Chapter 6: I Will Visit Her

Nadia’s POV

I was losing focus. Fear grasped my heart like two magnets attracting each other. What do I even know about Sidd? What if he is not what he seems on TV? What if I am attracting trouble? What if my mother finds out about the video? I will be in serious trouble. Collapsing on my bed after a long day on campus, I closed my eyes, uniting with my wandering spirit. “Sidd wouldn’t be that bad.” The evil encouragement shot into my head like an arrow. “How can a handsome, soft-spoken, and gentle guy be bad? And how do I know if what I feel is true love or not if I don’t see him in reality? To know the sweetness of a fruit, you have to taste it. Likewise, to know Sidd, I have to meet him, through peace or force,” the thought lifted my spirit again and I opened my eyes, beaming all smiles like shimmering stars. I took my phone and scrolled through the comments. Over 300 comments on my newest video. Wow! How is Sidd feeling about this? I just hope I am not hurting him too much.

·       Men are always wicked. They shatter the hearts of women and treat us like trash.

·       It doesn’t matter if he is an actor or not, no one is above the law.

·       You should have known, friend. I have worn your shoes before.

·       I just hope you aren’t trying to get the attention of the poor guy. I know we Nigerians have too much obsession sometimes.

And the comments keep on going. I got a direct message too. Who could it be? I mostly don’t chat with people on I*******m, just to post videos. What? My heart dropped to my stomach the moment I saw who sent the message. Siddharth Kaur? I rubbed my eyes severally to confirm if I was sleeping or not. I even pinched my arm. I was fully awake and it was Sidd’s message. Only God can relate the happiness that filled my heart, the joy his text brought to me was indescribable. This is more than infatuation, I am in love!

“What do you want, Miss? Name your price.”

The message states. That means my tactic was working on him. Let’s see if he will text again after another video.

Sidd’s POV

I was forced to message that psycho lady. I couldn’t bear the pressure from my fans and colleagues. After hearing the bad news from Oni earlier, I regretted reaching the office this morning. More and more bad news kept flooding in, reminding me that I had to get the lady off my back or watch my reputation rub off the mud. I couldn’t show up in the industry for days, the producer has been calling endlessly. How do I face everyone? How do I defend myself? I have never faced such pressure before, not even while starting as a model before venturing into the movie industry. And the media too, are intensifying the situation more than it is already. Everyone now believes I don’t have a heart and Indian women are ready to skin me alive. I know when it comes to dignity, Indian women worship it a lot. And as a movie star and agency's favorite model, my phone is going to explode with messages. Flinging my suit on the bed, and trying to take off my wristwatch, the door swung open, making me quiver and my head swiveled to the person. Jaiden. My senior brother.

“Sidd?” he mumbled. I know that sound. Everything is wrong in the industry, I know. I joined the Bollywood movie industry many years ago as a child actor. Jaiden, after finishing his studies in the UK, returned to India a few years ago and started his career in the industry. We are siblings, mistaken sometimes to be twins, but our passion and way of life have always been different. While Jaiden is a lady’s man, I chose to be his opposite. My life revolves around acting and modeling, I have women crushing on me all over the world but I just can’t bring myself to love any, maybe not now. I see women as distractions and I hope my view remains like that for many years to come.

“Just say it, Jaiden,” I muttered, sitting on the bed.

“Who the hell is the woman, Sidd? How can you be in a relationship without letting any of us know?” he queried, taking a closer step toward me. He stopped midstep and a teasing smile etched on his face. “I thought you chose a celibate life, I never knew you bang in secret.”

I glared at him. “Who says I do?”

“What then is she talking about?” he asked, turning to the vanity table and taking a seat on the stool.

“I don’t know whatever cock and bull story that bitch is spreading. I don’t even know her. How could I have mingled with a Nigerian woman?” I tried to defend and Jaiden chuckled.

“A woman is a woman, Sidd. And she looks bangable, can’t you see that?”

“Are you being serious right now, Jaiden? Does the mess I’m in make you happy?” I groaned with a raised brow.

