The clock on the studio wall read 11:30 AM when Ameya stepped out of the shooting area, the day's work completed unusually early. The intense morning sun felt pleasant against her skin, but she froze instantly when she saw a familiar figure waiting outside.
It was Rumi.
Ameya's initial surprise melted into a warm smile. "Rumi! What a surprise!" she started, but the smile quickly disappeared. Rumi's face was utterly devoid of its usual cheerful light, replaced by a cold, alarming intensity.
Rumi stormed toward Ameya, her eyes blazing. "I want to talk to you," she stated, her voice tight.
Ameya's heart jumped. "Is... is anything urgent? Is Rico okay?" Ameya's voice was suddenly panicked, the casualness gone.
Rumi's lips curled into a bitter, angry smile. "Are you caring this much about him? Then why did you reject him?"
Ameya was stunned. She glanced quickly around the bustling shooting spot. She grabbed Rumi's hand and pulled her urgently away, moving swiftly to a less crowded, discreet area near the set.
"Is he okay, right?" Ameya asked again, her tone now filled with real worry.
Rumi's face was cold, utterly unlike the Rumi she knew. "No," she said flatly. Ameya had only ever seen her sister-in-law cheerful and smiling; this sudden rage and worry in Rumi's expression truly alarmed her.
"You don't know," Rumi continued, her voice trembling with upset. "I never saw him this much sad before. He got completely drunk and was blabbering only your name... Ameya."
Ameya's eyes widened, a wave of guilt washing over her. She whispered the name, "Rico..."
"If you really care about him," Rumi challenged, her voice raising slightly, "how can you hurt his feelings so badly?"
"I'm not mean that..." Ameya tried to take Rumi's hand, but Rumi pulled away sharply.
"You don't care about my brother," Rumi stated, showing deep hurt.
"Rumi, listen to me—" Ameya pleaded.
"Now, everything has gone beyond..." Rumi cut her off.
Ameya's heart sank. "What do you mean?"
Rumi looked at her, a worried and upset expression settling on her face. "He is going abroad. He won't come back ever."
"What?" Ameya was aghast, suddenly feeling a knot of panic and regret. She didn't know what to do, what to say.
Suddenly, Ameya's phone rang. She looked at the caller ID and her face paled. It was her father. She answered, her voice cracking.
"No... When... Don't worry, nothing would happen to her."
Rumi was instantly panicked. "What happened?"
Ameya's hand holding the phone was shaking. "My sister's daughter... is missing." Ameya's breath hitched, fear flooding her.
"Don't worry," Rumi said, trying to reassure her. "She is nearby somewhere. How can a little kid go far?"
"No," Ameya whispered, tears welling up. "She's only an eight-month-old baby."
"Oh no," Rumi gasped. "How can a baby go missing?"
"When my sister brought her eight-month-old baby to the park, she missed the baby there," Ameya explained, rushing her words.
"Hurry up! I will drop you there," Rumi said, grabbing her car keys. Ameya nodded, and they quickly got into Rumi's car.
🚨 The Commissioner's Call
About ten minutes into the drive, Rumi got a call. It was Rico. In her current state of emergency, she answered quickly.
"I will call you later, bro! I'm in urgent!"
"What happened?" Rico sounded confused.
Rumi glanced at Ameya sitting worriedly beside her. "Baby is missing... Ameya's sister's baby."
Rico's voice instantly changed, becoming sharp and focused. "Where? Tell me exactly what happened."
Rumi quickly explained the situation and the location. "Hello? Hello?" The call cut off due to a poor signal in the area.
🏃 Rico's Sprint
In Herman's main office, Rico was in the middle of a high-stakes meeting. He received Rumi's call. The moment he heard the word 'baby missing', his focus shifted completely. He abruptly stood up and wrapped up the meeting.
"I have to go. Let's discuss this later," he announced, his tone leaving no room for argument.
Every one of the executives present looked confused as Rico barged out of the meeting room. He was running, his speed alarming. As he reached the entrance, instead of waiting for the id reader to scan him out, he cleared the security turnstile in a sudden, athletic jump. Workers gasped at his unexpected action.
Within minutes, Rico reached his car. He tore off his expensive suit coat and threw it onto the passenger seat. He started the engine and drove away with an immediate screech of tires.
While driving, he called the Commissioner directly. He explained the situation concisely and urgently. "Please, take action immediately."
🫂 Hope in the Park
Three hours later, at the park, the scene was one of utter distress.
Asina, Ameya's sister, was crying uncontrollably as the police gently questioned her about how the baby went missing. Ameya's father and mother stood nearby, trying to comfort her.
Ameya herself was worried sick and crying silently. Rumi put an arm around her. "Don't worry, Ameya. The baby will be found soon."
"What if something happened to her? Time is going, and there's no progress in the search," Ameya worried, wiping her tears.
From the other side, Asina was sobbing, "What will I say when my husband comes back from the military? I'm not a good mother! I can't even look after my daughter with care!"
"Don't talk like that," Ameya's mother soothed, her own hand trembling. "She will be fine."
"Nothing would happen to the baby," Ameya's father assured them, though his face was etched with fear.
Suddenly, a policeman walked up, cradling a baby.
Asina instantly stopped crying. She rushed toward the officer, took the baby, and hugged her daughter tightly, tears of relief now streaming down her face. Ameya's father and mother rushed to her side, relief washing over them.
"I thought I wouldn't get you back," Asina cried, kissing the baby.
Ameya, overwhelmed with relief, rushed over. "How did you find the baby? Where was she?"
Another police officer stepped forward. "Actually, someone from a trafficking gang stole her."
Everybody gasped in shock.
"What happened then?" Rumi asked, horrified.
"Gladly, we received the complaint at the right time, so we could find her quickly. But it wasn't just us," the officer paused, then called out, "Rico!"
Rico walked over from his car, looking rugged and slightly disheveled.
"Bro!" Rumi whispered in pure astonishment.
"Rico..." Ameya whispered his name, her eyes wide.
Ameya's mother and father looked completely shocked.
The officer continued, "Without him, we couldn't have found the baby this quickly. He is the one who fought with them and saved the baby from the gang."
Asina came near Rico, still tearful. "Thank you, Rico. I won't forget your help."
Rico's eyes were slightly wavered, but he said, "Don't mention it. If anyone in my place would do like that."
Ameya's mother stepped forward. "No. You did more than others could do. No one dares to risk their life like that."
Rico's face softened.
Ameya's father came forward. "Thanks."
Rico, not expecting this reaction from Ameya's father, didn't know what to say. The police officers walked away.
Rumi beamed at her brother. "You are great, bro! You are faster than the police!"
Rico finally looked up and his eyes met Ameya's. Their gazes locked, the intensity of the morning's confrontation replaced by the shock and relief of the rescue.
"Thanks," Ameya said softly.
Rico didn't reply, just looked at her with an expression of deep, unguarded love. He instinctively wanted to wipe her remaining tears. He hesitated, then simply said, "Wipe your tears."
Ameya quickly wiped her eyes. She wanted to talk to him privately, but she saw her family focused entirely on the baby. She turned back to Rico.
She lowered her voice, asking the question Rumi had posed earlier. "Are you going abroad again, Rico?"
Rico didn't reply immediately. Rumi, standing behind Ameya, desperately signaled 'Say yes!' with her hands. Rico, not fully understanding the underlying reason for Rumi's urgency, simply nodded.
"Yes," he replied.
A wave of intense worry and sadness crashed over Ameya. A single, silent tear dropped from her eye.
Rico was instantly upset, his gaze fixed on her crying face. He was utterly confused. What happened?
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To be Continued....
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