At night

In Khanna's Mansion

The Khanna sisters were sitting in their bedroom. Mukti and Navya were on the bean bags while Nandini was on the bed with Alya in front of her..But the most important part was all of them had a same expression except Nandini, which was shock.

Mukti ( shocked ): Did he..?

Nandini nodded..

Navya ( shocked): You mean..he wasn't joking..?

Nandini ( sighed ): He wasn't..which is why I am..not okay..

Alya side hugged her..

Alya: Doll, can I ask you something..?

Nandini ( glared ): You know I hate you asking such questions..

Alya ( smiled ): Okay, so..do you feel anything for Manik..?

Nandini sat there still after hearing that question. She never expected Alya to ask such a question..

Mukti ( stared ): I think, I was about to ask the same question..

Navya ( nodded ): Maybe, that was something we Khanna sisters need to share with each other..

Nandini ( sighed ): I..I really don't know yar..I mean..I never felt like pushing him off whenever he gets closer to me..I don't regret if I allow him to touch me..You know I never allowed any guys near to me but Manik..I don't have any such problems..Why..? It just makes me crazy..

The girls just looked at Nandini with a surprised face and then sat with a sigh..

" Its the same "

They looked at each other while Nandini was confused..

Nandini: What's the same..?

Mukti ( sighed ): Whatever you expressed, I feel the same with Abhimanyu..

Navya: Same here, But its with Cabir..

Alya ( sighed ): I agree..But for me..its with Dhruv..

Nandini ( face palmed ): Shit...its going..

Mukti ( frustrated ): To a FEELING..

Alya ( whispered ): It shouldn't happen..

Navya ( pissed ): We gotta do something..

Nandini and Mukti started roam around the room while Alya lied on the bed with a saddened face. Navya was thinking on how to solve the issue..Mukti stopped working and stared at her sisters..

Mukti ( emotionless ): Why don't we tell about our past to them..?

The girls looked at Mukti in shock.

Navya ( shocked ): What are you even speaking..?

Mukti ( sarcastically ): English..I am speaking English..Is that fine..Knock it out Navy..You know what I mean..

Alya ( annoyed ): Are you serious Muku..We have never told anyone anything related to our past and here you are saying that we should tell them about our past..

Mukti ( sighed ): You got any other idea..?

Alya just zipped her mouth while Navya was just thinking whether its a good idea or not..

Nandini ( thoughtfully ): I agree with Muku..

Navya ( sighed ): Of course, you both are always together in everything..

Nandini ( glared ): Stop being jealous Miss Beautiful..Now, reason is..Isn't it obvious..? If they get to know about our past, will they still stay with us..? I mean..which guy would think to be with a girl who has a sluttish mother..

Though, that word ' mother ' was hated by them but still that word will remain a definition of pure love for them..They couldn't experience it but still they just can't forget the truth of their so called mother..

Alya ( nodded ): I agree doll, I don't think after getting to know about HER they wouldn't wish to be with us..

Mukti ( sighed ): Exactly, maybe they would have also got feelings but eventually they will forget it after getting to know about our truth..

Navya ( stared ): So, when should we say it..?

Nandini ( leaned on her bed ): As soon as possible..

The girls slept on a single bed by hugging each other. They can't sleep easily when they are stressed so they prefer in hugging each other to get peace..

In Malhotra's Mansion

Manik was punching on his punching bag in full rage while his brothers looked at him with a pity look on their faces..

Manik ( angrily ): What does she think of herself..? She thought I bloody was using her..I want her in my life as my Love not as my bed partner to use her..Why can't she understand it..

Cabir ( sarcastically ): Yeah right, she would understand it because you were friends with each other since childhood and in a relationship since some years..

Abhi ( glared ): Cabir..

Dhruv ( pissed ): Mazak keliye bhi waqt hai yar..

Cabir ( glared ): Tho mein ye sab dekhke bet jaoon kya..You both are seriously insane just like your brother Manik Malhotra..

Abhi: What the heck are you blabbering..?

Cabir ( sighed ): God, why can't you get Nandini's point of view..? She is a girl with boldness and attitude and she never gave any kind of signal to Manik that she is interested in him, right..( Abhi and Dhruv nodded ) Then, how can she understand Manik's closeness was because he loves her..

Manik stopped punching and stared at Cabir and got lost in thoughts while Abhi and DHruv sat in amusement..

