Nandini waited a few steps behind Rajiv as he stepped up to Prithvi’s grandfather. She was feeling oddly serene considering that she was probably going to get abused by the elderly man, and later, murdered by his grandson. She didn’t know why she was taking such a big risk. Such decisions should have been easy, but nothing seemed to be writ in black and white anymore.

As Rajiv bent and conveyed a murmured message, the old man looked up sharply and met her gaze. In an instant, the impression of grief and loneliness vanished.

Nandini suddenly saw the vicious, brutal man who had tortured an innocent child.

Rajiv witnessed pure derision twisting Rajyavardhan Singh’s ragged features. “I know who she is. Nandini….Who else could it be?” the king growled loudly enough to attract a few stares from passing people. “No decent woman would hover so shamelessly around my grandson. And she’s only helping because she hopes to get into my good books and snare Prithvi for certain,” he sneered.

Rajiv gaped at him in dismay. Then collecting himself, he cleared his throat and turned to Nandini, muttering, “This is His Maj - Rajyavardhan Singh. He is  -”

“I know who he is,” she said lightly, gazing down at the scornful man on the chair. “I would have known even if you hadn’t told me beforehand. No one else could be so insufferable. And since he’s very interested in my relationship with Prithvi, I want him to know that I’m going to stand by Prithvi’s side for as long as his grandson wants me to. Because I love him.”

Taken aback, Rajiv stared at her open mouthed. On the chair near him, Rajyavardhan had frozen. Then he slowly rose to his feet, and his lips parted in an ugly grimace. “You worthless -”

Unfazed, Nandini tautly said, “Don’t delude yourself about my motives. I was acting out of pity. Pity that you don’t deserve. You don’t deserve to meet Prithvi either. Not until you learn to think, feel and behave like a human being,” she said frostily, and turned to walk towards the elevators.

“I want to see him.”

It was a command, but the gruff voice had wavered, making it sound like a wretched entreaty.

Nandini halted and spun. Rajyavardhan Singh was staring doggedly at the opposite wall. She curtly said, “If I manage to convince them, I’ll come back and take you upstairs. I’m not going to try very hard,” she admitted indifferently. “So don’t bother waiting for more than five minutes.”

************************

Striding out of the room, Sumer Singh scanned one end of the corridor urgently. He swung to inspect the other side and saw Nandini walking towards him. Absorbed in grave thoughts himself, he didn’t register her anxious features.

“Nandini, could you sit with Prithvi for a while? Don’t worry - he dropped off to sleep a short while back. He didn’t sleep much last night or today, and the medicines are way too strong. I think he’s not going to awaken for some hours. The college principal sent me a message, asking if he could speak to me about an important issue. I know this is about Dhiren,” Sumer Singh stated grimly. “I want to have the discussion in private, so I’ll be in the alcove at that end of the corridor. Call me if any problem arises.”

Without waiting for a definite reply, he patted her shoulder thankfully and rushed away.

Nandini waited irresolutely outside the door. Sumer Singh’s talk with the principal was a frightening topic, but she couldn’t ruminate about it at present. An elderly, ailing man was waiting downstairs…

The sound of a cane tapping against the floor made her swivel. Two men were walking in her direction. The older one’s gaze was rigidly fixed at a point above her head, and the younger one had a very sheepish air.

Rajiv reached her in two quick strides and timidly said, “I tried to tell him we should wait in the lobby but he seemed very confident that you would succeed. Have you spoken to Sumer Singh?”

 “He’s attending a phone call and Prithvi is sleeping,” she replied awkwardly, casting a fleeting look at the other male.

The information merely made Rajyavardhan Singh stand straighter. “I don’t intend to wait for Prithvi to wake up,” he snapped at Rajiv. “I’ll just see him for a moment, and then leave.”

To Nandini’s astonishment, he simply strode to the door, pushed it open and strode into the room. Alarmed, she hurried after him.   

Left alone, Rajiv mopped his perspiring face with a large handkerchief. He was feeling like he’s just completed a hurdle race. Respect for his father’s job soared in his heart.

