I hope now no complaints against me! 

And this extra update is dedicated to my Gulab Jamun, my baby Ani _love_is_you_ who is  little bit, like just tiny winy mad at her Mayu di.

Oye meri gulab Jamun teri Mayu di ish shorry, maaf karde plsh *cute sa kutte wala face*

Aur teri Mayu di teri hi hai, kisine nahi kidnap nahi kiya unko 😂🙈

Tumhare hote hur kis ki itni himmat.

NOT EDITED

"Call Manik Nandini!" Shikha spoke in grimed voice scaring Nandini a little.

"But mumma, do you need anything, is it paining somewhere, shall I call the doctor?" Nandini blabbered in tension.

"Nandini" Shikha called out to stop her blabbering.

"Ji"

"Call Manik" Shikha repeated herself.

Nandini sighed but agreed and pressed the red button.

As soon as she pressed the button Manik's cell phone pinged which alerted him that Nandini has called because of the different ringtone he has set especially for her.

He barged inside the room without knocking on it.

"You called?" He asked Nandini.

She nodded and pointed towards Shikha who was looking at both the young lads in front of her as if she was observing something keenly.

"Ma'am" though Manik did not call anyone ma'am after 14 as he was homeschooled and he never went to college in order to handle mafia business so he did his graduation and post-graduation externally.
And now calling someone ma'am after years was surely giving him an odd feeling.

The things love makes you do!

"Manik can you escort my daughter to her room?" Though it was a question, Manik caught the hidden command in it which also helped Manik to bring him out of his daze.

"Sure Ma'am"

"But mumma, I just came, why so early, let me stay near new for few more hours please," Nandini requested but Shikha didn't pay any heed.

"Don't Nandini! I'm not taking any risks regarding you and don't you for a moment think that I didn't see the compression bandage acting as a jewel on your foot." Shikha said sarcastically which made Manik snicker and fortunately for him no one heard.

"I dare you to plead again or show me your puppy eyes, I will really not allow you to come and meet me till your ankle is healed, you got me?"

Nandini sighed "What super ninja technic or Doremon's gadget mothers have in them please tell me someone one!" She muttered lowly not wanting her mother to hear this and make plans to give her another lecture.

"Stop  murmuring under your breath missy, i know what you are speaking, now before a start with my lecture go and take rest!" Shikha ordered. 

Nandini pouted and looked at the floor or rather she was glaring at the floor when she remembered her and Manik's conversation about the floor. A tiny smile played on Nandini's lips thinking about that conversation, while Manik was admiring Nandini and her antics which fortunately or unfortunately Shikha observed and she arched her brow obscenely. 

"Manik" Shikha called out but her voice was on edge. 

Manik came out of Nandini's land when he heard Nandini's mom calling him, he immediately snapped his head towards her, 

"Yes... *clearing throat* Yes Ma'am" 

"You can take Nandini now." Shikha pointed at Nandini through her eye moment. 

Manik nodded and came forward, taking the hold of Nandini's chair he wheeled her towards the exit of the room while Nandini waved at her mother, and Shikha returned back the gesture. 

"Manik" Shikha called when they were standing at the threshold of the room, 

"Come and meet me after you make my daughter comfortable in her room," Shikha commanded and the look she gave to Manik, he knew there is no room for denial. Manik gulped and looked at nodded at her while Nandini frowned at it but didn't question, something in her stopped her to do so. 

"What new problem is waiting for me now?" He murmured under his breath.  

"Aag dono taraf brabar ki lagi hai, faraq bas itna hai ki ek ko khabar hai aur dusra abhi bhi anjaan hai," Shikha spoke looking at the door from where they exited 

The ride back to Nandini's room was silent, both were busy in their own thoughts. 

Here Nandini was thinking of why didn't she wanted her mother to know about how she and Manik met? Why she didn't want her mother to think bad about him? 

And on the other side, Manik was dreading for his meet with Shikha, he knew this meet would decide the future of him with Nandini, this meet would decide if Nandini was in her destiny or not. 

Whatever it is Manik was sure, he isn't ready to let Nandini walk out of his life, he won't let happen, she is destined for him and even if she is not, he will make her as his destiny.  

