The scenery before her eyes was just one of Mother Nature's masterpieces. Tall trees reaching for the clear blue skies while providing shelter to every small critters. Mountainous cliffs adorning wild flowers with waterfalls cascading down and pounding against the rocks; ending in a large pool at the bottom where more beautiful plants lay. "If fairies existed; they would surely be residing here. What a waste. Gauri thought. This is how earth looks like when untouched by man. But once she reports back to her father his people will soon start clearing the land to start the setup of the oil pipeline that will run from Mumbai to Pune. "Only mankind can destroy something so beautiful. Gauri sighed. She could tell right away that the land was perfect for what her father needed. She had to admit, he was the king of the oil industry. Just this one move alone will lead to billions in profit for Sharma Industries. No doubt this was a huge loss for Oberois Corps. And soon news will spread how Oberois Corps failed when going up against Gauri Kumari Sharma. This will surely not sit well with Shivaay Singh Oberoi. This was the first time both companies were after the same thing and to lose something worth so much was quite embarrassing for a large company like Oberois Corps. Glancing over at Om who was now unable to escape Piya's clutches. " your brother should have never sent you... Gauri thought.

Using his phone Om was taking pictures to send to Shivaay later. He also took this opportunity to survey the area. He knew this would be the perfect spot for kidnappers to make their move. A place where there was no signs of civilian life and on top of that there was no cell signal.

Piya: Omkara, so what do you think of the land?

Om was beginning to feel a bit annoyed with Piya. If not for Shivaay's insistence of how important this deal was he would have tried to stay away from a woman like her. She was starting to show her true intentions. At first he was giving her the benefit of the doubt that she was all business but seeing as to how she has tried to subtly touch him every chance she got was slowly getting to him. He knew she was the type to cling onto you as if her life depended on it and that is something he has learned to better avoid. Her strong perfume was also giving Om a slight headache. Looking at Gauri he was missing the faint smell of soap. There she stood with her eyes fixated at the waterfall. The wind blew freeing some strands of hair that were once trapped in her loose braid. The sun made her honey brown eyes glow. With such a backdrop she was looking like a goddess. Om wanted to come closer but whenever their eyes met she would slowly turn away. He felt her eyes were telling him to stay away. And everytime he managed to get a little closer Piya would hold his arm and pull him slightly in the opposite direction.

Om: I am only here to take pictures to send back to my brother. As for what I think of the land..I think its beautiful the way it is. But soon all this will be destroyed.

Gauri smiled while taking in one last look of her surrounding. He truly was in sync with her. If he wasn't an Oberoi and she wasn't a Sharma they might have ended up being very close. One that could travel together while enjoying all the small things in life. But Gauri's lovely thought was ruined by Abay's sneer " Clearly we all know Shivaay Singh Oberoi is the one that runs Oberois Corps. We can't all be knowledgable towards these things . This was truly Abay's attempt to make Om look incapable in Gauri's eyes. " You are right. My brother is very skilled at what he does. I am more suitable for getting rid of the obstacles that might be in his way. You see, I have no patience to deal with people who are hiding behinds their masks. Abay turned to Gauri who was silent all this while " Ms. Sharma. What are your thoughts regarding the land here? Instead of looking at the person asking the question Gauri's eyes searched for Om. "I also think it is very beautiful. It is a shame that it will perish soon. Abay was grinding his teeth in anger. " She is purposely making me look like a fool! Why is she siding with OSO?! Om on the other hand couldn't help but loudly clear his throat to add more insult to injury. This crazy woman of his was not to be taken lightly. It seems she enjoys putting people in their place with her one liners.

It was now around 5 in the afternoon. Gauri wanted to return back because it was going to get dark soon and she was getting pretty tired of walking and listening to Piya flirt with Om. Thank goodness she only ate a small salad because looking at the two was making her a little nauseous. It wasn't helping that Abay is now clinging to her as well and asking all these questions " how do you know this land is suitable?, how do you determine how much to offer?, how much net worth will this bring to Sharma Industries? " If I ever have to marry a dimwit like him I rather become a nun. Gauri: Mr. Kapoor. Please don't take this the wrong way. These are basic questions. With you being so "knowledgable I was expecting questions that were at least up to my standards. I have no interest in talking about business 101 with you. If by chance you come up with something worthy then I am more than willing to give insight. Abay was starting to hate this woman. " She is just like her father! The day Tej had yelled at him that he had no time to educate them was still fresh in his mind. And now his daughter was doing the same!

