The next morning, Shruti sat on her bed, unable to sleep. She heard a knock on the door and looked up to see her mother standing in the doorway with a tray of breakfast.
Her mother sat down beside her on the bed and placed the tray in front of her. "Here, eat something," she said gently.
Shruti shook her head. "I'm not hungry."
Her mother put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Don't take your father's words to heart, Shruti. He was just angry."
Shruti's eyes flashed with hurt. "He didn't even listen to me, Mom! Doesn't he believe his own daughter?"
Her mother sighed. "Calm down, beta. I know it's not your fault, but someone else's."
Shruti looked up, her eyes searching. "Whose?" she asked.
Her mother's expression turned stern. "Of course, it's Siddharth Rai who did this."
"How are you so sure?" Shruti asked, her brow furrowed in confusion. She couldn't understand why her mother was so quick to blame Siddharth.
Her mother's expression turned stern. "Isn't it obvious? First, his father humiliated your dad, saying that they would never sign a deal with us. And now, he's done this to you."
Shruti shook her head, feeling a sense of unease. "Mom, you're connecting two different strings. Siddharth is not like that," she protested, her voice firm.
Her mother sighed, a hint of disappointment in her eyes. "That's what I thought at first, that's why I allowed you to go on a trip with him."
She paused for a moment, collecting her thoughts before speaking again. "By the way, his sister was supposed to be on the trip with you, right? So, why isn't she in the photo?"
Shruti explained everything to her mother - how Roohi had returned from the airport early, and how she and Siddharth had spent the rest of the trip together. Her mother listened intently, her expression growing increasingly skeptical.
When Shruti finished, her mother let out a sigh. "Oh, Shruti, you're too innocent. It's all made up, beta. It was their plan. Don't you even get it now?"
Shruti felt a surge of defensiveness. She couldn't believe what her mother was saying. She was sure that Siddharth couldn't do this to her.
Her mother stood up, her expression softening slightly. "Anyways, don't worry too much, and just eat your breakfast."
With that, she left Shruti alone with her thoughts. Shruti sat on her bed, her mind reeling with doubts and questions. She couldn't shake off the feeling that her mother was wrong, that Siddharth wouldn't betray her trust like that. But a small part of her wondered if she had been blind to the truth all along.
Shruti pushed the breakfast tray aside, her mind made up. She was determined to meet Siddharth and clear up the misunderstanding that had been brewing since the photo was posted online.
"I must meet him and clear this up," she murmured to herself, a sense of resolve in her voice.
She quickly got ready, her hands moving swiftly as she dressed and did her hair. As she descended the staircase, she saw her father standing in the hallway, a stern expression on his face.
"Where are you going?" he asked, his voice firm but laced with a hint of concern.
Shruti hesitated for a moment before responding. "I have some urgent business," she said, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.
But her father was not fooled. "Aren't you tired of humiliating me?" he asked, his voice rising in anger. "I know you're going to meet that rascal."
Shruti took a deep breath and stood her ground. "Dad, I must know what's happening. I can't be in the dark forever."
Her father's expression turned incredulous. "And what about the reporters? They're hovering over our family like hungry vultures."
Shruti shook her head. "I don't care what they say. And no sensible person would believe them either."
With that, she turned and walked away, leaving her father's call fading in the distance as she exited the palace.
At Rai Tower, Siddharth sat at his desk in his office, focused on the papers in front of him. Suddenly, he heard a commotion outside his door. He called his assistant and asked, "What's happening outside?"
"Sir, Miss Oberoi is here," his assistant replied. "I told her you didn't want to meet her, but she's not listening."
Siddharth sighed, his patience wearing thin. "Let her in."
His assistant bowed and left, and a few seconds later, a girl in a short black dress walked in. Siddharth didn't look up, his eyes fixed on the papers in front of him.
"What do you want?" he asked gruffly.
The girl, Miss Oberoi, pouted. "Sid, I missed you so much."
Siddharth's expression remained impassive. "Is that it?"
Miss Oberoi's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean by that? Didn't you miss me?"
Siddharth's tone turned icy. "Miss Oberoi, if you're done, can you please leave? I'm very busy right now."
Miss Oberoi's face twisted in anger. "Oh, right, I forgot you're busy with that bi—"
Siddharth's head snapped up, his eyes blazing with warning. "Don't!" he shouted, his voice echoing through the office.
Miss Oberoi took a step back, taken aback by Siddharth's outburst. "Don't you dare say a word about Miss Singh," he growled, his eyes flashing with anger.
Miss Oberoi's eyes widened, but she quickly regained her composure. "What's so special about her, Sid?" she asked, her voice dripping with malice.
Siddharth ignored her, standing up and walking over to a bookshelf. He began rummaging through the books, his back turned to Miss Oberoi.
Miss Oberoi's eyes narrowed, and she moved over to the window. She looked out and saw Shruti standing below the tower. A sly thought popped into her mind, and she stalled for time, waiting for Shruti to arrive.
Just as she heard Shruti's voice outside the office, Miss Oberoi intentionally tripped, holding onto Siddharth's tie as she fell. They both tumbled to the floor, Siddharth's eyes wide with surprise.
Just then, Shruti entered the office, her eyes widening in shock at the scene before her. Miss Oberoi was sitting on the chair, and Siddharth was hovering over her, his face inches from hers.
At the sound of the door, Siddharth turned to face Shruti, his eyes pleading for understanding. "Shruti, it's not what it looks like," he said, standing up quickly.
But Shruti's face was already twisted in anger, and she turned and left without a word. "Shruti!" Siddharth called out, but she was already gone.
He turned to face Miss Oberoi, his eyes blazing with fury. Miss Oberoi shivered, sensing the danger emanating from him. Siddharth's gaze lingered on her for a moment before he turned and left the office, his heart heavy with worry about what Shruti must be thinking.
Siddharth rushed towards the entrance, following Shruti and calling out to her, but she was not even listening. He ran towards her, his feet pounding the pavement, and stopped her by pulling her hand.
"At least listen to me!" he exclaimed, his eyes pleading for her to hear him out.
Shruti turned to face him, tears streaming down her face. "What is left to say?" she asked, her voice trembling with emotion.
Siddharth took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. "Shruti, it's not what it looks like," he said, his words spilling out in a rush.
Shruti looked away, her eyes fixed on the floor. "I thought...we had something special between us," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
Siddharth's heart ached at her words. He reached out to put his hand on her shoulder, but she pulled away, her eyes flashing with anger.
"Now I think my mom was right about your involvement in that social media scandal," she said, her voice dripping with accusation.
Siddharth's eyes widened in confusion. "What do you mean?" he asked, his mind racing to understand what she was saying.
Then it hit him - Shruti thought he was responsible for posting the photo of them online. Siddharth's face contorted in shock. "You mean I posted that photo of us?" he asked, his voice laced with incredulity.
Shruti remained silent, her eyes fixed on the floor. Siddharth's eyes locked onto hers, searching for any sign of doubt or uncertainty.
"Answer me, Shruti," he pressed, his voice firm but controlled.
Shruti finally looked up, her eyes filled with tears. "I was sure that it was not you," she said, her voice trembling. "But now...I'm not sure."
Siddharth took a step back, his expression turning cold. "Fine," he said, his voice dripping with hurt and anger.
Shruti looked up, her eyes searching for any sign of understanding or forgiveness. But Siddharth's face was a mask of indifference.
"If that's what you think," he said, his voice firm, and turned to leave.
Shruti burst into tears, her body shaking with sobs as she realized that Siddharth was gone, and their relationship might be beyond repair.
