"Miss.Nandini, what made you take such a giant step against the industry mogul's confidant?"

"Is any personal coldness between Mr.Dhawan and you has made you defame him and his brother?"

I kept my head low not wanting the cameras to flash on my face while pushing my way inside the Magistrate's Court fighting the throng of media. They kept throwing one after another sharp questions at me and my silence enraged the edge of their questions all the more because come what may, they wanted a story out of me which I wasn't providing.

"Is this to draw any sort limelight or to equalise a wrangle?"

"Listen you people just....." I pressed Randhir's hand begging not to lose his calmness.

That was what they wanted out of us, to lose it and create a mess. All of my answers were for the person actually concerned with the matter and the Magistrate and not for popping in as a breaking news on articles and magazines. Sighing under his breath, Randhir caught my hand in his while his other arm wrapped my shoulder to keep me safe from the immense pressure.

The flood of the media and journalists in a jiffy stopped bothering us as a shiny car made its entrance like a boss and in little I did realise it actually was my boss stepping out of it in a white Gucci suit and dark sunglasses. Manik, who seemed extremely displeased to have found media messing nearby tried his best to not break one or two cameras there but the improper and unclear questions reached the highest floating cloud as the media found Manik to be accompanied by Cabir. Enquiries and disputing interrogations gave rise to a solid pandemonium. His bodyguards shoved the crowd to keep the men in the middle safe not paying any heed to whether the journalist was of feminine or masculine gender.

With the way Manik's flaming face pierced Cabir, I could say even with my eyes closed that he didn't come there out of his own will. His eyes wandered in a quick manner amongst the bunches of heads until the time they settled on me. As a mark of courtesy, I faintly nodded my head to him which he returned with a humble blink through the dark glasses hiding the truth in his eyes.

"Manik Sir, isn't it pretty clear that you have clearly chosen your side before the battle begun giving a rest to all the doubts?"

I halted my slow legs as even I wanted him to answer to this question, maybe 'cause I needed it for the sake of my self-esteem. Cabir's eyes found me in the crowd and they threatened to rip all the cells of my body apart. Literally.

"My coming here with Cabir doesn't symbolise anything. Especially not that I am bias or anything. My friend wanted me to be here as a support and here I am." He replied sternly.

"Does that mean your friend may or may not have your support till the end?" The guy with the big specs quizzed adjusting his big glasses.

"I am with the truth. If Cabir is correct, no doubt, he'll have me beside him but if it turns out his opponent is true, then I won't take a second to give my full support to the lady standing in a maroon skirt." All the heads turned to me and Cabir's face just.. dropped.

"Let's just go" I gave in Randhir's insistence but couldn't perceive the look on Manik's face when he saw Randhir beside me in the mayhem. It wasn't of anger or frustration but he simply seemed to have been taken aback as if someone from the outer space jumped right before him.

*

Inside the Courtroom drama, I thought with each razor-sharp interrogation the case was straightening out until the drastic swivel took place. My head literally was swimming when Maddy's attorney introduced two skinny girls as prime witnesses in their favour because truly speaking, there wasn't any other living being in surrounding when that misfortune took place, not at least within my visual perception. They claimed to be partying with Maddy that whole of night and proferred the register of that nightclub which corroborated that Cabir's brother didn't step out of the nightclub even for a split second.

How the hell was that possible?

I pinched Randhir's forearm for him to protest but he shushed me saying to watch it till the end. My head literally couldn't bear with the soul penetrating glowering from the Dhawan brothers and with low spirits as I glanced at Manik, I found him to be intently reading me. I could say by the look in his eyes that he too was in a state of tizzy as I was when Maddy's attorney kept slamming each of my accusations calling them a mere mistake of a human mind.

"But I am not mistaken." I squeaked pushing the chair as I stood up in a rush "This man is just..making things up!" I stated pointing at Maddy receiving a fuming glare from his brother.

"But for now the benefit of doubt should be given to my client as I would humbly request the Ld Court to apply its mind and let the just prevail." The attorney crashed the case.

"And let this murderer roam freely under the sky as if nothing ever happened?" I asked being nothing but bewildered at the forgery.

Manik absolutely wasn't understanding what the hell was going on and who was correct which was evident enough for me to discern. Cabir shot dagger at me with his black eyes and in rage I refused to lower mine.

