This update is dedicated to everyone whose name starts with letter "A"

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He guided me to the opposite side of where we were standing. "Where are you taking me? Cabir, I want to meet Manik."

"If it was Manik staying in that room you wouldn't even be able to step on that floor. It's a -- technique to confuse others and secure the Boss location." He said and I immediately smiled.

"I know about surrogacy strike. You need not explain it to me." I said without letting him to interrupt me.

He kept his mouth shut all the way till we reached Manik's room. This floor was heavily guarded and I was under hawk eyes with every step I took forward. Finally, Cabir entered the passcode hiding it from me.

Stupid. I know all the passcodes are star star star star. What's there to hide?

He signalled me to get inside the room with his fingers and I stepped in the spacious room. It was the room I performed the surgery on Manik when he kidnapped me. The curtains, the bed, and everything else was same. Nothing changed. Except my Manik.

He slept soundly as his chest slightly rose with every breath he took. There were bandages all over his body indicating the number of times he was stabbed. A lump formed in my throat seeing my strong man in this position and all because of me.

I immediately ran towards Manik and kneeled beside his bed while holding his palm within mine. "Manik." I softly caressed his palm.

"You promised to not to touch or talk with Manik." Cabir reminded me.

I looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "You should notice more things, Cabir. I did not promise, I pinky promised. I don't care if Pinky dies or stays alive as I don't know that Pinky organism. Secondly, I used my left hand which means that promise was not even a promise in the first place. How did you even get your title?"

He left his mouth open unable to answer me. Great! Manik would be so proud seeing me tackling the problems.

With this thought my eyes went back to the Handsome man lying on the bed with no motion. I slowly brought his palm and placed it under my cheeks to feel his warmth. I ran my fingers over the white bandage on his arm and silently wept.

Did the doctors do the surgery properly? Were his internal organs checked? Did they stop the internal bleeding? What about external organs? Were these people have passion to perform surgery or just did for money? Is my Manik in risk? Should I redo the surgery?

"Its enough. You have to go." Cabir said disturbing my train of thoughts.

"No. I still didn't even introduce myself to Manik. There's a lot I have to speak with him." I said with a frown.

"He can't hear you right now. You can speak once he gets back."

"He can't hear me, but I can speak right? So, I will speak to him." I said standing up from my place.

"What's the use to speak if he can't hear you? You could do that in your room with your walls." He said taking a step forward.

Now he is irritating me. Should I perform eye dropping surgery on him? "You wouldn't understand. It's a thing between Manik and I. Also, you have to stand out and give us privacy."

"Privacy? So that you could perform your surgeries on Manik and hurt him once again?"

"No. Why would I do that? I initially had a thought to perform surgery by myself but seeing the troop of doctors running here and there confirms their dedication. Manik's body is in normal temperature so there's no need of double surgery." I said like a doctor.

"Also stop accusing me every time that I am here to harm Manik. I can not do that, Manik is my one night stand."

"What?" He questioned.

"One night stand? He stood by my side one night and changed my entire life from that night my mansion burnt." I explained to Cabir.

He shook his head. "If I spend another second speaking to you I will go insane." He opened the door and held the knob in his hand. "Promise me that you would not do your surgery on Manik."

"Promise, I will not harm my one night stand." I said with a smile seeing Cabir on the door side.

"Stop addressing him with that word for heavens sake." He rolled his eyes. "Show me both of your hands and promise me with your right hand."

I laughed seeing the Underboss believing in this left hand promise. I did as he said and he walked out of the room not before warning me to not pull any tricks.

I shook my head at his antics. Okay, Manik might be his best friend but Manik is my boyfriend. Oh my! Mafia Boss is my boyfriend. I cupped my cheeks feeling excited.

I once again sat down next to Manik's bed and gently pushed the few locks of hair falling on his forehead. His complete face is clearly visible to me now.

"Manik." I started not knowing how to say things to him. "I am Nandini Murthy. Hello. Welcome to the world. Konnichiwa."

What the hell am I saying?

"It's so difficult to form words Manik. I need your help. You know it's so warm in your room, it's so nice seeing you after so many days. But it would be more nice if you were awake and listening to me speaking as a slight smile would play on your lips." I started and held his palm in mine while my free hand caressed his cheeks.

"It was so cold and lonely without you. I even had bad nightmares but you were not there next to me. You know I cried so much in these four days that it wouldn't even match for my lifetime. See, even while I am speaking with you I am crying and I don't know how to stop them." I kept his palm next my cheeks pretending that he is wiping my tears.

