Chapter 13

Sid understood that something was not right with roli. He immediately returned to his house with her. Roli maintained silence and didn't speak anything about vikram. 

Reaching the house, roli settled on sofa and started watching TV as if nothing happened. Though she acted normal, sid still felt something was off. 

"How's your interview?" Sid sat besides her and asked. 

"Good" roli answered without taking her eyes off of the TV screen. 

"What are you hiding from me?" Sid asked seriously. 

Roli looked at him stunned. Nodding her head in negative, she turned back to TV. 

"Look at me.." sid held her hand, making her to turn to him. With his hold on her hand, roli slightly hissed in pain. 

"What happened?" Sid immediately loosened his grip around her wrist and found it bruised. 

"How did you get wound?" sid raised his head to look at her. 

Roli herself didn't know when she got it. Might have gotten when she was pulled in to the car, she thought to herself. But, she couldn't say that to sid. 

"I don't know" roli said and immediately shut her mouth, watching his serious look. 

"What actually happened?" Sid asked sternly. Realising roli hiding something from him, he was losing his cool. 

The otherwise angry bird went numb in front of the serious Sid. She couldn't even utter a word after looking at his stern face and sat with a puppy face near him. If it was other times, he would have smiled, pulling her cheeks. But, now he was so damn serious!

At the moment, Sid's phone started ringing. Roli sighed in relief as she got the chance to escape. But, her relief didn't last long as the person, who called was Akash. 

"Hello, Sid. Where's roli? Is she fine? I tried her number so many times but it went unanswered" akash spoke through video call. 

"Here she is" sid turned the camera to roli. Akash's tensed face got relieved after seeing roli. 

"I'm fine, bhaiya" roli said, trying to sound normal. 

"Don't say that. I know what vikram did today. He even called me saying he won against us" akash said in a furry.  

"What vikram did?" Sid frowned. 

"I told you he was after the property. He got it today. That's it" akash understood roli might have not told sid about it. So, he too didn't mention about all the details. 

Roli and Akash knew if sid got to know that roli had to sign those papers to save him, he would forever feel guilty of it. Roli sighed as akash didn't tell the whole matter. 

"Roli agreed to transfer the property to him?" Sid couldn't believe. He knew she wanted to keep it as her grandfather's memory. He couldn't believe she gave it away so easily, knowing how stubborn she was.

Roli and akash exchanged a look, which sid didn't fail to notice. 

"She isn't fond of the property anyways. So, just leave it" akash replied a few seconds of silence later. 

Roli silently got up and went to her room like a kitten before sid would start interrogating her. 

"Are you going to tell me the truth now or should I find it myself?" After roli left, Sid looked at akash sternly. 

Akash took a deep breath and explained about how Vikram blackmailed roli by threatening Sid's life. He knew Sid wasn't easy to fool with lie so, he had to tell him everything. 

"And you both are hiding it from me?" Sid's face turned dark with anger after knowing what had happened.

"Roli didn't tell you so I thought not to.." akash stopped, watching Sid's anger filled look. 

"Roli never wanted that property. So, just leave this matter. And hereafter Vikram too won't bother her anymore" akash said.

"Don't let roli know that I told you. She'll kill me" akash added, pretending to be scared. 

"I won't. Btw, Vikram dwivedi is his name right?" Sid asked. 

"Leave him and don't drag it, Sid" akash warned, knowing about his friend's temper. 

"He has started the game, right. Let me give it a better finishing" Sid said, determinedly.

"Sid, no.." before akash could speak, Sid hung up the call. 

Sid then called his secretary, sumit.

"I want to know each and every detail of Vikram dwivedi as soon as possible" Sid ordered, making the secretary stunned. 

"Okay, sir" sumit replied, obediently.

---

At night, Sid couldn't fall asleep. He came out and went to roli's room. She was in deep sleep and seemed to forgot to lock the door. 

Sid sat at the edge of the bed, watching her sleeping peacefully. 

*•*•*•*•*

"Guys, save me!" A guy shouted, entering the classroom and hid behind akash. 

"Arey.. what happened?" Akash queried while Sid watched the guy in confusion. 

"See there.. your sister" the guy pointed at roli, who entered the room with a wooden stick in her hand.

"Come out, you Dumbo" roli was shivering in anger as she looked at the guy. 

"Roli.." Sid quickly held on to her and stopped her from jumping on to the guy. 

"Leave me, Sid" roli kept struggling in Sid's hold. 

"What you did? Why she's after you?" Akash turned to the guy and asked. 

"I didn't do anything. I just went to canteen and your sister started hitting me" the guy replied innocently. 

"You didn't do anything? Then who hit Sid yesterday?" Roli glared at him, making them all speechless. 

"That was a karate match!" The guy was dumbfounded to know roli was hitting him for he hit Sid once in the previous day's karate match. 

"Even if it's a match, how dare you hit my Sid?" Roli moved near him as Sid's left his hold on her after knowing the reason of her anger. He was in utter surprise.

"He also hit me in the match. And he won too" the guy replied, defending himself at akash's back. Not that he was scared of Roli, but he was scared of Sid to fight back with roli. 

"He can hit you but you shouldn't" Roli raised her hand with stick to hit the guy, making others amused at her statement.  

"Sid" akash called out for help. Sid was brought back from his thoughts at akash's call. 

"Roli, stop" Sid pulled her back and thrown the stick away from her hands. 

"Leave me, Sid. I'll teach him a lesson" roli continued to be an angry kid. 

"It was just a match okay" Sid said with his rare patience. 

"Let it be. But, I won't let anyone hurt you even in a match" roli stated determinately. 

Her words and act might seem childish to others. But, for Sid, it was the moment he actually fell in love with her. 

*•*•*•*•*

Sid smiled reminiscing the past memory. He knew she was upset that he left without a proper goodbye ten years ago. But, whatever happened today made him realized that she was still the same roli he loved from the depths of his heart and would do until his last breath. 

Brushing away the hairs falling on to her face to side, Sid pecked her forehead softly. Then covering her with a blanket, he left the room quietly without disturbing her sleep.