Hi dear readers...I had already written half of this chapter...so I thought of completing it.My whole family is placed on quarantine till August 18th.Thank you all for your prayers.Hope me and my family get over this phase soon.🥺🥺🥺

Some thought that my daughter is unwell...She is fine as of now...We are placed on quarantine because one of her classmates tested positive for COVID...Please keeps us in your prayers.🙏🙏🙏 

I'm dedicating this chapter to divineEarth for helping me out with my tooth problem,Though she isn't a reader of this book,I'm really thankful of how she came forward and helped me out.And glad to find out that she is a dentist.My tooth ache is much better now.Thanks dear🥰🥰🥰🙏🙏🙏

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I will update whenever I get time because it's hectic with the phone calls ,random checks and ART done by officials since we are being quarantined.

Author's POV

"What's bothering my darling daughter-in-law?" Rajeev Menon asked a pissed-off Anjali.

"Nothing," Anjali clenched her fists in anger.

"Is it because of yesterday's rendezvous with your ex-husband?" he chuckled amusingly.

"Rajeev Uncle, I'm already frustrated because of Varma Industries. They have become hard to convince to make us their partners. And on top of that, Yadhu dared to show off his mental wife to me, "she gritted her teeth.

"Are you jealous? Don't tell me you are still in love with Yadhu. Poor Harsh," he laughed out loud.

"Come on, Uncle. You know me better than that. I'm Anjali, and I don't do the love crap," she smirked at him.

"Harsh was just a means to my success, and I had to make Yadhu a scapegoat in my quest for achieving my goals," she stated emotionlessly.

"Success, Money ad Power is my only love...the merger of Saran industries and RK groups definitely gave me an upper hand in the industry. Now my goal is to be a partner of the Varma group at any cost. And Harsh has turned out to be nothing but a disappointment in my life. He is just lovesick and can't think anything beyond fucking me," she stated rudely.

"Young lady...you are talking about my nephew," Rajeev Menon said with fake anger.

"I'm just stating the truth. But let me tell you one thing. Yadhu is total husband material compared to Harsh, but it's a pity that he isn't my type nor interested in making money," she said mockingly.

"Oh dear...you must be missing Yadhu's love and attention," he said caustically.

"Hahaha...Maybe...but I'm not the one who cries over spilled milk. My parents were hell-bent on the horoscope crap, or else I was least interested in marrying Yadhu," she scorned. "My choice was always Harsh, as I knew from a long time back that Harsh will inherit the Saran industries as he is the legitimate son, whereas Yadhu is illegitimate. But now I'm frustrated because of my mother-in-law. She wants me to be the perfect daughter-in-law...I'm tired of playing charming in front of her," she said hatefully.

"That's sort of expected from Devika. She is obsessed with perfection, "Rajeev reminisced his sister's nature.

"Don't ever get inside the bad books of your mother-in-law. Just because she supported you for your marriage with Harsh, she won't tolerate unruly behavior. Do you have any idea why Devika married Saran?" he asked her with a serious expression.

"Why?" Anjali asked curiously.

"Devika adored Nandhini like her own sister," he replied grimly.

"You mean Yadhu's mom?" she asked anxiously.

"Yes, but when she learned of Nandhini's betrayal, it all changed to hatred. My sister hates everything that is illegitimate. It's all thanks to our father, who had another family and illegitimate children", he let out a small laugh.

"Devika took pity on the two-year-old Yadhu and took care of Yadhu and Saran during their depressed state. She agreed to marry Saran just to be a mother to Yadhu. But everything changed after that DNA test result...she hated Yadhu as well but didn't show her hatred that much as he was just a kid. But Harsh's birth and Saran's resentment towards the illegitimate child may have changed her also. Other than that, she doesn't have any other problem with Yadhu," he explained.

"But I must compliment you and Harsh for staging a drama in front of Saran and Devika about Yadhu's infertility," he snickered.

"Oh, that was easy...It was Harsh's idea. Even after our marriage, Yadhu never forced me into an intimate relationship being the gentleman he is. So we used it to our advantage and misguided my in-laws," she replied contemptuously.