"Manik we reached." he heard Nandini saying him that's when he came out of his thought process. 

He looked at the door in front of him, indeed they reached and he didn't even realize if not of Nandini he would have missed the room and moved forward. 

Entering inside the room Manik took her towards her bed. Coming in front of her he again thrust his hands under her knees and Nandini's hand automatically found their place on his neck and couldn't help but gasp at the sudden moment.

"Gezz Manik, a prior warning would do great. Don't you think so?" Nandini asked sarcastically, but Manik just shrugged his shoulders. 

"Don't just shrug your shoulders Mr, you always give this mini heart attacks to me, I swear the reason behind my death will be only you, Manik you are such a..."

"Shhh" Manik applied sudden break to her blabberings and in this, he forgot that he was standing close to her like very close, just inches apart which none of them notices. 

Begin in the daze Manik huskily whispered: "Don't you dare talk about death, yes?" 

His warm minty fresh breath was fanning over Nandini doing somersaults inside her.  

Nandini nodded in yes still being in a daze, her charcoal black eyes were held captivated by Manik's brown orbs. It was as if Nandini was seeing different Manik through it. 

It was not the same cold-hearted Manik Nandini saw for the first time, this time his eyes weren't cold rather it was looking soft and innocent to her, he was looking like a lost child to her who has finally found his destination, he was looking like the broken Manik yearning to be healed, the Manik yearning to be loved. 

She didn't know how she was able to read it but she was, on the other hand, Manik was staring at the women who have managed to take away the little bit of sanity he had and the irony is he isn't admitted in the hospital being in the hospital... yet, just because of her. 

She has managed to evoke the feelings inside him, which he thought was only reserved or his sister and niece, but here she is proving him completely wrong. 

Manik tucked the hair lock behind Nandini's ear and looked at her serene face, so pure so innocent and yet so fierce and bold. She was a deadly combination. 

Unknowingly Manik moved forward breaking Nandini's reverie, seeing him advancing towards her was speeding her heart rate more than normal but she wasn't able to decipher if it was in a good way or bad way. Whatever it was this advancing of him was surely filling up the little crack Manik made through his acts, the little crack which Nandini had to build up around her. 

She was silently praying her assumptions to be wrong, she didn't want at least Manik to be like one of those men, but his advancing was saying another story and was also proving her assumptions right.

When Nandini had enough and was about to push him she felt his warm breath on her forehead and a soulful kiss on it. 

He kissed her forehead and not lips! 

This surely made her heart flutter.   

"Don't worry Nandini I won't let the small amount of trust you have shown in me till now, break. I won't do anything without your permission, and I'm man of my words." whispering he moved back, giving her his charming smile.

Unknowingly a small smile crept on Nandini's lips and also the little respect she started to have for him increased in double amount.

Though she didn't trust him yet Manik knew she was on the path of it.

"You rest now, I'll take your leave, of you have any problem, just click that red button beside your bed, okay?" Manik ordered and asked both in a single sentence only go get a bod from Nandini.

Manik nodded back and mover towards Shikha's room, praying to his mother to keep everything all right.

"You called me Ma'am?" Manik asked as he came in after knocking the door and hearing a low 'coming in'

"What are your intentions with my daughter?" She came starting to the point without beating around the bush.

There she sat with the hardened face and cold eyes looking at the person in front of her. She had made the wrong choice, the wrong decision once she wasn't gonna repeat the same mistake again. 

She is already guilty of what happened with whatever happened with her daughter, she wasn't able to save her from the pawns of the devil. 

Manik was standing their confused looking at the lady in front of him, long gone the lady who was smiling with compassion with gentle eyes.

Manik sighed not knowing how to answer this question thrown at him unexpectedly.

"Ma'am, I'm sorry but I'm unable to understand you," Manik uttered with the hint of nervousness in his voice.

Shikha stared at him for a few moments and then spoke "I think you very well understand English Manik since you are speaking one. Nevermind, I'll repeat it again for you. What are your intentions with my daughter Manik?"

Manik was just looking at her dumbfound, till now it was clear to him that she knew his feelings towards her daughter. Was he so predictable that Shikha was able to know his feelings towards Nandini?

