"Hum yaha kyu aaye hai Shehnaaz?" Sidharth insisted yet again getting no answer from her.

"Aap jana nai chahte?" She asked him looking straight into his eyes.

"I mean it looks like some event is going on,paps are here, hume sath mei dekhenge toh problem nai hogi?" He asked squinting his eyes a bit, unsure of how it would affect her.

"Problem kyu hogi? Nothing at all. Aur rahi baat event ki aap khud andar dekh lo" Shehnaaz smiled, excitement clear on her face for a change. It'd been really long that she had smiled wholeheartedly or with excitement. But after meeting Sidharth, she had started smiling more often.

"Hmm... Someone seems excited!" Sidharth exclaimed.

"And that someone has a name which you know" She smirked & told Meher to take the sideway escaping the paps to directly enter the venue.

They reached a secluded place which seemed like a No entry for commoners. Meher pulled over the car near an entrance that had a huge door.

"Suspense badti Jaa rhi hai... What are you upto Punjaban?" He nudged her shoulder, she smiled & rolled her eyes to tell him to get down the car and he did.

"Come with me..." Shehnaaz held his hand. A gush of new feeling imbibed in both that second. She looked at Sidharth & walked him along with her towards the corridor that the huge door lead to not before greeting the turban clad doorkeeper with a broad smile.

They walked to a mid sized hall that oozed luxury. It had finest decor, each corner looked straight out of a royal castle. There was a room attached to the hall of which the door was shut. There were big plush couches set in the middle of the room with a huge LED TV in front. There was an I pad, a Mac Book Pro & some files along with a covered tray of assorted cookies, macaroons & dry fruits on the glass table in front of the couch.

Shehnaaz walked him to the couch & they sat without a word spoken. Sidharth looked around & smirked "Irada kya hai madam?"

"Uff no gandi baatein"  Shehnaaz whined as she giggled.

She called up someone on her phone and next moment a lady clad in a pencil skirt, shirt & stockings,hair nearly done in a bun, fresh face with nude make up arrived.

"Hello Miss Bhalla, so glad to have you back here. I hope you & your guest are comfortable" she said with a pleasant smile. Sidharth looked over her keenly & noticed her name badge "Twinkie Sharma" on her shirt & thought she must be someone from the hotel team, which he was right.

"We are, Thank you. Please send in whatever my stylist had instructed. My team must be here any moment" Shehnaaz said & smiled back while Sidharth sat clueless of what was happening around.

"Sure Miss Bhalla. Anything else for Sir?" She asked meekly looking at Sidharth just like every girl would be amazed to see him.

"Sir is very comfortable & doesn't need anything. Thank you" Shehnaaz said going back to sitting next to Sidharth.

"Right, I'm good. Thanks Twinkie" Sidharth said adjusting himself on the couch & smiled, She nodded, smiling wide and left the hall.

"Apki rishtedar hai voh?" Shehnaaz asked out of the blue.

"Kaun?" He asked turning to her.

"Voh hi... Apki Twinkie Minkie" she said rolling her eyes.

"What? Hahaha Meri Twinkie?" Sidharth laughed, Shehnaaz sat with a grumpy face that looked funny.

"Ha nai toh? "Thanks Twinkie" kisne bola tha?" She fake mimicked how Sidharth had uttered the same earlier but in an animated way.

"Arre sirf thanks hi toh bola tha" Sidharth whined.

"Nai sab ko first name se bulate ho first meet pe? Mujhe toh Miss Bhalla Miss Bhalla karte the.." She rolled her eyes yet again & he chuckled to see a different shade of Shehnaaz.

"Achaa.... So you're jealous?" Sidharth tried to stop from chuckling.

"Jealous and me? Never..." Shehnaaz shrugged her shoulders and continued as she poked her index finger on Sidharth's chest & said "And oh Mister, Whatever" in a thick foreign accent trying to taunt him.

Sidharth threw his head back and laughed at her child like behaviour.

"You are something else Shehnaaz" He heaved a sigh,slowly moving his hand on the couch towards her hand to clasp her fingers into his.

"Pata hai kuch naya batao" Shehnaaz smirked pursing her lips & he raised in brows.

"Aaj kuch nayi nayi si lag rhi ho. Very different" Sidharth mumbled running his eyes on her face.

