*** Must read the footnote it's damn important in this update. Do not skip it at any cost. ***

****

Veeraniyon ne kuch ese hath thama Hai,
Ki kal tak Jo bhi apna tha,
Woh sab aaj paraya Hai..

***

Life was much simpler and easier for her when she was right in the lap of her mother, in the warmth of her father, in the arms of her sister, life was life for her but eventually everything fell apart. The person she loved the most, she cared the most took away from her and the worst part of her story was she was there when her sister died but still miles away from saving her.

(1 year back)

Nandini : "How's life?"..a phone call bridge the gap of miles, and hence it manages to keep two of them together. The two sister binded with one string called love.

Aahana : "Life without you is as dull as sky without stars."..she cribbed like a baby and Nandini grinned, even though Aahana is elder to her but still she always behaves like a small baby when it comes to Nandini.

Nandini : "Really? I thought you must be very busy with your Prince. "..she mocked but Aahana felt little bad by her remark.

Aahana : "Am sorry kiddo. I shouldn't have hidden such a thing from you, but trust me I wanted to....."..Nandini cut her off in mid before she goes all emotional.

Nandini : "Jerry! Relax. I was just playing around, I know you would never hide anything from me, you just wanted to be sure about him. Right?"..there is concern and trust in her voice which made Aahana smiled.

Aahana : "Yea! You understands me more than I can understand myself."..she replied with a big smile on her face which made Nandini chuckle.

Nandini : "Aahana, when are you planning to tell Dad about the modelling career?"..she became all serious and this made Aahana scare as well.

Aahana : "I don't know, I really don't know how to tell him anything. From past six months I am passing bunch of lies to his ways, and every time I lie I feel like choking myself to death. He trusts me so much and here am sabotaging everything."..there is some tears in her eyes as she sat down nearby couch in her bedroom while Nandini listens her patiently.

Nandini : "Shhhh! Don't be so harsh on yourself. Am sure he'll understand you like always. He will. Just wait for the right time and then tell him about your prince and career simultaneously. Till then don't loathe yourself, you heard me right?".. she calmly explained her which made Aahana relaxed.

Aahana : "Thanks kiddo for always standing beside me like a strong pillar."..there is a satisfactory smile playing on her lips.

Nandini : "I wanna tell you something, but not over call. Am going Virginia next week, can we meet there?"..she asked with a low tone which made Aahana concerned and worried.

Aahana : "Of course darling, Am in Nashville right now, I'll be there. You don't need to worry about anything, your sister is there to look after you. Forever!"..she sealed with a never breakable promise which brought a smile on Nandini's face but little did they know that destiny has other plans for these two souls.

• When I looked at stars tonight, I wish you could hold me tight. Angel! I want you to shine. •

****

(Back to present)

Dense darkness- that's exactly the aura inside the Malhotra building, she has fought with Manik downstairs and now she has left with no energy to even answer his cross questions that's exactly why she has been dodging his calls all this while. She came out of elevator and started walking inside the flat, there is only darkness crept all over, not a single light illuminating inside and to her shock she smelled a different cologne which made her stop in her way.

She has spent immense time inside the building which made her familiar with the aura, and to be honest from start she was way too cautious about her surroundings thus it leads to a good result for her as she is familiar with every thing about the building.

Nandini : "Somebody is in here!"..she thought, she saw a shadow near the glass door which connects kitchen and living area. She knows Manik is still down and surely there is no other way entering in this flat other than the very personal elevator she used a while back.

Nandini : "Whose there?"..she asked walking slowly to the shadow, but as she called out the shadow vanished in the darkness which startled her. Nothing is visible in this darkness thus she decided to switch on the torch in her mobile.

After switching on the light, she noticed some moments but no voice reached her ears. She again called out but there was no response.

Nandini : "Am warning last time, whose there?"..she shouted in threatening tone as whoever is inside is moving to and fro but not coming in her visionary area or replying to her.

• They assumed her to be as fragile as rose petal but she turned out to be the sharpest thorn in the enclosure. •

Nandini : "Fine! Then don't blame me for this."..there is a danger sign in her tone, she picked the gun which is hidden safely underneath her jeans near the foot area.

She fired aimlessly in the darkness as the mobile dropped from her hand resulting no light illuminating from it. But as she fired, she heard chaos downwards, she always wonders who lives on the ground floor and just beneath their flat but Manik never told her nor she could find out.

"Stop it!"..she heard a sharp manly tone which made her smirk as her threat worked.