Manohar had been a pillar for the palatial household for more than four decades. In addition, he was the chief manager of the king’s banking assets and properties. But Rajiv hadn’t wanted to continue the tradition. He was convinced that the royal family was living beyond its means, and soon, the king would declare bankruptcy. He didn’t intend to go down with them. Armed with an engineering degree and an MBA from a highly reputed institute, he planned to work in Mumbai’s corporate world, and later, move abroad and settle down in a foreign country with Gauri, his smart and sexy girlfriend.

All of those plans had changed in the course of an evening last month, when his father had sat him down and revealed the true net worth of the family, and also outlined the life he could enjoy even as the mere manager of that incredible wealth.  He had started going with his father to the palace from the very next day to learn the ropes. But he was finding it tough, with his father constantly admonishing him for being too talkative and animated for a job that required him to be very restrained and poised at all times. 

Of course, there was a huge risk that Prithvi would continue to refuse to accept his inheritance, which could lead to an unending courtroom battle between the few distant relatives. But if Prithvi did change his mind and took charge of the fabulous legacy, Rajiv knew his life would be set.

60,000 crores. One heir.

Prithviraj Singh Rathod was the luckiest person in the universe….

***********************

Rajyavardhan Singh paused and swung around with a frown, apparently amazed by Nandini’s audacity to follow him.

She stared back steadily and coolly said, “If he gets up, he’ll kill us both. I can’t let Prithvi exert himself so much until his wounds are healed.”

He glared at her forbiddingly, and then turned to the bed.

Nandini could nearly see the tension emanating from his thin figure as he approached the sleeping figure of his grandson. As he halted at the foot of the bed, she hastened to the side until she was standing just near Prithvi’s arm, feeling the need to be prepared for any turn in events.

She gazed guiltily at Prithvi’s peaceful visage. Even if this visit went off smoothly, she would have to admit this treachery after he’d recovered enough. Her biggest fear was that he would shut her out of his life. Death was actually the preferred option.

Nandini looked at Rajyavardhan Singh. His face was blanched and he was swaying slightly. Startled by his condition, she darted to lend support. 

She had just reached him when his gnarled hand landed on her shoulder. As the fingers constricted, he distraughtly muttered, ““He is all that’s left…all I have. Everything will be destroyed if he...”

“He’s going to be fine,” she assured softly.

Rajyavardhan Singh didn’t respond for a while. Then he abruptly appeared to come to himself, and gawped disbelievingly at the hand that was holding her like a crutch.

Snatching away his hand with repulsion, he hissed, “You are as contemptible as I suspected! Useless…ignorant…haughty,” he spat out, looking angrier than before.

“Yes, I am all of that and worse,” she agreed calmly. “Should I get you a glass of water?”

Rajyavardhan glowered at her, then tottered unsteadily out of the room, forcefully grasping the cane.

After reassuring herself that Prithvi was asleep, she swiftly made her way outside.

Rajyavardhan Singh had reached halfway down the corridor, but Rajiv was waiting with a grateful smile.

“I don’t know how to thank you -” 

“Has the news about Prithvi’s…accident spread in his grandfather’s place?” she enquired distractedly, driven purely by a crazy impulse.

“Not yet, but everyone will hear of it very soon.”

“Then I want to convey a message to a person in his grandfather’s house. No one else must know of it,” she said tentatively. “I don’t know her name but Prithvi calls her ‘choti ma’. She had taken care of him as a child. I think she is a cook.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll find out who she is and give her the message,” Rajiv said eagerly.

He listened bemusedly to the message and said, “I’ll do it, no problem! If you need help in the future also, I’ll -

 “I won’t,” she forestalled bluntly. “You should go now. He doesn’t look well at all and may need your help.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Rajiv blurted nervously, then flushed at the juvenile response. Making a gauche gesture that combined a nod and a bow, he spun and hurried after the king, uncomfortably aware that his palms were sweaty and his heart was pounding.

In the short while that he’d known Nandini, he had seen many emotions flash on the exquisite, vivacious features. Confusion, fury, compassion, severity….

She was absolutely captivating....

*********************

Nandini deposited the last roti into the casserole and closed the lid. Dinner was ready.

She had left the hospital only after Sankatmochan had arrived. She had come home, replenished her purse and left for the market to purchase essential commodities for the kitchen. After depositing the shopping bags at home, she had gone to the Sharma residence to thank them for their kindness and warm hospitality. On returning, she had cleaned the house thoroughly, taken a bath, and entered the kitchen to prepare dinner.