And just then, around 5 people walked into the room with many suitcases, bags etc.

"Hey darling, all set?" A man clad in quirky outfit walked forward & leaned to hug Shehnaaz as Sidharth looked on.

"Hello Ken! Kitna late aata hai tu humesha" she exclaimed as she reciprocated the hug.

"Oh you know Mumbai's traffic dear" Ken justified.

"Acha chodo, meet my friend Sidharth Singh Ranawat Deputy Commissioner hai, and he's Ken my stylist cum friend" Shehnaaz introduced each other.

"Hey handsome! So glad to finally meet you" Ken gave a warm hug to Sidharth.

"Likewise Ken" Sidharth replied as he hugged back.

Ken & other people scattered over the room setting up their things. Sidharth pulled Shehnaaz to a corner.

"Shehnaaz ab bataogi bhi ki ho kya raha hai yaha?" Sidharth asked for the nth time.

"Haye thodi dher ruko na Sidharth. Sab pata chal jayega & I'm sure you'll be happy to be a part of whatever it is" Shehnaaz said and he nodded in response.

A steward walked in with a tray of the finest porcelain tea set and served them as they sat back on the couch.

"Sidharth, just give me 30 minutes & we'll be ready for a beautiful evening. Please ask for anything you want and it'll be here in no time. Please yar request hai tere se ek bar trust kar le mujh pe" Shehnaaz said with puppy eyes.

"Woah! aap se directly Tu?" Sidharth exclaimed.

"Haa nai bulau?" Shehnaaz asked blinking her eye lashes. Sidharth looked at her in awe of her innocence.

"You can sweetheart, I'd like that" Sidharth said pressing her palm in assurance and Shehnaaz smiled widely. He noticed she'd get happy easily with small things.

The next 30 minutes Sidharth indulged himself in watching world news on the iPad, ate some macaroons & made a few work calls as well as to his mom.

By then, Shehnaaz was all set and ready like a pretty damsel from heaven. She was clad in a custom designed Manav Malhotra neon yellow high-low corset gown & paired it up with neon pink pumps, she'd let her straight hair free & face with minimal yet elegant make up.

"Sidhaaaaarrrrthh" Shehnaaz called his name in her style stressing on the syllables a bit more.

He turned to see her & his jaws almost dropped at the etheral beauty who stood right in front of him but he kept his calm.

"Beautiful..." He uttered involuntarily.

"Haye sachi? Thank you thank you! Mujhe laga tujhe acha nai lagega aur bolega yeh kya yellow yellow dirty fellow banke aayi hai" she giggled wholeheartedly.

"Kuch bhi...you look beautiful Shehnaaz" he reiterated with a broad smile & that made her cheeks turn crimson.

"Thanks bol diya hai meine abhi aur nai bola jayega mere se... Acha abhi chalo hum late ho rhe hai" Shehnaaz grabbed his wrist and pulled him with her towards the door without even waiting for his reply. And this alpha male Sidharth just followed her gait obediently as if he was born to do that.

*****

"This is great! It's such a noble cause Shehnaaz! I'm so glad you brought me along" Sidharth said delighted by what he had just seen.

Shehnaaz had walked him into a huge hall that was all set for a fashion show held to support the girl child empowerment campaign. Ace designer of bollywood, Manav Malhotra had organised the event to raise funds to support the noble cause & asked Shehnaaz if she could be his show stopper. She had readily agreed as soon as she heard the reason for the show.

"And I'm glad that you allowed me to bring you here without revealing the whereabouts. Sorry but thodi si shararat karna chahti thi aur tu man gaya meri sari batein... Tu itna acha kyu hai Sidharth?" Shehnaaz asked looking deep in his eyes.

"Kyunki I'm born cute" Sidharth sensed she was probably getting vulnerable do he tried to lighten the mood.

"Ha cute toh tu hai kullu!" Shehnaaz giggled.

"Aur pata hai? mein show stopper bani hu aaj" she said with glee, her eyes sparkled.

"Wow! All the best ache se ramp pe walk karna kahi gir wir mat jana" Sidharth chuckled to which Shehnaaz raised her eye brows.