Just when Gauri was about to tell Mr. Khurana to head back she could see Om make a sharp turn and was now running towards her. His eyes were scary. Scary to the point that Gauri could not even move .He was darting towards her at lightning speed. Everyone began to panic when smoke was filling the air. Gauri could only see a slight silhouette of Om approaching. He grabbed her hand quick and ran towards the tall trees. Gauri could hear Piya yelling for Om "Omkara!!!! Om: " Run! towards the trees! Take shelter now!

All were now running towards Om's voice. The white smoke was heavy and it was hard to see what was in front.

Gauri: Wait...Mr. Oberoi...slow down...you can't see...we will surely hit something running at this speed.

Om gripped Gauri's hand even tighter " No. I have memorized this area as we were walking around. This is the perfect place to hide till the smoke dissipates.

Gauri was shocked " you were what? weren't you just taking photos and what not?...why would you need to remember the entire layout of the site?

The smoke was too heavy to carry on a conversation so Om stopped and turn toward Gauri. He brush her dishevel hair out of the way and said in his husky voice " Trust me. Gauri knew he was looking down at her but the smoke was burning her eyes. He was right. It was best if they kept running to escape this heavy cloud of smoke. She gripped his hand tighter to show him that she did trust him and the two continued to run.

They knew the others were close behind but Om wanted to turn around and shut that Piya up. She kept yelling for him and at the same time giving away their position.

Finally Om stopped. They were now facing one of the waterfalls they had passed by earlier. He had noticed that behind this waterfall was a cave where they could all hide for the time being.

Everyone was out of breath but they made it safely inside the cave. But since the sun was setting and most of them are now wet they needed to find warmth. Abay tried to hand his jacket to Gauri but she refused stating that the smell of his cologne would further intensify her current headache. " Its best if you give that to Ms. Khurana instead. Piya was shivering severely, her thin blue dress was now clinging onto her wet skin. Her undergarments were now showing through and even Abay himself couldn't deviate his eyes. He handed her his jacket to coverup and slowly walked towards Om.

Abay : What the hell was all that about! Where did all that smoke come from?

Om looks at Gauri " Smoking gas. Most likely a kidnapping attempt. All looked at Gauri. She did not react at all. She stood there just staring back at Om as if this was nothing new to her. And the sad reality was..it wasn't.

Daksh: Kidnappers?!

Piya frantically runs in between Om and Gauri and hugs him tight " Oh my god Omkara...what do they want?!...what are they going to do to me?!..demand ransom?..or even worse...sex traffickers?

Daksh and Abay looked at one another because both knew Piya was not the target. No matter how rich the Khuranas were here in Pune they could not be compared to Tej Sharma in Mumbai.

Gauri steps back to give Om and Piya space because she still had to hold up her end of the bargain. " For our safety one could hope that the kidnappers are after you Ms. Khurana..because if the kidnappers are after me they are usually relentless and merciless.

Om's eyes shook at the words coming from Gauri's mouth. " How could she still try to remain so calm? He held Piya and lightly pushed her aside and walked towards Gauri. He stared down at her. Her loose braids were slowly coming undone and her cheeks were red from the running. He grabbed the hair tie to release her beautiful long locks. He leans in close with one hand behind her neck while letting his thumb slowly caressing her cold red cheeks. " You shouldn't have to be use to this kind of thing. His words were definitely shaking her reserve. Tears were trying to form but she used her nails to dig into her palm to stop it from falling. She couldn't let anyone come close. Nothing good ever happens when someone becomes important to her. She needed to keep reminding herself that between her and Om should only be the contract and nothing more. But this time she had no witty remark for him. All she could do was close her eyes while he held her close. He wasn't hugging her but she could feel the warmth he was conveying to her. But when Gauri heard Piya's voice again she almost forgot about the deal they made.

" How do you know that they want Ms. Sharma?! Gauri slowly puts her hands on Om's chest and softly pushes him a few steps back but assuring him she was okay.

