Sia and Rachna were sitting on the sofa.
Sia sat with her hair open, wearing a loose top and shorts, her legs curled slightly under her. Rachna sat beside her in her comfy night suit. They were talking quietly, deeply.
Rachna asked suddenly,
"Are you sure you saw a diamond ring on his ring finger?"
Sia nodded.
"Yes. I'm sure."
"So he's probably married," Rachna said. Then, after a pause, she added, "But damn… he's so hot."
Sia let out a small laugh.
"I still can't believe he gave me this job."
Rachna corrected her instantly.
"No. He created a position specially for you."
Sia frowned.
"Rachna, you're confusing me. One moment you say he might have liked me. The next moment you say he could be married."
Rachna sighed.
"I know. I'm confused too."
Sia leaned back and smiled faintly.
"Let's leave this topic. I'm in a good mood. I finally have a job… and I'm free."
Rachna hesitated, then spoke carefully.
"Nisha called today at the office."
Sia turned toward her.
"She said your uncle and aunty have filed a missing complaint. And the groom's side has also registered an FIR for a missing bride."
Sia's smile faded instantly.
"Nisha didn't want to tell you," Rachna continued, "but I thought you should know."
Sia stayed silent.
The problems she had run from weren't going to disappear easily. It wasn't that she didn't care about her family. She did. Deeply.
But she knew one thing.
If she contacted them now, they would come after her. They would drag her back home.
So she pushed the thoughts away. Hard.
She knew that if she allowed herself to feel too much, she would break—and go back.
Rachna noticed her silence.
She stood up suddenly.
"Okay. Enough serious talk."
Sia looked at her.
"I think we should go shopping for your new job."
Sia blinked.
"It's ten at night."
Rachna laughed.
"This is a city, Sia baby. Ten p.m. is evening here. This is Bangalore. People sleep at four in the morning."
"But I've never gone out after eight," Sia said softly.
"You're not at your house anymore," Rachna replied.
"And come on, you need a change. You need to change your whole look."
Before Sia could protest, Rachna pulled her up from the sofa.
They went shopping.
Rachna picked out shorts, fitted tops, mini skirts, formal dresses—everything. At first, Sia hesitated even to try them on. But slowly, she began to feel comfortable.
When they came out of the mall, Sia wore a light grey mini dress. It had laces at the back, was off-shoulder with full sleeves. She still felt shy, so she wore tights underneath.
But she looked stunning.
The dress hugged her curves perfectly. Her open wavy hair fell over her brown skin, glowing under the city lights.
Rachna looked beautiful too—denim shorts, a spaghetti top, hair tied up confidently.
People turned their heads as they walked.
Sia whispered nervously,
"I think we should go back home now…"
Rachna stared at her.
"What? It's just twelve."
"Let's sleep early," Sia said.
"We have work tomorrow."
Rachna rolled her eyes.
"You came from Maharashtra to Bangalore to sleep early?"
"No, but—"
"No buts," Rachna interrupted.
"We're going to a club. And if we're lucky, you might meet someone."
"I don't want to meet anyone," Sia said quickly.
Arjun's face flashed in her mind. She pushed it away.
"Fine," Rachna said.
"But at least let me meet someone."
"Then you go," Sia replied.
"I won't go without you."
Before Sia could argue, Rachna pulled her inside the club.
The place was loud.
Red and blue lights flashed everywhere. People danced wildly—some lost in each other, some clearly too close, some clearly drunk. It was chaos.
Sia felt a cultural shock.
Back home, girls who went to clubs were judged harshly. She had never imagined herself here—dressed like this.
She didn't like the environment.
Rachna, on the other hand, was comfortable. She quickly joined a group of strangers and started dancing. She tried to pull Sia with her, but Sia refused.
Sia sat at the corner of the club near the bar.
"Cold drink, please," she said politely.
The bartender raised an eyebrow.
"Which one, ma'am? Vodka, whisky, beer, wine, cocktail?"
"No, no," Sia said quickly.
"Just a cold drink. No alcohol."
"So… beer?" he asked again.
"I said no alcohol," Sia repeated firmly.
The bartender looked confused, then handed her a glass of water.
She felt uneasy.
She had never been in a place like this. Never worn clothes like these. She glanced at her reflection in the mirror nearby and noticed her cleavage.
Uncomfortable, she pulled her hair forward.
Bored and awkward, she started scrolling through her phone.
A tall guy came and sat beside her.
"Hey," he said smoothly.
"May I know your name, beautiful?"
Sia hesitated.
"Sia."
"Hi, Sia. I'm Aarush."
He smiled.
"I'm here with my friends. I find you very beautiful."
"Ah… thanks," Sia said softly.
She wasn't used to compliments.
Arjun had never called her pretty. No one ever had. Even her would-be groom had said it only once.
She didn't know how to respond.
"Would you like to dance?" Aarush asked.
Sia shook her head.
"I'm not comfortable with dancing. I'm new here. I'm with a friend."
"Please," he insisted.
"Just once. You've never tried—it'll be amazing."
He moved his hand toward her.
Sia felt cornered.
Reluctantly, she agreed.
They started dancing.
Aarush kept looking into her eyes. Sia kept looking down.
"Your eyes are beautiful," he said.
She smiled awkwardly.
He put his hand around her waist and asked her to place her hand on his shoulder. He talked continuously—about his work, his life.
Slowly, his hand moved lower.
Sia froze.
She tried to remove his hand, but he pulled her closer instead. He leaned in, trying to kiss her.
She resisted.
Tight slap.
He stepped back.
Another slap.
"How dare you touch her!" a voice roared.
"And you—come with me."
Sia turned.
It was Hritik.
Aarush tried to attack him with a chair, but Hritik's bodyguard restrained him instantly.
Sia walked behind Hritik, still shocked.
They stepped out of the club.
"I'm sorry, boss," Sia said hurriedly.
"I know I should be sleeping. Tomorrow is my first day. But that guy forced me. And my friend made me come…"
She panicked. Tears rolled down her cheeks.
Hritik's green eyes stayed fixed on her.
"No need to explain," he said calmly.
"Miss Sia, you're new in this city. Be careful. Learn to stand up for yourself."
He paused.
"I won't be there every time."
"Thank you, boss," she said softly.
"Sir," he corrected.
"What?"
"Call me Sir," Hritik said.
"Where do you live? I'll drop you."
"I'll manage," Sia replied quickly.
"It's okay," he said firmly.
"It's my duty to take care of my assistant."