Early Update. x

Important notes in the end. Please don't miss.

Happy Reading!

A R Y A M M A N

It must be 4 AM when I stepped out of the car, a little shaky due to the over effect of the alcohol, with my right head almost non-functional. I wanted to step right inside my room and fall asleep forgetting the world but I couldn't since a bunch of reporters, who were sitting outside my mansion, approached me.

Who even pays them to do this at 4 in the night— or morning— or whatever?

"What do you think sir, are you bagging the Performer Of The Year award or will it go to Manik Malhotra?"

"Where are you coming from, at 4 in the night sir? Is it the girl you've been secretly dating?"

"Are you coming after robbing a bank?"

"Are you and Nandini Murthy related? She was spotted with your rival Manik Malhotra this night and your car was on the same route to. Do you have any comments about this?"

"Is Manik Malhotra secretly dating Nandini? What would you say about this since you were spotted with Nandini too?"

"Is she Manik Malhotra's new mistress— owing to the amount of girl's he's been seen with?"

"Is Miss. Murthy a bed warmer?"

My feet halted in my place and I left the handle of the iron gates as I closed my eyes for a few seconds before turning, the face of the reporter who asked the last question flashed in front of my eyes and I held his collar with every ounce of force with me, while the other reporters flashed their cameras at us, and I blocked them out.

"What did you fucking say?" I asked slowly and swooned ahead my arm until it hit his chin and he fell straight to the ground by my punch.

I leaned in front of him, picking his collars again. "No one gets to say a fucking word against this girl, get that?" My voice was dangerously low as I left the bleeding man back to the ground with disgust and got up, turning towards the other reporters.

"I know this is your work, I understand and respect that. But that doesn't give you the right to degrade any girl, let that be Nandini alone. Manik is a jerk and I'm not going to talk about him, but I know Nandini personally and she is nothing as anyone comments. Leave her alone, she's a normal girl living her life. I want no words against her, if anyone even tries to do that, you'd have to face my wrath," I told them and they nodded unaffectedly, recording my statement.

My head ached from all the alcohol burning in my body and I couldn't comprehend if this was reality or a dream, but whatever it was, no one gets to disrespect a girl. And here, the girl they're talking about was Nandini—, ofcourse they'd have to face my wrath.

"Sir please tell us something about Manik and her?" Another reporter asked as I turned back. This couldn't be reality. This was a god damn nightmare, with Manik Malhotra's name everywhere around me.

"I have nothing to say. If they're together, I wish them the very best," I nodded, a fake smile glued upon my lips. This was about this industry, you have to be nice to everyone no matter how you really feel.

"What about Aliya Saxena then, sir? A few months ago, Aliya and Manik were caught kissing in a private beach," another one asked and I closed my eyes. Aliya, Aliya, Aliya.

"It is Manik Malhotra's old habit, to date and snatch away my girlfriend—s. Nandini is a good friend of mine, but Aliya was my ex, which Manik supposedly fell in love with. Seems like he can't get enough of his own girls," I smirked, turning around and left, ignoring the whispers rising behind me, entering straight into my house and walking to my room.

When I was just entering inside, I heard a shatter, something like that of a glass break, and my eyes flickered to the house bar, where my mother drank alone.

"Mom?" I asked, running downstairs towards the house bar and she swayed, drunk against all her senses. "Why are you drinking?" I almost whispered shouted, kicking away the shattered bottle glass before it could hurt her feet and she turned around me, a smile on her face.

"Aryamman, my baby," she sweet coated her words and I raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong?" I asked normally and all she did in return was laugh.

"Nandini, Nandini, Nandini. Why can't you both brothers stop taking her name all around me? Don't you understand I don't like her, baby?" She was drunk, speaking no sense.

"Mom, you need to sleep. Let's go," I gave her support to walk upstairs when she pushed me away.

"I don't need sleep. I need money. I need a lot of money, which you both only want Nandini to have. Why?" She shouted to nobody, and she fell backwards, on the stairs railings behind her.

"Mom," I tried catching her but she nodded negatively, laughing more.

"Why don't you understand Aryamman, I don't want Nandini in yours and Manik's life," she tried explaining.

"You don't know what you're speaking, mum. Let me get you to your room, please," I requested sitting beside her and she nodded negatively again, "I know what I'm talking, you don't. Years ago, your father made a will, that all the money get from him, goes to your wives and Mukti the day you get married. All all the money you earn remains with you," she said, her eyes almost closing and I stared ahead.