Nandini : "Just switch on the lights and come out. Meantime I'll stop firing, otherwise you are dead."..her cold tone can scare anyone, and the trespasser seems worried as he started walking towards her with his hands high.

"Just drop your gun. Am coming."..he softly answered but she didn't bulged, she was still holding the gun in her hand and aiming at the shadow.

Before that man can reach her, they both heard sound of elevator's door and footsteps running to their sides. And on top of that Manik's roaring sound filled with fear and worry shocked Nandini.

Manik : "Nandini."..he shouted as his guards ran inside the flat with the gun in their hands, and Manik too ran inside with worry all over his face.

Nandini : "God!"..she cursed underneath her breath. But she heard the trespasser thanking the Almighty instantly.

• When you're standing so close to me, I've no fear of falling on knee. •

Guards switched on the lights, and as the light came back in piercing the darkness everything came back to vision, she took aback by the sudden forceful hug she received from him. This unannounced approach made her stunned but her heart instantly relaxed down in the warmth of that hard frame which caged her tightly.

Manik : "Thank god! You are safe."..he murmured softly almost inaudible but he is so close to her that she can even hear his heartbeat thus those words, that sigh, she very clearly​ heard all of it. For a brief moment she too felt safest like never ever.

In all the process, they totally forgot that trespasser who entered in the scene sometime back, but next they heard a laughing sound which made them come back to the reality. Manik broke the hug and cupped her face, he looked in her eyes as deeply as if he is trying to measure the depth of Amazon.

Manik : "You are fine. Right?"..he asked in his shivering tone, she can feel his over the top concern but still her mind denied to trust. She nodded a yes to her which made him inhale a deep breath as if something very heavy took off from his body.

He turned around only after making sure she is all fine, and safe. But as he turned around, a shocking realization hit on him.

Manik : "What the hell"..he murmured while looking at the trespasser, meanwhile Nandini is all confused by the grin on that stranger's face.

****

Sahir's apartment:

Not Everytime things are like that as we assumes them to be, but actually most of the times things are exactly the way we don't want those to be.

Something similar happened in Cabir and Sahir's life, the truth Nandini told both of them wasn't expecting, surely not the way she evolved.

Sitting on the couch, holding Aahana's and Nandini's picture in his hand, he felt a sharp knife twisting inside his soul, a sharp nail stuck in his heart and he is choking to death. He has never thought not even in his wildest dream that any day he'll face such cruelty, such reality of their life.

Cabir : "Aahana why?"..he murmured while looking at the picture, some sobs escaped from his mouth and tears fell down on the picture.

Sahir : "We all want that answer Cabir including Nandini. But none can give us the answer."..a lone tear escaped out as he muttered to cabir, leaning on the nearby wall he too lost the patience he has built inside him as he adopted such dangerous profession.

Cabir : "She should have told us, at least to Nandini. But she choose to be quiet, her silence took away her from us."..he caressed the smiling pic of Aahana while Sahir sobbed slowly.

• Facing the reality, loosing the rationality, they've to find a way to keep their sanity. •

Life has its own ways to knock you down, when you feel like ruling all over the universe then only fate burst your bubble and throw you straight on the ground with your head down. It's not like you can't win over downhill part of life, it's that how well you can manage your sanity, your rationality to deal with the adverse situations.

Sahir : "No Cabir. We won't sit here like this and curse the fate for taking something so precious from us. We'll fight this, we'll get justice."..there is some unimaginable, unmeasurable rage in his eyes, in his voice which Cabir felt deeply.

They both wiped their tears and looked at each other with determination, with commitment. There is some new confidence in their respective eyes which can shock anyone who must have witnessed their shattered state a while back, their give up state.

Cabir : "That's right. We'll do right by Aahana."..he murmured and took a vow which can be broken only on their death bed.

****

Manik : "How you came in?"..he asked the trespasser in his low calm tone while he looks extremely amused by Manik's behavior he witnessed a while back.

"I missed you buddy!"..he murmured with a slight smile on his face and this made Manik jump on him, hug him tightly in a brotherly way. He seems to be more than happy to see him there and same goes with the trespasser. Meanwhile, Nandini is standing there all shocked and surprised.

Great! Just great! This day can't get better and better. A part of her mind shouted in sarcasm.

Manik : "You have no idea how much I missed you Rihaan."..a soft honest confession escaped from his mouth and Rihaan tighten his hold on him.

Rihaan : "Stop behaving like a girl. Atleast not in front of your girl."..he mocked with a teasing expression while eying Nandini, and this made Manik come back to earth. He broke the hug and turned towards Nandini, and he found several questions in her eyes.