"Kitna papi hai tu...haye waheguru! Kahi iske bolne pe meinu gira mat dena" Shehnaaz mumbled as she fake whined.

"Nautanki... Chal" Sidharth chided witnessing her free spirit that she was with him at that moment. She wasn't like the boss lady, billionaire heiress Shehnaaz Kaur Bhalla, she was a normal girl who wanted to spread joy & spend some time with him.

Soon, the event started off with the ramp show as models cat walked in their amazing couture. The audience had a few children from the child foundation & also the biggies of bollywood, business industry & other elite socialites.

Sidharth was made to sit in the front row. He'd never been to such an event as a guest or as an audience before. He was delighted to see how even the showbiz that is always filled with only glitz, glamour & scandals come up with an initiative for a noble cause like this & was helmed by Shehnaaz herself.

The emcee announced that it was time for the showstopper to walk the runway and amidst huge applause, Shehnaaz walked with grace & posed like a super model. Sidharth was in awe of her yet again, he wondered what not this young girl could not do. She was running a multi crore business, she had her own start up & she was here to support a social cause by walking the fashion ramp like a true blue professional model.

Sidharth & the audience gave a thunderous applause as Shehnaaz walked now with the ace designer Manav Malhotra himself & posed for the shutterbugs. The press,the media,the normal audience were all Gaga over the boss lady taking over the fashion world with just one show.

After which, the emcee requested Shehnaaz to speak a few words about the event & address the audience.

"Hello everyone, Namaste, Sat Shri Akal. To the esteemed audience present here I'd like to say, aaj mein Hindi mei baat karungi because yeh sab Jo hum aaj kar rahe hai yeh sab inn ladkiyo ke liye hai jo shayad abhi tak hum jaise padne ki suvidha na mili ho. Inhe bhi samajh mei aana chahiye ki yeh sab ho kya raha hai,hai na? Taaki aage Jaa kar voh apne sapne pure kar sake aur shayad ek din unmei se koi issi stage pe English mei speech de, right?

Bacho, aaj ek baat kahungi, tum sab kisi se kam nahi ho na hi ho sakte ho. Tum sab mei itni takat hai ki tum apne life khud likh sako par uske liye mehnat karni padegi,ache se padayi karni padegi aur apne aap mei vishwas rakhni padegi. Tumko support karne hum sab hai par mehnat aap hi ko karna hai, nai?

Khana apke muh Tak mein laa sakti hu par usko chabane ka kaam aap hi karoge na? voh bhi mein karu ? Haye kaise karu? Samjhe ki kya bol rhi hu?"

There were giggles all over the hall with the amusing example that she gave. But all the girls nodded and exclaimed in a yes to her question.

She continued "Very good. Aise hi haste rehna aur strong banna. And dear all, I'll be very glad if you all could do your bit for the unprivileged children around you because you are the privileged one. God has gifted us with so much so that we can share & help others grow. If one person shares even 1% of his earning then there will be a lot of changes in our society. I feel extremely grateful to support a cause that's dear to my heart. Thank you Manav for this initiative, I hope,wish & pledge to serve to the best of my capabilities. Thank you all"

Shehnaaz ended her speech and it was loved by all specially the kids because she was the only one who interacted with them like she knows each one by their name & truly meant the words she spoke. The media clicked numerous pictures of her & then with the girls too.

Sidharth witnessed the happenings from his place with immense pride & happiness. Her heartfelt speech had won  her his trust,the most precious one.

After all the euphoria settled, Shehnaaz walked upto him who was in conversation with someone.

"Hey, sorry to interrupt, Can I steal him for a moment?" Shehnaaz asked the person hinting at Sidharth & he gladly obliged.

"Sidhaaaaarrrrthhh! Kaisa tha? Fati padhi thi stage ke piche pata hai? Pehle kabhi nahi kiya tha yeh. Kuch zyada bol gayi na? Galat shalat toh nai boldi meine? Proper Hindi mei baat ki? Siyappa! pakka kuch galat bola hoga, Dur Fitte muh mere!"

Shehnaaz bit her tongue and hit her palm to her forehead lightly & then continued "I shouldn't have hai na? Kal yeh sab Jo aaj photo khicha rahe the vohi likhenge headlines "Shehnaaz Kaur Bhalla's Hindi mishap"

While Shehnaaz went on and on, Sidharth looked at her amusedly.