Cabir ( annoyed ): Ab tum log ghoor kyu rahe ho..?

Dhruv ( dumbfounded ): How did you understand her point of view.? I mean, you never were good in understanding someone..

Cabir ( grinned ): Well, I understand Navya and Nandini is just like her sister, the only difference between Navya and Nandini is, my Bhabi is more like a tigress

Manik smacked his head..

Cabir ( winced ): Kya hai sale..

Manik ( glared ):Don't call her that..

Cabir ( bad face ): Agar ithna possessive hai tho ithna gussa kyu usse..

Manik ( sighed ): I lost my control..

Abhi ( smiled ): Manik, you need to be calm as Bhabi isn't calm at all..

Manik smiled making his brothers to smile at him..

Next Day

In MK Group of Companies

the boys were working in their cabin when Manik's phone beeped..he opened his mobile to see a message from " Baby "

Manik ( shocked ): Nandini ka message..?

" What "

Cabir ( smirked ): Kya baath hai..baath ithna aage nikla ki Bhabi message karna bhi shuru kiya..

Manik glared at him..he opened the message.." Can i borrow 10 minutes of your day ? "

Abhi ( frowned ): 10 minutes..?

Dhruv ( smiled ): She wants to talk to you, Manik..maybe she too has some feelings..

Manik ( nodded in No ): No..she isn't among the clingy girls who would fall head over heels for a guy if he confess his feelings. She gives a lot of importance to her point of view too..It has got another side too..

Cabir ( nodded ): Maybe, so what are you going to do..?

Manik smiled and replied her " At 5 pm, if you are going to be free "

" Done " she replied..

He smiled and continued his work, along with his brothers..

At 5 pm

Nandini was waiting near to a cliff leaning onto her car..She saw Manik's car coming towards her. he got out of the car once he stopped it. He walked towards her and stood in front of her with an expressionless face..

Nandini ( awkwardly ): Um, Hi..

Manik ( nodded ): Hi..you..you called me..what is it that you wanted to share with a person who isn't so important to you..

She knew he was hurt and pissed due to her last day's behavior..But she gotta keep the stern face or else, she wouldn't be able to tell about her past to him..

Nandini ( nodded ): I do..Shall we occupy that bench..

She pointed at the bench which was kept for tourists. He nodded and they both sat on it keeping a distance form each other..

Manik ( initiated ): So..?

Nandini ( straightforward ): Why do you LOVE me..?

Manik looked at her in surprise..

Manik ( sighed ): I don't think you are interested in loving me back, so its better you need not to know..

He was about to get up when she caught hold of his hand which surprised him..

Nandini ( sighed ): I need to speak, please Manik..

Manik found that she was stressed so he sat and kept staring at her..

Manik ( sighed ): Our first meeting, in the mall..that day, I felt some kind of attraction towards you..maybe your appearance so I flirted with you..But then, gradually I understood it was Love that I had for you..I don't know why, when and how I fell for you..So don't ask me much..

Nandini ( nodded ): Are you sure you could keep loving me, forever..?

Manik ( angry ): If you can't reciprocate my feelings then its fine but don't insult my feelings..

Nandini ( glared ): I wasn't Mr. Malhotra..Whatever I said would become the truth, once you get to know about My Past..

Manik looked at her in surprise..She composed herself..

Nandini ( sighed ): I had a very beautiful family, Manik. A pampering father, a loving mother, protective and possessive sisters and a little bundle of joy as our little brother. I was actually feeling like, I was some Princess since I had no worries..only happiness could be find in my life, our life, my family. But then, God answered all my doubts, very harshly. The person whom I loved the most, whom I trusted the most, whom my sisters and I prefer whenever we get upset, who always showed only Love and Care turned out to be someone who deserve only hatred and disgust, our mother..

She closed her eyes when she said the last line. Manik stared at her with so much of pain in his eyes. He held her hand which forced her to open her eyes..She didn't dare to look at him yet..He didn't stop her, he wanted her to open herself to him, though he knows the reason of her sadness..

Nandini ( smiled faintly ): She was everything for us and so if she wasn't near to us even for a second, we would freak out. We always craved for her attention. Which was why, we got scared like hell when we found out that she was missing. The whole day, we were crying.

Flashback..

