Chapter 7

Sidharth moved closer, his deep voice barely a whisper, “Do as told…” His words made Shehnaaz blink rapidly, her heart skipping a beat.

He almost smirked, reaching to unfasten her seatbelt. Her eyes fell on his hand, noticing the bandage soaked in blood.

“Aap ke haath se khoon aara hai!” Shehnaaz exclaimed, grabbing his hand with concern, making him stare at her.

“It’s okay…” Sidharth tried to pull his hand away, but her touch sent a jolt through his heart, quickening his pulse.

Ignoring his words, her eyes filled with tears, and she refused to let go, “Please, main bandage change kardeti hu…”

He stared at her tear-filled eyes, feeling a strange mix of frustration and tenderness. “Stop crying…” he shouted, but his voice softened, revealing his helplessness.

her sad face moved him. He sighed deeply, wishing he could express his emotions better. He didn’t want her to be upset, especially not today. “Woh drawer open karo, usme first aid box hai…”

Shehnaaz looked at him, surprised by his sudden gentleness, and quickly retrieved the first aid box. Her fingers were soft against his rough skin, and he found himself mesmerized by her focus and care. She blew on his wound multiple times, her gentle breaths soothing him, though he never showed any sign of pain. She reminded him of his mother in those tender moments.

“Aap ko chot kaise lagi?” she finally asked, her voice laced with concern. a question that was in her mind ever since she had seen his bandaged hand.

He didn’t respond immediately, lost in her eyes. Her gaze was so intense that he had to swallow hard to regain his composure. “Just… kuch lag gaya,” he replied, staring deeply at her.

She broke the eye contact, finishing the bandage. She kept the first aid box in the car and without a word, he grabbed her hand, pulling her towards the hotel. Her hand trembled in his, but she didn’t resist. he didn’t know why he did that, but she had let his hang go after the bandage was done. he immediately felt at miss and in need of her warmth.

The hotel manager greeted Sidharth and led them to a secluded area, away from the crowd. Shehnaaz took a seat, feeling awkward beside him. He hadn’t shouted at her in the past two hours, which was unusual.

“Hum yaha kyu aaye hai?” she asked, her voice uncertain.

“You said you are hungry,” Sidharth replied, his eyes on his phone to hide his emotions.

Shehnaaz was taken aback that he remembered and cared. He handed her the menu, “Order whatever you like.”

She scanned the menu, then asked softly, “Aap kya khaoge?”

Sidharth, lost in his thoughts, was startled by her question and looked away. “I am not hungry… you have.”

“Kha lo na thoda sa,” she urged, her voice filled with unexpected tenderness.

Her care made Sidharth uneasy. He couldn’t shake off the memory of her sleeping in his lap, how he had gently cradled her. “Order karo… I’ll share what you have.”

She ordered and served the food. Sidharth was about to take his first bite when he noticed Shehnaaz already on her fifth. She was eating faster than Rajnikant, he thought, a rare smile tugging at his lips. He coughed to hide his amusement, not wanting to embarrass her.

When Shehnaaz finally felt satisfied, she looked at Sidharth, noticing he hadn’t finished half of his plate. She glanced at her messy plate and then at him, feeling a wave of embarrassment.

After dinner, Sidharth took the driver’s seat while Shehnaaz sat beside him. He leaned in to fasten her seatbelt, and their faces ended up extremely close. Sidharth froze, his breath mingling with hers, sending shivers down her spine.

“Woh… main…” Shehnaaz fumbled, trying to find words. Sidharth groaned, his gaze fixed on her lips, now a deep shade of red.

A surge of possessiveness overwhelmed him, recalling her interaction with Mayur earlier and her smiling at him. “What was Mayur talking to you about in your cabin?” he asked, his voice intense.

“Woh… files… archives…” Shehnaaz stammered, her mind clouded by his proximity.

Unable to resist, Sidharth’s finger reached for her lips, wiping off the red lipstick. Her body shivered under his touch, and she closed her eyes, unable to stop him.