"Kuch bol na Sidharth.." she shook his arms to bring him out of his reverie.

He looked into her eyes,held her shoulders & said "YOU. WERE. PERFECT"

And that was all she needed to hear, she smiled the widest & hugged him.

"Thank you" she mumbled.

**********

"Mom yar, yeh samajhta kya hai apne aap ko? Yeh dekho newspaper mei kya aaya hai?" Preeti stormed into the hall with a newspaper.

"Oh fo, ab kya kiya hai isne?" Sidharth's mom asked who was busy reading a book.

"He's again into some special squad. He's leading the team this time. Itna sab kuch hone ke baad bhi?" Preeti heaved a worried sigh.

"Preeti bacha, he must have thought something na? Aise hi kyu sar par le lega? I'll talk to him"

"Mom yar, he's still not completely out of trauma. Jenny keh rhi thi ki he visited Dr Sinha few days back" Preeti blurted what was supposed to be between her and Jenny.

"Acha, I'll talk to him. Jo bhi hai he can handle it agar nahi hua toh hum sab hai hi, we'll help him out. Hai na beta? Relax kar abhi" Rita ji tried to calm her daughter though she was hell worried after listening to the Doctor visit info. But she had to be strong, be brave for her children. Though they were old enough, they were always kids to her and she needed to be their anchor every time they needed a safe cocoon.

"Ya mom, I think aap sahi bol rhi hai. Acha yeh batao Neetu bol rhi thi ki vedant ko fever hai. Meri baat hi nai ho payi usse phir ab kaisa hai mera vedu?" Preeti asked lying her head on her mom's legs and sprawled herself on the couch.

And they fell into a conversation. Sidharth entered the house after some time huffing "Door khullam khulla rakho tum log. Koi bhi aaye andar koi bhi jaye, hai na?"

"Oops!" Preeti bit her tongue as she was the one who entered the house and forgot to lock the door.

"Tu itna sadu kyu hai bey? Abhi koi nahi aaya na toh chill kar" Preeti gave her free advice.

"Ab toh pakka hai ki tune ki lock nahi kiya tha" he said and bumped her head with his fist & she screeched an "ooouuuuhh"

"Sidharth! Marungi mein!" Preeti yelled.

"Ha aa... Aa bail mujhe maar" Sidharth chuckled teasing her as he moved far away clearly knowing that after what he had just said he wasn't going to be spared by his sister.

"TU. AAJ. GAYA" Preeti yelled again and got up to chase him around and both the brother sister ended up hitting each other like kids.

"Oh god! Mere 40 saal ke upar ke bache aise school bache jaise lad rahe!" Rita ji exclaimed seeing her children one over the other on the couch trying to hit each other.

"Mom yar! I'm not 40 yet..." Sidharth yelped, still in the same position.

"Mom, isne mujhe bail bola" Preeti screeched.

Rita ji face palmed at how her kids complained to her even today, she didn't know whether to laugh or scold them so she just stood and said "Jo karna hai Karo mein Jaa rhi hu Vedu ko dekhne niche"

And she was about to leave when Jennifer stormed into the hall with a stoic expression.

"Arre Aaj kya sab log toofan ki tarah Ghar mei ghus rahe ho?" Rita ji chuckled.

"Aao bacha, dekho tumse ho sake toh in dono ko zara samjhao ki aise bacho jaisi na lade ab toh"

"Sid... Sidharth" Jenny uttered slowly and he knew there was something serious.

He left Preeti and stood up to walk to her.

"What happened?" He asked all serious.

"Shehnaaz..."

**********

🙈🙈 Hehehe don't kill me for the cliffhanger!

Thanks for reading guys & for waiting patiently for my updates. I know I'm too late but please bear with me, I'll give regular updates from now.

Please do vote and comment as they mean a lot to writers. A tiny bit of appreciation like touching the 🌟 icon boosts us a lot.

PS : This campaign thing in this chapter was pre planned as per the story & the same is happening in reality only thing is Sidharth is physically not here 🥺 Anyway, wishing well for our Shehnaaz & her event in Gurugram for the BKs.

PPS : Do add the book to ur reading list to not miss out on updates.

Love,
Avni