Just because the past didn't turn out like you wanted it to,doesn't mean your future can't be better than you imagined. Life takes us to unexpected places sometimes. The future is never set in stone, always remember that.

"Dad.."Manik's happiness knew no boundaries. He literally screamed at the top of his voice while descending the stairs. He was excited like a five year old.

He finally entered the hall where his father was waiting for him.

Manik saw that his father was busy in conversation with one of the house help. His back was facing Manik's front.

"Dad.."Manik called out in excitement making his father turn to face him.

And there he was...

Mr.Raj Malhotra.

The Founder and The Owner of Malhotra Group of Industries.

A perfect example of sophistication and elegence.

A man who was known for his class,stature,hard work, brilliance and of course his drop dead gorgeous looks.

Raj Malhotra was one of the most respected ,influential and leading industrialist of the country. He was a very zealous man but with a heart of gold. He was very professional when it comes to business but at the same time a very compassionate person when it comes to his personal relations.

Though Raj understood the importance of relationships but he knew how to keep his personal life separate from his professional life. He was a very shrewd person. He was not only a brainiac but was also gifted with the power of manipulation and coercion. He knew the art of making the correct move at the correct time.

He was known for his hard work and honesty.
He never took the wrong path. He neither supported nor became a part of any sort of wrongdoing. As a result he was on the hit list of many people but since everyone knew about his capabilities no one ever dare to cross his way.

With passage of time he emerged as one of the most influential businessmen of the country.

But of course as one say that no matter how perfect a human being is they always make at least one mistake in their own life.

So did Raj..

He fell in love..

No..

Falling in love wasn't something that he considered to be a mistake..

Nope..Not At All..

He never regretted his decision to fall head over heels in love with someone..

But what he truly and actually regretted was..

...the person...with whom he fell in love.

Nyonika...

Till today Raj couldn't believe that their was a time when he actually was in love with a woman like Nyonika...who didn't even knew the meaning of the word "Love"..let alone understanding it.

For her everything meant business. According to her everything comes for a price. Every relationship of the world was only about give and take.

Of course she played her cards too well. But unfortunately she wasn't that good as she considered herself to be.

Even her shrewd and wicked mind was of no match against the brilliance of Raj Malhotra.

Because soon the mask of goodness slipped off her face and once her real face was out in the open. Though Raj was hurt beyond measure but of course he knew how to handle Nyonika.

He would have shown the exit door to Nyonika a way long back but there was something that held him back.

Manik..

...who soon became the reason of Raj's existence.

Manik meant everything to Raj. He loved Manik way beyond measure but unfortunately he never got the opportunity to spend time with him.

Though he loved Manik more than anything but he wasn't able to be there for him due to his professional commitments.

With the expansion of his empire he got so busy that he hardly used to get any time for Manik. And this was something that really used to make him guilty because somewhere down the line he knew he was choosing his business over Manik.

He wanted to be with Manik. He wanted to pamper him..spoil him...but he couldn't. Though he tried not to let Manik drift away from him but of course he knew that eventually because of his fault he will end loosing the most precious relationship of his life.

The only reason he didn't blink Nyonika out of existence because he didn't wanted Manik to feel like an orphan..or to grow up without both his parents.

Though even having Nyonika around didn't made much difference because for her Manik just became a bait and she started using him to get her own selfish motives fulfilled.

She used to look for opportunities where Manik would make a mistake and she would took advantage of it..if she didn't found one she used to create one.

But of course soon that day came when Manik finally put him feet down and turned the entire table on Nyonika.

Manik was everything that his name meant. He was a true gem.

He was everything that a guy of his age can only dream to become.

Though Raj was extremely proud of him but he knew one thing that there was something was missing from Manik's life..

...love....

Manik never got the love of his parents or family that he truly deserved. And Raj knew it that he was equally responsible for this just like Nyonika.

But what really gave him a little piece of mind that Manik ended up being friends with such people who loved Manik for what Manik was and not the huge bank balance that he owned.

His Fab5.

Fab5 was Manik's extended family. There was no level that Manik wouldn't cross for them. And fortunately even for Fab5 Manik meant everything.

Their friendship...their bond...their loyalty and commitment towards each other was too pure and it only grew deeper with time. The bond that they share was too rare to be found.

Raj knew about Manik and Alia. He knew that for Alia Manik was her world. He meant everything to her. Even Manik loved her too but it wasn't close to anything that Alia felt for him. Yes Alia was important to Manik. He was over protective about her...but so was other members of Fab5.

However back then Manik didn't realised the difference as he himself wasn't aware of the feeling of love.

Yes he loved Alia too.

But he was never in love with her...

Somewhere deep down in her heart Alia always knew this...

Somewhere deep down she always knew that she and Manik wasn't meant to be...

But still she held on to the hope that maybe one day Manik will feel exactly the same for her as she did for him.

And she was right..

Manik did feel exactly..in fact...more...way...way ...more than what Alia felt for Manik..

But unfortunately it wasn't for Alia...

....It was for someone else...

....Nandini...

Though Raj never met Nandini personally but the way Manik used to talk about her Raj knew that Nandini was something else altogether.