Satisfied, he growled softly, “I don’t like red color on your lips.”

Shehnaaz had lost the battle. His authoritative tone left no room for argument. “Samjhi tum?” he demanded, his voice rough with suppressed emotion.

She nodded, looking down, unable to comprehend the depth of his dominance and her own acceptance of it. His fingers brushed her hair away from her face, revealing her eyes. He was about to pull her closer when a car zoomed past, snapping them back to reality.

He pulled away immediately, and they both looked down, cheeks flushed. Frustrated by his loss of control, Sidharth drove her to Zoya’s house in silence.

The car stopped in front of the building. “Shehnaaz, I have to say this… ignore whatever happened a few minutes back. It won’t happen again. We better stay away from each other because that’s best for us.”

Shehnaaz’s heart ached at his words. She forced a sad smile, “Thank you for everything, aur aapki advise main hamesha yaad rakhungi…” Her voice wavered as she stepped out of the car, bidding him good night.

Sidharth watched her go, closing his eyes as her words cut deep into his heart. He hated her acceptance of his decision, feeling a bitter pain. “Mujhe nafrat hai is kashish se… Jo mujhe tumse door jane ko kehti hai… aur fir dard bhi deti hai,” he whispered to himself, feeling her pain echoing in his soul.

Swallowing his sorrow, he started the car and drove home.

Shehnaaz lay on her bed, tears streaming down her face. “Sana, tu pagal ho gayi hai kya… tu ro kyu rahi hai… Kya ho gaya hai tujhe… Jo tu unke liye feel karne lagi hai… bhul ja sab… vo tere kabhi nahi ho sakte… woh ek bade garh ke shehzaade hai… aur tu ek chote garh ki aam ladki… tu unhe kabhi nahi paa sakti… tera sirf ek hi sapna hona chahiye… apne papaji ko musibat se nikalna,” she told herself, crying until sleep claimed her.

Sidharth couldn’t sleep, haunted by the pain in her voice. He regretted his harsh words, especially after what had transpired between them. The memory of wiping her lipstick lingered, and he kissed his fingers against every effort not to, trying to recall her touch. Her complete acceptance of his dominance drove him crazy, and he fell asleep, lost in thoughts of her.

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A new day began.

Manish locked his room, making a call. “Am I talking to Mr. Sharma?”

“Hanji… aap kaun?” the person on the line replied.

Manish sounded friendly, “Well, abhi ke liye dost samajh lijiye… aap ne jo Shergills pe case dala hai… uske regarding main aapse milna chahta hun…”

“Lekin kaun bol raha hai?”

“Agar apna faida chahte ho toh mujhe XYZ location par milo…” Manish disconnected the call before the man could respond further.

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Off-mood from yesterday’s encounter, Shehnaaz walked in the premises, unaware that Sidharth was following her.

Her phone rang, and a broad smile spread across her face. “Rajjjjjjjjj…..”

Shehnaaz screamed in excitement, catching many people’s attention, including Sidharth’s. A frown appeared on his face as he watched her speak with such joy to whoever Raj .

“Thank God tune call kiya… main upset feel kar rahi thi… soch hi rahi thi ki tujhe call karu… aur tune call kiya,” she continued to babble and giggle, oblivious to Sidharth’s growing irritation.

An employee approached Shehnaaz with a file, and she ended the call. As she checked the file, Sidharth, still fuming, didn’t notice Nisha greeting him.

He acknowledged Nisha curtly and headed to his cabin. Shehnaaz saw him and noticed he seemed upset but didn’t dwell on it as she went to her own cabin.

At noon, Sidharth called her to his office. When Shehnaaz entered, she avoided looking at him, which bothered him deeply. Something had changed between them. “Did you manage to find the file?” he asked.

Scared, Shehnaaz shook her head, unable to meet his gaze.

Sidharth looked into his laptop, pretending to be busy, but his voice was stern. “Where is the resignation letter then?”