Om: When Ms Sharma and I was on our way to your residence I had already realize there were people following her. So I am certain their target is her.

Piya frantically " Then...then...what are we suppose to do now! They will eventually find us! Daksh tries to calm Piya down " Don't worry. Nothing will happen. They will give up when night arrives. Piya angrily yells at her brother " How would you know! Even Abay was out of ideas. The only thing he could think of is how he should just leave the group and save himself. Why would he risk his life for a woman that doesn't even look at him. He decided he should somehow sneak away.

Abay: I think we need to gather some firewood to set up a fire. If not we would all freeze to death. Plus its getting dark. I will go get the firewood. You guys wait here for me.

As Abay was about to leave the cave Om blocked his way. " I don't think it is a good idea for you to go out there alone. I will go with you. Abay could not believe his ears. "Why can't things ever go his way!

Abay: We can't just leave only Mr. Khurana here to protect Ms. Sharma and Ms. Khurana.

Gauri knew what kind of person Abay was. With his insistence in going alone she knew he had something up his sleeve and usually it would only benefit him.

Gauri: I think Mr. Kapoor is right. It is best if I go with Mr. Oberoi. This leaves two men behind to look after Ms. Khurana. And by chance Mr. Oberoi and I encounter the kidnappers we will take that chance to lure them away so that you all could escape first and come back with law enforcements. Suddenly Gauri glanced over at Piya and sarcastically said "Unless Ms. Khurana would like to accompany Mr. Oberoi. As much as she loved Om, Piya was too scared to risk her life. It was safer to just stay put for now.

Piya: No its quite alright. You two should go.

With that said all were in unison of having Om and Gauri go out to look for firewood. Gauri was now very impressed with Om's capabilities. With such a short amount of time he was able to remember his way around the area. While searching for firewood Gauri could tell that he was always making sure she was within his reach. Whenever she was staggering behind he would stop to let her catch up. Soon they found some usable dry firewood. Gauri wanted to be useful so she tried to pick a piece but when she lifted it up a big spider jumped out from underneath. Gauri let out a scream and threw the firewood to the side and jumped right into Om's arm. " Oh my god! Oh my god! I think it jumped on me! Look! Look! tell me if its there! Om was confused. This crazy woman is usually so prim and proper having her act this way was out of the norm. " What am I looking for? Gauri lifts her head while her two hands were gripping onto Om's shirt " A very very big black spider! Check closely! Especially my hair! Since my hair is black make sure you really look! Om did as he was told but knew the spider was probably scared off by her sudden scream. He ran his fingers through Gauri's hair to ease her mind that the spider was not lurking in there. Her hair was soft. He couldn't help himself but pull her strands closer to enjoy the faint smell of fresh soap. The sun was slowly setting. The orange rays made her honey brown eyes shimmer. Gauri was no longer was concerned about the spider. With Om playing with her hair and tugging it with his fingers made her want him to touch her more. She took his hand that was still brushing her locks and put it against her face. " So warm. She said to him. " "You are a crazy woman. At a time like this? he whispered. He lifted her chin to look at her hungry eyes. He grabbed the back of her hair and went to taste her once again. Her lips were cold but her tongue was burning hot. Her hands were now digging into his chest. Her grasp on his shirt was shaking... she was running out of breath again. Gauri wanted to sink deeper into the kiss, she didn't want it to end so soon. She slid her hands upwards and locked it behind his neck to pull him in deeper. Gauri looked at his dark brown eyes that were full of thirst for her. His lips were now moving along her neck and on tongue slowly teasing her ear. He was making her feel tingly all over. Her heart was pumping with expectations as his kisses became more passionate. She gave out a moan the moment he nipped her earlobe. When he was just about to grab her and throw her up against a tree he heard a sudden noise. Om stopped and looked straight at Gauri. She knew that look meant someone was here to ruin their moment.

They turned around and saw two men looking straight at them.

Om: Shit.

Om pushes Gauri to stand behind him while the two men slowly approach with knives in their hands.

Guy 1: If you hand over the pretty lady we will spare you.

Om scoffs at the two men.

