Third person's pov!

"Nidhi.." Sid called out softly and she shot an accusing look at him before hurrying towards the restroom. Priya followed her immediately.

"Damn it!" Siddharth cursed angrily and marched towards his cabin.

"What the bloody hell is happening here?" Ansh whisper yelled at Mukul.

"Honestly? All my confusions are cleared now. Sid is in love with Nidhi." Mukul whispered back and Ansh looked at him in horror.

"What?"

They quickly went to Ansh's cabin and Mukul then explained all that he had witnessed here ever since Nidhi joined Rey Designs the second time.

"Goodness! Sid is in love with Nidhi? I still can't believe. He hated her, didn't he? He was so annoyed with everything she did. How the hell did it all turn into love?" Ansh asked, confused out of his wits.

"Well, love is unpredictable. It happens when you least expect it and with the person whom you least expect." Mukul said.

"That sly dog. Let me talk to him. I am his bestfriend. I should be the first one to know when he falls in love. Here, I am the last one to know." Ansh said angrily and before Mukul could respond to that, he received a phone call from the security officers at the front gate. What he heard made him horrified.

Mukul hurried into Sid's cabin, Ansh following closely, and entered it without knocking. One look at Mukul's dishevelled look, Siddharth knew there was trouble.

"What is it, Mukul?" Siddharth asked.

"Media.. Media is here.." Mukul said in between taking deep breaths. Siddharth shot an annoyed look at him.

"So what? Just ignore them.." Siddharth said.

"No no.. They have swamped Nidhi outside Rey Designs.. The security is trying to get them off her, but there are too many of them.." Mukul said, still breathless from running.

Siddharth froze when he heard that. After a moment of freezing, he jumped out of his chair and rushed out of his cabin. He was practically pounding down the staircase, taking three steps at a time. The employees were staring at him in open mouthed wonder. The always immaculate SiddharthSingh Raichand looked panicked. Not an emotion they could associate with their boss.

Mukul, Ansh and Parth were hot on his heels. Parth on his way out, pulled Priya along with him, knowing very well that Nidhi would need Priya with her at this moment.

****

OUTSIDE REY DESIGNS

Nidhi wished that the mother earth would open up and swallow her as a whole.

"Ms Parinidhi.. Are you the one who trapped Mr Siddharth Singh Raichand?"

"Ms Nidhi, is it true that you worked with Rey Designs while Mr Raichand was dating Ms Chavan? How did you take Mr Raichand away from Ms Chavan?"

The questions were thrown at her without any mercy. She could feel the flashes of the camera on her face and she tried very hard to hide her face.

She felt horribly exposed.

Before she was bombarded with another question, she felt herself being blanketed by a pair of powerful arms.

Siddharth forced his way through the annoying paparazzi and pulled Nidhi into her arms, wrapping himself around her in such a way that nobody could even touch a single strand of her hair.

"OUT OF MY PROPERTY, RIGHT NOW!" Siddharth screamed at the media representatives and he felt Nidhi shivering in his arms, which only made his rage at the paparazzi increase.

"If you don't move out of here in the next five seconds, be ready to face trespassing charges." Siddharth threatened coldly and knowing very well that Siddharth Raichand doesn't give empty threats, they filed out of the compound one by one.

"Mukul, buy them off. Not even a single photograph should reach any media office." Siddharth gave orders to Mukul as he walked towards his car, with Nidhi still safe in his arms.

"On it, Sid!" Mukul nodded.

"Also, find who brought the paparazzi in. I need the information within an hour." Came the next order.

"Right away, Sid." Mukul said and hurried away from there to carry out his duties.

Sid opened the passenger seat door of his car and made Nidhi sit. He got into the driver's seat. Parth and Priya hurriedly got into the car, knowing very well that Sid wouldn't wait for them, instead would just drive away, leaving them there.

The drive towards Kurla was tense and silent. Nidhi was simply staring out through the window. Her thoughts far far away..

"Nidhi.." Siddharth called out softly, startling Nidhi out of her wandering thoughts.

"I know you are very much disturbed with whatever happened today. But I promise you Nidhi, I will not let any harm come to your reputation or name Nidhi. This is Siddharth Singh Raichand's promise. You can trust me on this." Siddharth said and for some reason, she trusted him.

Nidhi stared at him. She felt scared and worried. Today, when he had wrapped his arms around her, she had felt as if she was in the safest place in this whole world. And that feeling scared her. She didn't want to feel that way.

It had taken her a lot of will power to push whatever feelings she had for him into the deepest darkest corner of her heart. And today, now, she could feel it all pouring out again. And she didn't want that to happen.

What if he pushes her away again..

What if he breaks her heart with his cutting words again?

She won't be able to bear it again.

"Uh bhai, you missed a turn." Parth said, realising that Siddharth didn't take the turn towards the Kurla.

"I know.. Before dropping them home, I want her to see some people." Sid said and drove towards the old Raichand godown in the outskirts of Mumbai.

The car stopped in front of the warehouse and the three of them frowned in confusion.

"Come.."

Siddharth walked into the warehouse and the other three followed him in.

A man in his mid thirties came from inside.

"Mr Raichand.." He greeted formally and nodded at the other three people acknowledging their presence.

"Sunny, how are they now?" Sid asked.

"Alive." Sunny answered in a single word.

Nidhi and Priya held hands, the ambience around here scaring them.

As they walked into the dimly lit room, they saw four human figures hanging upside down.

Nidhi and Priya let out a scared gasp.

"Get them down.. It's time for the face off." Siddharth said and Sunny eyed his men to carry out the orders.

As the four men were seated on the floor, Sunny switched on a more brighter light.

Nidhi gasped seeing the faces of those men.

It was them. The thugs who harassed her a few days ago.

Sunny poured water on them and they all came awake with a start.

They looked up and seeing Nidhi, they understood where the quotation had come from.

"Sister.. We are sorry for everything. We will never look at any woman after this. Please save us from this monster.." The men begged Nidhi.

Nidhi stared at Siddharth in horrified wonder.

Sid had rescued her from these men that night. But since she was injured, he had been more focussed on getting her to the hospital. Not even in his wildest dreams did she imagine that he would go after them.

Nidhi turned towards them and her eyes flashed hatred at them..

"There is no point in punishing dead people. You all look dead to me.." Nidhi said and walked out from there, not wanting to see them anymore.

"Drop them back at their houses." Siddharth said and their faces brightened up, which immediately dulled after his next sentence.

"Make sure that they cannot live the rest of their life without help." Siddharth said and walked out of there.

"Sorry, Sir. Sorry, Sir. Please forgive us. We thought it was a simple quotation to scare her. We didn't know how important she was, else we wouldn't have taken the quotation.." One man said and Sid froze hearing those words.

"Quotation? What do you mean?" Sid asked coldly. Until this moment, he had believed that they were some random goons who tried to misbehave when they spotted a woman alone. But a conspiracy behind this?

Sid felt the rage coursing through his veins. He was breathing heavily as a result of that. An enemy for Nidhi? Why would anyone want to hurt Nidhi?

"Sunny!!" Sid called out loudly, his booming voice echoing across the walls of the warehouse, making those four men scared.

"Keep them here and I want them alive. I will return after dropping my girl home." Sid ordered and walked out.

His phone rang at that moment. It was Ansh. His face darkened hearing the news from the other side.

A/N

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