Ronit was hugging his children close to his heart who were just crying..His daughters were 15 years of old but still, they always needed their mother close to them and seeing her missing was like a shock for them..

Ronit ( composed himself ): Princesses. Don't cry..Dekho, your Mom will be here, very soon..

Rishab who was in Nandini's and Navya's arms crawled to his Dad like a baby and asked with tears in his eyes..

Rishab ( hiccuped ): Dad, Mumma..mumma kaha hai..Dekho na hum sab uskeliye intezaar kar rahe hai..Aur Di kyu ro rahe hai..

The little sisters just hugged him while Ronit could only wipe their tears. He was also crying his heart out but didn't show it to his children. He loved her enough not to let any harm come near her..Lakshmi wasn't seen anywhere from afternoon, they even filed a case to Police but nobody could find any trace of her, which was scaring him..What if something had happened to her..

It was 9 p.m and the kids were exhausted due to crying. Rishab was made to eat forcefully by Ronit but the girls denied. They always had food with their mother. It was very rare to see a daughter giving lots of attention to her mother, though she loves both of her parents but since she gets pampering from her father, she always gets close to her father. But for Khanna sisters, their mother was someone whom they consider as definition of Love..

The Khannas turned their heads to the door when they heard a car's horn..The next minute, they saw Lakshmi entering the Mansion. the girls were broke into happy tears, Ronit was smiling like a lunatic with Rishab in his arms.. The girls just ran to her and hugged her..

Nandini ( cried ): Mom, aap kaha the..

Mukti ( cried ): Patha hai Mom, how much we got worried..

Navya ( cried ): Mom, please don't leave us again..

Alya ( cried ): Mom, you are fine right..

But instead of any answers to their rants, they received something they never expected. They were pushed to the ground by LAKSHMI RONIT KHANNA, THEIR OWN MOTHER.

Lakshmi ( annoyed ): Just shut up..Are you some babies to get stick to me like fevicol. Mom, how much we got worried..Did I jump off some cliff to cry some buckets of tears..

The girls stared at her in shock. While, Ronit was staring at his wife's new Avtar..Rishab got down off Ronit's arms and ran to Lakshmi.

Rishab ( hugged her ): Mumma, aap chilla kyu rahe hai..

But she just baked off and pushed him on the ground making his head hit to the table which took the Khanna's breathe out..

Ronit ( roared ): Lakshmi, kya kar rahe ho tum..Hosh mein tho ho..?

Lakshmi ( shouted ): Main ab hosh mein aa chuki hoon..God, how much I wanted to become myself. How badly I wanted to get rid of this over dramatic family. A husband who always act like a romeo and a bunch of children who always stick to me even to have food. DO I look like some machine for you guys..

They stared at her in shock, surprise..They couldn't even breathe properly..

Mukti ( dumbfounded ): Mom, ye aap kya keh rahe hai..Hum..hum aapke family hai..

Nandini ( in tears ): Haa mom..we are your princesses..This is your Rishu..your baby..

Navya ( in tears ): Haa Mumma, this is our Dad..aapka Ron..

Lakshmi ( irritated ): God, why don't you understand that I am not at all interested in your shitty talks..

She just went upstairs while they couldn't believe whom they were witnessing..Soon Lakshmi came downstairs..Ronit who couldn't utter any single world got alert after seeing a suitcase in her hand..

Ronit: Where are you going..

She didn't reply, instead took some papers and threw it on Ronit's face making him and others gasp in horror..

Lakshmi ( coldly ): Sign them and give it to me..

Ronit took the papers with shivering hands and read it. He looked up to her with tears in his eyes..

Ronit ( whispered+shocked ): Divorce Papers..?

Lakshmi ( sarcastically ): I thought you could understand English..

Ronit ( sighed with tears ): What happened to you..We are family. What exactly happened that you just became cold within a day..

Lakshmi ( angry ): What exactly happened..Tho suno..My happiness returned to my life..( they frowned at her )..Alex...

A man came inside the mansion with a dirty smirk on his face. the Khannas got confused..

Alya ( frowned ): Who is he..?

Lakshmi went and took hold of Alex's arms for which he smirked at her. The girls looked at their Dad to see him staring at them in pain..

Lakshmi ( smirked ): This is Alex..Alexander Pious..My Boyfriend..

The Khannas got rooted in their places..

Nandini ( shocked+ whispered ): Boyfriend..?