"Silence please." The Magistrate spoke "Right now, seeing the current scenario of this case, no solid case is made out against the accused but the case cannot be dismissed also. This Court is allowing the case to stay directing the investigation to be brought up rightly but applying the law of benefit of doubt, Mr.Dhawan is to be granted bail after his surety insures a bond of Rs.1 lack and he is restricted from leaving this town until the end of the case." The Magistrate ordered and defeatedly I sat on the chair watching Cabir hug his brother showing that off to me whilst Manik still looked too confused to react.

"Nandini...." Randhir pressed on my shoulder "It's not as bad as you're thinking it to be. You don't know how much this investigation process is going to be in our favour. Moreover, without a solid proof against him we couldn't have kept him in custody for long, didn't I tell you that earlier?" I sighed.

"It's not that I am accepting my defeat, Randhir." I looked up at the brothers exchanging their merriment "But it's pathetic because it is them, those who belong to the cream authorities with a bunch of contacts in their pockets to manipulate everything they desire." I spoke lowly which only could be audible to him.

"I know.." he rubbed on my forearm "It always gets darkest before the Sun rises."

"Now you also think I am a lunatic, don't you?"

"And why would I think so?" He asked.

"They presented that evidence so..so flawlessly and their attorney too said... what... yea 'a mere mistake of human mind'" I stifled a dejected laughter.

"No. I will never think that way. You don't know these Dhawan brothers but I know them since years. They can make or break any evidence but they don't know yet that...." He couldn't finish as the officer-in-charge called him out to fetch some important discussions.

I nodded at him as he requested my permission and soon he stood up to leave my side. Inside the room, I was feeling like I couldn't breathe for it was so stuffy hence I strolled out with thickness in my mind. I wasn't doing anything wrong yet it was funny how truth struggled the most instead of having the most of the light.

"Won't you invite the gorgeous Nandini Murthy to my bail-party, brother?" I turned around finding Cabir and his brother smirking foully at me.

"Enjoy before your lifelong conviction" I smiled like a bitch slapping their smirks off. In fact, I pretty much was amazed with my newly discovered confidence which was quite sterling.

"Listen you" Maddy roughly grabbed my elbow not in a very proper way.

"Leave, you scoundrel." I yelled in a whisper but I realised he wasn't actually gripping on my elbow rather twisting it. I hissed in pain trying to push him in his chest but all went futile.

"Back off if you don't want the same fate for you." He warped my elbow and I yelped.

"Maddy, let's just go." Cabir tugged on the his brother's shoulder seeing some officer coming our way.

He left my hand with a tweak and I glared back with moisture brimming my eyes. This was absolutely humiliating and outrageous, the way he behaved. He pointed two of his fingers to his eyes and then at me.

"Go consult a professional, you psychopath!" I called out rubbing the twisted area on my body. Maddy kept louring at me whilst his brother towed making sure the bail didn't go on a toss.

If he would have begged to me stating that he was guilty for what he did, though the possibility was at bottom level yet maybe I could reconsider but especially after what he did minutes back which was highly unacceptable and lambasting, I was determined to rot him behind the bars.

"Paying a little price in every revolt isn't unfamiliar." I knew who that was but I couldn't make up my mind to turn and talk.

Manik stood beside me in silence watching me from the corner of his eyes rub my reddened elbow as I stood quiet looking at nothing specific.

"You're very delicate" To my surprise, he took my elbow in his hold and I almost survived the reflex action of a jump which wasn't quite abnormal given a situation like that.

"But I am stronger than I appear." I uttered and he gently kneaded my pain with his fingers massaging the area. I didn't retract my hand even though exhaustion inside urged me to but it kind of felt soothing whatever he kept doing with his fingers.

"Come with me?" Out of nowhere he asked.

"I.. actually have to wait for Randhir." First, I had important things to discuss with him and second, I didn't want Randhir to think I was ditching him for Manik. Again.

"You have to or you want to?" He pulled his brows close nothing seriously.

I parted my lips to answer that I had to but then "Nandini, we'll leave once you are done." Both Manik and my heads snapped towards Randhir who scowled at the sight of Manik holding my elbow.

"It's good to see you, Mr.Shekhawat." Manik smiled. Not a very genuine smile slowly leaving my hand.

