10 pm, Murthy House, Rajaji Nagar, Bangalore.

"Aap itne relaxed kaise ho saktein hain? Aren't you worried about Nandini?" I asked my excruciatingly calm husband, Venkatesh Murthy, in frustration.

"Shanno ji, tension lene se koi problem solve nahi hogi! The police are searching for Nandini, right? There's nothing we can do at this point..." He said, in a dejected voice.

"But how can you pretend that nothing's happened?" I argued.

I was beyond worried! It was a miracle I was even sitting still because I had been restless for hours. When Nandini had called me last night, I had finally found a ray of hope! I finally believed that we would be able to get her back home. I had alerted the police of her location immediately after she sent it to me, and they said they would call as soon as they tracked her down. I was still waiting for their call to come...hoping that they had found her. I had even called the police station multiple times to find out whether they had any news, but it was of no use! They were entirely dodging my calls and requests! The police force was filled with such amateurs! I should have tried to find Nandini myself! I couldn't help but feel responsible for her state. It was our responsibility to protect her and we failed! What would her parents think if they were here today? How could Murthy Ji just take it all so lightly?

"Shanno...I care about Nandini, just as much as you...but we are doing all we can. Even I'm scared, but I'm sure nothing's happened to her. After all, she gave you a call, right? Maybe she managed to escape from there...maybe she's on her way home right now! She's a very smart girl, you never know..." He said in an optimistic tone.

I really hoped Murthy Ji was right. I silently prayed to Nandini's Aiyappa to keep her safe from harm. My prayer was interrupted by the doorbell.

I sprang up from my seat and hurried to the door as soon as I could. When I opened the door, I was surprised to see three police officers standing before me.

"Madam, kya hum andar aa sakte hain?" The policeman who seemed to have a higher rank in the force asked.

"Haan...andar aaiye" I said, immediately and ushered them inside the house.

As soon as they took their seats I asked, "Have you found Nandini? Where is she? Is she okay? Did you use the location I sent you?" I bombarded them with a myriad of questions.

"Madam, calm down. We'll tell you..." one of the officers said.

"Toh bataiye..." I said, unable to keep cool any longer, as Murthy Ji joined us in the hall.

"Ma'am we did use the location to trace her, and the team we sent, found her too, but...Manik-her kidnapper-managed to evade the police yet again..." He answered.

"What? How can you be so irresponsible?" This time Venkatesh beat me to it.

"Sir, we tried our level best, but we underestimated him. He's highly skilled in combat! We sent five policemen and he managed to fight them all off..." one of the officers said.

Manik Malhotra! I would kill him if he ever appeared before me! Dikhne mein toh kitna sona lagta hain- but how dare he do this to our precious Nandu? On top of that, the press was saying that he was a murder suspect as well! My hatred for him knew no limits at this point!

"You should have been more careful! We had only one chance- and you people ruined everything!" I said, in frustration.

"Madam, if you don't mind me asking, may I propose the possibility that she's escaped with Manik willingly? After all, Manik is known to be quite the charmer among young women..." said the senior officer.

"Excuse me! How can you say that about her? Nandini would never disgrace her family by running away!" I shouted, unable to control my temper. They couldn't insult her in this manner!

"I'm sorry ma'am, I'm just covering all bases. I can't discount what the officers on the field told me...one of our officers who tried to bring her in, said, that she seemed unsure of what she wanted. In fact, he said, that she nearly helped Manik tackle him..." the senior officer said.

What? This came as a big shock! Why would Nandini aid her own kidnapper?

"Inspector, if this is true-why did she call us? Please explain." Said Murthy Ji in an angry voice.

"Sir- I'm not sure. I'm just speculating, like I said." He answered.

"Well that's not good enough! Bring her back to us!" Murthyji said, in frustration. His calm exterior was finally starting to crumble.

"Sir, there's also one more possibility-it's possible that Nandini has developed Stockholm syndrome." Said one of the officers.

