talk to me, she just left outside the house while I was busy, - said Javed covering phone mic while still listening whoever he was talking to. He nodded and his face darkened as he answered on the phone:

- I understand. Start the search. We'll try calling.

Javed finished the call and explained to Arnav and Khushi:

- That was . He says they'd found their man who was patrolling near Shantivan... his scull is cracked, he is rushed to the hospital right now. thinks Anjali has been abducted.

Khushi gasped, her knees buckled:

- No! Di... no...

Arnav was white as linens when he managed to say:

- You mentioned calling somebody... Whom?

Javed was barely audible:

- checked Anjali's phone - it is turned on, the signal pings from one of the towers on the outskirts of Delhi. He thinks the abductor waits for our call.

Arnav came back to life:

- Then what are WE waiting for?! - he grabbed his phone and pressed button on a speed-dial. Javed motioned Arnav to turn on the speaker and Arnav did so. The phone responded with long beep and than there was a response finally:

- It took you are while, Damaad-ji! Me and your sister were doubting if you ever call.

Javed's heart dropped... Shyam...

...

Arnav shouted angrily:

- You, bastard, if you touch her I'll...

- What? What will you do? - Shyam was taunting, - I ogled your wife for months and you were so full of your self-righteous anger that you ignored me and blamed it all on her. Sure you've chosen the weakest of us - you are not a man enough to face me! You never were, you never will be! Too bad Khushi-ji couldn't see your character's impotence before... too bad...

Arnav choked on his reply... because Shyam was partially right in his assessment. Khushi touched his elbow and waved her head - this was not the time to despair.

- Dammad-ji, why so silent all of a sudden? Finally admitting my superiority?

- Shyam, I'm warning you...

- Again with the threats! Your sister tried bribing me, you're threatening... I wander what else is on the plate? Any other bidders listening now?

That was a call for Javed, he knew that. He tried composing himself... he tried to be strong... and that was so hard... because all he can hear is Anjali crying in the background of Shyam's voice.

- Shyam, I'll kill you.

- Why, looks who's joining the party! Prince Charming himself! So, Javed, no intro of "if you touch her I'll kill you"?

- I will kill you in any case. But if you dare touching her, if you lay one finger on her - I'll make sure you'll welcome death as salvation. From me.

Javed wasn't screaming like Arnav was, he didn't even sound that angry... but there was something in his voice - some sort of haunted conviction of the man who has nothing to loose - that made Khushi shiver.

Shyam must've heard it differently - or he was far to crazy to recognise the real threat when he'd heard one - but he kept on pocking the bear:

- So, I guess, I might as well enjoy my time with my wife while I still can, right? What say you, Rani Sahiba, shall we make another princess? I promise, I will let this one live...

They'd heard something break on the other end of the line and Anjali screamed "Don't you dare touching me! Animal!"... Shyam laughed and there was more grunting and shuffling from that side - and then Shyam gave out a scream "You bit me! Bitch! I will teach you manners!"... sound of a slap and Anjali's cry of pain...

Arnav and Javed tried calling out to Shyam but he ignored them adamant to demonstrate what power he held over a woman they both loved. The demonstration went not the way Shyam expected so he'd returned to the phone:

- Well, that was a little preview for you to remember next time you decide to threaten me. It's not that I'm afraid of your futile menace but you just take up my time...

Javed clenched his teeth and hissed:

- I'm guessing you waited for our call not just to chat. What do you want?

Shyam responded happily:

- This one is smart! Good for you! I want... well, simply put, I want you, Javed Khan. I will exchange Rani Sahiba for you.

- What? - everybody asked at the same time including Anjali's background "What?"

Shyam was all too pleased to comply with their curiosity but he answered mostly to Anjali's surprised face:

- What, Rani Sahiba, you thought I was after your pathetic Chote? I successfully fooled him for years and my pride was safe with his ignorance! But then Javed showed up and destroyed my life!