Nandini : "That's right. Am waiting for this."..she answered before even he start explaining things to her and this made Rihaan more amused, he look at dumbfounded Manik who is looking at Nandini with total speechless expression while Nandini is glaring at him. Rihaan couldn't help but burst in laughter which caught everyone's attention.

Manik glared at him as from the teasing smirk, and mischievous glint in his eyes he is able to figure out what cause him laugh out loud.

Rihaan : "Sorry dude but can't help it."..he said trying hard to ease his laugh but all attempts in vain. While manik still glaring at him.

Nandini : "I think I already have enough for today so if you both are done with your eye thing then anyone would care to explain what's going on?"..she asked in a total annoying tone which surprised Rihaan but Manik being habitual of it just rolled his eyes on her.

Rihaan : "Okay! So let me introduce myself, Am Rihaan Sighaniya. Manik's childhood friend or to be honest with you Manik's self proclaimed soulmate .."..he grinned at the end but Nandini looked at him with wide eyes as he called himself Manik's soulmate. A part of her shouted - Watch your back! Otherwise I'll rip you in bits. But as always she shut all her feeling and carried only one thing in her eyes- I don't give a damn.

Manik : "Are you done with your lame jokes?.."..he look annoyed by him for a moment but as Rihaan raised his hands in his defense Manik couldn't help but smile at him.

Those small gestures didn't went unnoticed by Nandini, she can see how much love they both have. The way Manik looking at him clearly explains what importance Rihaan holds in his life. This bond made her remind of her relation with Aahana, such purity was in there as well, as the thought of Aahana crowded her mind she instantly felt like loosing her calmness and end up crying, yelling in pain in front of the two people- one whom she barely knows and the one whom she used to love once upon a time. But before anyone can notice the change even in her body language, she exhaled a deep breath and made herself calm.

Nandini : "So Mr. Sighaniya who on earth enter in his best friend's apartment like some serial killer or something and scares his best friend's wife?"..she asked in her irritating, annoyed tone which made Manik shoot daggers on her as he always want her at her best behavior in front of others which surely includes his best friend as well.

Rihaan : "Correction young lady! I didn't scared my best friend's wife but it was actually the other way around. By the way who on earth welcomes the guest with a gun in her hand?"..he rubbed his tight jaw with his hand and raised his eyebrows on her. She look super pissed by his move.

Nandini : "If someone enters in a tight security area like a stalker or a killer then surely he is going to be welcome by the gun only not by flowers in hands.".. she curtly replied but this amazed Rihaan and he look super impressed by her challenging personality.

On the other hand, Manik is standing in mid of these two with his hand on his forehead and cursing his fate.

Manik : "Enough now! I don't want to hear any more arguments now."..he roared almost flinching the security standing in the side as they still didn't get their que to leave. But his voice didn't affected Nandini.

Nandini : "Am done with this drama. Have a great night ahead. But do not spoil mine."..she warned at the end on which Rihaan nodded his head innocently.

Manik : "Mrs. M you shouldn't always be mean and rude."..he stated as he really not liking her behavior.

Nandini : "Well Mr. M even you shouldn't always be bossy and commanding. The moment you'll leave these annoying traits of yours, I'll think of trying on mine."..she answered back fiercely which made Manik annoyed but for some reason Rihaan look impressed..

Without getting into some more arguments, she lashed out from there after passing a fake sarcastic smile to Rihaan which he accepted with open arms.

Rihaan : "Dude, you really married your carbon copy.."..he commented while Manik look annoyed.

Manik : "Thanks for the reminder, I already know that"..he answered with his eyes rolling.

Rihaan: "haha. That was amazing to hear. By the way I feel like she didn't liked me much."..he said in a matter of fact tone and meanwhile Manik gestured his security to leave as all is clear over here.

Manik : "Welcome to the club brother.." .he answered after turning his full attention to Rihaan and his statement made Rihaan giggled.

Rihaan : "But you gave her a gun, you know if she would have fired the target i.e Me , you most probably be doing my last rights by now."..he said in almost visualizing his own death in the hands of Nandini, which made him close his eyes and shake his body in almost a fear.

After a deep thought, Manik broke the silence.

Manik : "Wait! Even I don't know she carries gun with her." .he said pondering on the gun part specifically.

Rihaan : "Wohoo! Dude are you alright?"..he asked checking temperature on Manik's forehead and his tone is totally over dramatic.. "You are staying with her from last one week or so, you married her, you are living with her and till now you didn't able to figure out she carries gun? I mean this is seriously a breaking hot news for me. Manik Malhotra no actually correction- The perfect Manik Malhotra who notices even a slightest thing at the first glance itself is actually looking totally lost to me.".. he mocked at the end which made Manik shoot daggers on him.

