A chawl in Mumbai....

"AAH!" A girl yelled out as she was being hit with a stick. "Im sorry...Im sorry. Pls maf kardo Chotima."

"Dont you dare! Im not your chotima samjhi?" The woman snarled as she pulled the girl by her hair. "You will call me Kamya madam...kya bulaugi?"

"K..K..Kam..ya...Ma..dam." The girl stammered.

"Good girl..aur haan, aaj maaf kar rahi hoon lekin if you ever enter my room without permission again....toh tange tod dungi teri!" 

"NANDINI! Kaha mar gayi tu!" An elderly woman called out. Kamya gave the girl, Nandini a look and motioned for her to go.

"Ja....Maaji bula rahi hai tujhe." 

Nandini slowly got up, closing her eyes in pain and walked out of the room. 

"Aa gayi maharani." The elderly woman who was Nandini's Dadi, Madhuri Gupta taunted. "Nashta kya teri maari hui Ma aa ke banayegi?"

Nandini looked down with tears in her eyes.

"Tu toh hospital ke liye nikal jayegi aur mere Raghav ko bhukha kaam pe bhi jaana hoga.....jaa jaldi jaake nashta bana!" Madhuri Yelled. Nandini nodded and ran into the kitchen. She quickly made some roti and sabji and set the breakfast table. Madhuri & Kamya sat at the table and soon Raghav Gupta also joined. Nandini stood in the corner of the room while the Guptas ate and the Raghav stood up.

"Ma....mujhe jaana hoga. Important meeting hai aaj." Raghav informed his mother. "Arshirvaad do."

Madhuri blessed him and as he started leave Nandini gathered her courage and called for him. "P..P..Papa..."

Raghav turned and glared at her. "Manhus kahi ki....zaroori kaam ke liye jaa rahi thi kyun bulaya?"

"Pa...pa...main...main..."

"Main main karti rahegi kya kuch bolegi bhi?" Raghav yelled. Nandini flinched at his voice.

"Woh...iss mahine ki rent..."

"Ae ladki! Uske liye inko piche se kyun rokha? Mujhe de!" Kamya snatched the cash from Nandini and started counting it. Raghav just rolled his eyes and left and soon Nandini also left for the hospital. She got in a taxi and rode all the way to Faith Hospital, just before she entered she made sure her sleeves covered the bruises on her arm and put on her best happy face.

"Hey hey Girly!" A girl came over and hugged her from the side. "You are late today."

"Haan...woh utne mein deri ho gayi." Nandini lied. Her friend just gave her a look like she knew she was lying. "Seriously Rids...the alarm clock didnt ring on time so thats why."

"Hmm...if you say so. Anyways Dr Nyonika is waiting for us...chal." Riddhima grabbed Nandini's arm causing her to hiss in pain. "Nandini are you okay?"

"Im fine...kuch nahi hua."

"They hit you again hai na?" Riddhima asked. Nandini shook her head and Riddhima just pulled her sleeve up revealing the black and blue bruises. "Why? Why do you put up with this Nandini? If you wont say anything then let me...Ill tell someone and those monsters will be punished!"

"NO!" Nandini stopped Riddhima. "No Rids dont...pls dont. If I complain then things will just be 100 times worse for me."

"But-"

"Please! For me...dont say anything....Please!" Nandini begged. Riddhima had no other choice but to agree. The girls then went to the main reception area where a woman was waiting with some other interns.

"Dr Nandini, Dr Riddhima...You two are late." The woman, Dr Nyonika stated.

"Im sorry Dr Nyonika, it was my fault." Nandini apologized. "Phirse nahi hoga."

"Hmm...okay. Dr Nandini, you and Dr Riddhima will be in the children's ward today. Dr Vishnu...general ward. Dr Simone, you will be in path lab."

The interns all dispersed and Nandini went to the childrens ward with Riddhima.

"Hi Dr Nandini!" A 10 year old girl greeted Nandini with a smile.

"Hello Payal...how are you feeling today?" Nandini asked her.

"First class."

"Thats great...I have to take some tests okay?" 

Riddhima went to attend another child while Nandini took out a needle and syringe. Payal's smile dropped and she looked scared.

"Dont worry Payal...bas thoda sa khoon chahiye mujhe. It will be over before you know it." Nandini gently told her. As she went towards her, Payal moved away in fear. Nyonika who was taking rounds stopped outside of the childrens ward to watch. Nandini realized how scared Payal was and decided to distract her.

"Payal...who is your most favourite actor?"

"Mine? Umm...Hrithik Roshan!" Payal said. "He is an amazing dancer!"

"Really? I dont think he is that good." Nandini said.

"He is!" Payal got offended.

"No...I think he is a HORRIBLE dancer." Nandini said.

Payal gasped in shocked. "Thats so mean! He is not!"