A glance at the clock showed that her family would be arriving any minute. Pleased that she had finished all tasks just in time, Nandini started to pick up the used vessels to wash them at the sink. Knowing that her grandfather would need a cup of steaming hot tea as soon as he stepped inside, she filled the kettle and had just placed it on the gas when she heard the welcome sound of a car.

Excited, she lowered the flame and sprinted out of the house. Sure enough, a vehicle was drawing up. She opened the gate and waited eagerly.

Prakash jumped out from the parked car and scampered to her. Delighted at seeing him after a very long week, Nandini hugged her little brother tightly.

“Don’t strangle me,” he protested, pulling out of her arms. “Come here!”

She followed amusedly as he dragged her by the hand into the light streaming from the living room.

There he halted and stared up at her closely, and then loudly declared, “Grandpa, she’s fine! Di’s not hurt at all.”

“What are you -”

“Grandpa was so worried about you that he became ill in the morning,” Prakash whispered, round-eyed. “That’s why we couldn’t leave from mausi’s place earlier. The doctor came home and gave him some medicines. After that, grandpa became fine.”

Shocked, Nandini swung towards the car and saw her grandfather disembarking very slowly from the car. She rushed to help him, and he smiled at her weakly. Her tension grew tenfold as she perceived his haggard appearance.

“Grandpa, what happened to you?” she asked fearfully as he stood up with her assistance.

“Nothing, nothing. I’m fine. Don’t listen to that brat. You’re okay?” he asked shakily, scrutinising her face in the limited light.

When she distractedly confirmed that she was alright, he embraced her with a trembling arm. Her mother was coming around the car with a drawn face. It was clear that she had cried all the way.  

**************************

Fidgeting with agitation, Nandini waited for her mother to speak. They were seated comfortably on the bed in Sarojini’s room, both feeling exhausted and distressed.

Her brother was the only one in the house who was completely at peace. The adults had firmly kept him in the dark, though he had gleaned that his sister and Prithvi were hurt from snatches of obscure conversation. Assured by his inspection that she was unharmed, he had transferred attention to dinner and happily devoured everything on his plate and asked for more servings. Then he’d quickly washed up and run upstairs to check if all his treasured comics and toys were safe in his room.

That was the cue for Bhoothnath, who had hardly eaten two mouthfuls, to repeatedly enquire if she was truly alright. Nandini, who was just as worried about his health, had patiently assured him again and again of her wellbeing. When he had questioned her about the bandaged hand, she had awkwardly attributed it to the struggle with Dhiren. He had lost colour at her answer, and then had remained silent until she had bundled him off to bed.

After the kitchen was cleaned up, Sarojini had determinedly led her upstairs, and over the past hour, Nandini had narrated the terrible happenings of that day to her mother for the second time in the day. 

She had been cross-questioned insistently until her mother was convinced that Dhiren or the other men hadn’t managed to harm her in any way. The intensity of the questioning had shaken Nandini. And it was solely the utter fear she saw in her mother’s lined face that had persuaded her to relive the devastating memories despite the rawness of the trauma. Speaking about the first nightmare was gruelling enough, but describing the second ordeal had made her break out in cold sweat, and her voice had quavered pathetically many times during the recounting. The image of Prithvi’s bloodstained body….the unearthly horror that had seized her..…the terrible hours in the hospital. In the worst of those moments, the only knowledge that had sustained her was that if he stopped breathing, so would she.

It was a miracle she had managed to remember the details of the story detailed by Sumer Singh. In the altered version, she had felt unwell in college and Prithvi had offered to drop her home. On the way, his bike had broken down in an isolated place. There, some goons had tried to molest her. Prithvi had protected her but the hoodlums had wounded him very badly with knives before fleeing. Sumer Singh had forbidden her from mentioning the gunshot injury.

Now she was waiting for her mother to disclose the truth about her grandfather’s health scare. But Sarojini continued to sit wordlessly, staring wearily at the darkness outside the window.

“Ma, what happened to grandpa? What was Prakash talking about?” Nandini asked again worriedly.