Shehnaaz stared at him in shock. She couldn’t believe he was serious, but deep down, she knew how strict he could be. “I… me submit kar deti hu,” she stammered, her voice trembling as tears threatened to spill.

She turned to leave, feeling a lump in her throat, when Sidharth looked up. “I haven’t asked you to leave, Shehnaaz.”

Shehnaaz paused, her back to him, her head bowed. She felt a glimmer of hope but was still too upset to meet his eyes.

Sidharth noticed the sadness on her face and immediately regretted his harsh words. he wanted to run his fingers over her gloomy cheeks.. Sighing, he Picking up the phone, and called one of the employees. “Please help Shehnaaz with the soft copy of the project file.”

Shehnaaz stood there, confused and unsure of what was happening, while the employee looked perplexed. “Sir, but the file is with you.”

“What?” Sidharth looked bewildered, and Shehnaaz’s eyes widened in disbelief.

The employee walked to his desk and retrieved a file from one of the drawers. “Sir, you had asked for this file before the trip.”

She handed the file to Shehnaaz, who now looked at Sidharth with a mix of anger and hurt. Sidharth, feeling guilty, averted his gaze.

“me resignation letter lati hun,” Shehnaaz said grumpily and turned to leave again.

Feeling remorseful, Sidharth quickly spoke up. “The file is here. You don’t have to…”

Shehnaaz turned around, a hint of defiance in her eyes. “apke resignation letter ki baat kar rahi hun me..”

“What?” Sidharth was taken aback by her boldness and saw a smirk playing on her lips. “Don’t forget I am your boss.”

Making a face at his threat, Shehnaaz started muttering under her breath. “Ek toh khud file chupate hain… fir mujhe nachate hain… sorry bolna toh dur… upar se dara rahe hain… akdu insaan hai sachchi…”

Sidharth’s anger boiled over at her words. “Are you planning to stand here all day or do some work too? Go through the file and get the necessary work done. The meeting is tomorrow if you…”

“Pata hai mujhe. Maine hi arrange ki hai,” Shehnaaz shot back, leaving a fuming Sidharth behind. This girl… no one talks to me like that.

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Later, Anu met with Shehnaaz and scolded her for her careless behavior. Anu also mentioned that she checked with the staff at home about any lost anklet, but they found nothing.

Aryan was getting out of his car, deciding to visit the office, when he received a call from his girlfriend, Priya. He had been avoiding her calls for the past few days, but she seemed determined. “Oughh Priya, hi…”

He tried to sound casual, but Priya wasn’t having it. “Don’t play games with me, Aryan.”

Aryan knew what she was talking about, but even he didn’t understand what was wrong with him. “Baby, please… I’m just a bit off.”

“Let’s see… I’m back in Mumbai too. It’s been two days.”

Aryan was surprised by the news. Where is he lost? He had been trying to have a good time with his old friends, but his thoughts were stuck on a girl who was his annoying sister’s friend. When he had saved her, he was mesmerized by her beauty and simplicity. He wanted to meet her again, but the thought of Priya brought him back to reality.

“Are you going to say something?” Priya knew something was wrong.

“Yaa… let’s meet tomorrow.”

Priya smiled at his initiative and agreed to meet.

Aryan walked into the office and headed straight to his father’s cabin. “Hey, Dad…”

Manish, who was busy going through a file, was startled by his son’s sudden voice. He quickly closed the file and put it in a drawer. “Aryan, you didn’t tell me you were coming. Finally decided to join?”

“Yes… I’m not in the mood for partying anymore,” Aryan joked lightly as he scanned the room. He hadn’t been to the office in almost two years.

They talked for a while about the joining process and decided to check around the office.

Aryan was heading towards Anu’s cabin when he bumped into Nisha.

“What the…” Nisha stopped mid-sentence, recognizing Aryan. “Aryan, hey, long time.”

“Yes… how are you, Nisha?” Aryan was surprised she still remembered him so well.