Manik : "Speaking of noticing things, how the hell you entered inside?"..he asked being curious and till now Rihaan sat down comfortably on the couch nearby and took a glace of water placed on the table right in front of him.

Rihaan : "You see, am quite a charmer and none can resist my charm. But I never knew you hire gays for you."..he looked at Manik Seriously but Manik look super pissed.

Rihaan : "Oh Please stop looking at me with that horrifying face of yours. I wonder I'll be dead by the end of this night if not in the hands of your fierce wife then surely by your eyes."..he commented faking scary look.

Manik: "Cut the crap. And tell me how you entered as no way in hell you could enter yourself without my knowledge. I have ensured that no one enters in this building or even the premises without my consent which includes you too. So tell me fast."..he asked coming straight to the point but before Rihaan could pass one more lame joke to his way, they both heard Arjun's voice.

Arjun : "I brought him here Mr. Malhotra. It was a surprise for you."..he said with a smile while coming and now picture is clear for Manik.

Rihaan : "Yea. But it turn out to be a shock for me. Instead of playing with Manik, I have been played back and the credit goes to his beautiful young lady."..he said rolling his eyes upwards and this time Manik chuckled.

Manik : "So that's the reason you went to airport today and didn't able to make up for my pickup."..he asked Arjun and he complied.

Arjun : "Mr. Sighaniya wanted to surprise you and asked me to not tell anyone about his arrival. Hence I didn't told you anything."..he genuinely told him everything with honesty in his eyes and this is something Manik loves about Arjun. He is always too honest and loyal towards him, Manik can trust him without thinking twice. Well! Arjun has earned this as Manik is a person who double check everything and never trust anyone very easily.

Manik : "Am so glad you are here Rihaan."..he sat down beside Rihaan with the smile and gestured Arjun to take a seat as well.

Rihaan : "No emotional talks please."..he joined his hands in dramatic way which made both of the giggle. "let's go out and have some boy's fun. If I'll be staying here for long then am sure I'll get myself killed. So darling! Let's go out before your lady bheem throw all of us out."..his tone made all of them burst in laughter.

Manik and Arjun nodded on his suggestion of partying outside as after a very long time Rihaan is back in India. And coming back home is always means hitting a big big party.

*****

Hey! Early? Isn't it? 😋😋. It's not even Saturday or Sunday today but still am uploading as I completed writing this chapter. I know pals many of you want me to update asap as I frequently get request from a lot of people, trust me folks I really want to update but I just can't, my schedule doesn't allow me honey.

Am keeping my writing spirit boost up only because of you people otherwise I swear I don't have time. You won't believe even in my relaxing time am writing stories only because of you my dear readers. If we need to work this thing out then we need to work out together as a team, as a family. We need to support and care along with respecting.

The reason behind am writing such a long footnote today is only because I recently received a very annoying private message (Hope you reading this darling!) that "I update once in a blue moon and I keep on stretching the mystery part just to annoy you all. I have no love and care towards my readers, I deliberately ignore your pleadings to update and there were many more things." (That was a huge huge message which took almost 15 minutes of mine 😝😝 later on I thought "How on earth people can criticize someone so beautifully?) 😝😝😝. Anyways! That was totally her pov and I didn't feel like entertaining her by replying back.

So peacefully I here want to tell her "darling! If you have issues then kindly step back from my stories or else I'll do the honor. Have a peaceful life".

Now, coming back to you people who are with me from the start, thank you. But I can see people have stopped in line commenting which makes me feel like you people aren't interested anymore. Still, am not taking things at heart so I'll be looking forward to in line comments in this update.

Ahh! Now coming to the very important part. People as you see a new role entered in as"Rihaan Sighaniya", thus am confused with the face for him. But still I have one face in mind which will go perfectly with the role (that's my thinking) but still I want your opinions honestly.

That's Ian Somerhalder - I guess most of you knows him already. 😝😝. He really don't need any introduction but still, he is Damon Salvatore from the vampire diaries (my most favorite vampire ever😍).

So that's the face in my mind. But am leaving this judgement to you people.

So the thing is below are two options, you need to do in line comment to your choice, if you want to give any suggestion for the face of Rihaan then kindly choose the second option and also specify your actor's name.

1. Go with Ian Somerhalder.
2. Choose another (specify the name of the actor)

Looking forward for your views.

Love..and care..
Your beloved storyteller ❤😘