Sarojini looked at her with unfocussed eyes. “In the morning, after you called, I was so upset after your phone call that I ended up telling him everything. He almost collapsed, and could hardly breathe for some minutes,” she said unsteadily. “We immediately called a doctor. He said father’s blood pressure had shot up, and with his past history, it could have been very serious. That’s why we couldn’t leave in the morning. The doctor asked him to avoid long-distance travel for two days but he wanted to see you as soon as possible.”

Numb with fright, Nandini’s icy hands absentmindedly dug into the soft pillow on her lap. She felt a comforting hand on her cheek.

“It wasn’t as bad as that day,” Sarojini said gently. “He got his life back when he saw you. And he’ll feel better after visiting Prithvi tomorrow.”

Nandini grasped her mother’s hand for reassurance as more nasty memories flooded her mind. These were very old ones…

….old, but no less painful.

********************

Nandini verified she had enough cash left in her wallet and kept it safely in the college bag. Another bag containing the salwar kameez loaned to her by the nurse, which she had washed and ironed, lay on the bed.

They were to leave for the hospital shortly. Nandini intended to spend the whole day there. She would have to tell her mother that she was going to study at Nishi’s house. 

Despite his pleading, Prakash was barred from accompanying them. Thankfully, his best friend had appeared at their doorstep just as the tantrum was beginning. Mollified, Prakash had run off to play cricket.

Prakash’s friend wasn’t the only one to come calling. From early morning, quite a few neighbours and friends had dropped in to meet her grandfather. Sankatmochan had appeared at daybreak to report important temple-related matters to Bhoothnath, and had enjoyed a hearty breakfast before going back to the shrine. Aarti Di’s father too had turned up, appearing fully cheerful for the first time since his daughter’s marriage was postponed. He had requested Bhoothnath to visit his home in the morning for an important matter. In the kitchen, Sarojini remarked to her daughter that the family probably wanted Bhoothnath to determine another auspicious date and time for the marriage. Nandini earnestly hoped it was true, but they didn’t discuss it as both were drowning in work.  The kitchen had bustled with activity since daybreak. The results were on the table. Food parcels for Sumer Singh, soup and fruit juices for Prithvi and a big flask of tea.  

“Why have you tied your hair like this?”

Nandini swivelled to see her mother walking into the room and embarrassedly patted the large bun at the back of her head.

“I did it in a rush,” she mumbled.

“We’re not in so much hurry that you need to dress untidily,” Sarojini said wryly.

“I wanted it tied up tightly,” she defended.

“Sit here, I’ll plait it for you,” her mother said, picking up a comb from the table as Nandini plonked down on the bed.

Sarojini unravelled the bun and gently brushed the silky tresses.  When the few tangles were removed, she kept the comb aside.

As she started plaiting her daughter’s hair into a thick braid, Sarojini hesitantly asked, “You haven’t told anyone about – what happened, have you?”

Puzzled, Nandini said, “Vrinda and Nishi know about it.”

Troubled, Sarojini said, “I’m talking about outsiders. Our neighbours or anyone else…”

“No one in the neighbourhood knows,” Nandini murmured, feeling increasingly subdued. “But I’d spoken to the principal and he promised to take action against Dhiren.”

The gentle tugging on her hair stopped for an instant, then commenced again.

“Take your complaint back, and tell him we don’t want to create any fuss. We’ll talk to Sumer Singhji about the other incident. I’m sure he’ll help us to keep it under wraps. There....it’s done. It looks so much neater now.”

Nandini stood up and faced her stoic mother. “Why should I take my complaint back?” she asked quietly.

Apart from imparting the news that Dhiren was alive and undergoing treatment in a private clinic, Sumer Singh hadn’t revealed anything about his conversation with the principal yesterday. So Nandini was utterly confused about how to proceed in the matter. As for the other episode, she had left it entirely to Sumer Singh. The single surety was that she wasn’t going to do anything that could get Prithvi into trouble. She would have assumed her mother was concerned because of the same reason - if it was not for the underlying tone of the diktat. 

“This news shouldn’t spread. No one on the outside should know about it,” Sarojini answered firmly.

Unable to keep anger from her voice, Nandini sharply demanded, “Why are you talking like I’m at fault?”

