Sneha tried to use all her tactics to free herself but the people holding her were just too strong for her body.
"What are you doing? Let me go! Who are you? Help! Somebody, please help!" She screamed at the top of her lungs.
Neither did the men answer her nor did anyone come for help.
She felt herself being dragged forcefully down the stairs and then, a few minutes later, she was pushed strongly.
Sneha tried to stop herself from falling but she didn't know what was ahead of her. So, her head struck something hard and the characteristic metallic sound resonated in her ears. She immediately removed the blindfold from her eyes in hopes of seeing the source of the sound and her whereabouts.
Looking around her, she soon realized that she was thrown inside a small room with only a small circular hole on the door for ventilation.
"Please, let me out! What did I even do?" She shouted for them when she heard them lock her inside.
"We know about the secret chip that you were carrying in your bag. And, now, Viraj sir will take care of a spy like you." One of the men finally answered.
Sneha stilled for a while.
"Wh.what chip?" She asked, completely confused. However, no answer came and she could only hear the sound of the men's footsteps going away from her.
"Please, wait! There is some misunderstanding. I am not a spy! I didn't hide any chip in my bag!" She kept on shouting in the hope for someone to believe or at least hear her out. However, no one came to her rescue.
She kept on shouting in the dark cell for about fifteen minutes when she got tired and...scared. It was dark inside except for the small hole on the door that allowed some rays of light from a faraway source. She tried to peak outside but saw the completely deserted hallway.
'What is going to happen to me now?' She wondered in fear as she slowly sat on the floor and enveloped herself in a small ball.
She recalled how Viraj doubted her on their first meeting when there wasn't even any solid proof against her. But, now, he would have something physical to doubt her with certainty...even if it was fake.
'How did a chip end up in my bag?' She tried to recall.
Was someone trying to frame her? She tried to think of all the possibilities.
But, the most important thing for her right now was: How was she going to convince Viraj of her innocence? He would never believe her and will probably...hurt her. The thought alone brought more tears to her eyes.
'I should have listened to Priya. I shouldn't have come here to meet him.' She repeated in her mind as she cried her eyes out.
Sneha soon lost track of time. She had no idea how long she was trapped inside when she heard the sound of rapid footsteps coming closer to her. She immediately tried to hide more inside the cell by moving away from the door. She didn't want to meet anyone...especially not Viraj.
.
.
.
Viraj took a deep breath as the anger subsided and was replaced by concern. He had no idea Sneha would actually bring her college bag to the lunch. He was going to ask Ananya to remove the chip discretely tomorrow from her bag. Turned out that he made a mistake.
"That chip was installed by me, you morons! Where is she now?" He asked as he could feel that his men might have taken extreme steps by now, as that is how they were trained.
The men stammered before replying.
"We...we kept her in the basement cell, sir."
"What?" He shouted again and quickly walked towards the basement. The men followed him as well.
When he was about to reach the basement door, he turned towards the two men.
"Keys." He asked as he stretched his hands.
The men exchanged looks hoping that the other had it.
"You don't have it?" Viraj scolded them.
"It must be with the security. I will call them to bring it down now." One of them answered quickly. Viraj only rolled his eyes at their stupidity. He didn't have the time to wait for them to bring the keys from the main gate of the premises.
Walking in the basement, he proceeded towards the only cell that was locked. Taking out his gun from his waistband, he aimed at the lock carefully. With one shot, he had successfully broken the lock.
Sneha squealed in fear when she heard the sound of a gunshot and the lock breaking out of nowhere. If anything, it made her drag herself farther from the door.
Viraj swung the door open and took a sharp breath when he saw her condition.
"Sneha!" He whispered.
"It's not...not me. I am not a...spy. Please, believe me! I don't know where it came from. P.p.please...don't kill me." She cried as she thought the worst. She knew he would definitely hurt her today.
And, for the first time, he felt a pang in his chest as he saw her scared features and trembling tone. Taking a deep breath, he spoke.
"Come out." He asked her politely, as politely as he could.
"No...You...you will..." She stammered as she tried to back away while looking at the gun.
He sighed and took a step inside the cell. All the while, she kept on crying and begging him to go away.
