SidNaaz: Worst Betrayal Ever?

Siddiqui's Mistress: Shehnaaz😡

Dozens of watchful, speculative faces turned to watch Shehnaaz's progress through the office Monday morning. Bewildered, she hung up her sweater and continued to her desk, where she found Sushma and a half dozen other women gathered around it.

"What's up?" she asked. She felt radiantly happy; Sidharth had called her twice from Dubai, and sometime today she would see him again.

"You tell us," Sushma said happily. "Isn't that you?" She plunked the Sunday newspaper down on Shehnaaz's desk and smoothed it out.

Shehnaaz's eyes widened. An entire page had been devoted to the Children's Hospital Benefit Ball. In the center was a color picture of her"with Sidharth. They were dancing, and he was grinning down at her. Her face was in profile, tilted up to his. The caption read, "Mumbai industrialist Sidharth Khan and companion."

"It does look like me, doesn't it?" she hedged, glancing at the excited, avidly curious faces surrounding her desk. "Isn't that an amazing coincidence?" She didn't want her relationship with Sidharth to be public knowledge until the time was right, and she certainly didn't want her co-workers to treat her any differently.

"You mean it isn't you?" one of the women said disappointedly. None of them noticed the sudden lull, the silence sweeping over the office as people stopped talking and typewriters went perfectly still

"Good morning, ladies," Sid's deep voice said behind her. Six stunned women snapped to attention, staring in fascinated awe as Sidharth leaned over Shehnaaz from behind and braced his hands on her desk. "Hi," he said, his lips so near her ear that Shehnaaz was afraid to turn her head for fear he would kiss her in front of everyone. He glanced at the newspaper spread out on her desk. "You look beautiful, but who's that ugly guy you're dancing with?" Without waiting for an answer, he straightened, affectionately rumpled the hair on the top of her head and strolled into Samar's office, closing the door behind him.

Shehnaaz felt like sinking through the floor in embarrassment. Sushma raised her brows. "What an amazing coincidence," she teased.

Sidharth came out of Samar's office a few minutes later and asked Shehnaaz to come upstairs with him. Once they were in his office, he pulled her into his arms for a long, satisfying kiss. "I missed you," he whispered, then he sighed and reluctantly released her, linking his hands behind her back. "I'm going to miss you even more"I have to leave for Italy in an hour. Rossi couldn't reach me, so he called Mr. Gupta. Apparently some people are snooping around the village, asking questions about him. I have a security team checking it out. In the meantime, Rossi's gone into hiding, and there's no phone where he is.

"I'm going to take Samar with me. Ananya's father has sat her to Italy to try to soothe Rossi. She speaks some Italian. I'll be back on Wednesday, or Thursday at the latest."

He frowned. "Shehnaaz, I never explained to you about Ananya""

"Mary did," she said, managing to look cheerful even though she felt miserable about his leaving. Besides missing him, she would also have another three or four days of anxiety, waiting to tell him about Irfan. She definitely couldn't tell him now, when he was about to go away. His anger would ferment and simmer for days. She had to tell him when she could be with him to soothe it. "Why are you taking Samar?"

"Samar is going to take over the position as President for SFK Corp. By taking him with me, we can discuss immediate goals and long-range plans for SFK Corp." He grinned at her. "Also," he admitted, "I'm feeling very grateful to Samar for his interference in our lives, and I've decided to interfere with his. By taking him to Italy, where Ananya is... I see you understand my thinking," he said when she started to smile.

With a final hug he let her go, then he went over to his desk and began shoving papers into his briefcase. "If Rossi calls again, I've told Mary to transfer his call to you wherever you are. Assure him that I'm on my way and that there's nothing to worry about.