“You’re not, but we need to think about the society we live in,” Sarojini answered, pale but resolute. “Such matters get twisted around in gossip, and ultimately, fingers will be pointed at you and our family.”

“Why would anyone blame me or our family?” Nandini asked, enraged. “It was Dhiren who -”

“Stop questioning me,” Sarojini snapped furiously. “If you want justice so badly, go ahead and contact the police. Walk shamelessly in and out of police stations and courtrooms and let everyone slander our family. But after that, you’ll not step outside the house again. I promise you that,” she announced tensely and stalked out of the room, leaving a shell-shocked silence in her wake.

**********************

As they neared the hospital room, Nandini drew back.

Bhoothnath and Sarojini turned questioningly. “Aren’t you coming?” her grandfather asked.

“You both go ahead. I have to return this dress to the nurse,” Nandini told him truthfully.

“Come soon,” her mother said.

“I will,” she replied stiffly, and walked on hastily before they opened the door.

********************

Prithvi amusedly watched the old man sobbing by his bedside.

“You plan to stop crying anytime soon?” he enquired. “It’s a little rough on the eyes, you know. Of all the people I’ve seen crying, you look the weirdest.”

Bhoothnath chortled, wiping his face with the edge of his sleeve, then turned sombre again. “You didn’t just save her…you saved my whole family. I don’t know how to thank you.”

“I’d rather listen to stories about how you swindle people every day,” Prithvi grinned, making Bhoothnath respond indignantly.  

Sarojini didn’t really hear the conversation. She had fussed over Prithvi to her heart’s content, staunchly ignoring his acutely uncomfortable look. Then Bhoothnath had broken down unexpectedly, and her attempts to console him had failed. Prithvi’s words, however, had done the needful, and her father-in-law was chatting contentedly at the moment.

It gave her the respite to ruminate over another issue.

When they’d walked in, Prithvi had been genuinely pleased to see them. But his smile had faded a bit as his eyes searched for an absent figure. While he’d regained good humour instantly, the momentary desolation she’d seen fuelled her doubts about his relationship with her daughter.

The suspicion she had buried months ago had re-emerged.

**********************

Nandini waited outside the room for her family members. She would send them home in a rickshaw and return. She was looking forward to a peaceful day ahead for more reasons than one. The argument in the morning had disturbed her too much. Then again, perhaps she was at fault for expecting anything different, she thought jadedly.

She had experienced a very strict upbringing, with her family’s traditional belief system having dominated all aspects of her life. The orthodoxy had gradually become an intrinsic part of life. Rebellion had never entered her mind because the restrictions were more than compensated with unconditional love, and downright pampering by her father and grandfather. As a child, on the rare occasions that she had insisted on having her way, her father had taken her side.   

If he was alive today, he would have -

Nandini forcefully restrained her mind. She couldn’t go there. It would only add to her misery, not alleviate it.

She looked up as the door to Prithvi’s room opened. Her mother stepped out, then stopped on seeing her sitting idly, literally twiddling her thumbs.

“Why didn’t you come inside?” Sarojini asked, baffled.

“I met him yesterday,” Nandini retorted, standing up. “So I thought it’s okay if I don’t -” her voice weakened as the strange uncertainty on her mother’s face turn to ire.

“Why did you come with us? To show us the way since we are too old and foolish to find the room without help?” Sarojini asked wrathfully. “Or to let Sumer Singh and Prithvi know that you are so insensitive that you can’t be bothered to enquire about the boy’s wellbeing in spite of everything he did for you.

It was the second time since morning that her usually tranquil mother’s temper had flared so badly. 

Nandini flushed with discomfort, but her temper was edging up as well. She knew it would be sensible to maintain silence and obey her mother. Yet this chastisement felt just as unfair as the one she had endured in the morning.

While she couldn’t reveal the actual reason for her annoyance this time, she couldn’t listen to the reprimand mutely either. Put on the defensive, she unthinkingly snapped, “It has not changed his nature. He’s mean and conceited. And he thinks the whole universe revolves around him.”

