Nandini walked into the room.

"Hey," she said softly.

As soon as Radhika saw her, she jumped up and hugged Nandini tightly. Nandini stumbled a bit but quickly regained her balance and wrapped her arms around Radhika, smiling.

After a while, Radhika pulled away from the hug and went back to her spot, motioning for Nandini to follow her.

"Cabir, Mom is calling. You guys need to leave for the Roka," Nandini said.

Cabir groaned. "What Roka, Bhabhi? The press on my outfit will be ruined for nothing."

Nandini and Manik both chuckled at this.

"I'll go. Bye Radhu," Cabir said, waving.

"Bye!" Radhika kissed his cheek.

"Let's pack your things now, Radhika. Come on," Nandini said.

"Yo, Manik Uncle, time for a ride!" Radhika said, grinning.

"As you wish, Miss," Manik replied with a wink.

Manik scooped her up in his arms, and the three of them walked toward the walk-in wardrobe.

They all enjoyed packing together. Manik turned into a horse, carrying Radhika around, and then he pretended to be a helicopter, flying her through the air. Nandini laughed, watching their antics while she worked on organizing Radhika's clothes.

"Okay, enough, guys. Manik, you have to go to the office, right? Go ahead. Let me finish packing now," Nandini said, trying to get them back on track.

"We're just having fun, right Radhika?" Manik teased.

"Yes, but go, Uncle. Work comes first. Masi always says that," Radhika replied with a serious expression.

Nandini smiled at Radhika's words. Manik bent down to Radhika's height and gave her a playful grin.

"If Masi says so, I'll have to leave," Manik said. "I'll be back soon, okay?"

Radhika nodded eagerly.

Manik looked at Nandini as he was about to leave. "Nandini, don't go out. Take care of yourself. Mom's not here, but call me if you need anything. Bye."

"Bye," Nandini said softly, her heart fluttering as she watched him leave.

Radhika pouted. "Masi, come on, let's finish packing!"

Nandini chuckled, "Okay, okay, let's get it done."

The two of them packed Radhika's things, laughing and chatting. Nandini couldn't help but wonder how Radhika and Manik would manage without each other. They had become such an inseparable team.

Meanwhile, Nyonika, Raj, and Cabir arrived at the Verma house. It was small but beautiful, and the saying rang true, "A house with love is more valuable than a mansion."

Prashant and Kinjal welcomed them warmly.

"Is Manik not here yet? What's all this? He brought so much, does he really need all of this?" Prashant asked, confused.

Cabir replied, "No, no, Uncle. He had some work at the office, that's why he couldn't make it."

Kinjal asked, "But how can the Roka happen without the groom?"

Nyonika smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry about Manik. He won't need to be here. I've already taken care of everything for Soha. You can call her down."

Prashant hesitated but said, "Let's wait for him. Maybe he'll come after all. He might come for Soha, right?"

Raj smiled and replied, "Actually, it's personal work, related to someone close to him. He's working on a project and prefers to handle it alone. He won't be coming. Shall we proceed?"

Reluctantly, Prashant and Kinjal agreed to begin the proceedings.

Soha was called down, and when Nyonika saw her outfit, she was shocked.

Soha came in and hugged Nyonika. Though Nyonika was taken aback, she quickly shrugged it off. It didn't matter—Soha wasn't going to be their daughter-in-law anyway.

"Is Manik not coming?" Soha asked, looking around.

Cabir explained, "He had some important work. He won't be able to make it."

Soha, a little disappointed, said, "Work is more important than me? Anyway, after we get married, I won't let him go anywhere. Come on, Mom."

Nyonika nodded, and they began the ceremony. After everything was finished, Prashant invited them to stay for dinner.

Nyonika responded, "No, that's not necessary. We should head back now."

Prashant called out, "Wait, Kinjal, come upstairs for a minute."

They all looked confused, but Kinjal and Prashant went upstairs.

Cabir, after saying he'd be right back, went off to the washroom. After a while, he returned with Kinjal, who was carrying a jewelry box. She handed it to Nyonika.

"Why are you giving this to me?" Nyonika asked, surprised.

Kinjal smiled. "Take it, Bhabhi. The relationship is confirmed now."

Nyonika was flustered. "Please, don't do this. We don't take gifts before marriage."

It took a lot of insistence from Nyonika's end to let Kinjal keep her gift. Finally, the Malhotras left for their mansion.

Meanwhile, on the way back to the Malhotra mansion, Manik was driving when Nandini called him.

"Heyyy," Nandini greeted.

Manik chuckled, "Ohhh, someone's missing me a lot?"

"Yes, I am," Nandini replied softly. "Where are you?"

"On my way. Just two more minutes. What are you doing?" Manik asked.

"I'm making dinner," Nandini said.

Manik teased, "You know how to cook?"

Nandini replied with a playful tone, "Oh, shut up."

Manik laughed, enjoying the playful banter. "By the way, Mom called. They'll be here in an hour. I'm at the gate. Can you open it, please?"

Without waiting for an answer, the gate opened, and Manik's tiredness instantly vanished when he saw Nandini standing there, her bright smile greeting him.

He stepped inside and immediately pulled her into a warm hug.

"I missed you," Nandini said, her voice full of affection.

"I know you did. Same here," Manik replied softly.

Manik kissed her forehead before pulling back slightly. "Cabir said he needs to tell me something important."

Nandini looked up at him. "Dinner?"

Manik shook his head. "No, let's wait for them to arrive. I'll freshen up first."

Nandini nodded, heading towards the kitchen to continue with the preparations.