Nisha gave her best smile. “Fantastic… and you? How was the UK?”

“All good. Actually, I was going to Anu’s cabin but I’m unsure… a lot of changes.”

“Ohh, come with me,” Nisha said, leading Aryan to Anu’s cabin.

Nisha dropped Aryan in front of Anu’s cabin and left.

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Sidharth was trying hard to concentrate on an email he had been attempting to read for the past 30 minutes. His eyes betrayed him, drifting to the weird girl through the glass who had a pen in her mouth and was running around the cabin like a kid. What on Earth is she trying to do? He wondered in amusement but got irritated, remembering he was supposed to concentrate on his work. The fact that she looked beautiful in her blue dress didn’t escape his mind. Every color suited her, and she was wearing pink lipstick today.

Thinking about the last night’s scene where he had wiped away her lipstick with his fingers, his throat dried with restlessness. He didn’t know why, but he couldn’t stop himself from being authoritative with her.

Sidharth was lost in his thoughts when he heard a knock on the door. Karan walked in. “Sir, I need to discuss something important if you can spare a few minutes.”

“Hmm… I was going to call you regarding tomorrow’s meeting with Mr. Rathod.”

“Yes, sir. Regarding Mr. Rathod’s meeting, he and his son Kabeer and their manager Mr. Bedi will be there. Not wanting to take any chances, I’ve asked Mayur to guide Shehnaaz with the meeting presentation and preparation and…”

“Whatt..”Sidharth cut him off, “Karan, did you consult with me? What is wrong with you?” all he could remember was the way Mayur was looking at Shehnaaz..

“Sorry, sir… I thought you would like the idea,” Karan said, unsure why his boss was so upset over such a small thing.

Sidharth was irritated with the idea completely.

Karan continued, “Sir, what I came to discuss is the legal case. Mr. Sharma, originally from Punjab, has a few relatives there. What confuses Vikrant and me is that he isn’t influential enough to be involved in such a big scandal. Possibly, he’s getting support. Vikrant spoke with him this morning to understand the issue, and he seemed ready with all the answers. He just needs money.”

Sidharth listened patiently as Karan continued, “If you agree, I should meet and speak to him face-to-face.”

“Try that… and check if any employee from the site is involved. Get Vikrant’s team to meet the local workers there and see if they have seen that man on our site, alone or with anyone.”

Karan nodded. “Okay, sir. I’ll get that done. I’ll take my leave now.” With that, Karan left, and Sidharth saw Mayur walk into Shehnaaz’s cabin.

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Anu was surprised to see Aryan walk in and was thrilled with the idea of him joining the office. “Finally… it will be so much fun.”

Aryan laughed at Anu’s enthusiasm. “Accha sunna…” He wanted to ask about Shehnaaz but hesitated, thinking it would look weird. “Actually, nothing… I’ll go and meet Bhai.”

Aryan met up with Sidharth and spoke about joining the office as their mother was not letting him breathe in peace. Shehnaaz was not in her cabin.

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Shehnaaz completed her work and was about to go show it to Anu to check if everything was correct when her phone rang. She answered happily, “Amma… kaise ho aap? Pata hai mujhe apke haath ke khane ki kinni yaad aa rahi hai…”

Her mother smiled. “Hum bilkul acche hain beta… tera kaam kaisa chal raha hai?”

“Bohot accha Amma… mainu kitni cheezein sikhne mili.”

“Accha…” Jasbeera hesitated, “Beta ji, darasal… tere liye ek bohot accha rishta aaya hai.”

“Rishta?” Sana was shocked.

“Darr na puttar… tere dost Raj ke ghar se aaya hai. Bohot acche log hain. Raj toh tere liye Mumbai shift hone ko bhi tayyar hai… agar tujhe job karni hai. Kitna samajhdar hai… hello… puttar tu sun rahi hai na?” Her mother asked as Sana had gone completely silent. “Amma… main shaam ko call karti hu,” She said, disconnecting the call and slumping in her chair.