Sarojini looked at her disbelievingly. “There is a limit to immature behaviour. You’re 19 years old, not nine,” she admonished harshly. “And if anyone is being mean and conceited, it is you. I have never seen him behave badly with anyone. But I have hardly seen you behave politely with him. Nobody has anything bad to say about him, except you. If you continue like this, soon I’ll have to hear people say that I didn’t bring you up properly. Is that what you want? And even if he has been impolite to you, you cannot retaliate in kind. Arrogance is a forgivable sin in a man, not in a woman!”

Nandini stared at her furious mother through angry tears. “I’m not -” 

“I don’t want to hear anything. I will not tolerate this behaviour henceforth. Prithvi almost died to protect you. So I don’t care if he insults our whole family every day for the rest of our lives,” Sarojini snapped. “If you so much as look angrily at him in the future, I’ll forget that I promised your father I wouldn’t raise my hand on you. Now come inside quietly!” she ordered sternly and turned and stalked back into the room.  

Feeling overcome by the abnormally harsh reprimand, Nandini wiped the dampness from her eyes. She hadn’t seen her mother in such an angry avatar for years. For now, she would have to do as told or risk infuriating her mother further. She followed silently, albeit with a muffled happiness at the thought of seeing him.

In the large room, her grandfather, who was sitting very close to Prithvi’s bed, looked infinitely more cheerful than yesterday. He smiled at Nandini, who smiled back and then glanced hesitantly at the patient.

The bed was raised and Prithvi was sitting up, propped against pillows. The sight of the bandage was still upsetting, but at least all the tubes had been removed, and the disquieting pallor on his skin was gone.  As relief filled her, she saw a flash of soft pleasure in his expression, before it was submerged by a wicked glint. His first question, however, sounded so concerned that it caught her off guard.

“How are you doing?” Prithvi enquired conscientiously, “Hope you didn’t get hurt at all that day,” he said anxiously.

Sarojini, who had sat down on the sofa, looked questioningly at the girl standing against the wall. “You told me you had visited him yesterday,” she said with a frown.

Nandini squirmed under her mother’s accusatory gaze. She would have attempted to offer the excuse that he’d been sleeping when she arrived, but the devil incarnate would surely not let her get away that easily, she mulled resentfully. She was trying to think of an explanation, when Prithvi spoke up and kindly confirmed the validity of her fears.

“She did,” he assured solemnly. “But I think she was in a lot of hurry because she didn’t have the time to sit or talk. She just looked in and then left before I could even ask her if she was okay,” he added innocently.

“She must have had college yesterday,” Bhoothnath defended, then caught the brief yet stark look of disdain on Prithvi’s face. He squirmed guiltily and fell silent.

Nandini regretfully mused that her mother was unlikely to believe that she had gone to college the very next day after the bloody mayhem. Maybe if she built on the excuse…

“There were no classes yesterday but I guess she wanted to catch up on the annual day programmes,” Prithvi inferred with heart-warming sympathy.

“That was more important than sitting here for five minutes?” Sarojini asked her daughter crossly.

“I didn’t mean to complain,” Prithvi said anxiously. “I just wanted to know if she was alright.”

Seething at the smugness in his eyes, Nandini grit her teeth and muttered, “Yes, I’m fine.” 

A soft knock sounded on the door, and Sumer Singh, who had gone home to freshen up, strode in with a smile. A session of profuse thanksgiving from both sides followed, which ended in chuckles when Prithvi irritably asked for medicine to counter the nausea caused by the interaction.

Taking advantage of the temporary quiet, Nandini turned to her grandfather. “Grandpa, hadn’t you promised Aarti di’s father you’d visit their home before noon?” she reminded him.

Bhoothnath instantly began fretting about reaching in time and his worsening memory.  Nandini knew her mother was glaring at her, but she couldn’t possibly be faulted for the reminder. And even if she was….

She furtively glanced at Prithvi and was glad to witness a black scowl on his handsome face.

It was definitely worth it, she thought vindictively.

********************

Nandini slowed down as she reached the room. The door was open. Keeping the noise of her anklets to the minimum, she peered inside. 

The bed was still raised. Prithvi was leaning against the pillows and staring out the window with an expression dark enough to trigger a thunderstorm. Despite the stubble on his jaw, he looked nothing so much as a brat who was sulking because his favourite toy had been snatched away.

