Chapter 14

Roli was all set for her first day in the job. She seemed to have long forgotten about the property she gave away and what vikram did. She excitedly got ready for office and walked out of her room. 

Sid was still in his room so, roli waited for him in the hall to have breakfast. But, all of her excitement faded away as she read one headline on the newspaper kept on the table near sofa. 

Wedding bells in the cine-town : Siddhant Bharadwaj and Nia Mehra to tie the knot soon. 

Read the headline with a picture of Sid and Nia Mehra, one of the top actress in the industry, in one frame, taken in an event. 

Roli's hands trembled as she held the newspaper and read what was written on it. She felt like something pricked her heart which made her feel out of breath. 

Sid just reached the hall and found roli lost in herself. "Roli" he called out to gain her attention. 

Roli raised her head and stared at him blankly. Keeping the newspaper back on to the table, she grabbed her bag and turned around to leave. 

"Roli, have breakfast" sid said, finding her prepared to leave. 

"I'm not hungry" roli tossed those words without looking back at him and stormed out of the house. 

Sid frowned as he wondered what might have happened to her. Just then his attention caught up on the newspaper that roli just placed on the table. 

After reading the headline, Sid's expression turned colder. Holding on to the paper tightly, he clenched his jawline. 

"Good morning, sir" sumit wished as he entered Sid's house but received a hot glare from him in return. 

"What rubbish is this? What the hell our PR team is doing?" Sid thrown the paper, his eyes red due to anger.  

"Sir... The information is given by your father.. PR team couldn't intervene" sumit replied, being nervous as hell. 

Sid immediately took out his phone and dialed his father's number. 

"How many times should I tell not to involve in my personal life" sid yelled even at his father. 

"You're asking your father not to involve in your life?" Rajender asked, sarcastically. 

"If your involvement means snatching away my happiness then it's better you don't" sid replied, earnestly. 

"I'm not snatching away your happiness, sid. And what's wrong in my decision anyway? Nia is a popular actress, whom you've worked with already. Her dad is my good friend. I just thought to convert my friendship into relationship. This alliance would benefit our business too" rajender tried to explain, calmly. 

"So, it's again about business to you?" Sid scoffed. He couldn't believe how his father wanted to make his life in to a bloody business. 

"Sid, I've promised my friend. Don't make me go back on my words" rajender said in a pleasing tone to make sid agree for the alliance. 

"Even I've made a promise to myself" sid replied adamantly. He couldn't care less about his father's promises. He never did.

"Are you still obsessed with that girl?" Rajender sighed helplessly. 

"I love Roli. If you think it's my obsession then let it be my obsessive love. And no one can ever take her place in my life even in hundred other lives" sid declared his love for roli openely for the first time. 

Sumit's eyes almost popped out in shock as he heard what sid just said. He couldn't believe his boss was actually loving someone. The news was too much for him to digest at once. 

"Sid, listen to me..." 

"You listen to me, dad. Now I've just left the house. But, if you continue to interfere in my life like this again, then there would be no relationship left between us" sid stated like his final decision and hung up the call without waiting for his father's response.  

Sitting on the sofa angrily, sid tried to calm himself down. Even after he left the house, his father wouldn't want to let him live peacefully. He felt frustrated. 

"I've asked you about some information" sid raised his head to look at sumit. 

"Yes, sir. Here it is..." Sumit, who was still in shock after hearing Sid's confession, got snapped out of it as he heard Sid's words. He immediately pulled out a Mac book from his bag and forwarded to sid. 

"Vikram dwivedi is the son of Jamnalal dwivedi. He took the charge of ownership of dwivedi enterprises a few months ago. But, he couldn't really manage it well and dwivedi enterprises is now facing huge losses and the business is like a sinking boat" sumit briefed the information.

After going through the compiled information gathered by sumit, sid understood that dwivedi's business was indeed in huge loses. Perhaps, that's the reason vikram wanted roli's share of property, so that he could manage his business, sid came to a conclusion.  

