Encounter Between Enemies

A sense of chaos and noise echoed all around. Another innocent child had mysteriously disappeared from the city. Inside the police headquarters, the tension and gravity were palpable—no one had an answer to whether the earth had swallowed these children or the sky had swept them away. Shaheen, Fajr’s senior officer, placed an important file in front of her and said with the utmost seriousness, "Miss Fajr! We are entrusting this case to you. The entire city is gripped by fear, and we need results as quickly as possible. If we show even the slightest negligence, more innocent children will fall prey to this mysterious kidnapper." Fajr replied in a confident, unshakable tone, "You don't need to worry at all, Sir! I will get to the bottom of this case. Please provide me with all the files collected so far." "Yes, absolutely," Shaheen said, handing over the file. "This contains a complete profile of the kidnapper's modus operation. According to the investigation so far, he is targeting orphans—and orphans only." Fajr asked in surprise, "Sir! Do we have any clue as to why his target is only orphaned children?" Shaheen shook his head in denial and let out a heavy sigh. "Unfortunately, we haven't been able to find an answer to that yet." On the other side of town, inside a grand villa, a handsome and dignified young man sat on a high-tech revolving chair. Wearing fine-rimmed glasses, a costly blue three-piece suit, and radiating an imposing persona, he commanded a unique air of authority. He was watching the latest news from the police headquarters on his laptop screen. A satirical smile touched his attractive lips, and he muttered in a low voice, "Foolish police! You people can never catch me." He rose from the chair and walked toward the spacious hall of the villa. This commanding personality's name was Rehman, son of Salman. "Children! Come over here," Rehman called out. In a split second, the children present in the room gathered around him, cheering with joy. One child asked with innocent curiosity, "Rehman Bro! When will you send us to school? We get so bored sitting at home all day." Rehman patted their heads lovingly and smiled, "Children! You all know that I have 'kidn*pped' you, right? I am sending you all to London for higher education. But your paperwork isn't ready just yet. So be a little patient and enjoy yourselves to the fullest without studying!" One child, trying his best, spoke up in broken English, "Yes Rehman Brother! We don't want to study at all!" Rehman dramatically held his head in his hands. "Children! For God's sake, stop murdering the English language! Has your teacher still not corrected your speech? If you don't learn English, how will you manage in London? Everyone speaks English there!" Just then, his phone rang. Seeing the name on the screen, the smile on Rehman's lips deepened. "Look, children! The call is coming from that very useless teacher of yours." Answering the call, Rehman put on a faux stern voice, "Hamid! Teach the children English properly, or you'll die by my hands!" Hamid’s anxious voice came through from the other end, "Rehman Bro! Please drop the threats for a moment and hear some important news. A new lady officer has joined the police force, named Fajr. She is extremely quick and expert at her work, so please stay cautious." Then, changing his tone, Hamid pleaded, "And buddy! When are you coming back? Things aren't going well at the company, and I can't handle the entire business all by myself." After a brief pause, Rehman replied, "Alright, I'll come to the office tomorrow. And yes, schedule the meeting with the police officers for tomorrow as well." Hamid quickly corrected him, "Rehman Bro! I'm not talking about the police station, I'm talking about your own private company!" Rehman gave no response to his remark and remained silent. Handling the conversation, Hamid spoke in a hushed tone, "Though I must admit, man! As well as you know your enemies, they are just as oblivious to your true reality. No one in their wildest dreams could guess that the strict 'General' of this area is actually..." Rehman cut him off immediately and scolded, "Hamid! When will you learn to use your brain?" "Sir! What do I do now?" Hamid asked innocently. "Focus on your work quickly and finish the pending tasks at the company," Rehman ordered, cutting the call. At night, holding a mug of coffee, Rehman stood on the balcony, gazing at the open sky and twinkling stars. His thoughts drifted back into the shadows of the past. He remembered his own childhood spent within the merciless walls of an orphanage, where there was no one to share his pain. He took a sip of coffee and thought to himself, 'O Allah! A million thanks to you for bringing me to this status today, otherwise my fate too would have been nothing but wandering from door to door.' "Brother! Are you still awake?" At the sound of a sweet, innocent voice, Rehman turned around. It was little Laiba. Rehman bent down and said gently, "Laiba, my child! What are you doing so late? Go to sleep. I was just thinking about a few things, and I'm heading to sleep now too." The next morning, the scorching heat indicated that it was going to be a hot day. Rehman said to himself, "It's very hot today, but I still have to go to work." He put on his ironed 'General' uniform, wore his glasses, got into his luxurious car, and headed toward the police headquarters. Outside the meeting hall at police headquarters, Fajr’s friend and competent officer, Noor, walked up to her and said in a secretive tone, "Fajr! Do you know that 'The General' himself is attending today's meeting? I've heard he is exceedingly intelligent, sharp-minded, and insanely handsome! But the surprising thing is that he himself is an orphan. Despite being so attractive and successful, he is still single, and he is only 26 years old." Noor further clarified, "Everyone calls him 'The General' because he has trained several high-ranking police officials and special forces." Fajr widened her eyes in astonishment, "Really? Only 26 years old? Such a great post at such a young age! Man, I'm 23 years old, and even after so much hard work, I'm still just an ASI. Regardless of his actual designation, his status is very high." Then Fajr sank deep into thought. 'And on top of that, he is an orphan . . . Surely his past must have been quite tough and spent in poverty. How did he reach such a high status so quickly?' Fajr looked at Noor thoughtfully and said in a serious tone, "Noor! You need to gather every single piece of information about this guy for me. Along with hunting down criminals on the streets, we must also keep a strict eye on our surroundings." Right at that moment, commanding footsteps echoed down the corridor as a captivating figure walked past them. Dressed in a perfectly fitted dark blue uniform, with a quiet intensity on his face and a magnetic charm in his eyes, Rehman brushed right past Fajr toward the meeting room. His posture exuded sheer confidence and regal authority. The moment Fajr's eyes landed on Rehman, her breath hitched for a second. His subtle cologne and imposing demeanor briefly paralyzed her senses.