"I'll make sure you feel better." Randhir scowled weirdly and I sensed tension in the air. They didn't speak anything but that silence was uncanny provoking me to presume that perhaps I missed out on something.

"Let's go Randhir?" I popped the query as nobody said anything and I had to. "I'll see you.. Sir."

At a gallop, I moved nearer to Randhir and nudged him to withdraw from the stupidness of all-glares-and-no-words. Weird as fuck, heh.

"By the way, where are you taking her?" Manik enquired although he pretended to be busy on the screen of his iPhone.

"I don't think that's anywhere close to your business." Randhir held my hand authoritatively and my eyes widened as Manik too from the corner of his eyes saw our interlaced hands.

Shoving the iPhone back in his pocket, Manik walked to us crossing hands across his chest and staying as poised as he possibly could.

"I'm afraid this is my business, Mr.Shekhawat." He looked down at our hands and then back at Randhir "She's my employee and so if during office hours she roams hand-in-hand with someone instead of being at office, then that is my business." He pressed on the word 'that' like a thunder.

I hated to admit but Manik was right whereas I was not. I should've been at office right now and with Randhir, I could discuss the crisis at night too.

"That's right, Randhir. I think I should go to office now." Randhir sighed a little defeatedly.

"Alright. I can at least drive you to your office." He mumbled earning a triumph smirk from my boss who never took no for anything coming his way.

"Mr.Singh's file is in my car and I need to discuss few important clauses with my employee who has a meeting regarding it this late evening." Randhir by then just snickered shaking his head at Manik for reason unknown to me but I kind of liked it knowing I'll be leaving with Manik.

"Sure thing, Sir." Then I turned to face Randhir who had an unreadable face "I'll be seeing you tonight?" I asked.

Randhir and I never shared such touchy-touchy relationship but he was behaving sort of weird before Manik which I failed to understand why. He hugged me bobbing his head  but his sudden a-jealous-boyfriend sort of attitude caught me off guard.

"Are you capable of walking without a support of someone's hand?" Manik taunted as we were walking towards his car.

"I.." Before I could form a complete sentence, he speeded up walking ahead of me leaving me baffled.

*

"What book is that in your hand?" Manik pointed at my novel.

It'd been forty-five minutes that we've been trapped inside his cabin because of his faulty door that got jammed. He tried prising the handle with all his strength but to our dismays, the handle came out in his hand instead of sticking to the door. We discussed work for some solid fifteen minutes and then we realised we had nothing much to talk about. Thus, I silently opened my half-finished novel which usually was to be found inside my tote.

"Safe Heaven." I smiled watching him nod.

Quickly, I got back to reading but with that queer stillness being in effect in the air made it difficult to concentrate on what my favourite characters on the pages were doing. I hideously whilst turning my pages watched him rub the back of his neck, looking at the shut laptop screen and then at the dead walls behind me. He drummed his fingers for a little on the table trying to find himself an entertainment and occasionally peeked at me. After a constant battle with my heart, I gathered all my strength to speak.

"D-do you read?" I mouthed lifting my eyes from the novel. It was never easy to sit that close to your favourite celebrity and maintain your calm.

"No." He gave a small smile along to make up for his short answer. I nodded agreeably turning two-three pages at once.

"I have to do a lot of script reading so... reading a book separately is out of my ability." He added to his previous short answer. "Why do you read?"

"Why do I read? Because...books open a whole new world to me. When I read, the world gets better. The writers make the characters come alive through their words but they stay for a long time in my heart. I live every turn in the story with them they share. It just.... makes me happy." My eyes beamed.

"Living a lie in imagination wishing it was you is babyish." He sunk deeper in his chair.

"Books are not lies. They are very much inspired by real life incidents." I responded.

"In a book, if your favourite character dies, you weep say for..months? But then you get over it and switch to another book. But in life, one has to deal with his shits and there's no option to switch. Reading, may be a sweet escape to your favourite imagination for a little while but once you hit the last chapter, you will have to change your whole imagination course to get to another one." He retaliated politely. I didn't want him to say that. I didn't want him to break my idea of a perfect everything that the authors promised me.

"Why are you so pessimistic?" There was calmness in my question.

"I would rather call myself a realist." He reciprocated.

