Hello sweeties.

Sorry for the delay!

Hope you like the chapter.

Have fun reading.

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Early morning in Murthy Mansion.

"Nandini!" Ishita called out as she entered the room only to find Nandini taking some calls.

"Excuse me for a second." Nandini covered the phone with her hand.

"Mom, I will come down after this call." She spoke in a pleading tone while Ishita huffed.

"Alright, but that's the last call." She spoke closing the door and walking away.

Nandini sighed in relief.

"Yes, Addy. How are the things there? Did you get the music sheets I made?" Nandini questioned as she sat on her bed.

"Yes Nanz, I already arranged the lyricist. He is on it and Starz are practicing as well and their photo shoot for the album is going well." He spoke while Nandini nodded her head while humming.

"Except-" Addy paused which made Nandini frown.

"What?" She demanded.

"Siddharth is giving the staff a bit trouble. He keeps asking about you. The other are slacking around when he does." He spoke nervously.

"What the f**k? Why does he want to know about ME?" She questioned clearly not understanding the connection.

"I don't know Nanz, but he is really hard to deal with." Addy sighed.

"So he's being a brat now? I can't believe it." Nandini spoke exhausted. She had her wedding, murthy industries and Musical styles. She is already tense, and having a mental breakdown with all the relatives. She definitely didn't have time to 'baby' them around.

"Unless it stops the production, don't call me. And tell them to be professional. I have provided them with the best trainer, the best choreographer and the best producer. What more do they want?" Nandini spoke angrily.

"Wow, wow Calm down love." Navya spoke entering the room with Nandini shook her head with a troubled expression.

"Give it to me." Navya asked while Nandini handed her phone.

"Addy, stay as you are. I will check the situation myself." Navya spoke and cut the call.

"Tell me what's up with this Siddharth." Navya asked plopping down on the bed.

"Donno yaar, but he definitely gives me a headache." Nandini said rubbing her forehead.

"Well, well. He must be something then." Navya grinned while Nandini snorted.

"Leave that and change, aunty is already breathing fire on everyone." Navya spoke while Nandini chuckled.

"Alright." She spoke stretching her arms.

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The mehndi ceremony was kept in the garden. It was decorated with pink flowers. Everything was pink.

"Select a design." The artist gave Nandini a book to choose from. She sat on the pink and white couch with great difficulty trying to smooth the fold of her lehenga like her mother had told her to do.

*Ek photo keliye kya kya karna pad raha hai! I am never getting married again!*

Nandini scratched her head a little as she turned the pages.

Everything looks beautiful. It made her remember how she loved having mehndi in her hands. She especially loved the bridal mehndi.

She couldn't decide. Her eyes fell on one picture.

"I want this one." Nandini pointed to the artist who nodded her head.

Ishita also nodded in satisfaction.

Finally her daughter was taking it seriously.

Nandini kept looking at the designs while the artist started her work on her legs.

"What are you thinking?" Navya asked as she ate one of the fruits with one hand. The other hand was busy as another artist was applying mehndi on it.

Nandini looked around to see all her relatives aka her aunts and cousins were busy discussing and having their mehndi.

"I don't know which one to select." Nandini spoke handing her the book. Navya frowned for a moment.

"Here eat this." Ishita spoke as she put a grape in Nandini's mouth.

"Mommm-" Nandini widened her eyes.

"You can't will get dehydrated." She spoke putting another in her mouth while Nandini chewed it slowly.

"Where is Appa and DJ?" She questioned as she didn't see them from the morning.

"They are practicing for the sangeet." Ishita spoke while Nandini widening her eyes and chuckled.

"Really!?" She asked while Ishita nodded and put another one in Nandini's mouth.

"Arre ye wala." Navya spoke suddenly startling Nandini who narrowed her eyes.

"Why this?" Nandini asked, as far as she knew, Navya and her tastes were really similar that no matter what if they like two things then they won't be able to decide on one.

"Because Jiju loves it." Navya spoke handing Nandini's phone to Nandini who gave a horrifying expression.

"Navya! You idiot." She exclaimed as she immediately opened the chat box.

"Manik~♡" 1st message.

"Nandini?"

"I can't decide between these two, choose one for me please~😙😙"

"Amm, ok😅. First one then."

"Thanks~😘"

Nandini's hand on her phone tightened.

"Navya Naveli you are dead." She spoke moving with the artist glared Nandini.

"Mam please stop moving." She said and went back to her work.

"Sorry." Nandini said with a pout while Navya laughed hard.

"Shut up." Nandini pinched Navya.

"Owww." She scowled while Nandini gave her a victory grin.

"Manik I am so sorry. Those messages were from Navya not me." She typed while Manik sent a smilie.

"No problem.😊" He replied back.

"So did you decide it?" He asked.

"You will know when you see it." She sent the message with a goofy smile.

"That's cheating!😒"

"😝😝"

"Well, then I will be waiting🤗."

Nandini sent a quick bye and put her phone aside.

Another artist came and started working on her hands.

After some time Nandini regretted her decision.

Her hands were paining from not being able to move them.

What bridal mehndi my foot! This is hell in it's true form!!!... I finally understand the meaning every beautiful rose has thorns...

She looked at her hands and feet in pity.

"Where should I write the name?" The artist asked while Nandini looked at her in confusion.

"Kiska name? Mera?" She asked while the artist looked at her with a 'Are you serious' face.

"Nahi mam! Your to be husband's name." She pointed out while Nandini made an 'oh' sound.

"Oh- Woh- here." She stuttered and pointed at the empty space at the end of her palm while the artist nodded.