"But where am I in this? And you stupid boys, y'all fell in love with these no-class girls, what are their names— Aliya, and Nandini, right?" She whispered, almost passing out.

"What— What about Aliya? And what about Nandini?" I asked, not believing my eyes or my ears. Everything felt blemish as the lady I call my mother almost closed her eyes, but the smirk not leaving her face.

"Mukti had to die. Aliya was kicked out of your way too. And now, it's Nandini. She will die too," she laughed before passing out on the stairs in front of me and I had told hold the stair rails to give me support.

It was as if I could feel my life shattering around me, the ground disappearing and myself falling into an abyss. I walked up to my room and darkness surrounded my eyes, I stumbled and fell down, praying for this to be a nightmare.

I held my phone and blindly dialled Manik. I need to tell him that he was right all the while. I need to tell him that I made a mistake years ago.

But the phone went unanswered, and there was too much darkness around me. I tried keeping my eyes open but it fell close and my mind tried to take in everything I heard over the alcohol in my veins.

"Mukti had to die,"

"Aliya was kicked out of your way too."

" And now, it's Nandini. She will die too,"

The words kept ringing in my ears until everything fell dead silent. All I could comprehend between every bit of chaos around  me was that I had lived a lie all my life.

~the sad thing about betrayal is it never comes from your enemies, it comes from the ones you trust the most~

✿

M A N I K

It was eight in the morning when I reached home after dropping princess to her house, I hated leaving her already after such a magical night but I knew I had to, because if Zubin doesn't find her home in the morning, he'd be disappointed in her and I don't want to make her do anything for me that makes her sad.

I decided on taking a warm shower and going on a jog since I'm not always an early riser, but as I got down dressed in my joggers, I saw Cabir sitting with a few papers in his hand, his turned back when he recognised my foot steps and I smiled at him.

"Cabir, have you forgotten the way to your house or did Navya kick you out, huh?" I joked and he rolled his eyes at me.

"Good Morning to you too, Manik Malhotra," he smiled sarcastically and I laughed, sitting opposite to him. "Or should I say night, hmm? Did you get any sleep at all?" He teased and I bit my lower lip to stop the smile that spread over my lips thinking about last night.

Cabir knew about last night. He was the one who helped me set up the arrangements for Nandini. "Did you give her the legal papers?" He asked and the smile from my face disappeared.

"I couldn't, I just didn't feel strong enough to tell her the truth. I've sent the papers to her house, she'd see them when she gets up, probably must already have," I told him and he squeezed his eyebrows at me.

"Manik, are you crazy? Without any note, you just left those papers in her house? What would she make out of it? You need to explain her why you did this, how her father asked you to do it. You just don't give the papers to her and ask her to understand all of it by herself, do you?" He shouted and I rolled my eyes at him now.

"I'm not dumb, Cabir. I left her a letter wording everything I couldn't tell her myself. I have explained her why I troubled her and took away everything that originally belongs to her and kept those legal papers signed by me that state how every bit of her father's defendants goes to her," I told him and he nodded, still not satisfied.

"I feel you should have done that yourself Manik," Cabir was disappointed.

"I know that, Cabir. I just didn't know how will she react. I didn't want her to see me as a liar and even if she did, I didn't want her to start her birthday at such a note. I will explain her everything once I get the chance to, I promise," I told him and he nodded, when a servant walked in.

"Sir, today's newspapers," he said, keeping those on the table between me and Cabir and left to do his work. Cabir picked those up while I decided on messaging Nandini. Although I was acting all cool, there was an internal turmoil stirring inside me.

Hey, love. Good Morning, I hope you slept well last night ;) Also, I hope you found the things I left near on your right desk. Please don't freak out, and read the letter first. Start your birthday with a smile, okay? I'd see you soon xx

I left her a set of things. The legal file, the letter, a glass of water, and well— contraceptives. Alternates for not using protection.

"Manik," Cabir called and I left my phone aside, to see every colour of his face drained away. "There's something in the newspaper you should read," he told me, handing me The Daily Mail and I saw a picture of me, Nandini and Aryamman from the party my step brother hosted in his house.

A love triangle?

Ugly feuds between Manik Malhotra and Aryamman Khurrana are not uncommon to us but seems like it's not about a new business deal or a music video this time, it's about Nandini Murthy who seems to now be Manik's new interest and Aryamman's roumered girlfriend.

Aryamman and Nandini were seen together many times in the past but suddenly their outings came to a halt and she was seen with Manik several times after that. A source also told us that the two brought in her birthday together last night at a private party.