"But you're extensively being hard on yourself. You should lighten up a little and accept colours and lights instead of dark thoughts and beliefs and of course what you call them as 'reality'." I quoted in the air observing him smile.

"Maybe, I'll understand myself only after I destroy myself. And only in the process, I may know who I really am." He voiced.

"And what if the fire you're setting in your soul someday gets out of control?" I closed the novel resting it on my lap.

"Nothing. I'll just learn to breathe fire." He answered hearing me sigh deeply.

"If I'm allowed to have a guess then I'd say, you have started this fire for others to think that you're finding your way with the light but in reality you're aiming to burn everyone away that comes your way." I gazed intently but he chose to look away.

"The theory of finding light at the end of the tunnel never worked for me." He dimmed power of the golden yellow lamp on his table and the room got lot darker yet his face shone like a star.

"It's because you haven't reached the end of the tunnel. You're just waiting for something to happen which I'm afraid you haven't figured out yet." He pushed his thick hair back.

"Have you figured out everything about your life, Ms.Twenty-four-year-old-virgin?" And he had to bring the worst topic for me.

"Yea, please laugh at me." I rolled my eyes seeing him already making fun of me in his mind.

"Why do you get so unworldly when it comes to the topic of sex?" He tittered as my jaw literally dropped.

"There's nothing to talk about it." I reopened my novel.

"Of course there is and you know why because the strongest drug that exists for a man is a woman laying under him or over him in bed." I murmured the wrong dialogues from the novel seeming I didn't hear his any word which only caused him to laugh more.

Getting off his chair, he pulled the book out of my grip and tossed it on the table and I gaped timidly learning that he rested his butt on the table before me. With his foot on the base of my swivel chair, he rotated it and my body meekly without any plan faced his body on the table.

"What makes you uncomfortable talking about sex?" He asked with no mockery. Why did he have to get this topic stuck up right in the middle of his brain?

"Fine. Okay, I get uncomfortable but tell me on which day on earth are you ever not in the mood to talk about it?" He raised his brows in amazement.

"What is better than amazing sex and talks about it?" I pressed my lips in a flat line.

"Oh Goddddd" Pressing hands to my cheeks, rapidly, I picked up the novel again opening any of the pages.

Stealthily, I managed to glance over him through the novel and guess what whenever my eyes found him, he already was smirking playfully.

Gradually I dug deeper in my book and he took a stroll in the locked cabin devoid of my attention. A smile played at the corner of my lips as I turned pages floating on the aesthetic wordings of Mr.Sparks. He truly is a gem and there has never been a time when his writing not cheer me up. Manik walked for some ten minutes and then returned to his chair getting tired. In a quick call to Harshad, he directed his employee to get the door fixed as fast as possible. He planned on looking at the blank ceiling above for quite some time, the city view through the glassed wall but eventually got only and only bored.

"Listen just stop reading that and prove me that you're a living person who can talk." To be true, I avoided talking to him because I never knew if mistakenly something came out of my mouth which shouldn't have.

"Let's play 20 questions?" I twinkled closing the novel but all he gave was an awful expression.

"Please go back to reading" he looked away.

"Sir, it's a very very interesting game."

"I'll better watch a Spanish movie with subtitles" he unlocked his iPad.

"Give it a try at least?"

"Stop talking to me, Murthy." He paid no heed.

"You can ask me anything and so can I without revealing the true details!" Eagerly I shone.

"Anything?" He bit his lower lip.

"Yeah anything" And then my eyes widened realising what I just said.

"Okay" he rubbed both palms sitting on the small swivel chair beside me.

"I'll ask you a question about me and you will have to guess it. Same goes for you too." My eyes gleamed.

"That's not 20 questions." He squinted.

"Yea but...that's our rule and more interesting one" I reasoned watching him duck his head. "So shall I start?" I wheeled my chair absolutely facing him.

"What would I buy with $1 million dollar?" I quizzed.

"A closet to keep all your grandma-like clothes." He bit his lip to suppress that overpowering laughter seeing my charm fade.

"That's so mean" I scowled. "Your turn?"

"How often do I feel turned on?" I spat the water back in the glass I was drinking.

"I don't know? Every second?" My face already was crimson.

"What am I? Himeros?" He tittered.