"His name?"

"M- manik." She answered feeling a bit weird.

Manik... her to be husband? It definitely feels weird...

She thought shrugging off.

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Meanwhile, In Malhotra Mansion.

The ritual was going smoothly. Although it was definitely really troublesome to bring mukthi to get her mehndi done.

Manik was laying on the bed with the documents relating to a new project on his side. He raised his hand to see the mehndi design.

"Why did I had to get this too?" Manik pouted and took his phone. He finally moved his stiff shoulders that were confined by the kurta.

He looked at the last messages from Nandini and smiled.

"I don't know anymore." He muttered out loud.

It all started with Mr. Khan's rejection. He decided it on impulse to get married and he met the girl. Then they agreed to be friends and signed the contract. And now that everything is happening, he felt lost.

He did have second thoughts before but now he felt it was ok to marry her.

He didn't even know when it started to feel real... But it certainly did...

He proposed to her. He never thought that a day would come when he would propose and he would also get proposed to.

Her proposal was cute.

This brought a smile on his face.

*Ring Ring

He lifted the call.

Phone conversation.

"Hello, Manik." The person on the other side spoke.

"Why are you calling me when you are in the room just beside me, Cabir?" He spoke grumbling as his thoughts were interrupted.

"Teek hai teek hai Door toh open kar." Rolling his eyes, Manik stood up to open the door.

"Well, Did you complete Mr. Mehta's project?" He spoke coming into the room and dropping on the couch.

"What a timing! I just did." Manik chuckled while Cabir sighed in relief.

"Then send it to me, they need the presentation tomorrow." He spoke while Manik frowned.

"What? I thought we had three more days." Manik scowled.

"Well, apparently they will be flying back to India tomorrow. Some bloody emergency" Cabir spoke making a face.

"A deal is a deal! And isn't this the fifth bloody time they did this to us? No one gets to mess with us like that and go off scot-free."

"Professionalism ki toh baat hi nahi unn me. Ab kya kare manik?" Cabir asked raising his brow.

"We show the world how professional they are." Manik spoke with a smirk and proceeded to tell the plan to cabir.

"Ab maza ayega" Cabir spoke grinning widely.

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Back in Murthy Mansion

Ishitha was moving here and there like a busy bee greeting people who came to bless her daughter.

"Hello Ishitha Ji!" 

"Hello Rama Ji!! Aap Kaise hai? Bohot saal hogaye hai mile huve." She spoke hugging the lady in vibrant green saree while the lady laughed heartly.

"Aree hum toh mast hai! Aap batao na! Aap ki beti ki shaadi hai" She spoke bumping her shoulder in a playful manner while Ishitha smiled widely.

"Hum toh bohot acche hai. Finally meri beti ki shaadi ho rahi hai... Ye sab ek sapne ki tara hai..." She dabbed her eyes as tears started to form while Rama smiled.

Her little girl laughing as she ran around the house...

Raman's princess crying for the fallen ice cream and Raman promising to take her out on his old scooter making her little girl blink her tears away with a smile...

DJ carrying her daughter on his shoulders complaining about his old bones while her little girl pointing out where to go next in the Zoo...

Her daughter's first song... Her first impromptu dance with her father... Her first steps...

Her heart break... The time she lost trust in people... The time her daughter was most vulnerable... She remembered looking after her as if she was a baby again... Getting her to eat... Being with her in her nightmares...

And now... Her wedding... Seeing her daughter's happiness made everything worth it... Listening to her being playful to Manik... Seeing her smile with him... Everything seems to fall in place...

But now that her daughter's leaving... Her heart aches for her little girl... How she wished time would just stop... 

"Arre ab emotional mat hona... Abhi bohot kaam baaki hai... Chalo kaha hai tumari beti?" Rama spoke brining Ishita out of her thoughts.

"Ayyo Aiyappa! Chalo chalo milvathi hoon meri beti se" She spoke pulling Rama along with her.

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"Appa!" Nandini shouted as she kept her legs in place for the artists to apply mehndi.

"Haan princess! Bol kya hua?" Raman spoke sitting next to Nandini who pouted at him.

"Ye Dehko na Rishu ne kya kiya!"

"Ek bhi photo acchi nahi aayi!" She spoke gesturing the photos taken in the camera as her eyes teared up. 

"Subha se mene ye lehenga pehna hua hai aur upar se ye mehndi" She spoke her eyes fully covered with a layer of wetness as she tried to hold her tears back.

"Ayyo meri bacchi! Tum unn sab photos mein bohot acche dek rahi ho. And tu ruk nalayak, mein photos click karta hoon! Mujhe se accha koi aur nahi." He spoke puffing his chest in a funny manner and pointing at Rishab, making her laugh.

"Meri beti hamesha hasti rahna chahiye! Ye aasu tumpe acche nahi lagte... Haina DJ?" He said caressing Nandini's cheek lovingly.

"Haan roothi bandar se hasti bandar sau guna behtar hai!" DJ said laughing while Nandini glared at him before laughing along.

It was this moment that Raman captured in the camera. He would treasure every moment with his princess. He couldn't bare to let his daughter go. This will always be her home. If Manik ever hurt his princess, he would make sure to make him suffer even if it's the last thing he will ever do. 

"Appa!" Nandini called breaking Raman out of his trance. He smiled back at her concerned gaze.

No one will ever hurt her again.

He promised to himself as he hugged his daughter.

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Done dona done! How was it?

Do comment and share some loveee!

Thank you!

- Harmony