The night was down. Loud music was blasting through the speakers. The neon lights pulsed to the rhythm of the music inside, flickering against the darkness of the night.

People were gathered in groups dancing, drinking and enjoying the night on their own terms.

Bodies moved together in a synchronised trance on the dance floor as the DJ dropped another beat gaining a roar from the crowd.
The air was thick with sweat and perfumes.

Drinks glowed under UV lights behind the bar, where the bartender worked with expertise. In the corner shadowed booths lined the wall, offering fleeting privacy for whispered conversations and shared kisses.

In another corner a couple argued quietly before dissolving into laughter and a kiss. In another corner someone was sitting , drinking and observing people in silence. Behind him a hallway was marked with 'Staff Only'.

Down the hallway a row of rooms could be seen. At the end of the row, two masculine men stood on each side of a door with guns in their hands.

Inside the room, a table was placed in the centre. Alessandro sat on a chair with a drink in his hand while his eyes held anger and frustration.

In front of him sat Sidharth with his one ankle resting on his other knee. His eyes were cold, a look one couldn't decipher There was no expression on his face which could let the other person know about what's going on in his mind.

"I'll directly come to the point" Alessandro spoke with his tone laced with suppressed anger. Taking a sip of his drink he looked at sidharth with his eyes expressing frustration.

"I would appreciate that" sidharth responded with his cold eyes fixed on Alessandro. His tone was calm not giving any hint of his thought process.

He chose not to take a drink with the man sitting in front of him. The man he has started to despise.

"I've tried everything to find that girl. There is no trace of her existence" Alessandro stated while Sidharth listened to him with poker face not giving him any reaction.

"It's not possible for anyone to erase every information about someone's existence as if they never existed" Alessandro continued while Sidharth kept looking at him with his eyes cold.

Alessandro speaking about her made him clench his fist down the table. The mere mention of her in their conversation made him uneasy.

"unless it's you" Alessandro pointed his finger towards him while holding a drink in his hand. His tone expressed his anger.

Alessandro chose to go straight with what he thought and he knew that it was true. Sidharth still chose to stay quiet making Alessandro grit his teeth as he was losing his patience with Sidharth's silence.

"I know it's you helping her sidharth" Alessandro accused him while trying not to lose his patience.

"Yes, I am" sidharth accepted while folding his arms against his chest. His gaze cold, his tone calm, his face devoid of any expressions.

Alessandro clenched his jaw while keeping his glass on the table. He didn't know how to deal with Sidharth when he was not on his side this time but against him. He didn't understand why Sidharth helped her.

"Why are you helping her? Who the hell is she to you? I want that damn girl, why don't you understand?" Alessandro demanded angrily.

"It's you who needs to understand Alessandro. Stop finding her! She is not a part of this world so just forget about her" sidharth responded calmly.

The calmness he showed there was far opposite of what he was actually feeling. The emotions he felt for her were something to express only in front of her or for him to experience when being alone.

"Sidharth, brother, listen to me. You are ready to ruin our friendship for that girl? I will not forget about her, you know already that if I want something, I get it anyhow and now I want her. I've a suggestion for you, give that girl to me and you can ask for as much money as you want" Alessandro couldn't let go of her. His ego was hurt this time and that too because of a girl. He couldn't leave without taking her along.

"I don't take suggestions, Alessandro. You know that very well" sidharth still kept his tone calm but inside he felt like ripping Alessandro's head apart from his body for offering him money in return of her.

"You should not forget whom you are talking to sidharth" Alessandro warned him shouting at him losing his patience while his anger had no impact on Sidharth who himself was burning with rage inside.

"And you are talking to Sidharth Raichand so Calm down, I don't like people screaming on my face" sidharth stated plainly while keeping his hands on the table.

"You are going against Alessandro Russo and you know that whoever tried to betray me, ended up losing his life. I promise you I will find that girl for sure and I will kill her in front of you for betraying me. I will kill her for sure now" Alessandro gritted his teeth while getting up and slamming his hands against the table.

"Go ahead Russo, mein bhi dekhta hun kon hath lgata hai usse" getting up Sidharth put on his shades and walked towards the door dismissing the conversation, not bothered to explain to him the meaning of his sentence.

