Here is the chapter, as promised the update is here as quick as I can.

Hope you'll like this Manan filled chapter.

Enjoy!
Word Count: 2500+

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"Meherrrrrrrrrrrrr." Manik bragged into his sisters room with a big smile on his face. 

"What?" She shouted removing the duvet covering her face and looked at the culprit who disturbed her afternoon nap. Though she doesn't take one but the late night events made her do so and now someone is here to take her Heer away. 

"Guess what?" Manik slumped down on her bed beaming with happiness. 

"You woke me up to play guessing game?" Meher narrowed her eyes at him in irritation 

"You are no mood Meher!" Manik made a bad face but soon his face turned into grin when he remember the reason of his happiness. 

"Yeah and you are talking like a teenager!" Meher reprimanded

"Okay, I'll tell you Nandini-- She agreed to work with me! We complete the step one little mouse." Manik shook her again in excitement. 

"Really?" Meher asked in surprise, though she knew Nandini will agree to work with his brother but she thought she would take more time to take the decision. She was genuinely surprised and happy for her brother. She turned around and hugged her brother which Manik returned gladly. 

"Now get lost I want to spend some me time with my Heer." Meher said shoving him away.

"You still call your sleep Heer?" Manik asked in a bored tone. 

"So what?" 

"Grow up Meher Malhotra Grow up!" Manik mocked

"Says the person who is gonna play office-office with his love interests from tomorrow." Meher mocked back at him with  a stupid grin on her face. 

"Whatever." He waved his hand and walked out of her room but before he can go Meher called him, 

"Bhai?" 

"Yeah" 

"Next you shout at Nandini or do something idiotic remember today's noodles punishment and DON'T call me little mouse." Meher warned with a coy smile on her face. 

"What the fuck?" Manik Malhotra stood there shocked. That was the revenge? from his sister? For shouting at Nandini?

"Language and now get lost." Meher turned her back towards her brother and hid her face under the duvet. 

Manik huffed and moved out of her room not before banging her door with a thud. He wasn't angry at her tough, he was smiling how protective Meher has grown towards Nandini but a bit of dramatic effect wouldn't harm, right?

Right.  

On the other hand Meher had a big smile on her face seeing her brother in cheerful mood. The mood she never witnessed or her brother never experienced  and unknowingly Nandini was bringing the real Manik out. The Manik who wanted to be happy, to have a sense of belongingness and above all the Manik who wanted to feel the love which none of the family member other than Nandini can give. The soulmate kind of love and seeing Nandini and Manik both taking baby steps towards their destination made her happiest now she just need to ensure none of the steps wound their hearts or the budding love, rest she knew her brother and her Bhabhi would make sure  that once they are in love nothing can break them apart. 

⋇⋆✦⋆⋇

"So as I said before, you can handle 'We got you' from Malhotra's office." 

Here they were sitting in Manik's office in Malhotra heights next day after Nandini said yes to work with Manik. He didn't wanted to waste anytime and give Nandini's over thinking mind to have second thoughts about this.  

"I'll assign you a cabin with a good staff of few people. Your manager will handle the work outside the office, like talking to caterers, florist etc., and you can guide everything through video call, unless its an emergency you can visit the site but with me or the bodyguards if I'm busy. I'll also assign a place for you where you can have the meetings with your clients, I think you'll prefer a open terrace then a closed door office?" Though he asked but it was more of a sentence than a question and before Nandini could nod or answer he continued making her heave a sigh. '

If he didn't wanted her to answer then why ask?'  She pouted thinking and also distracting Manik. Manik cleared his throat to get his mind away from her pouting lips and concentrate on what he was doing and it also bought Nandini out of her revire and the pout automatically turned into thin line. 

"Also you need to give me your clients list from here on, so I can ask my team to check through their details and see of they are genuine." Manik continued speaking albeit the distraction. 

"Hey, that will be like violating their personal space, you can't do that Manik." Nandini objected. 

"There is no personal space in my profession Nandini." Manik reminded using a matter of fact tone. 

"You call murdering people a profession?" She can't help but blurter it out 

"Nandini." Manik voice came out more cold then he apprehended and his dead eyes were add on for Nandini to cower.  Nandini realized her mistake. She stands no chance to judge anyone no matter what their work or profession is. 