"I very well know the look you give to my daughter Manik, but I want to hear it from you. You and I both know what my daughter has gone through and is still going through and I do not want any other man playing with my daughter's feelings...again"

"I like Nandini Ma'am, I like her very very much if that's you want to hear," Manik spoke with sincerity lacing through his voice.

"You like knowing what she is!? You want her in your life  knowing she... she was into that... that prostitution business. You'll accept her in your life, knowing the other men had ruined her in every possible way! Will you be able to love her knowing the person you  person opposite to you might have been brutally raped or she has slept with the with other men?! Will you?" Shikha whispered the last sentence. She was broken too. No mother has the capability to watch her child, the child she nurtured with so much love and care is standing their broken, fighting with the demons around them every day, and she was so powerless that she has to watch her child suffering without doing anything.

It's the worst feeling ever, to see your child suffering in front of your eyes!

A tear followed by others escaped from Shikha's eyes remembering the struggles of her precious daughter.

Manik marched towards Shikha and wiped her tears, bending down snd matching to the eye level of hers he took hold of her palm between his.

Shikha just observed his actions without uttering anything, she wanted to oppose but her heart was against it.

"I won't say that I understand your feelings ma'am, I have a sister whom I have brought up like my own daughter and I can't even think or imagine something like this happening to her but here you and your daughter have endured that pain, that helplessness. You both are really strong especially your daughter, she is the hero of her own story, she doesn't need one. I'm sure if not for me she would have done some of the other things to take you and herself out from this awful and dreadful situation. Me coming in her life just fasten the process. But Ma'am..."

Manik sighed and took a pause, looking down at their clasped hands, after a few seconds he looked up and spoke looking directly in Shikha's eyes

"I need your daughter in my life, Ma'am. I need her and I want her in my life. In just few meets she has become a very prominent part of my life, which I never want to lose. And about her past then it's a past Ma'am everybody has one, I have too, but leaving the past behind and enjoying the present without taking the stress of the future is living right?!"

Shikha looked at Manik astounded, she didn't expect this answer from him but still, she wasn't satisfied.

"This philosophical talk won't come handy my boy when people, society or sorry to say, but your own family members will oppose this.
They will be against your relation with Nandini, will you be able to hear people gossiping about my daughter's dignity, or gossiping about you and your family. You'll regret Manik, and then eventually you'll break my daughter by leaving her, and I do not want that. So it's better to get out from her life right now."

Shikha took her hand out of Manik's hold and looked another side to hide her pain and tears, how much ever it pained her to talk like this about her daughter, it was the naked truth, the harsh reality of her life.

"I won't" Manik declared and Shikha's head snapped in his direction. She looked at him in confusion.

"I'm sorry aunty, but I won't go out of your daughter's life even if you or your daughter oppose, call me selfish, because I'm being one now, but... I  won't leave your daughter." Manik said stressing on the last words he spoke. 

Standing up Manik looked at Shikha

"And speaking about society, they are a mere strangers to me and nothing else. As much as my family is a concern, I have full faith in them, I trust them with my life.  I know they won't oppose my choice which you'll see very soon." Manik meant every word he said.

"I won't let your daughter's dignity or self-respect be at stake in any situation aunty, believe me." Manik implored but Shikha looked down not able to.

And Manik understood this, it was saddening for him but he also knew that he expects Shikha or even Nandini to trust him so soon when they have got such a huge betrayal.

"I know its hard for you to trust me or anyone in that case, but I assure you Ma'am before winning your daughter's trust I'll win yours," Manik vowed.

"I'll take your leave ma'am and don't worry about Nandini I'll take care of her, see you soon." Saying he moved out of her room leaving an astound Shikha back.

Manik reached Nandini's room expecting her to be fast asleep but when he opened the door the scene in front of him left him surprised.

How was the chapter?

Nandini has slowly started trusting Manik.

And Manik's liking towards Nandini, especially the forehead kiss?

More Manan scenes are on the way!
😍😍

P.s: I may or may not samp your phone with notifications as i'll be editing this book.

Love,
Amaya.K