Yug asked nervously,
"Is everything okay at the hospital?
Big Boss… is he alright?"
"His condition has become very serious,"
Shubham said coldly.
"After drinking some stupid soup made by Mansi."
After saying that, Shubham walked straight out of the room.
When did Mansi learn to make soup?
And when did all this happen?
When did she even go to meet him?
Yug's mind was filled with questions.
Walking behind Shubham, he asked carefully,
"Should we call Miss Nidhi and ask her to come and see Big Boss once?"
The moment Yug said that,
Shubham's steps suddenly stopped.
His empty eyes lit up.
Nidhi's face flashed before his eyes.
The last time, Miss Nidhi had saved Big Boss's life.
"Sir, I really think you should inform Miss Nidhi,"
Yug said again.
"Why don't you call her once?"
Shubham glanced at Yug,
then silently took out his phone.
Meanwhile, the bidding was still going on inside the auction room.
Because of the tension, Sejal could barely breathe.
She kept murmuring under her breath,
"Please… God… don't increase the bid… please don't increase the bid…"
"One crore fifty lakh… two…"
Nidhi looked through the glass wall toward Room Number One.
Why aren't they increasing the bid anymore?
she wondered.
"One crore fifty lakh… three… SOLD!"
The moment the announcement echoed,
Sejal screamed in excitement and hugged Nidhi tightly.
"We won! We won!"
They couldn't believe that Box Number One didn't raise the bid again.
"Congratulations to Box Number Three,"
the automated voice announced once more.
"You have won all six Hriday Amrit plants."
"Nidhi… you finally won!"
Sejal was so happy that she almost started jumping.
Just at that moment,
Nidhi's phone began to vibrate.
It was a call from an unknown number.
The moment she answered—
A deep voice came from the other side.
"This is Shubham Malhotra."
Nidhi listened to Shubham very carefully.
In his deep and cold voice, Shubham said,
"My grandfather's condition has worsened again. I need you. Where are you right now?"
Nidhi asked in confusion,
"How did his condition suddenly get worse? That shouldn't have happened."
Shubham replied,
"I'll explain everything on the way. Send me your location. I'm coming to pick you up right now."
Hearing this, Nidhi became nervous.
She thought to herself, How can I share this location?
After a few seconds, she said,
"Can you come near the Holy Cross Church, close to the subway?"
Nidhi didn't want to share her exact location with Shubham.
Holy Cross Church wasn't far from the auction venue, and by taking a shortcut, she could reach there quickly.
Shubham was surprised.
That church was an old building from the 1980s.
No prayers were held there anymore, and the place had almost turned into ruins.
What is she doing there?
Shubham wondered, then replied,
"Okay."
After ending the call, Nidhi turned to Sejal and said,
"I need your help once again. Please drop me at Holy Cross Church. It's urgent."
"Okay, let's go," Sejal replied.
She knew Nidhi must have something important to do, so she didn't ask many questions.
"I'll send these plants directly to the factory's green storage facility," Sejal added.
On the other side, standing at the entrance of Holy Cross Church,
many questions were running through Shubham's mind.
Why is Nidhi here?
Such a strange and deserted place…
Very strange.
Is she here for a photoshoot?
He thought to himself.
Girls these days like such places.
Shubham looked down the empty road.
Soon, he saw someone approaching.
Yug, who was standing beside him, said,
"There she is, Miss Nidhi. I'm sure she came here for a photoshoot."
Walking toward them, dressed in white, with the setting sun behind her,
Nidhi looked extremely beautiful and attractive.
The moment Shubham saw her flowing hair and calm walk,
all his questions faded away.
She looked like a fairy stepping out of a painting.
Even Yug couldn't take his eyes off her for a moment.
As Nidhi reached them, Yug respectfully opened the car door and said,
"Miss Nidhi, please sit inside."
As Nidhi moved toward the back seat, her eyes met Shubham's,
who was sitting on the other side.
"How is Mr. Mahendra?" she asked.
Shubham, who was still lost in her presence, snapped back to reality and replied,
"Someone brought soup for him. After drinking it, his condition worsened.
The doctors are taking him for surgery again."
The car sped toward the hospital.
Calls kept coming from the hospital again and again.
Each time, Shubham repeated that he was on his way with Nidhi.
"Was the soup given by someone close to him?" Nidhi asked.
After hearing Shubham's answer, Nidhi thought to herself,
There must be something wrong with that soup. Something definitely caused his condition to worsen.
Yug glanced at Nidhi through the rearview mirror and asked,
"Miss Nidhi, if you don't mind… may I ask how old you are?
You must still be in high school, right?"
"I'm eighteen," Nidhi replied with a smile.
"My board exams and university entrance exams are over.
Now I'm just waiting for the results."
Shubham looked at her in shock.
How can someone so young be this talented?
Yug also said in surprise,
"You're only eighteen and already such a genius.
Is anyone in your family a doctor?"
"No," Nidhi replied calmly.
"And you—" Yug was about to ask more when suddenly the car shook.
Because of the rough road, the car jerked violently,
and Nidhi lost balance and fell toward Shubham.
Shubham reacted instantly and caught her.
His hand touched her bare shoulder as she was wearing a sleeveless dress.
Nidhi's face instantly turned red.
It was the first time Shubham was this close to a girl,
and he also felt awkward.
A soft, sweet fragrance surrounded him.
"I'm sorry, Miss Nidhi, I—" Yug tried to explain,
but before he could finish, the car jolted again.
Shubham pulled Nidhi closer to protect her and snapped at Yug,
"What are you doing? Keep your eyes on the road!"
Nidhi slowly lifted her eyes and looked at Shubham's face.
Something strange stirred inside her heart.
After a few moments, the car finally started moving smoothly.
Shubham released her and asked,
"Are you okay?"
"Y-yes… I'm okay," Nidhi replied, quickly looking away.
Her face was still slightly red.
The last time Shubham had met her, she seemed cold and arrogant.
But right now, she looked like a cute, innocent girl—
and he couldn't deny that he liked this side of her.
"I'm really sorry. It won't happen again. I'll be more careful,"
Yug said while checking the rearview mirror.
He expected Shubham to be angry,
but instead, he noticed a strange tension in the car.
"Focus on driving,"
Shubham said firmly, sensing Yug's gaze.