Just like Nyonika even Raj had his share of doubts because he didn't wanted Manik to go through the same pain as he did because of Nyonika.

But with passage of time Raj's doubts got all cleared because unlike Nyonika Raj was only concerned about Manik's happiness.

And he could see how genuinely happy Manik was because of Nandini. Raj was really ecstatic to realise that finally Love Found Manik...and finally Manik got everything that he truly deserved.

Raj was relieved to know that Manik wasn't alone anymore. But what actually surprised Raj was the change in Manik's behaviour.

Though Manik had the purest of pure heart but unfortunately he was too good in playing the role of the bad guy. For the world he was a classic example of sheer terror. If someone even dared to cross his way then Manik used to become his/her ultimate doom.

But from the moment Nandini entered Manik's life Raj could see the positive changes that only made Manik even more perfect than he already was.

Just like everyone even Raj feared that Manik world slip back into darkness because of untimely exit of Nandini from him life. But of course Manik surprised him again by sticking up to the side of the light that Nandini brought into his life.

Yes..Manik was still the synonym of terror...but only for who were nothing less than MONSTER themselves..

But for those who were kind and good at heart Manik was their knight-in-shining-armour.

If Raj was worried about Manik before now he extremely proud of what Manik had truly become.

It seemed that finally destiny decided to bring both father and son closer.

That's why when Manik decided to shift to Murthy's as expected Nyonika started to create trouble for him...she even tried to get Raj against Manik ..but unfortunately for Nyonika her plan backfired as Raj took Manik's side.

Raj didn't wanted Manik to slip back into darkness like Nyonika. He didn't wanted him to become old Manik. Raj could see that Manik was doing everything not to go back to that dark phase of his life. Manik was fighting with everything that he had to stay on the side of the light. And he knew that the only way his son efforts could pay off if Manik stay close to the memories of Nandini.

Though for the world Nandini Murthy was no more but of course for Manik she was present right there...in his heart...

So without wasting another second in giving a second thought Raj supported Manik's decision. And also it made things easier for Raj as he finally managed to get Manik away from Nyonika.

Of course Nyonika being Nyonika tried to pull out every trick possible that existed under her sleeves...but unfortunately every single time all her efforts went in vain...as all her plans fell flat on her face...because now it was HER VS THEM...(The invincible father-son duo).

And of course thanks to Nyonika's so called "conspiracies/games " Manik and Raj ended up getting even more closer.

Finally Raj got his son back and Manik got his share of love from Raj that was missing from his life for so long.

Not only Manik even Fab5 grew close to Raj..and soon he became their most favourite person in the world too.

Unlike Nyonika Raj was extremely fond of Murthy's. In fact he considered them as a part of his own family.

In fact when Manik informed Raj about Rishab's decision to stay in U.S.alone for his treatment it was Raj who made sure that Rishab gets the best of medical attention without facing any problem or complications during his treatment in U.S.

Though Navya never got along with Manik...in fact still they both find ways to get each other into trouble but for Raj..Navya ended up being one of his most favourite person in the whole wide world.

Not only Manik but even Raj got the family of his dreams.

And today after a gap of three weeks he was visiting them at the mansion that was owned by Fab5.

"Dad...oh god..finally...like finally.." Manik finally covered the distance between them and took Raj into a bear tight hug. "...what took you so long..god I was missing you so much.."

Raj hugged him back with a smile on his face "...sorry about that son..it's just I had some unfinished business to take care off..so it took me a little bit more time than usual...but now I am here na..I will make it upto you...and I missed you too son.."

"And what about us..you didn't miss us.."Alia complained.

Breaking the hug Raj and Manik both smiled. "Of course I missed you all my love...how can a father not miss his own kids.."Raj opened both his arm and said "chalo...ab jaldi se mujhe jhappi do..tum sab..kiska intezar kar rahe ho.."

"hum toh pita-putra ka Mel Milap ke samapt hone ka intezar kar rahe hai...woh actually we didn't wanted to ruin the moment by disturbing you both.."Cabir said dramatically.

"Oye khottey...bas kar apna drama..chal aa ab...nai toh main tera band Abhi bajata hu.."Raj's words only made them smile harder.

And the next moment they all ended up jumping on him.

"Arey..mai bhi.."saying this even Manik joined them.

"We missed you uncle.."Dhruv said.

"I missed you all too beta.."Raj said smiling the whole time.

After a while they all broke the hug and settled on the couch.

"How was the trip dad.."Manik asked.

"As always..very satisfying.."Raj replied.

"But you still won't tell us where you go.."Manik said shaking his head.

"Arey...business trip ke location ka koi exact location thode hi hota hai..aur beta mai kaam karne jata hu..honeymoon manane nai.."Raj said too sweetly.

"I know that Dad...Nyonika has seriously put you off women hasn't she.."Manik smirked.

"See that's why I am so proud of you..because you know and understand me so well..Woh Ek musibat kam nai hai ki ek aur dusari musibat bhi apne sir pe lu.."Raj winked

And the next moment they all burst out laughing.