Pushing the door open he walked out of the room while Alessandro threw his glass on the floor breaking it into pieces. His anger was gone out of his control.

"You shouldn't have gone against me Sidharth, I will not tolerate this, ti distruggerò ( I will destroy you)" Alessandro promised to himself while looking at the door Sidharth had just walked out of.

______________________________

It was midnight when Sidharth entered the Raichand mansion. The hall was lit with dim lights. His footsteps echoed in the deep silence of night.

Removing his jacket carelessly he dangled it on his left arm while going upstairs with long steps, his legs moving fast.

His jaw was clenched while his eyes were blazing fire. Walking up to his room he started opening his shirt buttons as if it was suffocating him.

Entering inside his room he threw his jacket on the couch before moving towards his walk in closet. Removing his shirt, his pants, he threw the clothes on the floor before grabbing his towel and went inside the washroom.

Slamming the door shut he walked under the shower. Switching on the shower he stood under the water with his hands resting against the wall in front of him.

The water kept pouring down his hair running down to his body while he closed his eyes bending his head low. The conversation he had with Alessandro played in his mind.

He couldn't stand the thought of Alessandro thinking about her. He couldn't stand that Alessandro wanted to take her with him.

Just the thought of her being in his mind, in his memories made him want to kill Alessandro, removing his existence from earth.

She was not someone who should be on someone's mind who belonged to the dark world. The world which was  full of cruelties, dirt, evilness, people full of filth, people having no mercy.

She was innocent.

Her innocence made him want to protect her from the cruelty of this world. She wasn't even aware of the evil world she was living in. How could he let her go in that dark world which she didn't even know existed.

He wanted to protect her.
He wanted to protect her innocence.

The water kept pouring over him while his mind wandered around her thoughts. Her face kept flashing in front of his eyes making him want to pull her into his arms and hide her from every danger this world had to offer.

He felt like keeping her to himself.

Running his hand through his wet hair he closed his eyes before shutting the shower off. Taking the towel he  wrapped it around himself and moved out of the washroom.

Putting on a t-shirt and lower he went into his room. Sitting on the couch he poured himself a drink and sat resting his head back.

Holding the glass in his hand he closed his eyes letting his mind wander off. The situation he was in could cost his life as he was going against one of the most feared Mafia of the time.

It didn't bother him. What bothered him was her. Her being in danger was bothering him, making his restless. His mind worked fast as he tried to think about every way to keep her safe.

He did not want to take any risk when it was about her.

She, someone he has started to feel things for. Emotions, he was unsure about.

____________________________

It was Sunday morning in Raichand mansion. Devyani Shergill chose to make breakfast for everyone as she had holiday. The last two days were quite stressful and she wanted to make sunday little normal for everyone in the mansion.

Preparing dough for making aaloo parantha, she opened the pressure cooker to take out the boiled potatoes working in the kitchen with expertise and smoothness.

A while later, Sidharth entered the kitchen in his causual attire. He was surprised to see Mrs. Shergill working in the kitchen making breakfast.

"Mrs. Shergill?" sidharth entered the kitchen while Mrs. Shergill was startled as she turned around.

"I am sorry Mr. Raichand, I used your kitchen without asking you. I just thought about preparing breakfast myself" Mrs.. shergill apologized to him quickly as his presence made her realise that she didn't ask him before using the kitchen.

"No, you don't need to apologise. That's really not an issue but you can ask the cook to make whatever you want to have. You don't need to do this Mrs. Shergill" sidharth responded politely bringing a smile of relief on her face.

"I really want to make breakfast for everyone, Mr. Raichand" she smiled at him politely making him nod at her.

"I guess we should stop being formal with each other. Now that we are living in the same house, you can call me Sidharth" sidharth suggested making her laugh slowly.

"theek hai toh aap ko bhi mujhe Mrs. Shergill nhi aunty bulana padega, theek hai Sidharth?" she smiled at him making him nod with a slight smile playing on his lips.

"Fair enough, mein bhi aapko Mrs. Shergill nhi aunty bulaunga" he responded making her smile.

Taking a step forward she kept her hand on his head "aaj tak mujhe sirf businessman Sidharth Raichand ke baare mein hi pta tha, vo bhi sirf naam hi, insaan kaise ho ye nhi pta tha par in do dino mein jitna bhi tumhe samjha hai, tum ek achhe insaan ho, A true gentleman i must say" she has started to adore him while her words made him go quiet.