Ronit ( stammered ): You have a boyfriend..? Even after being my wife..?

Lakshmi ( smirked ): I married you because Alex wasn't rich at that time and you were madly in love with me at that time so i thought of marrying you. Anyway, you were a man with good looks who could satisfy me and you had enough money which would be more than enough for me to follow a luxurious life. But then bearing your children ( she made a disgusted face ) it was the most horrible thing I had to do..I had to act like a sweet wife and then I had to act as the best mother of this universe. How much I wished to strangle your children to become my real self..Sticking with me was like their favorite job. But finally, Alex returned to me..Now, he is filthy rich..richer than you..I was already in love with him as I never LOVED you and your so called children..So..I have decided to leave you, FOREVER..

Ronit fell on the couch with a thud while the sisters could only gape at their mother.A mother who used to love them, pamper them make them smile is confessing that all those were drama. She was never a sweet lady, in fact..she never loved them..

MukNi ( whispered ): Mom..ye aap..

Lakshmi ( glared ): Just shut up bitches..I am done with your so called ' Mumma ' rants..

Nandini and Mukti palmed their mouths to stop themselves from crying..While Navya and Alya couldn't even speak anything..Ronit composed himself and took the papers and signed them and walked towards Lakshmi..

Ronit ( expressionless ): Here are the Divorce Papers, you are free to go..

Lakshmi smirked and took it from him and moved towards the door with Alex while the kids hugged each other in tears..

Ronit ( called out ): Lakshmi ( she turned back ) Never..show your face to me again..

Lakshmi ( coolly ): Fair enough, I was neither interested..

They walked away while Ronit hugged his children..Rishab was asking for his Mom but the girls just made him quiet and hugged him and whispered " She is no one to us "..

From then, the Khannas' life was changed..the girls who were of just 15 years old, who always needed their mother near to them changed themselves. They got matured and started working in that age as Khanna's Industries were losing their fame due to some issues which was actually ruining the industries. But the sisters couldn't take it. They wanted to show that they are enough for their Dad to live a life. So they started working as waitresses in cafes and Restaurants, librarians, receptionists in various companies and schools.

Soon after they turned 17, they joined their Dad's company as they knew the basics of Business. They attended medical classes in morning and worked in the company in the evening. At night, they study. Sleep was something that they never tasted during those times..

Finally, after they turned 24, the Khanna's Empire became one of the 5 topmost companies of India. They built their own Mansion. Rishab was already sent to other countries to learn as they didn't want him to see them struggling.

Flashback Ends..

Nandini was sitting with tears falling from her eyes. Manik just stared at her with an emotionless face. He didn't know how to react. He knew her mother was never a good lady but this much of hatred that she had for her children and the way the Khannas had to bear just for loving that Lady is something unexpected..Most importantly, Nandini's tears were affecting him and it wasn't a rare scene after all, Khanna sister always behaved like some think walls who could never break down..

Nandini composed herself. She never showed her true self to anyone other than her sister. She didn't want Manik to see this side of her's. SO, she just wiped her tears..

Nandini ( composed herself ): This is my past. This is me..I can't love anyone cause I forgot doing it after my own blood, my own so called mother's betrayal.

She rose to her feet and was about to go away when he stopped her by holding her hand. She turned back to him..

Manik ( smiled ): You decided to share your past with me so that you could get away from me, right..

SHe looked at him in surprise..

Manik pulled her by waist and caressed her cheeks..

Manik ( softly ) i knew about your mother ( she looked at him in shock ) Actually, we Malhotra boys went for a lunch in a restaurant and at that time you khanna sisters were having a conversation with that lady and so I knew she was the reason for your pain and this rude attitude. But still, I couldn't stop myself from loving you..I wanted to see the softer side of this Nandini Khanna which once will be shown to me..

He leaned and kissed her forehead which brought a tear out of her eyes..He drank that tear..

She could only stare at him..He picked her in his arms and made her sit in her car and drove it while she leaned on the seat with a sigh. Soon, they reached Khanna's Mansion..She got out of it..

Nandini ( expressionless ): I cant Manik..Please try to understand..

She went away..Manik too got out of her car and leaned on to it..

Manik ( smiled ): You would be loving me, one day Nandini..Ye mera wadha hai..tumse..

He moved to his Mansion..

To be continued..