"But still Dad...I don't get it..yeh har mahine aap ek hafte ke liye kaha gayab ho jatey Ho..kuch khabar nai hoti hai..no call..no messages..no video chat..kuch bhi nai..you just disappear.."Manik asked the question again that he had already asked zillion times before.

"Bola na..tere liye sauteli Maa nai laa raha..apne baap pe bharosa nai hai kya.."Raj replied making a fake angry face.

"Sauteli...you know na Dad ki meri sauteli maa meri apni sagi maa se toh zillion times better hogi..in fact kya pata meri sauteli maa actually ends up loving me..unlike my Sagi maa.."Manik snorted.

"Yeah..that's true..so does that mean you have no issue agar mai extra marital affair karke Teri sagi maa ko dhokha du.."Raj asked raising both his eyes brows.

"Bilkul bhi nai...in fact I will happily take anyone in exchange of Nyonika...arey aap bas ek baar bol ke toh dekho...trust me...i will go to any extent to make sure you get your happiness.."Manik smirked.

"...and of course to throw Nyonika out of our lives.."Raj's remark made Manik smiled.

"Absolutely...Anything..Anytime.."Manik smiled devilishly.

"Waise how's everything going on your part...I just came to know you all aren't signing that deal.."Raj asked looking at Fab5. "What went wrong.."

"Long story cut short.."Raj turned to look at Manik when he spoke "Just one name..take a guess.."

"Nyonika.."Raj snorted.

"Sahi pakre hai.."Cabir added.

"Man...what the hell is wrong with this women..why can't she leave you all in peace...that's it..I am done with her..she will have to pay big time for this blunder.."Raj was extremely annoyed.

"Dad..relax..mai hu na...let me take care of her..aapka time apki tarah hi precious hai..don't waste it on people like Nyonika.."Manik replied."I will take care of her..in my own style..I promise you dad.."

"And you will let me watch..promise that too.."Raj demanded.

"Absolutely...woh bhi koi bolne ki baat hai.."Manik winked.

Raj was about to say something when his phone beeped.

He saw it and said "Bachcho..I will just be back.."

They all nodded and the very next moment he left the room.

Once he walked outside the house he looked around to make sure no one was around. When finally he became 100% sure that he was alone he took his cell phone out and read the message which immediately made him smile.

It was from a number that in his phone as was saved as 'N'

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"I know I am not supposed to call or text you right now..but I couldn't stop myself...I am too apprehensive to think anything else at the moment..so please put me out of my misery..

Please tell me whether Manik got that message or not..Did he succeeded in collecting all the required evidence..and most importantly did he got too suspicious about that messages..

I am loosing my mind here..so please reply me whenever you can..but do reply today only...or else I will go absolutely crazy..

I will wait for your response.

And I am missing you too much..

N.

P.S. Did you took your medicine.

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Raj shook his head and smiled. "God..yeh ladki bhi na..kitni jaldi tension le leti hai.."saying this he typed a messages and pressed the send button.

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"First thing first ...close your eyes and take a deep breath...relax..you seriously need to calm down baby girl.

Secondly...yes Manik did got the message ..though he didn't say anything about it directly to me about it yet..but the way he was talking about handling Nyonika..it was pretty evident that your plan worked.

You and I both know him too well...of course he is suspicious about the message that was sent by you...unfortunately he is too smart...very much to our inconvenience...but right now he is too much busy in taking Nyonika down so he won't pay attention to anything else for now..laters definitely...but for now we are safe..

So I hope now you will calm down a bit.

And yes I did took my medicine....because I don't want to end up getting killed by my own daughter.

I am missing you too my love..

But don't worry...this time too shall pass..

And soon..everything will be back on track...

Things will go back exactly the way they were actually supposed to be.

That time is coming near when you will be at your correct place..

...with Manik...

But before we reach that point we need to take care of an unfinished business called "NYONIKA "..because if it wasn't for her you and my son didn't had to suffer so much.

So it's high time we work together and bring her down and by blinking her out of her existence..

Let's finish her...this time...

....forever...

For the moment let's just concentrate on that..

You have been extremely braved my love..bas thoda time aur then you will get everything that you truly deserve..

And so will my son..

So..

For now..

Just relax..and calm down..

I am going in..

I will call you once I leave from here..

Take care..

Love you my baby girl..

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He stood there for a second because he knew his phone was about to beep again.

And just like he expected it beeped making him smile.

Opening the message he read it while smiling the whole time.

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I know I am not supposed to say this but I have to..so here it goes..

...thank you..

But this thank you isn't for reliving me from my stress.

This thank you is for being the best father in the whole wide world..

...for being my Appa...

You are the best..

But please I request don't be into any hurry because of me ...

It won't be fair to Manik and Fab5..

Because like me even they missed you..and i know how much you missed them too..

Enjoy your time with them...

I will wait for your call...

And yes one last thing..

...I love you Appa....

N

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"Love you too my baby girl..and I promise..I will make everything okay soon. Nyonika will pay for her every sin..that too will interest...and I will see to it.."saying this Raj kept his cell back into his pocket and walked back into the house.

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