Shyam set in front of her and were rocking a little bit telling his version of this story:

- You know, at first it was funny with this boy, how miserable he was being in love with you... how he cringed every time I kissed your hand or made you blush with compliments...

Anjali moaned with the memory of how stupid she was to trust Shyam... and how blind she was for Javed's feelings. But Shyam ignored her and continued:

- I even felt sorry for a poor lad... until he grew up and came back to haunt me! Did you know, Rani Sahiba, that your made sure the entire India's underworld was after my head? I've been hunted for months! And for what?! So your knight in shining armour could avenge you? What did you give him that he so into you, huh?

Shyam squeezed Anjali's face and turned it to light. He assessed her appearance:

- Nope, still as ordinary as always... why would he go mad about you?

And then something happen none of them were expecting, Javed the least... Anjali answered that rather rhetorical question:

- He loves me. Maybe more than I deserve. But he still loves me... And no matter what you say right now, you won't convince me that I'm not worthy of real man's love. So if it was your plan - to make yourself my best choice because nobody else wants me - consider it failed.

Javed knew it wasn't the time... but he couldn't help but smile. His brave lady, his delicate reine...

Shyam wasn't as pleased with this little show of courage:

- Don't worry, Rani Sahiba, he won't be your knight for too long. He wouldn't want you once I'm finished with you...

Khushi backed away and slid down the wall. Shyam really meant it... he was going... Anjali...

Arnav was not far away from the mental breakdown and his vision was getting blurry... when he'd heard Anjali's clear voice again:

- He would. As long as I'm alive Javed would find me and bring me back home... - her voice became mocking, - Shyam, you really shouldn't try to understand him, you just don't have it in you. Come to think of it... have you ever wondered why your name rhymes so perfectly with "scum"?

That earned her another painful slap - stronger this time, it brought her stab of headache and buzzing noise in her ears.

... Javed laughter - loudly, wholeheartedly. Shyam barked:

- Hey, Prince Charming, you think it's funny?

Javed managed to say:

- It actually is but that's not why I'm laughing - I just figured out how pathetic you really are! Allah mia, it was in front of my eyes and I couldn't see it!

Arnav motioned to Javed to stop irritating that maniac but Javed whispered "I know what I'm doing" and continued:

- We thought that day on the road you somehow figured out that I would take Anjali with me... but in reality you couldn't know that she'd leave the office urgently, you just couldn't! You weren't trying to kill her, you were trying to kill ME! The brakes, car chase, all the circling around our office, temple sneak-ups... you were trying to kill me - the man who destroyed what's left of your miserable life - and you failed every time! I bet you couldn't get me if I was standing in front of you!

Shyam was fuming with rage! His perverse intentions towards Anjali were long forgotten - he wanted blood! Javed's blood!

Little did Shyam know but it was Javed's plan all along - to focus the hatred on him, to make Shyam leave Anjali in peace.

And plan succeeded - Shyam spitted out his poison:

- You really wanna that bet? Ok, let's play! I know that your people had already pin-pointed our position from our long chat. Come alone and unarmed! But know that I have the entire area under surveillance and if I see anybody else - Rani Sahiba is dead!

Anjali screamed:

- No, Javed, don't come! He has a gun!

Shyam pushed her to the corned and hissed:

- Shut up! Just so you know - I haven't brought any duck tape so if you don't shut up I will have to silence you by knocking you out!

Javed got Shyam's intention again:

- Hey, scum, fighting women is the only way to win for you? Aren't you going to wait for the real man to come?

Shyam took the bait:

- Sure, hurry up! You wouldn't want me getting bored in this cosy little space... alone with my wife.

And Shyam finished the call.

...

Arnav argued:

- Jev, you can't come like this, he will kill you once he sees you.

Javed disagreed:

- He'd want to torture me first using Anjali as leverage. I think I can make an exchange so he'd let her go. I'm not stupid, bhai, I have a plan...