SidNaaz: Worst Betrayal Ever?

Farm House Party

Shehnaaz kept looking out admiring the nature. "We'll be there in a few minutes," Sidharth told her as he turned off the highway onto a well-maintained country road that wound through towering stands of pine trees.

Shehnaaz looked at the manicured landscape on both sides of the drive and realized that the ordinary farm house she'd originally envisioned when Sidharth invited her here for the weekend was not going to be what she would find. Nothing prepared her, however, for the sight that greeted her when they shot out of the dappled shadows into the golden glow of the setting sun and pulled to a stop behind a long row of expensive parked cars.

In the distance, against the backdrop of a steep bluff, sprawled an immense, modernistic three-story glass-and-stucco house. Acres of lush green lawns, dotted with colorful umbrella tables, sloped gently to a sandy beach. Waiters in light blue jackets were passing trays among what had to be at least a hundred guests, who were lounging on chaises around a gigantic kidney-shaped swimming pool, talking and laughing in animated groups on the lawn, or strolling on the beach.

Sidharth got out of the car and came around to open her door. With his hand at her elbow, Shehnaaz had no choice but to walk beside him along the winding row of racy foreign sports cars and luxurious sedans toward the throngs of guests.

At the edge of the lawn she stopped and surveyed the people with whom she was about to mingle. Besides several famous movie stars, there were other vaguely familiar faces she'd seen repeatedly in magazine articles about the international jet set and the fabulously rich.

She glanced at Sidharth, who was slowly scanning the crowd. He looked neither impressed nor intimidated by this glittering assembly of the beautiful and the rich; in fact, he looked irritated. When he spoke, his voice was tinged with the same annoyance she saw in his expression.

"I'm sorry, Shehnaaz. If I'd known Sia's 'little gathering' was going to be like this, I'd never have brought you here. It's going to be noisy, crowded and frenetic."

Although she felt rather ill at ease surrounded by such famous people, she managed an air of nonchalance and gave him a jaunty smile.

"Maybe, if we're lucky, no one will realize we're here."

"Don't count on it," he warned dryly. They strolled along the perimeter of the lawn, which was bordered by dense woods. When they came to a bar that had been set up for the use of the guests, Sidharth stepped behind it. Rather than staring at him like a besotted idiot while he made their drinks, Shehnaaz forced herself to turn and observe her surroundings. As her gaze moved over to a chattering group nearby, a gorgeous woman glanced up and saw Sidharth.

With a smile dawning across her perfect features, the woman left her friends and hurried toward SidNaaz, her wide-legged lounging pants billowing softly at her ankles. "Sidharth, darling!" she said, laughing, her hands already sliding up his arms as she leaned forward to kiss him.

Sidharth keeps the liquor bottle down and obligingly curved both his arms around her, drawing her to him to return the kiss.

Even after he released her, Shehnaaz noted that the girl kept her hands on his arms while smiling warmly into his gray eyes. "Everyone has been wondering if you were going to disappoint us and not come," she said.

"But I knew you'd be here because the phone has been ringing off the hook with calls from your office. The servants and everyone else have been taking messages for you all afternoon. And who's this?" she asked brightly, at last taking her hands from his arms and stepping back to regard Shehnaaz with open curiosity.

"Shehnaaz, this is Monica Kapoor," Sidharth began the introductions.

"Call me Mona"everyone does.

The woman turned back to Sidharth and continued, almost as if Shehnaaz wasn't there, "I thought you were bringing Ananya."