"My turn my turn!" I changed the topic "My favourite snack?"

"Trouble" he gave a half shrug.

"Thank you" I rolled my eyes.

"What is that one thing that annoys me in bed?" He smirked. Oh God.

"I. Don't. Know."

"You have to guess or you loose." He replied.

"How would I... fine.. umm.. maybe when you find out the girl is lesbian?"

"That's cruel!" He squeaked and I laughed knowing how ridiculous my answer was.

"One thing I do daily?" I questioned having my eyes lit.

"Easy one. Stupidity." He answered proudly vanishing my smile.

"I'm going to mark you in negative if you answer so sarcastically." I showed him the paper where I was keeping tally of our scores.

"Do I love morning sex?" I wanted to slap myself for getting the idea of this game.

"If you're going to ask only these kind of questions..." but before I finished he took the paper from my hand and scratched the entire column of scores under my name.

"You should be in minus." Hr frowned.

"Huh! I'm answering okay?" I snatched the paper back detangling his pen mark. "You... 50% like it and 50% don't like it."

"What the fuck does it even mean?" He asked confusedly.

"It means..it's my turn now. Which country would I have wanted to live had I not been living in India?" He looked up like James Bond assuming what to answer and clicked his fingers.

"I know it." I smiled eternally hearing him say. Finally, he knew something about me and I joined my hands on my lap in excitement.

"Iceland." He replied with a grin and it took me some time to figure out what he said.

"Iceland? Who the hell on earth wants to live in Iceland? Their population is always on a crisis anyway." I asked in disbelief.

Iceland, seriously?

"Excuse me, Iceland is a wonderful place at least that's what I have heard." He retaliated.

"Are you going to ask anything decent now?" I taunted.

"Ah yea. Have I had sex in a public place?"

"You had?" My eyes broadened.

"It is for you to guess." He shrugged.

"I don't know? I'm..scoring myself zero at this question." I marked a 0 on the column.

"What belongings of yours will I get rid off if I find them?" I asked tapping the pen on my chin.

"My clothes?"

"Geez!" I laughed closing my eyes and I could say we both forgot that we were locked inside without a choice.

"What? You are just not accepting. It's everything that a girl needs from me." He shrugged.

"I don't." I kept scribbling the paper hanging my face low.

"Why? Are you on your period all the time?" He asked leaning towards me.

"Oh my God" I palmed my mouth. That was so so so... I don't know what. Period. Seriously?

"How many of those did you have?" I asked showing him his empty pegs of scotch.

He tittered leaning closer over me whilst I bent back more on my chair placing hands clutching the cloth on my chest.

"It's your turn" he whispered maintaining that position.

"L-like this?" I asked horrified of his growing closeness.

"Mhm hmm" he nodded.

I looked around to find any question but damn my slow paced brain that cracked nothing except the feel of his warm breath on my face.

"Umm... umm... if..if you and I were parts of some book, what would the name of it be?" I asked meekly. He smiled like he already knew the answer which I kind of hated.

"Besabriyaan" he whispered in my ear and my cores shivered.

For once, I wanted to taste his thought process to unravel all the riddles together. It was not what I felt for him, it was something I didn't feel for anyone else.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" I asked sheepishly.

"Because you're something to look at." With a pull, he took my reading glasses off and my pupils grew bigger.

"Damn those eyes....." Earnestly and with eager attention he looked into my eyes and my soul turned liquid.

"Manik, I just had this door..." My head snapped to the door where I found Cabir standing shocked. Giving a light push to Manik's shoulder, I stood up straight and gulped.

"I'll... I'll take your leave Sir." Grabbing my articles, I made a move receiving approval from my boss.

I paused for a moment to glance over Cabir who I was passing by. He had his fists clenched stiffly on his sides with eyes that planned on murdering me.

M A N I K :

"Here!" I snapped my fingers bringing Cabir's attention back to me from the empty doorway.

"What was she doing here?"

"Ah that remote of my door got jammed." I showed him the faulty one. I used the remote rarely but when I did today it gave me reasons why I shouldn't.

"I'll get it fixed." He took the same from my possession. "It's so wonderful that you got no other person in the entire office to get stuck with." He taunted and I went back to my chair nonchalantly.