Gauri grabs Om's shirt from behind to get his attention and calmly asks " What are you planning to do? Om looks at her and curved up his lips " something bad. He takes off his black tie and turns towards Gauri. He slowly puts it over her eyes " I don't want you to see me this way. So please keep this on. Gauri now blindfolded grabbed his hand " But I want to see. Om smiles at his crazy woman. He kisses her lightly on the cheek " Be a good girl and sit right here. This will be done quickly.

The two men started to run toward Om but they were to slow. Om reached for the first guy and grabbed his neck and threw him to the side while kicking the other. His strength alone was enough deliver the necessary blows. There was no such thing as mercy once he started. Gauri could hear excruciating cries from the two men. Bones were being broken. And the sound of beating flesh was vibrating between the tall rocky cliffs. When Gauri no longer heard any sounds she reached for the blindfold but Om quickly stopped her. " Let me clean up a little. I don't want to scare you. Gauri grabbed his hand that was stopping her and together pulled her blindfold down. Blood splatter all over his nice white button shirt. Even his face had some remnants. Then she glanced down at the hand she was still holding. He must have used a lot of force to injure himself like this. Gauri stood up and untied her pink sash from her waist. She used it to wipe his face. His eyes never looking away as she cleaned him up. The lips that she just kissed was now tainted with blood. Gauri took her thumb to wipe any trace of it , then lightly kissed him again " all clean. She used the same sash to wrap up one of his fist and use his neck tie to wrap up the other. " This is to prevent infection. This place is dirty.

They were about to head back when out of nowhere they heard Piya yelling for Om. " Omkara! Her high pitched voice was echoing throughout the area. Few feet away they saw her running with Daksh. As Piya happily spots Om she ran even faster until two men jumped out from behind a tree and grabbed her. Daksh tried to come to his sister's aid but was quickly knocked out by one of the men. With Piya at knife point the men slowly moved towards Om and Gauri. Om tried to shield Gauri from their site but he knew it was too late.

Guy 3: Give us the woman and we will spare this one here!

Om turns to look at Gauri and smiles. "Hm...what do you think? Gauri laughs and moves toward his side. " I don't wanna go with them. The two started laughing together outraging the two hostile men.

Guy 4: Stop laughing!

Suddenly both heard Piya yell out in pain. The man had slightly grazed her neck as a sign of warning. The man holding Piya started to pull her hair back to let Om and Gauri see that he meant business.

Guy 4: You see. My buddy here is impatient. So Ms. Sharma if you want to save her come here!

Daksh had just came to.. and upon opening his eyes he saw blood dripping from his sister's neck. "Please don't hurt her! How much do you want?! I can pay it!

Both men laughs " if you want to save your sister you need to beg the woman over there. Daksh looks helplessly at Gauri but he couldn't find any courage to ask something like that.

Gauri mockingly " Why would I trade my life for hers? We are not family nor are we friends. Daksh and Piya was in shock. How could she be so cold. Even at a crucial situation such as this Gauri she was still indifferent. She was not scared nor did she care for Piya's safety.

Guy 4 pulls out a gun " Well, if you don't come I will shoot your boyfriend. Gauri saw the gun but the man's words made her very angry. She refused to budge. He didn't even hesitate and pulled the trigger. Om pushed Gauri out of the way and the bullet ended up grazing his arm. When Gauri saw the blood dripping from Om's arm she became livid. " How dare you... Om saw the look on Gauri's face and new she was seeing red. Gauri looked at Om and angrily hit him on his arm " why didn't you dodge it better! Om was now smiling ear to ear he patted her head " Its nothing. Just a scratch. Gauri didn't care anymore. She has had enough. It was time to end it.

Gauri angrily turns to the two men "I give you two one chance. Let Ms. Khurana go. Then turn around and leave. Only then will l spare your lives.

Both men laughed in unison. " What are you going to do?...Our boss wants you and you are practically in our hands!

Gauri looks at Om and gave him a smile that sent chills down his spine.

Om: " I knew he wouldn't send his daughter to Pune with out protection.

Everyone was confused at Om's sudden words. He also turned to warn the men. " If I were you..you better take up her offer.

Before the men could utter another word. Gauri softly says " Dandi...Ranveer... Two shots rang out and both men were now laying in a pool of blood leaving a terrified Piya screaming on the ground.