"What's that?" I asked immediately.

"It's a condition where a victim of a kidnapping starts empathizing with her captor or developing feelings for him. That would explain why she was aiding him or why she hasn't made any drastic attempts to escape." Replied the officer.

"Our Nandini isn't like other girls, inspector-she doesn't see a handsome face and lose her mind entirely! Manik has taken her away forcefully and all you can do is blame her? Isn't she just a victim in all this?" I asked angrily.

"Ma'am we're sorry for our harsh words. We'll not bring it up again. There's one last question we'd like to ask you though...whenever there's a kidnapping, there's always a call for ransom...have you received such a call?" one of the officers asked.

"No...I mean, what would a kidnapper even demand from us? We are a middle class family with a very average annual income..." I replied.

"Think about it-are there any relatives of yours who are rich? Who may have something that Manik wants?" The senior inspector asked.

Any relatives we had, were of the same financial status as us except...the Singhanias! Wait! Was it possible that Manik somehow knew about our connection to the family? Had he kidnapped Nandini so as to blackmail them for money? How could one stoop so low?

"Inspector, this news shouldn't be leaked to the press, but I think I should inform you about this..." I said, slightly apprehensive.

"Yes ma'am, we promise it'll remain private..." the senior inspector said.

"Nandini's actually engaged to Madhyam Singhania-of the Singhania business family. Could it be possible that this has something to do with her kidnapping?" I asked, seeing surprised expressions on the officers' faces.

"Ma'am-it's possible...maybe he believes that he can blackmail you and your extended family for cash..." said, one of the officers.

"Anyway, ma'am, we'll take your leave now...if there's any news about Nandini, we'll inform you immediately. For now I suggest you ask the Singhania family for as much help you can get..."After saying this, the policemen made their way out, leaving me and Murthyji in a tough spot.

"Shanno...I know what you're thinking but we can't ask them for help." Murthyji said." It's against my dignity to take monetary help from someone else."

I nodded and returned to the room because I knew that he wouldn't budge. However his stubbornness had the potential to endanger Nandini's life!

If sacrificing my self-respect and giving Mukesh singhania a call was the way to get Nandini home, I would do it in a heartbeat.

With this thought I dialed his number, and waited for him to pick up...

************************************

10 pm, Malhotra Mansion, Mumbai.

I had been in a terrible mood since morning! My hopes of having Manik brought in were shattered once again! When I bribed the police officer, to bring Nandini to me, I thought that he would get the job done! And Manik would follow her! After all, he had taken a great risk by kidnapping her...he wouldn't have made such a move unless she was the key to something important...but what? Ever since I was informed that she was the Singhania family's future daughter-in-law, I had racked my brains to figure out, if it was the reason he'd kidnapped her, but it made no logical sense!

Also, Harshad had said, that Manik seemed to have a soft spot for her...it's all so confusing! I was fatigued even thinking about it! If this continued, l would never get my hands on Shrikant's wealth permanently! I needed Manik to sign the legal documents before he got imprisoned! In order to understand the situation better, I had sent Harshad after the useless cop I had bribed. As usual, Harshad hadn't called me back! I felt like I was surrounded by morons of the first order!

I continued to curse him mentally, until I found my phone buzzing with his caller ID, a few minutes later.

I picked up the call immediately and said, "Harshad, tell me...what happened? Why didn't the cop bring Nandini to me? I specifically told him to bring her at any cost!"

"Mrs. M, I really don't know how it's possible, but Manik managed to escape again! He fought off five officers including the one you had bribed. The officer had managed to drag Nandini away for a few minutes, but apparently she was less than cooperative. However, Manik showed up to rescue her, and despite the officer being armed with a knife, Manik was able to knock him out..." Harshad answered in a dazed voice, understandably confused by the peculiar sequence of events.

"Aur kuch pata chala?" I asked, desperate for at least a sliver of good news.

"Aur kuch...yes! But I doubt that it's at all relevant to our problem!" Harshad said, in a sketchy tone.