Shehnaaz was so shocked that she wasn’t sure how to react. Rajbeer… he’s just a friend… why did he send a rishta? She would have to talk to him. This news completely flattened her mood.

When Sidharth called her to his cabin to check on the preparations, she handed over the file, feeling disconnected.

Something is wrong with her, he realized instantly. She looked upset, and her trademark smile was missing. He praised her work, trying to lighten her mood, but that smile refused to appear.

She left for her cabin, and Sidharth sighed. Why do her small things affect him so much? Why is she upset?

The day ended, and Shehnaaz left the office with a gloomy face. Sidharth observed her closely but couldn’t say anything.

When Shehnaaz returned home, she was already feeling low. She spoke to her mother, trying to make her understand that she didn’t want to think about all this right now. However, her mother seemed too excited to understand her situation.

After ending the call, she helped Zoya in the kitchen, though she was lost in her thoughts most of the time. Zoya noticed this and tried to cheer her up, but Sana seemed too upset.

Sighing, Zoya informed Anu about Shehnaaz’s mood. Later, Anu called Shehnaaz, trying to understand what was bothering her.

An upset Shehnaaz explained about her mother’s call. Irritated at the thought of Shehnaaz marrying someone else, Anu suggested she talk to Raj, as he was her friend and would definitely understand her.

Shehnaaz agreed to Anu’s suggestion as it seemed logical, but something was still eating her up. She never really thought much about marriage but knew it would happen someday. However, she realized she had changed; she had started developing feelings for her sadu boss.

She loved their little banters and his caring nature. The other day when he touched her lips, she couldn’t stop him or deny his demand. It all seemed so natural between them.

Sidharth… she breathed his name from her soul, and an intense surge of emotion ran through her body. She knew she had fallen for someone who could never be hers. She felt doomed. tears didn’t seem to stop as she felt completely helpless..

Sidharth, on the other hand, was off for some reason. Maybe because he hadn’t seen Shehnaaz smile the entire day, or perhaps because he felt her aloofness. He didn’t want to surrender himself to these feelings.

He was lost in his thoughts when Rita walked in with a dinner plate. “Sid… chal uth ja…”

Sidharth was startled and immediately hid the anklet under the pillow as he got up. “Maa… please, I don’t…”

“Kuch nahi sunna mujhe…” Rita cut him off and sat beside him, starting to feed him with her hands.

Sidharth couldn’t deny her. He ate quietly. “Har baat ka gussa khane pe nahi nikalte beta…” Rita scolded him lightly. “Waise bhi, jitni teri height hai, us hisab se double khana chahiye tujhe…” Rita always teased him about his height.

“Maa…” Sidharth said, making her giggle.

“Aur bata… baki sab kaisa hai office me…” She wanted to know if he would talk about Shehnaaz.

He told her about all the ongoing projects.

Bored, she waited patiently. “Nice… and your secretary…”

“Shehnaaz…” he paused, realizing he had taken her name too quickly. “She is good… with her work…”

Rita was pleasantlyt surprised with sidharth taking shehnaaz’s name with so much eagerness.. she had thought she would never see the day. she smirked at the enthusiasm in his voice. “Kitna pyara naam hai na… Shehnaaz…”

Sidharth smiled, shocking her further, then stopped as he realized what he was doing. “You seem to have liked her in one visit itself…”

Rita couldn’t deny that. “Quite… lovely girl…” she somehow knew this girl will bring her lost Sid back..

They were lost in their chat when Anu walked in. “Mere bina kya baatein ho rahi hain…?”

Rita rolled her eyes. “Aaja beth, main plate rakh ke aati hoon…” She was leaving when she heard Sidharth. “Maa, kuch meetha ho toh please le aana…”

Anu plopped onto the bed with a bang when something hurt her skin. Sidharth had forgotten about the anklet.

To check what hurt her, Anu looked on the bed and found something. She took it out. “Anklet…” asked Anu, looking at it in confusion while Sidharth closed his eyes, having forgotten about it.