Two men jumps down from a tall tree and made their way towards their Missus. Gauri looks at them. " Why did it take you so long.

Dandi: Forgive us. Your father didn't want you to know we were here.

This was the very first time Om saw sadness in Gauri's eyes while she looked at Dandi. Seeing Dandi and Ranveer brought Gauri back to that day her father was holding her dying mother in his arms.

Ranveer: The Missus always knew didn't you? Knew that we were always by your side.

Gauri smiles " If not for you two would I still be here today?

Dandi: Missus you should head back with them. We will clean up here.

Gauri: Will you still not tell me who keeps trying to kidnap me Dandi?...Why does father not tell me. But even goes to great lengths to hide you two in the shadows?

Ranveer comes and pats Gauri's head. In their eyes Gauri will always be that bright 5year old little girl. " Now that you've always known about our whereabouts we can protect you out in the open. We are tired of trying to evade your security cameras! Gauri laughs " You do know the ones you see are decoys...I have hidden cameras that caught sight of you long ago. Dandi then takes off his black jacket and wraps it around Gauri " Its dark now. Im sure Mr. Oberoi knows the way back.

Om new of their presence when he was dealing with the first two goons but seeing as how they never came down from the tree to help he figured they must be Gauri's protective detail. He could tell these two men were very well trained bodyguards. Om nods at Dandi ensuring the safety of their Missus. When the two left leaving Om and Gauri with the Khuranas siblings, Gauri couldn't help but vent out her anger towards Om. She looks at his wounded arm and presses hard on the gash forcing Om to wince in pain " crazy woman what are you doing! She pulls him close and leans her head against his chest " Don't get hurt in front of me. He stood still knowing that she was probably mentally exhausted. He never knew GKS was leading this kind of life. He just wanted to hold her but was interrupted when Piya pulled them apart. Piya forced herself into Om's arms and shot a side glare at Gauri reminding her of the deal both had made. Gauri stepped back and smiled at Piya, and seeing as to how her warning got through Piya was snuggling up against Om's chest " Omkara I was so scared! Thank god you're okay. When they shot you I thought my world had ended! Piya proceeded to cry nonstop until Gauri asked " Where is Mr. Kapoor?

It seemed that it was Mr. Kapoor's idea for them to exit the cave and search for Om and Gauri. All were tensed and felt Om and Gauri was away for too long. But as they embarked Mr. Kapoor suddenly disappeared.

Daksh: Do you think something has happened to him?

Om: I don't think so. Lets go back. And once we get cell signal you can try calling his mobile.

Daksh did exactly that. And to his surprise Abay was already back at the Khurana's. He said that he had gotten lost and and so he took that chance to escaped so that he could call law enforcements. But now that Daksh has called it made him feel relieved.

Gauri could only laugh inside seeing the Khurana's naivety towards Abay. Only her and Om knew that the oaf was saving himself.

Mr. Khurana dropped Om and Gauri off at their hotel. But before leaving Piya wanted to meet Om again. She knew he only had two more days in Pune.

Piya: "Omkara. Since you said your brother would be sending you the proposal tonight how about I come here tomorrow night? so we can discuss it over dinner? I hear the restaurants in this hotel is magnificent.

Gauri couldn't help but shake her head at Piya. The woman was still lying. Gauri was too tired to worry about Om. She excused herself while leaving him to deal with Piya.

Om: That would be fine. How does 7 sound?

Piya smiles joyfully at Om: It's a date. See you soon.

Once Gauri stepped inside her room she immediately jumped into the shower. Her body was aching from all that running. She lifted up her head so that the hot water could trickle down her face. " I wonder if Ms. Khurana will come out alive tomorrow. Gauri let the hot water soothe every aching muscle and let out a relaxing sigh

" well..she deserves what is coming...shouldn't try to covet what is mine. Maybe I should also take a little peek during their dinner. I might be able to witness a good show. After her shower Gauri went straight to her bed. She hasn't been this exhausted for quite some time.

Om finished taking his shower and was relieved that Shivaay managed to send him the proposal via email. He can now finally finish everything tomorrow night. " I hope everything will go smoothly. I am ready to go home.Today has been rough. But little did Om know that tomorrow would be no cake walk for him. 

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