"Sorry, I didn't mean to." Nandini realized her mistake. She stands no chance to judge anyone no matter what their work or profession is.

Manik took a deep breath to come back normal and nodded muttering 'its okay.'  Though he just muttered he genuinely acquitted her. 

"I'll just have a background check on the clients that are coming to meet you, so that I can be assured they are genuine and not related to Nishant or any one related to my profession. Moreover I'm not digging into their past and issuing it in the news paper." Manik conferred 

Nandini gave Manik's word a thought, he was right she needs to be careful, Nishant was still out waiting for the right time to strike, moreover she didn't wanted any problem for Manik and his family because of her. If that means getting a background check of her clients then so be it. She is not risking anything now, no matter what. 

She took a deep breath and agreed with Manik, "Okay, I'm ready. I'll give you the list of clients but just their background check nothing too much personal Manik." Nandini added 

Manik took an inaudible sigh of relief, 'no fight on this point at least now.' He thought looking at Nandini giving her small smile and nodding. 

"Come on now I'll show you your office and introduce you to the people working under you." 

⋇⋆✦⋆⋇

"You never said about the guards Manik" Nandini blew a frustrated sigh. ]

Manik introduced her with the team he selected for her. She like actually adored the members, each of them were efficient in their work. 

But what blew her mind was Manik assigning guards for her and on top of that they'll be behind where she goes which irritated her to no extent. 

Manik shrugged "it's needed Nandini, I won't be there with you 24/7 even if I want to, so they'll be with you where you go till you set your feet in Malhotra Mansion." 

"But Manik..." Nandini tried explaining him but was was interrupted by Manik, 

"No arguments on this Nandini." Manik declared. 

Nandini glared at him and stormed out of his cabin while stomping her feet to meet his PA who was going to explain her work and not to forget her guards following her much to her irritation. 

"Cute" Manik chuckled looking at her disappearing figure. 

Nandini was working with Manik's PA Sagar, getting to know her job, what was she expected to do from tomorrow and questioning him about the same. She was so engrossed in her work that she didn't noticed it was past lunch time. 

Here Manik have had enough of her waiting and bragged into her cabin startling her for a moment. 

"Manik? You scared me." Nandini kept her hand on her heart as a reflex action. 

"Sorry." Manik gave her an apologetic smile and continued, "But its past lunch time and I cannot control my hunger any more so come on get up we are leaving for lunch, you can come back and do your work." He insisted.  

"Okay." Nandini said after giving his words a thought and not to forget she was hungry too. Keeping the file she was reading safe she got up to collect her blazer when she saw Manik forwarding her a blonde wig and a pair of sunglasses. Nandini gave him a questioning look. 

"Wear them, its for safety so no one can recognize the real you."  Manik answered her unasked questioned. 

She nodded understandingly and wore the wig, "Is everything good?"

"Perfect." 

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They were dining in a small cozy restaurant. There were two reason actually three for Manik Malhotra to choose this restaurant. One it was away from his office so none of his employees can see him and Nandini, another was it didn't have risk as much as going in a modish restaurant possessed and he knew Nandini will anytime chose cozy restaurant over classy and that makes his reason number three. 

"Am I looking that funny?" Nandini's voice brought him out of this daze.

"Huh? I'm sorry I didn't heard you, I was thinking something." 

"Its okay and I asked am I looking that funny? The people here won't stop staring at me." Nandini let out a dry chuckle making him snigger too. 

"You look beautiful." Manik confessed after recovering from his small laugh looking directly into her eyes. Nandini's gaze snapped at him while his eyes hold a power which made her  to not to break the eye contact.  It was as if both of their eyes were locked with each other and none of them were willingly to end it.

 "Sir" Their eye lock was disturbed by a waiter who came to ask if they need any thing more but the poor waiter realized that it was a big mistake, he  gulped seeing Manik glaring at him. 

"No, If we'll need something I'll call you." Hearing his curt reply the waiter didn't waste a second there. 

Manik looked at Nandini who gave him a awkward little smile and gave her whole concentration to the soup sitting in front of her. 

Sensing the awkwardness between them Manik decided to speak, "So Nandini how is your day going so far?" 