"I don't like how our conversation is one way. I want you to reply to me, agree with me, disagree with me, pass a sarcastic remark, laugh or get angry but seeing you not responding to me is scaring me, Manik. What should I do without you?" My voice was getting soft as I cried next to him.

I laid my head next to the space on his bed making sure not to touch his wounds and hurt him. "I don't want anything from you Manik. Nothing. You don't need to accept all my tantrums, you don't need to sleep on the couch, or get worried about me. I will behave like a good girl, Manik. I will listen only to you and will not listen to that white coat bullock cart anymore. I won't trouble you Manik. Please wake up as we have lots and lots to talk about."

I lifted my head and inched closer to his face as my heartbeat quickened. "Do you know what I have thought all these four days? Why should you hear those last words? Why should I say I didn't love you? You could have stayed for more time and argued with me and pulled me into your arms. I am so stupid to utter such harsh words. But Manik, I did not mean any of those words. You are the most loved person in this Empire. Everyone is missing your presence. From the lowest ranked guards to the top ranked Cabir everyone is going crazy without you. We need you Manik."

I bent down slowly to his face and placed a small peck close to his lips. "I love you, Manik. The princess has finally found a prince in the Boss."

I felt his fingers move in my hand and I instantly looked at his face with a smile.

Just kidding! He did not move. It was my fingers and I moved it for a feel. But it would be so nice if it was real.

"Dude, you have to wake up now. It's my first kiss, I mean technically first kiss for someone sleeping. If you would exclude my ducks as they are animals." I snuggled close to him and found my solace in his presence.

I didn't want to close my eyes and lose this moment, the memory of Manik being so close to me without any disturbance. Ah! This is what heaven feels like, isn't it?

"I will wait for you, Manik. There is no hurry. You and I are not going anywhere. We have a long life ahead of us, I have to hear your heartbeat matching mine." I can stare at him forever.

Knock knock

There it goes. Romantic moment destroyers entering in my life as I just got into a relationship.

I stood up setting my dress properly and asked him to get inside the room. He came inside with a troop of doctors who monitored Manik's pulse points.

"When will Manik wake up, Doctor?" I questioned with curiosity.

"We can't say anything about it. As of now it's a luck that he is alive after getting 12 stabs in his body." The doctor said with a serious expression.

"Are you even a doctor? Can't you tell when a patient wakes up? I need a date and time along with minutes and seconds. Right now." I ordered.

"And who are you? Are you a doctor?" The doctor questioned me.

"I am more than that, I am a fashionology surgeon. I have successfully performed internal organs surgeries on many people. My Manik was walking good until you all entered his life. Heck, did you even check his internal organs? You people just check his pulse points and eat all the money without bringing any improvement in his health. Four days? It is taking four days for you and still you are unable to speak anything. He did not eat any proper meal all these days and his mitochondria would be affected by now, dammit! His skin is still bluish on the wounds and he needs chlorophyll to balance the stomata of his organs."

My warnings were incomplete as Cabir kept his palm over my mouth preventing me to speak further.

The team of doctors looked at me with their mouths open. "I am lost at the first word you said, Guru. I have to revise from my primary school books to get normal after your vocabulary."

They began walking out in a trance as Cabir stopped them and only one of them stopped and turned behind. "I doubt if I am even a doctor, AUB. I hope we can meet soon but that please don't call me when this Guru is present. I beg you."

He ran away leaving us in the room.

Cabir removed his hand from my face and I anticipated scoldings from him but to my surprise he was laughing holding his stomach.

"You are something else. You made the highest ranked doctors run away with your knowledge. This is the first time I am laughing in these five years." He hardly spoke these words between his laugh.

"What happened five years ago?" I asked a wrong question and his laugh stopped.

He went back to his serious mode. "Your time is up. Now go to your room."

Cabir shut Manik's door and we walked silently through the floor. But I am a overthinker so it's impossible for my mind to stay calm as questions ran in my head. Unable to control myself I finally questioned Cabir.

"Why was Manik unable to defend himself when those attackers stabbed him? Everyone knows he never missed a single bullet and he is a sharp shooter."

"Exactly. Manik is a sharp shooter but not trained in using combat knives. Malhotra Empire armory has all kinds of guns but never a knife." He said seriously and another set of questions raised in my head.

...

How is the update?

When will Manik's mitochondria wake up?

How many times did you let pinky die or did you use your left hand to save everyone?

What questions rose in your mind after hearing Cabir's answers?

Do you have any ideas for Manan scenes you wish to read?

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