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•••

Mandira limped towards the car, catching Kajal and Vaidehi's attention.

“Bhabhi, why are you limping? Are you hurt?” Vaidehi's question caught her off-gaurd.

How could she explain to her sister-in-law that her brother is responsible for her inability to walk? It was a foolish bet! The bet of hundred strokes. Because after the eightieth stroke, matters went out of hand.

“My legs are numb,” Mandira lied.

Vaidehi bought her lie but Kajal controlled herself from laughing out as she headed towards the car. Vaidehi followed her, totally unaware of the situation.

“How are you feeling after winning the bet, Wifey?” Vidyut teased her.

Mandira glared at him, cutely. Vidyut chuckled and pulled her blushing cheeks.

“You took unfair advantage of my foolish bet,” Mandira accused him, cutely.

“I only followed my carnal instinct. What else was I supposed to do? It was a natural reaction to a physical stimulus.”

Mandira smirked, “Woah, you are so good at talking about sex without using sexual terms. Is this an inherent quality of all manipulators?”

“Manipulator?” An argument was about to began between them but Vaidehi's voice put it to end.

“Bhaiyya, we have to reach Mehergarh before lunch. Hurry up!”

“Coming!” Vidyut yelled back and the couple headed towards the car.

✿ ✿ ✿

Three hours later, they were having lunch in the Mathur Haveli.

Vaidehi spoke, “Amma, I want to shift to Lakhnaur for few years.”

“You don't want to study in open anymore?” Haryali Devi asked, even though she wasn't really surprised.

Vaidehi shook her head, “No, my grades are unsatisfactory. It's better if I attend university as a regular student.”  

Her mother nodded, “Hmm, I agree with you. Pack your luggage and leave for Lakhnaur this week. Start attending college from Monday.”

“Sure,” Vaidehi nodded with a smile.

“And Kajal...” she looked at her daughter-in-law.

“Yes, Amma?” Kajal asked.

“You should also return to Lakhnaur with Vaidehi... permanently.”

Kajal choked on the rice she was eating and drank some water before replying, “Why? I like living in Mehergarh.”

“But Vikram lives in Lakhnaur. You should stay with him now. It's been four years. Both of you can't keep ignoring each other's existence for rest of your lives.”

“It's not just about him. You know how my parents are,” Kajal didn't really want to say it out loud but it was a fact. She liked living in Mehargarh partly because her parents won't be asking for money and other favors from her.

“I'm sure Vikram can handle them. He is good at scaring people. See, his wife is scared to live with him.” 

“As you wish, Amma. I'll leave for Lakhnaur.” Kajal agreed unwillingly.

“Amma, I need to discuss something with you after lunch,” said Vidyut. His mother nodded.

✿ ✿ ✿

About half an hour later, Vidyut was sitting with his mother in her bedroom. Haryali Devi was in deep thoughts after what Vidyut told her.

“So you are saying that you didn't get married to Mandira, but her friend Devika. But you are in love with Mandira and Yuvraj fell in love with Devika. However, Mandira ran away for Yuvraj on the wedding day, but was betrayed by him. And Yuvraj did this because he thinks Mandira is behind Vini's accident,” She summarized the entire story.

“Correct,” Vidyut gave her a nod.

“Vidyut, why are you friends with such a horrible man? If he were my son, I would have disowned him. Don't be friends with him anymore.” Her reply kind of amused him.

“Amma, you are more concerned about my bad friend rather than me living with Mandira without marriage?”

“I mean, to the world, Mandira is your wife. If you are feeling guilty, then you can marry her secretly.”

“I thought you would force me to take Devika as my wife.” His mother's way of thinking never failed to surprise him. Even after living in a conservative environment all her life, her thoughts were quite laidback. Laidback in a sense that her view towards life was a lot simpler than women living in the same set-up as her.

“I don't even know her. Why would I force you to live with her? For someone as reckless as you, someone with a dominant personality like Mandira is the perfect choice. Only her kind can keep you on track.” 

“I feel insulted by your choice of words,” Vidyut chuckled humorlessly.

“You should be. Your brother is running a successful business while you are wasting your days in fields.”

“Amma, it's my job. I supervise the farmers.”

“Vidyut, you very well know that you are capable of doing much more than that. You should also shift to Lakhnaur and start working in Vikram's company.”

“But I don't want to work in his company,” he grumbled.

His mother sighed, “Vidyut, your children will look down upon you. They will wish that they were Vikram's kids, not yours. Do it so that your next generation feels proud of you.”

Vidyut chuckled bitterly, “You ace at hurting a man's ego. I wonder why Baba was head over heels for you.”

“He was brilliant at business, unlike you.”

And he chuckled even louder, “Ah, it hurts. You are too good at it.”

“Someone visited me in your absence,” her mood grew serious as she uttered those words.

“Who?”

“Devika's stepmother.”

“Why did she visit you?” Vidyut frowned.

“Call Mandira first. She must know a lot about this scheming stepmother.”

Five minutes later, Mandira was sitting beside Vidyut. She was looking at her mother-in-law in amazement. She was way cool for women of her generation and background.

“Tell us about that woman. What was her name? It sounds like the name of an old TV serial's vamp,” She tried to remember the name.

“Sindura,” Mandira replied.

“Yeah, Sindura.”

“From what I have observed over the years, she is an insecure mother. She has two daughters. Both of them are decent, but the thing is that Devika is a beauty with brains. She is extremely beautiful and she is brilliant at studies too. So that has always made Sindura insecure.”

“Why would she tell me about the truth?” Haryali Devi asked.

“She must have got to know that Devika is seeing Yuvraj, who happens to be a rich businessman.”

“So she assumed that I'll be willing to be her weapon to harm Devika. How foolish.”

“By the way, what did you do? How did you react to her words?” Vidyut asked curiously.

Haryali Devi shrugged, “Nothing. I just pressed a knife on her neck and drew enough blood to make her pass out. Then told the men to throw her out.”

“Wow! That's nothing for you?” Vidyut was shocked by his mother's nonchalant attitude. While Mandira was in awe.

“I mean, I have done worse to women who tried to seduce your father.”

“That sounds... diabolical,” Vidyut pitied Sindura, who dug her own grave by approaching the unpredictable Haryali Devi.

But Mandira already became a fangirl of her mother-in-law.

•••

It's my birthday today, so decided to drop a chapter.

I wanted to write more but I have fever and cold.

Devika and Yuvraj’s scene will be in the next chapter.

What do you think of Haryali Devi? She's cool, right?