Her eyes clearly showed that she admired him, she praised him for being a nice man.

It bothered him.

Giving her a slight nod he chose to move out of the kitchen while Devyani got back to her work.

Once done with the preparation Devyani went to wake her daughter up. Entering inside the room she saw shehnaaz sleeping on her stomach with her one hand beneath the pillow and the other resting on the bed close to her face.

"sanu, uth ja chal ab" walking up to the bed she nudged her slightly gaining no movement from her.

"sanu, dekh phir tu aise karti hai uthne ke time" she called her sternly making shehnaaz frown in her sleep.

"theek hai mat uth phir, aaloo ke paranthe bna ri hun tu soti reh" saying she turned around to go out while shehnaaz woke up with a jerk, sitting on the bed in full attention.

"mumma, aise koi karta hai kya? neend aur aaloo parantha dono mere favourite hain and you always make me choose one" she accused her mother making her roll her eyes at her dramatic daughter.

"and you always choose parantha" shehnaaz pouted listening to her mother.

"I have to because food is love na mumma" saying she fell back on the bed dramatically making her mother sigh.

"ab uth ja aur naha ke neeche aaja" Devyani started to fold the blanket setting up the room.

"mummaaa, brush karke aa jaun? baad mein naha lungi na" she whinned not being a fan of morning bath.

"nhi, abhi naha ke aa chup chap" dismissing her request Devyani went out of the room while shehnaaz turned on her stomach and laid there for some more time.

____________________________

Pulling the door open Sidharth stepped out of his room. He was dressed up in a three piece black suit while holding his mobile close to his ear.

"make sure to get this deal done by tomorrow" he was on a call and was about to move towards the stairs but the door of shehnaaz's room opened making him stop in his steps.

Dressed up in a plain loose t-shirt and a lower panda printed on it, her hair tied up in a messy bun held together by a clutcher, she walked out of the room unaware about his presence.

His gaze lingered on her taking in every detail of her appearance. The person on the other side called him but his mind wasn't present there anymore.

She looked adorable. His lips curled up as he felt himself admiring the girl standing in front of him busy in her own world.

"bhagwan ji aapne sabse achhi cheez iss duniya mein aaloo bnaaye hain. agar aaloo na hote toh mera aaloo parantha na hota, aaloo parantha na hota toh pta nhi mera kya hota, aahnnn mza aa jayega parantha khaa k" she was getting excited as she talked to herself while moving towards the stairs.

Sidharth chose to stand there only wanting to know if she would notice him or her complete attention was on her favourite parantha.

Her talking to herself made his smile reach his eyes as he listened to her quietly. Walking towards the stairs she finally noticed his presence stopping in front of him.

Her eyes connected with his which were fixed on her only. That intense gaze of his made her nervous in an instant calming down her excitement.

"Hi" she greeted him trying to cover her nervousness pretending to be confident in front of him.

"Hii" biting his inner cheek he stopped his smile while greeting her. He could see that she was nervous. He understood her effort to appear confident in front of him.

"Good morning" not knowing what to say more she smiled nervously this time making him chuckle inwardly.

"Good morning" he answered politely while disconnecting the call abruptly as he realised that he was still on call.

"you look like aaloo parantha" she blurted out of nervousness making him look at her surprised. Did she call him aaloo parantha?

"I mean, I love aaloo parantha" realising what she said she bite her tongue correcting herself while her face turned red with embarrassment.

"I know" he responded while a smirk played on his lips. A frown etched on her face as she looked at him confused. How did he know? She didn't tell him.

"how do you know?" the question that came in her mind was on her tongue the very next second.

That was how she was. Whatever she thought in her mind, it would be in her words. She didn't learn to say a lie, she didn't learn to twist her words. 

"you told me" putting on his serious expressions he lied smoothly. The frown on her face deepened, her mouth opened a little as she tried to think about when did she tell him.

"when? I didn't tell you?" it was again more of a question to herself than putting across a statement with confidence.

"you don't remember?" he feigned surprise making her more confused as she felt like believing him because of the confidence he lied with. Shaking her head in daze she denied him as she couldn't remember.