"I trust you." He said slowly which stilled her in position. Taking courage, she looked up at him with teary eyes.
"I know it wasn't you. So, come out." He said calmly as he forwarded his right hand for her to take.
"You do? Y.you trust me? Even...even after that thing was found in my bag." She asked in a shaky voice. How could she believe him so easily? He could be playing tricks with her, after all.
"Yes. Because I know who did it. I forgot to inform my men in time." He partially lied in order to calm her down.
Sighing in relief, she wiped her tears away from the back of her hand. He brought his hand closer to her and she understood his intention.
Slowly and gently, she placed her right hand on his stretched ones and allowed him to pull her up. She couldn't deny the helping hand, especially when the other held a gun!
"Your dress is..." He commented as he noticed her attire.
"What?" She asked and immediately looked at her clothes.
"How did this..." She exclaimed when she saw that her top and jeans were all covered by dust and sticky mud. She pulled her hand away from his with a jerk and started patting her dress to free herself of the dirt. Looking behind her, she understood that the dust was from the cell's dirty floor.
No matter how much she tried, the persistent dirt just didn't leave her clothes. When her pattings became aggressive, he held her wrist firmly. She looked at him with wide eyes as she thought he was going to hit her.
"Calm down, Sneha. I will ask one of the employees to help you change into new clothes." He said while savouring the feel of her hands.
She immediately pulled her hands back gently.
"I did not bring another set of clothes." She said as she placed her hands behind her back so that he won't touch them again. This did not go unnoticed by him though.
"They will provide you with a new set. So, don't worry. Come." He said gently as he took a step forward.
"It's okay, Viraj. I am fine now." She suggested as she followed him slowly. The other men followed her.
"I am not fine with it, though. Your clothes are dirty and so are your hands. We can't have lunch like this." He said as he motioned the two men to disperse.
She sighed while following her like an obedient child.
He made a call while taking her to the guestroom which was solely kept for his use, if and when he decides to stay the night.
"Send a female employee to my room asap." He told the vice-CEO of the restaurant and hung the call.
"You don't need to bother anyone, Viraj. I am fine having lunch in these clothes. These are not that dirty." She said and he looked at her again.
"I pay my employees. So, I can bother them how much so-ever I want. Regarding your dress, I do not want you uncomfortable during lunch." He answered.
"It's not uncomfortable!" She retaliated.
"Let's not argue on this." He said sternly to which she sighed. He was going to have his way, she understood.
Within a minute, a young girl in formals came running in their direction.
"Good afternoon, sir and ma'am. How may I help you?" The young girl immediately came to their service.
"Help her in changing into a comfortable dress. She will use my room." He guided.
The girl nodded quickly and opened the door using the master key.
"Ma'am, please, this way." The girl guided Sneha inside with a smile.
Sneha looked at Viraj wondering if he was coming in as well.
"I will wait for you outside." He answered her unasked question to which she internally smiled in relief.
Entering inside the huge room, the girl ushered her directly towards the bathroom.
"Ma'am, please help yourself. Meanwhile, I will bring a dress for you." The girl asked with a polite smile.
"Uhh...Thank you." Sneha replied with a smile as well, feeling a little weird about being referred to as 'ma'am'.
"Is there any particular preference, ma'am?"
"About?"
"The clothes, ma'am."
"No, no. Just anything modest would be good." She answered so that the girl would find a suitable dress soon.
"Sure, ma'am. I will be back in 10 minutes. Meanwhile, you may please clean yourself and I will keep the dress on the bed for you." The girl said and Sneha nodded.
When the girl had left, Sneha closed the door of the bathroom and started searching for the tap...or should she say...taps. There were at least five taps and two washbasins. A bathtub was resting in a corner with a toilet seat at the other. She could see a few bathrobes along with some handtowels properly kept on the cabinet. She wondered if she could use them.
Walking towards the washbasin, she stared at her reflection and her eyes widened. There was a huge patch of dirt on her face!
"How embarrassing!" She whispered.
She looked for soap and opened the small cupboard which was kept near the mirror. It was stacked with a dozen items, and all for men's use. Each bottle looked expensive, so she made sure to not touch anything in fear of breaking it.