"Good Manik, I didn't really expect for me to say this but I'm enjoying it now I hope my boss doesn't trouble me or gibe me hard time." Nandini confessed with a small smile at the end." 

'Was it only me or the Nandini Murthy really wisecracked?' Manik sat there with amused and brow raised in surprise. 

"Oh believe me miss Murthy he is anything but a trouble to you." Manik grinned and Nandini smiled back while nodding her head in disbelieve at his self praise. 

After that they only ate in silence. Manik was enjoying her company and Nandini was enjoying for letting a brick fall down from the wall guiding her heart. 

"Manik can I ask you something?" They were in Manik's car heading back to Malhotra heights when a question popped in Nandini's mind. 

"No Nandini you cannot back out now. you said you enjoyed you day today at Malhotra heights then what changed? See Nandini everything arranged, your office, your manager..." He looked at her in panic for a second and then concentrated back on the road to not to meet any accident. 

"MANIK" She yelled for him to stop his rambling. "I'm not backing out, I just wanted to ask you a question. Stop assuming."

"Oh.... Ooh.... Oooh!!!" He gave her a nervous laugh when realization dawned upon him. 

"Yeah shoot Nandini, whatever you wanted to ask." after composing himself he asked her to proceed. 

"Thanks, And I was asking won't Nishant doubt you when he'll come to know I'm working on 'We got you' again?" 

"Smart question but no he won't. According to the world I'm the owner of 'We got you' and I have appointed a manager to handle its stuff and Nishant will get to know what the world knows or what I'm willing to share. His detectives or spies will pass on the information which they'll get or you may say which I'll provide." Manik winked.

Nandini rolled her eyes st his smug look and nodded after listening to him carefully. 

"Umm what and how are you planning to do or get him arrested?" 

"Because... I want to not only expose him to the wirld but also expose his trafficking racquet and also save the girls like me." Manik looked at Nandini with a small smile of adoration in his face and nodded his head.

"I was planning to do the same and for now, I'm just waiting for his move I'll be planning according to his first movie, as much as i have observed and if the information I got about him is correct than, the first thing he'll do is search about me to approach me. He will be willing to see if I'm some savior of yours or just a sadist like I have shown in front his wife." He answered thoughtfully.

"And when he'll come to meet you'll some how make him confess his sins and give to the police so that they can arrest him. Right?" Nandini smiled thinking she guessed his plan but it vanished when Manik said otherwise.

"Wrong. And if you give the proofs to the police he'll be out in a day or two, a week max. Why do you thing he never got arrested after playing with so many lives. He has police in his pocket. We can't do that if we want to expose him and his racquet and save the girls." 

"Then?" She asked curiously.

"Nandini. If I'll tell you everything now then where is the fun. Agreed?" Manik smirked and she rolled his eyes at him... Again.

 "Umm... Manik?" Nandini called and he hummed,

"Is he in India?" Nandini asked refering to Nishant.

"No." 

Nandini looked out of the window in worry for what her future held. She is out now but what if Manik failed and Nishant somehow took her back?

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After that none of them spoke anything both of them were busy in their land of thoughts. Manik parked his car in his private spot, Nandini got out of the car and waited fro manik to join near the elevator. 

Ding of the elevator indicated the arrival of their floor. Manik gave space for Nandini to walk out and he followed her. 

"Nandini." She stopped in her tracks and turned around to look at Manik 

"I know its hard for you but try to trust me I won't let anything happen to you or your mother." 

Nandini looked into his eyes which held promise and assurance. His dead serious may not give any expressions but his eyes does. 

Manik entered into his cabin leaving Nandini in her pool of thoughts. 

⋇⋆✦⋆⋇

Manik and Nandini were heading towards Malhotra mansion and as usual Manik was driving while Nandini was admiring the city lights of Mumbai. 

As soon as the car entered Malhotra Mansion they heard a series of voices yelling only one name. 

"MANIK MALHOTRA." 

So,
How was it?

Manan?

Their talks, banter, eye lock?

Who do you think are yelling Manik's name?

Any suggestions or advice are open for my eyes.

Hope you have enjoyed stay tuned for more masti and manan.

For now,
Au Revoir

Love,
Amaya.K