Nandini then started laughing and Payal looked confused. "Dr Nandini...why are you laughing?"

"Im done." Nandini held up the syringe that now had blood in it. Payal looked at her arm and saw a bandaid on it.

"When did you do that?" Payal asked in awe. Nyonika smiled pproudly at Nandini and then continued her rounds.

Malhotra Mansion (In Mumbai)...

In the Morning

"Im sorry...Im sorry boss! Phirse nahi hoga!" A man was on his knees, begging for his life. Terror was written all over his face. Infront of him sat a tall man, in one hand he was twirling his gun and with the other one he was smoking a cigerette. "Boss, give me another chance. Ill get the money back...Ill pay you from my own savings if I have too...I-"

Bang! Bang!

The man fell onto the floor with a bullet hole right in the middleof his forehead.

"Manik Malhotra doesnt give second chances." The tall man who was none other than Manik Malhotra himself said. 

"Bhai...he said sorry...why-"

"He was a cheat and a traitor Dhruv. He didnt just steal money from us...he gave that money to Harshad!" Manik said. "I dont forgive traitors!"

"What? That means...he was working for Harshad?" Dhruv was shocked.

"Yes....Do one thing. Take a picture and send it to Harshad, he should know that its not so easy to con me."

"Why just a picture Bhai? I can get his body sent to Harshad in pieces...that will really teach him!"

"No!" Manik said. "Keep his body intact....and send it his family. They will need it to bury him. Betraying us was his decision...his family shouldnt have to suffer because of that."

"Ok Bhai." Dhruv nodded and went to do what Manik told him. Manik then threw the cigarette butt away and left the room as his men gulped in fear.

"See...I told him not to betray boss. I told him!" One of the men whispered to another. "Nobody who has ever betrayed the boss has lived to tell the tale. He was such an idiot to think Harshad Saxena would be able to protect him against Boss."

"Shhh..if Boss finds out you knew then you might be next." The other man whispered back.

Manik meanwhile went downstairs where his family was sitting at the table to eat breakfast.

"Manik...subha subha?" Nyonika Malhotra, Manik's mother asked. "Woh bhi ghar mein? You could have done this at the office na?"

"Im sorry Mom." Manik said. 

"Acha...now sit and eat...where is Dhruv?"

"I gave him some work...he will be back in a bit."

"Okay, you eat." Nyonika served him some parathas.

"Bhaiyya...can you pls reduce my security?" Manik's 18 year old cousin, Riya asked. manik gave her a stern look.

"You know the answer to that Riya...No."

"But bhaiyya...Im the only college student with three bodyguards! Its weird!" Riya complained.

"I have bodyguards too." Ishaan, Riya's brother and Manik's younger cousin replied.

"Yeah but its not like that makes any difference to you. You always manage to ditch them anyways." 

Ishaan's eyes widened as Riya exposed him. "RIIYYYAAA!"

"WHAT!" Manik roared. Ishaan looked at his Mom and dad for help but they just shrugged. "Rehan!"

A man about the same age as Manik came in. He had a gun harness on and two guns on each side.

As he entered the room, he drew a gun out and pointed it, looking around for danger. Seeing that there wasnt any, he put the gun back.

"Where...are Ishaans...IDIOT...bodygaurds?" Manik gritted his teeth. 

"Umm...eating in the servants quarters probably." Rehan looked confused.

"Bring them here."

"Kyun? Kya hua Manik? Did they do something wrong? I can-"

"Just...bring them now!"

Rehan nodded and left, after a few minutes he returned with 3 bodyguards.

"When were you planning on telling me that Ishaan escapes from you all the time?" Manik asked. The bodyguards faces became white and they looked around awkwardly. "What the hell do I pay you for? You cant handle one 20 year old college student?"

"Boss..."

"Shut up! You are fired, all of you!" Manik shouted. Raj just chuckled at the stupidness of the guards. "Rehan....get more professional bodyguards. Military trained...and this time double."

"What! Double?!" Ishaan asked.

"Haan...double. I want 6 bodyguards for Ishaan...and 6 for Riya as well."

"WHAT! Bhaiyya thats not fair! I didnt escape, Ishaan did!" Riya complained.

"You knew about it didnt you?" Manik asked and Riya became quiet. "The only reason you said anything was because you were annoyed with Ishaan, otherwise you wouldnt have...correct?"

"Bade papa...say something pls." Riya begged Raj.

"Sorry beta, you know what Manik says goes." Raj said. "He is doing this for your own good."

"Badima..." Ishaan looked at Nyonika who just held her hands up in surrender.

"I have to get to the hospital. Bye kids!" Nyonika quickly left while Ishaan & Riya frowned in defeat.

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Note: Now that Judwaa is done, I am starting this story. Comment and let me know what you thought of this chapter?

Did you like Nandini & Manik's characters?