"What is it? Spit it out!" I yelled.

"Actually, I visited the dhaba that Manik had stopped at, and interviewed the staff there to know exactly what had happened when the cops arrived. They described the fight that took place, but one man had something more to say..." Harshad said.

"What?" I was losing patience by the second.

"He said that he eavesdropped on Manik's phone conversation when he stepped out for a minute. According to him, Manik was supposedly blackmailing a 'Singhania' on the phone to obtain some sort of recording. That's all he could make of the conversation..." Harshad said.

I let out a loud gasp at his statement. Manik had probably contacted Mukesh Singhania, and this idiot Harshad was telling me now? How thick was he? I was sure that this had something to do with the kidnapping!

"Harshad, sometimes your stupidity just amazes me!" I shouted. However, I soon realized that there was no point in reprimanding him. "Just sit tight while I do some digging! Let me find out what Manik's up to!"

"Okay Mrs. M. Whatever you say! I'll call you later if I have any news." Saying this, Harshad cut the call.

I had absolutely had it! I couldn't depend on others anymore. It was up to me now. I had to find out what Manik wanted from the Singhanias. An audio recording, did Harshad say? Why was it so important?

Well, if Manik wanted it, he would be in for a disappointment! He wouldn't get his hands on it- not if I had my way!

**************************************

11:00 pm, Anjuna, Goa.

Fuck! Dad's going to be so pissed with me! I had told him that I'd take the first flight out of Bangalore when he called me...but here I was-nearly a day late. He was definitely going to blow his top! But...I couldn't help it! I needed time to prepare...to face him! After all, this crisis was partially my fault!

I had left for Bangalore three days ago in order to meet my supposed fiancée- Nandini Murthy- for the first time...at least that's what I had told Dad. What he didn't know was that I had an ulterior motive! The main reason I went to Bangalore was to visit Soha-my girlfriend- who I had been seeing for almost a year!

I first met her at a counselling session in the hospital, where I was undergoing treatment for social anxiety. Ever since childhood, I had always maintained a nervous demeanour in public, which continued well into my adolescence. I was so shy that I wasn't even on any social media platform, and neither did I like having my picture taken. Obviously, Dad couldn't have the heir of the Singhania business behave in this manner, so he suggested that I undergo therapy for my problems, to which I grudgingly agreed.

I was skeptical, about the therapy at first, but after a few sessions, I realized that it had actually helped me boost my confidence. I met Soha at one such session and we instantly hit it off! I had never had any friends earlier and I finally found someone who I could relate to. She had been diagnosed with manic depression early on in her teenage years and had successfully completed her treatment. She was the only one who understood how it felt to be alienated from society just because you were different. Our relationship was blissful for several months until she shifted from Mumbai to Bangalore, making it difficult for us to stay connected.

Although it hadn't been smooth sailing, we had managed to be in a long distance relationship, quite successfully. However, I knew that I could never tell my father about her, since officially, I was already engaged to Nandini. Besides, Dad would never approve of Soha, because she had been a mental patient at one point. Ugh! Nandini! She was the root cause of all my problems! First, Dadi forced me to agree to marry her! And now when I was finally gathering up the guts to tell Dad about Soha, she created another problem for me by getting herself kidnapped! How brainless could she be?

Soha had finally said 'YES' to my marriage proposal, but my happiness was short-lived when I received the call from Dad!

Enough was enough! I would clear up everything with Dad today! I'd tell him about Soha and refuse to marry Nandini flat out! After all, if I refused to marry her, she really wasn't the Singhania family's problem anymore! Manik Malhotra could kill her for all I cared!

With this thought I attempted to drive into the gates of our mansion in Goa, only to realize that they were shut. I looked outside the window and observed the security guards snoozing. I lost my cool!

"Abey oh, bhenchod! Gate khol!" I shouted at the top of my voice, waking the guard up from his siesta.