"And what about the horoscope...I guess Saran and Devika are unaware of it," Rajeev asked, unable to contain his prying.

"Of course...it was all planned by Harsh and my parents," she replied in a neutral tone.

"Listen, Anjali. Just make sure this remains a secret...If my sister and brother-in-law find out that they were manipulated, it won't end nicely for anyone of you. They both hate Yadhu because of his mom's betrayal. And they sided with you only because you and Harsh made them believe that Yadhu betrayed you by hiding his incapability and married you. So just be careful," He said with a frown.

"What's there to be cautious, Uncle? Harsh and I are married, and Yadhu married that retarded girl. So chances of her becoming a mother are less. Now my only concern is how to tackle the Varma group acting MD, Mrs.Priya Varma. She is denying me an appointment for so long," Anjali vented out her disappointment.

"Priya Varma is a tough nut to crack. She has been handling the Varma group for almost more than 25 years. The CEO Mr.Dev Pratap Varma is her brother, and he trusts her entirely because Priya has maintained the company's number one title all these years. But oddly, she has never made an appearance in public. So no one knows who she is or what she looks like," Rajeev said.

"Strange, But I'm stubborn too. Soon, I will make her give me an appointment and convince her to make me their partner," Anjali said assuredly.

"I like your confidence, darling. I hope you succeed. And I too want to meet this mysterious lady, "he said with a wink at Anjali.

"I forgot that you are still single. But didn't you notice that I addressed Priya as Mrs...That means you don't have a chance with her," Anjali taunted Rajeev.

"But there is no mention of her husband anywhere till now. And I'm ready to take that risk," he smirked at Anjali, deeply thinking of something.

Yadhu's POV

"Kani...Where are you?" I desperately searched for her inside the house as well as outside. It's been almost a month since we both came back to Munnar. Arjun and Shreya had to stay back at Trivandrum as they had to rejoin their duty at the hospital due to some emergency cases they had to handle. I was sad to come back to Munnar without them. Grandpa also asked Kani and me to stay back, but my patients were back here in Munnar. So I decided to come back to Munnar with Kani. Grandpa tried to make Kani stay back, but I disagreed because Kanika was my responsibility now. Kanika was sad to leave grandpa, Arjun, and Shrey, but she reluctantly returned with me as they promised to visit us during weekends. They had visited us two weeks back, but Arjun and Shreya became busy with some hospital work the following weeks. Grandpa too had to attend some friend's grandkid's wedding, and Kanika was angry with all of them.

After we returned to Munnar, it was troublesome to handle Kani alone, but Smitha, Raja, and Adi helped me take care of her. She soon became everyone's sweetheart not only in the neighborhood but also in my hospital. It was overwhelming to see how the people here accepted her the way she was and treated her like their own without any contempt.

I mostly take her along with me while I go to the hospital. But I had an emergency surgery today, so Smitha volunteered to take care of Kanika as Adi and Raja were gone to a far-off temple for pilgrimage. As soon as the surgery was over, I was informed by the receptionist that Smitha had called me several times. I quickly dialed her number, and Smitha told me that her mother had fallen and hurt herself and she will have to leave as soon as she could as her mom lives in another district. She apologized repeatedly and requested me to come home soon. I understood her situation and asked her to leave as quickly as possible. She told me that she would leave Kanika with our neighbor Saraswathi.

When I came back home, I went straight to the neighbor, noticing that Smitha had left. But to my shock, I found out that Kanika had stubbornly gone back to our home. Saraswathi apologized to me for not being able to take care of Kanika properly. But I calmed her down and came to our house and started searching for her. Kanika had this habit of hiding somewhere inside the house all the time. I panicked and called out her name and started searching the whole house.

I almost gave up my search when I heard a faint whimper from the attic. I rushed to the place only to witness the most shocking scene...Kanika was curled up into a ball while her skirt was drenched in blood.

Seeing me, she cried out in agony, "Nandhu, Kani is going to die!!!

How was the chapter?

What do you think of Saran and Devika now?

Who is Priya Varma?Any ideas?Lot of hints in this chapter?😈😈😈

What happened to Kani?

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