Aryamman definitely doesn't seem happy with the new romance between the two. We caught him getting angry at a reporter last night and he stated, "Manik is a jerk," he also adds, "It is Manik's old habit to snatch away my girlfriend. Seems like he can't get enough of his own,".

Woah! That was heated, isn't it? We tried to contact Nandini and Manik but they remained offline for a comment. To know more about the brewing sparks between the three, keep reading The Daily Mail.

I crushed the newspapers in my hand as anger crept under my nerves and I closed my eyes from exploding over the wrong person. Nyonika was making Aryamman just like she is, playing stupid games and lying.

"Manik," a sweet but panicked familiar voice made its way to me and both we boys looked up at Nandini who stood at the door with the file and the letter in her either hands.

There was worry in her eyes and I immediately put the newspaper behind me, eyeing Cabir to not tell Nandini anything. He nodded back.

Nandini ran inside the house and crashed to my chest, taking me offguard. Did she read the newspapers already?

Before I could ask her anything, I looked up to see Cabir smirking at us. "Happy Birthday bhabhi," he purposely said the last word and I gritted my teeth as Nandini shyly smiled leaving me, biting her lower lip.

"Kya hai na Nandini, I would have called last night to wish you but I figured you and Manik must be very busy doing your own things, so I did not disturb," he smiled teethily and I glared at him.

"Thank you, Cabir," she said in a slow voice as Cabir came ahead and hugged her. "Now I guess it's my queue to leave. Catch you soon, love birds," he winked before leaving.

"Manik," Nandini faced me and the worry was visible in her eyes again. "I— I thought you wrote this letter, gave me this and left my life again!" Her eyes teared up and it caught me offguard.

I thought she was mad at me for what I did and here she was crying because she was afraid I would leave again. "Hey," I held her delicate face in my between my hands and wiped off the tears with my thumb.

"These papers— I have to say sorry—....," I began but she nodded negatively.

"You don't need to explain me anything, Manik. I know why you did this and I'm happy that you chose to tell me the truth. Anyone else could have simply kept the money and never returned it back. I should say thank you to you, Manik. Thank you for doing this for my father and thank you for telling me the truth," she said, keeping her head on my chest again and I kissed her head, wrapping my arms around her.

"You're so different from everyone else, just don't break my heart, ever," she said and I nodded.

"I'd prefer breaking my heart a million times before even hurting yours, princess; and I'm not promising you that I won't leave you because that's not in my hands. But I promise you I'd never want to leave you ever and I'd love to stay with you until my last breath," I told her honestly and she hugged me a little tighter.

"And I have something for you," I told her and she broke away, her eyes twinkling by listening about a gift.

I turned her such that she faced the big mirror on the opposite wall that now reflected her, and me standing behind her. "Close your eyes," I instructed and she did the same, closing them as I removed what I brought for her as a gift. I wanted to give this to her in the evening when she'd be wearing a dress and I'd be wearing a tuxedo and it will be her happily ever after but I never believed in happy ending or perfect moments.

She looked beautiful in her little black dress and me in my black leather jacket. I kissed her forehead and she opened her eyes, out of patience.

She stared into my eyes and I slipped the ring in between her fingers and moved close to her numb body, whispering slowly,

"Marry me Nandini Murthy,"

~•~

Personal Note:-

As many of you know, it is my birthday next week and here I am, asking you for a gift, nine days prior. All you have to do is, choose three people you like on wattpad, can be your readers, writers you like or your friends; and write a short message about why you like them on their message board. If they thank you, ask them to do the same for three more people.

Today's world is terrible and all of us out here have our own share of problems, everyone goes though a lot daily and your short message will hardly take a minute for you to write but can make their day much better and make them smile and to make a troubled person smile is the best gift I can get on my birthday.

So incase you love me or my stories, please do this. You can do this any day from today, not necessarily on my birthday!

I will write a message on three people's board on my birthday too. You can also tag me to show me you did this. I hope y'all do it, and I'd love to see that.

Thank you xx

~•~

[ Authors Note: I get a lot of messages asking if the end of this book will be happy or not. I'm answering this to everyone for once. I had decided the end of the book even before I started writing it and I'm going to follow that end, no matter what. You'd have to wait and see how this book takes a turn, I wouldn't tell anyone anything about the end until then. ]

Thank you for reading this book and making it what it is today. Lots of love to all of you out there xx

Your writer,
Heer
~StarsAndFireflies_