As soon as he saw who it was, he immediately got to work and opened the gate. Normally, I wasn't one to use expletives but my frustration had rendered my vocabulary rather crass.

I immediately parked the car and made my way into the house after calming myself down.

I entered the house and found Dad having a drink at the bar. I was approaching him slowly, when he turned around.

"What the hell, Madhyam? You said, you'd reach as soon as you could and you're hours late!" He yelled, visibly frustrated.

"Dad I'm sorry, all the flights were full!" I lied.

"Whatever the case may be! You could have got on a chartered plane, then! Do you know what I've been through in the last couple of hours? I've received so many pleas from Maa begging me to save Nandini at any cost! Not only that-Nandini's Chachi spoke to me about getting help from us as well!" He shouted.

"Dad, just calm down! We can deal with this situation..." I said.

"How? Do you know what Manik is demanding as ransom for returning Nandini?" He asked, in a vicious tone.

"What does that idiot want? Shouldn't he be in prison already?" I asked, irritated.

"He knows about the bug in the Malhotra home, Madhyam! He's asking for that as ransom! Manik didn't kill Shrikant! Nyonika Malhotra did! The audio recording we obtained has Nyonika's entire confession in it! That's why he wants it-to prove his innocence!" Dad replied.

"Shit!" I exclaimed in shock.

"Now, all my plans of blackmailing Nyonika to sell the Malhotra airline business to me at a loss have gone for a toss! I don't know what to do!" He said.

I thought for a few moments and then made my next statement carefully.

"Dad, what if we don't hand over the recording to Manik?" I asked, cautiously.

"Then we won't get Nandini back! Manik will disgrace us by revealing that we refused to help our future daughter-in-law, to the press." He answered.

A plan slowly began to take shape in my mind.

"Dad...what if I don't marry Nandini? Then we'd have no reason to save her, right?" I asked.

"What gibberish are you speaking?" Dad asked incredulously.

"Dad, think about it, we've not made an official announcement to the press, yet! Besides, I never wanted to marry her in the first place... I've had my heart set on someone else for a while now!" I confessed.

"Who?" Dad asked in an angry and shocked voice.

"It's Soha! Soha Khurana! I've been dating her for nearly a year now since I met her at my counselling session, and I wish to marry her, Dad! Not that behenji-Nandini!" I replied.

"Madhyam, have you completely lost it? Absolutely not!" He refused.

"Dad, this is Soha Khuranna-as in the Daughter of Avinash Khurana! He's the owner of Alliance Airways! Think about it! You've always wanted to step into the airline business, right Dad? But you were scared of competition from the Malhotras! This is your chance Dad! Let me marry her, and I can take control of it, finally giving you what you wanted! We'll be unstoppable! Don't you see?" I pleaded.

I saw his expression change as he pondered over my words.

"No! It can't be done! It's too late...the press will make a joke out of our family!" He said.

"Let me handle the press! They just want juicy headlines-they have no interest in the truth. I'll sell them a story first, which will save our family from any public humiliation..." I said, confidently.

"And what's that?" Dad asked, rubbing his chin.

"I'll tell them that it was Nandini who ran away with Manik, willingly in order to escape getting married to me! That'll only disgrace the Murthy family and garner sympathy for ours! And any story Manik tells the press will be ignored because, at this point, he has zero credibility!" I said, convincingly.

Dad thought for a while and slowly realized the viability of the plan. A smile began to spread on his face.

"I taught you well, my son..." He patted my back and said.

I had earned his seal of approval! Finally! Now that I had convinced him-convincing Dadi would be a cakewalk!

I was about to thank him when his phone started buzzing.

He picked up the call from the unknown number and said keeping the phone on speaker mode, "Hello, who is this?"

"Mukesh Singhania, this is Nyonika Malhotra...I think it's time we had a chat, don't you?" Her vixen like voice said.

I thought I had analysed the situation entirely, but I guess that I was wrong. Looked like things were about to get even more interesting...