Anu’s confusion soon turned to shock as she remembered something. the realization downed upon her and she wanted to dance right on the spot.. was this really happening.. omggggggg….

Smirking, she looked at Sidharth innocently. “Bhai, ye kiska hai…?”

“Kisi ka nahi…” With that, he took it from her and kept it in the drawer immediately as Anu bit her lip to control her laugh.

“Agar kisi ka nahi hai toh mujhe de dijiye na. It’s so lovely…” Anu asked innocently.

Sidharth was caught. “Matlab office me kisi ka hai. Mere cabin me gir gaya tha. I’ll return it tomorrow…”

Anu smirked cutely… Jhoothe… “toh give me, I will return it. Apko odd feel hoga na…”

“Anu, shut up and go to sleep…” Sidharth was irritated with her interrogation.

Anu laughed. “Maa ko batau…?”

Shocked, Sidharth glared at her. “Khabardar Anu…” He hated feeling blackmailed by his sister. Plus, he didn’t even know the owner of the anklet.

Just then, Rita walked into the room with ice cream bowls and found her kids fighting. “Offo, ab bas bhi karo dono…”

“Maaa…” Anu said excitedly, and Sidharth put a big spoon of chilled ice cream in her mouth. “Anu…” And the fight continued.

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Shehnaaz wasn’t sure how to speak to Raj or what to say. Their comfort zone of friendship had disappeared with the news.

She spent the entire day thinking about what to do, hating the thought of someone else in her life.

When Zoya went to check on her in the morning, she found Shehnaaz burning with fever. Worried, she immediately called a doctor and suggested Shehnaaz rest by emailing her sick leave once she could.

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Sidharth, meanwhile, was in his cabin, speaking on the phone. However, when his eyes fell on Shehnaaz’s empty cabin, he felt a pang of concern.

This had never happened except on the first day. Ignoring the thought, he got busy with work, but he kept waiting for her to walk into her cabin, which didn’t happen.

Irritated, he called Tara to check on Shehnaaz. Tara checked and informed him that Shehnaaz was on sick leave.

“Sick?” The word worried him, but he decided to ignore it.

He tried his best to concentrate on work. What irritated him more was that the Rathods had called to postpone the meeting. He had to agree as it was a big project.

Throughout the day, his mind kept wandering. Was she okay? What had happened to her all of a sudden? She was upset yesterday too. Then he realized it was Friday, and he would probably see her only on Monday. The thought disturbed him.

Unable to control himself, he decided to call her and realized he didn’t have her personal number. Irritated, he called Zoya to get Shehnaaz’s number, saying he needed a file.

Once he had her number, he immediately called her. Shehnaaz was in deep sleep due to medication when her phone rang. She picked up the call without checking who it was. “Hello…”

Her voice sounded so tired that it snapped something inside him. He hated the fact that he couldn’t see her. He wanted to see her, hug her maybe, and take care of her. He wanted to see the smile back on her face that was missing.

“Hello…” she said again softly, and he realized he hadn’t responded. “Shehnaaz…” His voice became heavy as he took her name.

Instantly, Shehnaaz sat up, making a little sound as her body ached. “Sir… aap…”

Her painful voice grabbed his attention. “Don’t get up. I just…” He didn’t know what to say.

Shehnaaz was so happy to hear his voice, but she didn’t know why he had called her. Then she remembered the Rathods meeting. “I am sorry, sir. Aaj itni important meeting thi aur main…”

Sidharth cut her off sharply. “Meeting tumse zyada important nahi hai. Samjhi tum…”

“Ji…?” Shehnaaz was shocked by his words.

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Thank you for being part of Shehnaaz and Sidharth’s journey. Your support means the world to me. As we explore their evolving emotions and relationships, your feedback is crucial. Are their interactions and emotions resonating with you? Is the story keeping you engaged and excited?

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With love and gratitude,

Shalaka