She finally spotted the bottle of liquid soap and took it out carefully. Stripping out of her top and jeans, she cleaned her face, hands and feet with the soap.
"Nice fragrance!" She murmured as she cleaned herself quickly.
But, then her brain started working as her mind relaxed.
'Why is he trusting me so easily, today?' She wondered while thinking of the chip issue.
'If he knew about the person who had kept the chip in my bag, then he would have informed the watchmen or his people on a phone call. How can he forget such important information? And, why is he being so nice to me today...or touchy?' She wondered.
'I will ask him about it.' She told herself.
Taking one of the towels out, she wiped herself hastily and wore one of the bathrobes. She opened the door of the bathroom and peeked outside first to check if Viraj had entered inside due to some reason. But, he had not and she exhaled in relief.
Stepping out completely, she spotted the dress on the bed, almost immediately. There were two boxes near it and she wondered what they were. Walking towards the main door of the room, she locked it from inside and removed the bathrobe as well. Taking the dress out from the paper bag, she opened it completely.
"Oh my God!" She exclaimed as she saw the beauty of the Prussian-blue coloured floral dress. It had a V-neck with elbow-length sleeves. It reached till her ankles easily.
"So much so for not dressing up for the lunch!" She laughed at the turn of events. She had decided to wear a simple dress for the lunch but instead, fate made her wear the prettiest dress she had ever laid her eyes on.
Putting on the dress carefully, she gave herself a once over on the full-length mirror. Satisfied with her modesty, she wore her shoes again. They did not fit well with the dress, though. A dress with a pair of canvas shoes?
She hastily opened the other two boxes and her eyes widened again. One had a pair of matching stilettos while the other had the relevant accessories.
"Like I am going to wear all these!" She huffed and closed the boxes as it is without touching the items inside.
She kept her original clothes inside the paper bag and glanced at her watch.
"I wasted almost 30 minutes on this!" She scolded herself and quickly walked towards the main door. Opening the door wide open, she quickly stepped out while searching for the host.
"Ma'am, is there anything I may help you with?" The young girl waiting for her spoke first which attracted Viraj's attention and he turned around to see her finally.
His breath hitched when he saw her in the dress. Even without an ounce of make-up or jewellery, she looked like a goddess. He couldn't help but gulp in desire as his eyes slowly went from her face to her neck, and then further down.
Meanwhile, Sneha's attention was on explaining to the girl who helped her, how she couldn't wear the stilettos and the accessories.
"No, thank you. You have helped me enough already. The stilettos and the accessories that you brought with this dress are still on the bed. I can't wear them. So, please take them back with you." Sneha explained.
"Are they not to your liking? I can bring another pair if you like..."
"No, no! I am fine with my shoes. Also, I... have kept the towel and robe on the cabinet separately. And, I will have to take this paper bag with me, I hope you won't mind." Sneha asked with a polite smile.
"Of course not, ma'am!" The girl replied with a smile as well.
"Thank you so much for your help." Sneha said to which she earned a genuine smile.
Finally, she looked at Viraj who was busy checking her out openly.
She cleared her throat to get his attention since he was still staring at her. He came back to his sense and when their eyes met, he couldn't help but gulp again on seeing those fiery eyes.
"I am sorry for making you wait for so long." She apologized lowly.
He only looked at her though, with no expression on his face again.
'What's wrong with him?' She wondered.
"Is there anything else I may help with, sir?" The girl asked.
"No." Viraj answered and his eyes fell on Sneha again.
The girl nodded and went inside the room to get it back to normal.
'Let's get over with this lunch.' Sneha wanted to say.
"Shall we... go?" She asked when he still didn't speak.
"Huh? Yeah!" He replied and was about to hold her hand when she immediately kept them behind her back again and walked in the 'at ease' position ahead of him. He couldn't help but chuckle at her tactics. He just wanted to act like a gentleman...or so he thought.
"You are going the wrong way, Sneha." He called for her and she abruptly stopped in her way. Turning around, she looked at him and he guided her the way. She followed him silently this time.