Siddharth's pov!

I was forced to make polite conversations with the guests gathered around my house. If curt nods and occasional glares could be considered as polite conversations, that is.

"Sid, how does this dress look on me? Don't I look pretty?" Bhavna asked, as she looked hopefully into my eyes.

I simply nodded my head.

Bhavna Chavan was back in my life...

Bhavna was a closed chapter. Everything had been going well.

Until my grandmother happened to see a particularly nasty article in the tabloids with a photograph of Bhavna coming out of an OB Gyn's clinic. The article went on and on about the speculations regarding whether Bhavna could be pregnant with the fashion mogul's child.

Bullsh*t!

Bhavna had a problem with polycystic ovaries and she had been under medicines for years. She has regular check ups with her doctors, as she told me once the article went viral and I confronted her why she was at the clinic.

Anyways, tabloids weren't interested in Bhavna's medical conditions. All they wanted to know was whether the HR manager of Rey Designs is pregnant with the CEO's child.

And my grandmother who saw the article demanded to be introduced to Bhavna. And since Bhavna belonged to a wealthy family with a good heirline, my family took to her quickly.

Everything went out of control after that.

My grandmother emotionally blackmailed me into submission and I had to pretend to agree to marry Bhavna. She wanted me to make an honest woman out of Bhavna after having her name being tarnished in the tabloids with mine.

This is the side effects of being born into a traditional Indian family and having very conservative family members.

I even doubt my cousin brother is still a virgin, waiting for the one and to be married before exploring the wonder world of s*x.

The truth is that dadi took it as a chance to tie me down. But she doesn't know me well. I brought Bhavna here, only after making it clear that this is all an act. I was paying Bhavna handsomely for pretending in front of my family.

But what annoyed me the most was the way she looked at me when the news went viral.

No! Don't think about her, Sid! She is no one to you! What she thinks doesn't matter to you! Shouldn't matter to you..

My phone rang at the exact moment, giving me a reason to excuse myself out of the party without my sister eating my head off.

"Yes, Mukul." I said as soon as I attended the call.

"We got a call from D Fabs. They are sending a representative from the US. Lakshit Mittal. He would be in charge of setting up their showroom and office in Mumbai. We are to liaise directly with him and help him with the procedures. Our representative has already settled in the US and he will be starting work from Monday." Mukul said as I walked towards my bedroom.

"Al right, Mukul. Keep track of everything. This is our opening into the American fashion hub." I said and hung up the call after giving him a couple more instructions.

I sighed as I locked my bedroom door.

Finally, an escape from all the drama downstairs.

What I need right now is fresh air. Else, I will go mad with all the emotional turmoil I have been through the last one month.

I opened the door that led into the pool side and stopped in my tracks at the sight that was welcoming me.

I sucked in a sharp breath, when my eyes zeroed in on the figure standing on tiptoes on my garden side wooden table.

Parinidhi Vyas!

The thorn on my side.

Ever since I set my eyes on her, she has been giving me headaches. And last month, I have been going crazy since di took her under her wing.

Why is everything related to her bothering me? Is it because she reminds me of myself from a decade ago? After dad's death, the family wealth had dwindled and the only thing that was left was the Raichand name. My father's brother was an artist, who knew nothing about business. He couldn't handle the pressures of Raichand family's business needs and he had given up quickly. I had no choice but to step up.

At the age of seventeen, I had to grow up and do damage control. Life after that was a race. Race against the tide of life. Selling the entire Raichand assets was just the beginning. It was followed by paying off debts and investing what was left in the stock market. It was a gamble I took, which luckily was on my side. The investments grew and slowly, I brought my family back to standing. And then, once I was sure my family was secure enough, I pursued my dream.

Seeing Parinidhi, it reminds me of those days. Because she is doing exactly the same now. She dropped out of her college and is now looking after her family's financial needs at the age of nineteen. Even though, living her entire life in a small village like Pali, she had bravely stepped foot in Mumbai, with the sole intention of making a living for her family. And when grown men are known to quake in front of me, she bravely fought with me, challenged me and succeeded in most of the jobs that were assigned to her, even though the jobs were so out of her league.

She had earned my respect, though grudgingly. And I had never felt that kind of respect for any woman before. Yes, I do respect the women in my family, but that was born out of familial love. But Parinidhi Vyas was different. She had earned my respect herself, but I will never accept that in front of her. My ego wouldn't let me.

My gaze slowly took in her figure clad in a wine coloured chiffon saree. It was hugging her curves perfectly. And she does have perfect curves.

An impossibly small waist and beautifully wide hips. Her bosom is in a perfect proportion to the rest of her body. The woman should come out with a danger sign plastered across her forehead.

I could feel my blood rushing south at the mere sight of her.

Damn it!

No! Right now I am committed to Bhavna Chavan, though it is an act. And I have no right fantasising about any other woman.

I shook my head and decided to hide behind the one emotion that I use as a mask over all other emotions.

Anger!

With determined steps, I walked forwards.

"What the hell are you doing?" I asked coldly. I saw her stumbling at the sudden interruption.

"Ahhhh," She screamed as she lost control and fell from the table.

My response was a reflex. Before her supple body could touch the floor, I caught her in my arms.

"What the hell do you think you were doing, Ms Vyas?" I asked huskily, as I stared at her intensely. I couldn't take my eyes off her face no matter how hard I tried.

She was perfect. She looked like she was sculpted beautifully by a very talented sculptor.

"I- Jeevi- fairy lights." She stammered with the words and I raised an eyebrow at her.

I know that attraction is mutual. She was never able to hide it. Or maybe she has no idea how to hide it. She is the daughter of a temple worker and the chances that she could have had a relationship before is next to zero. So, probably she doesn't even understand what is happening to her and that was making her all the more attractive in my eyes. The innocence shining through her eyes has always unnerved me.

Probably, I am running in the wrong circle, because in my circle, I rarely see such innocence.

Pure innocence and fiery spirit.. It is a very deadly combination.

"Do you have problems with speech, Ms Vyas? I know you have a tongue longer than your entire height. Why are you stammering now?" I asked and she glared at me angrily.

One of the things I admire the most about her is that she is never scared of me. Yes, she is scared of this tension between us, but she isn't scared of me.

When grown men are known to shake in fear if I so much as stare them down, this woman has had the audacity to glare at me back and even shout at me at times, without caring that I am Siddharth Singh Raichand.

"Don't make fun of my height." She said angrily.

"What if I do?" I asked back in a challenging tone.

"LET ME DOWN!" She demanded furiously and I let her down on the floor. I couldn't help what I did. I let her down, every inch of her body sliding against mine as I did so.

I heard her sucking in a sharp breath as her soft and supple bosoms brushed against my torso.

"Ahh.." She winced as she tried to pull herself away from me. Her hair got entangled around my shirt. And I enjoyed every moment of having her body close to mine.

"Careful.." I said in a husky tone as she tried to roughly pull her soft silky hair. When I touched her hair, I couldn't help but picture her hair spread across my pillows when she lay naked on my bed.

Damn it!

With slow and deliberate hands, I disentangled the naughty strand of her hair and heard her sigh in relief, probably thinking that she could finally get away from my presence.

As she was about to turn around and go, I pulled her back. With the sudden pull, she fell against me, with her back touching my chest.

"What are you doing?" She whispered.

A/N

Here goes the next chapter..

And yes! It is longer than the previous chapters. 😌

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Love,

SF❤️