“Come on, Sidd. How can you say that?” he stood up, moving to me. He placed a hand on my shoulder. “You are in a big mess, Sidd. You have become the talk of the industry, the internet, and the whole world. I don’t know how you got entangled in this but you got to find a way to pull out of its web. That doesn’t mean I’m happy about it. You have a hit script waiting for you to be brought to life, don’t ruin it by letting this woman continue her madness, okay?” he advised. I sighed. He patted my shoulder and headed out. I have never been as disgruntled and overwhelmed as I am being pressured to right now. And the daughter of Delilah hasn’t replied to my message. I feel like skinning her alive.

“Argh!” I groaned, springing up from the bed.

Nadia’s POV

I geared up for another live video on I*******m. This time around, I won’t act like a broken woman, I chose to be a courageous woman, ready to take her pound of flesh. Sidd made me fall in love with him and he has to pay the debt. After staring at my phone screen for what seemed like forever, I finally inhaled and pressed the record icon.

“Hello, friends!” I waved at the camera with a big smile on my face. “Today, I won’t allow my pain to override me. I have chosen to bury my heartache in a shell of courage. But I wouldn’t want any man to see us women as weaklings and tools of satisfaction,” I stated. I rolled my eyes and sighed. Oh, poor Sidd. He must be wondering what he did to me. I am the villain here and an obsessed lover also. You wouldn’t blame me for fighting to meet the one I love in person. “Sidd, I know you hurt me a lot. I am ready to forgive you and let everything go. Because I loved you. Heaven knows I loved you with all my heart and I don’t want to see you get hurt, not anymore. I will stop posting my sorrowful videos if only you can accept a condition,” I set forth and paused for a minute, simply sighing. “Come down to Nigeria to see me in the next three days. Just that and I will…” I ended the video. I puffed.

Sidd’s POV

Stepping into the industry, whispers and murmurs trailed my every step. So embarrassing. This is more than being booed off a stage. Throughout my life in the film and modeling industries, I haven’t experienced this kind of explosion from my fans. They thought I did it even when I didn’t know the lady in question. I sneaked my way into the producer’s office. Once revered, now contemned.

“Sidd?” the producer, Mr. Hrithik Bhatia uttered upon seeing me. He stood up, dropping the documents in his hand on the desk. I shut the door and moved to him. “What brings you without notification, Sidd?” he asked. I took a seat opposite him, forgetting the rule of visiting a person’s office. I crossed my legs and ran my fingers through my hair. He slowly sat.

“What do you have for me, Mr. Hrithik?” I queried.

“You have a shoot in two weeks. We all know you can’t act without the audience being appeased by your presence. It’s going to be a bad omen to our company if you are allowed to act without fixing up the mess,” he stated. His eyes peered around my face, in search of a word I hadn’t comprehended to say yet. “My instinct tells me she will stop posting the videos when you visit her,” he added. Confusion washed over my face.

“What do you mean?” I asked curiously.

“You haven’t seen her latest video yet?” he asked. “Here it is,” he stretched his phone to me. I collected it and saw the video of the psychopath. How did I meet this woman? Where did I meet her? Do I have memory loss that I don’t know about? Why is she after my reputation? She knows Indians don’t joke with women’s dignity, that’s why she’s using it against me. She wants me to see her, no problem. I truly want to see her too, I deserve to know why she has decided to ruin my life with her shameless fallacy.

“Fine,” I nodded, handing his phone to him. I tried subduing the anger boiling inside of me. I hate getting mad at women, but this lady has crossed her limit. I just hope I don’t kill her when I reach Nigeria. “I will go meet this lady in a few days. I promise to settle things before returning,” I assured him.

“I know how temperamental you are, Sidd. Don’t act irrationally when you meet her. You don’t know how Nigerian women behave, they might not be like Indians,” he advised, reclining on his chair. I sighed and stood up.

“I will try,” I let out and turned to leave. I can’t promise anything. I certainly will create a scene.