"I'm going to takeover dwivedi enterprises. Make arrangements soon" sid said as if he was prepared to make a move against vikram. 

"Yes.. sir" sumit responded, though feeling a bit shocked at Sid's sudden interest in business other than making movies. 

"And this should disappear from everywhere" sid pointed at the headline in the newspaper and said authoritatively. 

Sid closed his eyes to relax his anger. But, he couldn't find peace. 

"Sir.." sumit called, hesitantly. "you've a meeting in an hour with the director to discuss about casting". 

"We'll do that later. I'm not coming to office today. You can leave" saying that, sid got up and went to his room. While sumit left the house in confusion about his boss's behavior.

Roli returned from office in evening. Sid was in hall, waiting for her. He got up as soon as she reached the hall. 

Sid went and stood before her, blocking her way. Roli looked at him but, soon shifted her gaze away. 

"You read the news this morning?" Sid asked, calmly. 

"Oh.. yeah, I was in hurry in the morning and forgot to wish you. Congratulations!" Roli said with a smile, sounding as if the news didn't bother her. But, the truth was something else. 

"So, you believe it's true?" Sid was hurt at her reaction towards the news. 

"Yeah. How could possibly media print fake news about the great siddhant bharadwaj?" Roli replied in exaggeration. 

Sid didn't speak anything else and remained silent as he watched her smiling face. He knew it was a fake smile she was forcing to show him that she was happy. And that's what hurting him the most. 

"I'm tired. Shall I go take rest, please?" Roli couldn't stand at his gaze anymore. It was making her weak and she didn't want to go weak. 

Then without turning back at him, roli almost ran in to her room and shut the door. 

"You believe whatever you want. I will do what I want" sid said to himself like a promise, looking at the closed door of roli's room. 

Inside the room, roli sat on the floor, hugging her knees close to her chest. Her eyes flooded with tears but, she stubbornly held them in and wouldn't let them flow out. As for she always thought that tears are symbol of weakness and she would never want to show herself weak. 

For some reason, the news of Sid's marriage reminded roli of her parents. When they got to know about her father's affair, her mother was shattered. But, her mother still had a belief that her father wouldn't abandon them. Perhaps, she was blinded by love. 

But, the bitter truth was her father chose the other woman over her mother just because she was rich and also had a son. Her mother couldn't bear it and suffered heart attack, which took her life. 

From then on roli had a kind of hatred for rich people. But, it was only until she met sid. After Sid's arrival in her life, she almost forgot whatever had happened and started to lead a happy life. 

However, with the news she read, all those bitter memories rushed back to her, making her feel more worse. She couldn't understand why she even thinking about the past. But, after knowing the news, she started feeling so lonely. 

---

Next day early in the morning, sid went to roli's room only to find her left to office already. 

- In Office - 

Roli settled in her cubicle and tried her best to focus on work. But, her heart didn't bother to listen to her mind. 

"Hey, roli" payal, one of her colleagues came near roli and forwarded a set of papers. 

"What's it?" With a frown, roli took those papers.  

"We've got a new boss it seems. So, there are some modified rules and regulations to be followed. These papers consists all those rules which we should read and sign" payal explained. 

"These many rules?" Roli widened her eyes, taking a look at the set of papers in her hands. 

"Those are like do's and don'ts and other useless things which we never bother to follow anyways" payal said, rolling her eyes. 

Roli chuckled at her statement, taking a pen and signed those papers. 

"Arey read before signing. What if you break any rule" payal giggled as roli signed the papers even without reading. 

"I'm not gonna follow these boring rules anyway. Why to waste time by reading those" roli gave the papers back to payal. 

"Yeah, rules are indeed boring. I've read them all" payal rolled her eyes with a sigh. 

"Btw, who's this new boss now? Is he too going to be a hitler like old one?" Roli asked, faking a frightened face. 

"You've faced our old boss only for one day. But, I've endured his tortured for more than two years now. So, I'm telling you, this new boss would definitely not be as worse as that old hitler. Trust me" payal said with a pity face, making roli smile.