She was trying to suppress a laugh when the bathroom door opened and Sumer Singh emerged. “Nandini, I thought you had left with them. But I’m glad you returned,” he smiled.

He truly was grateful. Prithvi’s mood had turned lethally forbidding as soon as she had left with her family. If Nandini had not returned, the doctors and nurses who had to tend to the boy would have seen hell before the day was over, Sumer Singh thought drily.

Even as he watched affectionately, all gloom instantly lifted from Prithvi’s face and relieved happiness took its place for a moment. Then his features hardened again.

“Must be searching for self-respect. You should tell her not to bother. It wasn’t noticeable enough to begin with,” he said callously.

Sumer Singh cringed, but Nandini smiled coolly.

The prince was right, after all. Hadn’t she come back despite being insulted the previous day….

“I know it’s a lost cause,” she admitted with an exaggerated sigh. “Not everyone can give more importance to their oversized egos over another person’s feelings. Maybe you could teach me the secret,” she said brightly, walking towards the stand on the other side of the bed with the intention of pouring out a glass of juice for her tormentor. Purely because she and her mother had gone to all that trouble in the morning….not because she cared in particular…

Keeping wary eyes on both the sparring entities, Sumer Singh cagily edged out of the room.

“I would, if I thought you had the intelligence to learn,” Prithvi rejoined derisively, although he was looking more relaxed by the minute as she neared.

Nandini rolled her eyes. “Right again. I have neither brains nor self respect,” she agreed nonchalantly, starting to pick up the bottle. “Why else would I punish myself by – what are you doing?” she said hastily, casting a quick look to know if Sumer Singh was watching. He was nowhere to be seen.

Prithvi’s hand had whipped out to grasp her wrist, and he was frowning at the bandaged palm.

“What happened to your hand?” he asked sharply.

“Nothing, it’s just a small cut. Happened in the kitchen,” she muttered. Why had she forgotten to continue to concealing the hand from him…

“Spare me the foolish lies,” he said impatiently. “How did you get hurt?”

Exasperated, she recklessly said, “I was jealous about the limelight you were hogging so I cut up my hand to get some attention.”

The anger on his face inched up dangerously. “Why haven’t you lodged a complaint with the police yet?” he demanded authoritatively.

The unexpected change in subject threw her, and then her heart sank as she remembered the conversation with her mother. Sumer Singh too had said that they mustn’t give Prithvi any definitive answers about the issue for a few days.

Frantic to change the topic, she murmured, “About you being a jerk? I didn’t think they needed to get involved.”

The gentle pressure on her hand lifted, only to become a vicious clasp around a thick lock of hair at the base of her neck.

She winced as he tugged brutally to bring her closer. With icy eyes, he demanded, “You think this is funny?” 

The rough treatment didn’t surprise or upset her. She was going to face worse soon. It was the hardness in his voice that made tears surge to her eyes. Yet, she made no attempt to resist physically. His wounds were too fresh. The slightest strain could cause damage.

“I wasn’t trying to – I need time,” she said desperately. “I have to speak to grandpa and ma before going to the police.”

The grip on her hair tightened cruelly, making the tears spill out.

He looked coldly at her damp face. “You’ll talk to them today, unless you want me to do it. And you’re going to lodge the complaint irrespective of what they say.”

She couldn’t discuss it with him at the moment. He wouldn’t accept any excuse.

Seeing no way out, she whispered, “I’ll discuss it with them in the evening.”  

He relaxed the clasp without a word or look of apology.

Nandini swiftly wiped her face dry and started to move towards the door.

But she had barely stirred when there was a hard yank on her hair. She gasped in pain and turned to see Prithvi grabbing the base of her plait and casually winding it around his wrist.

He studied the fat black rope and mused, “It makes you look hideous but it’s useful.”

“Let go of it,” she said heatedly, clutching at her hair.

Prithvi raised his brows. “So you can run home like yesterday? I don’t think so,” he retorted grimly.

“Can’t do without her, eh?”

At the unfamiliar, teasing laugh, Nandini glanced up uncertainly. A highly distinguished-looking man was smiling at her very warmly. Another man stood in attention behind him, holding a large bouquet.

Uday looked from the beautiful girl to Prithvi.

“I can see why you wanted it to remain fresh,” he winked.

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