"try to remember, okay?" his tone was soft as he demanded while she nodded at him standing there puzzled.

A smile which reached his eyes broke on his face as he moved towards the stairs leaving her thinking behind. Her little brain was stressed because of his confident lie.

_______________________________

Devyani sat on the dining table with her daughter sitting beside her. Sidharth took a seat opposite them as he joined them for breakfast because Devyani requested him to have his meal with them.

"mummaa, aapse achha parantha duniya mein koi nhi bnaa sakta" shehnaaz praised her mother while savoring the taste of her favourite parantha making her mother smile.

"sidharth, aapko kaisa lga?" devyani asked little nervous as she didn't want to ruin his breakfast by making him eat something he didn't like.

"boht achha hai" he gave her a polite smile easing her worry and bringing a smile on her face.

The three of them had their breakfast in silence. Shehnaaz was happy in her own world, eating her favourite food.
His lips curled up as he watched her having her breakfast, enjoying it.

Her being happy did make him smile.

"aunty, I need to talk to you" shifting his attention to her mother sidharth started the conversation once Devyani finished her meal.

"Sure Sidharth, what is it about?" keeping the empty cup of tea on the table Devyani looked at him with her full attention now to him.

Shehnaaz glanced at them once  before turning her focus back to her food. She didn't bother to know what he wanted to talk to her mother.

"The day after tomorrow, I've to go to London. I need your permission to take your daughter with me to London" Sidharth asked politely while giving a quick glance to shehnaaz.

The morsel shehnaaz was about to put in her mouth was stopped mid way as she looked at him with her eyes reflecting the shock she just felt listening to him. Keeping the morsel down on the plate she had her full attention on the conversation now.

"What happened? Why do you need to take her along sidharth? She is safe here, right?" Devyani was shocked listening to his demand. How could she send her daughter to another country just like that?

"I am being honest with you. That murderer got to know that I am helping her. So leaving her here when I'll not be around doesn't seem a good idea to me. He is searching for her here in India, her being in London will be much more safe for her" sidharth put his point across trying to make her understand.

"aakhir ye murderer hai kon? I really want to know. Why can't he leave my daughter alone. She will not tell anyone about that murder. Can't we have a talk with him?" she didn't know what she should do to take her daughter out of this matter completely.

"He comes from an influential background, certainly not someone to talk to" sidharth couldn't reveal his identity. It would just push these two more into the mess than they already were. But he wanted them to have an idea that he wasn't an ordinary man.

"God, sanu tujhe kya zroorat thi wahan jaane ki, kitni badi problem aa gyi hai tere upper" Devyani felt herself helpless as she couldn't do anything to help her daughter.

Shehnaaz looked down hiding her unshed tears as she gripped the table with her hand. Every time that incident comes fresh in her mind, her entire existence shakes with fear.

Keeping her head hung low she stood up from her seat. Moving the chair back she silently walked out of there towards the stairs. Sprinting up the stairs she went into her room and shut the door behind.

With his gaze fixed on the stairs she just went by sidharth tightened his fist cursing himself for bringing that incident in front of her again. He should have talked to her mother alone.

"She is scared" Devyani sighed while looking at the stairs. She didn't mean to scold her. It came out in impulse as she realised that the situation was getting only worse.

"She is! I can postpone my trip but I think it will be better if she is taken out of India. There will be no danger for her in London. In fact, she will be staying with my family. I have my parents and younger brother there. She will not feel alone" sidharth revealed to her about his family.

His family, which he had not revealed to the world. Nobody knows his family because he doesn't want to.

People know about Sidharth Raichand as much as he want them to know.

"I've never heard about your family" Devyani was surprised to know about his family. A soft smile came on her lips as she felt little relieved with the information.

"and I think it is better if you stay here only. The murderer, he knows her, he knows me but he doesn't know you. It will be better if you stay here, I don't want you to be seen with us by any chance or else you'll also be dragged into this mess. things can get worse for both of you. you won't be able to do anything for your daughter if you also become his target. you two will become each other's weakness if he got hold of anyone of you both" sidharth chose to not talk further about his family and stated his point about the current situation while Devyani listened to him attentively.

"I need some time to think about this" Devyani sighed while sidharth nodded at her in understanding.

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