"Yes her name came up in lottery." I replied flatly starting to read my script.

"Manik, why don't you realise what I say when I ask you to stay away from her?" Why did Cabir always have to be so worked up?

"Because I don't speak your language." I gave him a ridiculous phoney smile before watching him leave me alone. Ah, better now I could finally put my time to some useful work.

My producers rushed me for the dates but how the hell was I going to work like a sane man when I had people like Cabir and Murthy in my life!

It had been two hours later and my Rolex ticked 11pm. It had been really long that I had worked till so late at office. Everyone must've left for home by then and I thought I still wasn't done so could surely use some strong coffee. Dialling the cafeteria, I ordered an expresso shot and some raspberry detox cereal.

Hearing my door swing open, I paid no heed to rebuke the pantry boy for entering without a knock. I was deeply concentrated on the scene I was reading until I heard the hard bang on my table. Mentally I took the note to not slash the throat of whoever it was trying to break my engrossment.

"Mr.Manik Malhotra." Someone had the guts, I must admit.

Averting eyes from the papers, I discerned Randhir Fucking Shekhawat standing at my opposite glaring his eyes out. That suited him as his middle name, in fact.

"What an unpleasant surprise!" I stretched arms in weariness managing a little yawn.

"Where is Nandini?" He banged the table with his balled fist.

"What do you mean where she is?" I rolled my pen close.

"Just for fuck's sake, answer me damn it! She hasn't reached her home yet. Where is she?" He screeched at the top of his lungs hurting my ears.

"Loverboy, you should know where she is." They promised to see each other at night then why was he acting as if he had dementia all of a sudden!

"Manik, I'm seriously telling you she hasn't come back yet." He gritted.

"Now that is my fault too?" My brows knitted "She must've left late from office or something. Now you stop bothering me and go away."

"For God's sake Manik, if you know anything about her tell me already. You wouldn't like to piss me now." He huffed. Idiot.

"If you haven't noticed yet I'm working and the door is right there." I snapped fingers pointing the door. He shook his head in disbelief for God knows what and I sighed at his increasing audacity.

"If you plan on anything bad for her then let me warn you-"

"Why would I at all plan anything bad for her?" I shrugged in frustration. That was nice. Out of nowhere jump in my office and blame for something I have never thought of doing right to my face.

"Because I know you, Manik Malhotra and I know you well. I know what gross of a human being you are. I would believe anything in this world but the fact that you can ever change. A bad person can be converted into a better one but a monster never ever in a human history could be changed." I breathed out darkly.

"I don't know where Ms.Murthy is and I think that answers your question." My eyes got fixed at the creases on his forehead.

"She has got 99 problems in her life and that poor girl doesn't even know you're all of them." He grumped.

"Excuse me?" What was this foolish man talking now?

"I know all of your foul play, Manik. You're a monster in the veil of a man." He pointed his finger at me receiving a cold black look as a repay. He shouldn't have spoken that way.

"She's too innocent for all your unscrupulous principles. Spare and stop playing her, I'm saying for the last time." His eyes blazed with rage.

"If I were you, I wouldn't have dared to say so much to a man who I know how villainous is." My eyes turned stony until I finished my tiny little civil threat.

"You will have my eyes on you round the clock." Murmuring God knows what he exited pushing the door hard. Empty threats.

Exhaling deeply, I dialled few digits on my phone after lightening a cigarette.

"Cabir, where is Murthy?" I asked straightaway as the receiver answer.

"What? How on earth would I know where she is?" He replied totally unprepared.

"Are you anyhow behind her not returning home?" I spared a glance on my Rolex which ticked 11:30pm.

"Manik, what are you even saying and ho..."

"Listen Cabir, if you have done anything tell me beforehand because this Shekhawat is searching out on streets like a mad dog."

"Manik, I swear to God I don't know anything about her and that makes me wonder why again are you asking about her when I keep telling you again and again to stay away from her?!" He exhaled angrily.

"So you have no idea, positive?" I confirmed.

"Hell yes!" And I heard some annoyed lady asking him to get back to bed. Probably I was screwing his hot fuck.

"Alright it's nothing." I aimed to disconnect.

"Sure?" He asked for assurance.

"Positive" I answered before he heard a long beep of disconnection.

What the fuck was happening around without my knowledge?