Manik's friends sat in his room as Manik paced back & forth complaining about Nandini.

"Like...she has fully lost her mind! Dekho kya halat kar di usne mere room ki!" Manik said.

"I think it looks nice. Achi taste hai Nandini ki." Aliya smiled. Manik glared at her. "What? Tumhare purane black & white room se toh 1000 times better hai."

"I cannot stand that girl. Kal woh shaadi nibhane ki baat kar rahi thi." Manik said.

"Yeh pakka uski koi plan hogi.....but kash inn dono mein sachi ka pyar ho jaaye. Humare is Monster Manik ko toh Nandini hi sahi raaste pe laa sakti hai." Cabir thought to himself.

"Tere jaise harr koi shaadi ko game nahi samajhta hai na." Mukti taunted. 

"Shut up Mukti....you have no idea what she did." Manik argued.

"Kya kiya usne?" Mukti asked. "Come on...spill. What did she do to deserve being forced into a marriage like this?"

"Its-"

"Papa!" A small voice could be heard calling through the mansion. "Papa! Mahi home!"

"Shit....Mahi aa gayi." Manik mumbled. 

"Woh toh apne Dadu aur Dadi ke ghar gayi thi na?" Dhruv asked.

"Haan...I completely forgot she was coming home today." Manik stood up and ran downstairs where a small 3.5 yr old girl stood with a backpack. Manik smiled seeing her and spread his arms out. "Mahi...."

"Papa!" The little girl, Mahi ran to Manik & hugged him. This whole thing was seen by Nandini who stood by the kitchen door and looked shocked.

"Papa? Yeh....iska bacha kaha se aa gaya? Cabir ne toh kaha he never  even dated or anything....phir?"

"Mahi...mera bachi. Aa gayi tu?" Sumitra picked up Mahi and kissed her face. "Nanu Nani missed you soooo much."

Even Dhananjay looked very happy to see the little girl and hugged her. Nandini got even more confused. "Nanu Nani? Par...agar yeh Manik ki beti hai toh phir aunty aur uncle Nanu Nani kaise?"

"Confused?" 

Nandini was startled as she hadnt seen Cabir walk over to her while the Malhotras were busy with Mahi. 

"Of course Im confused...kaun hai yeh bachi?" Nandini asked.

"Manik's niece....lekin woh Manik ko Papa bulati hai." Cabir replied.

"Niece?"

"I can't tell you more than that Nandini...Manik ko pata chala toh problem ho jayegi." Cabir whispered and then quickly walked back to his friends.

"Niece? Manik ki behen toh Pakhi hai....aur uska koi bhai toh hai nahi. Phir yeh kiski beti hai? Yeh Cabir bhi na....aadhi baat jab bol diya toh puri baat bolne mein kya jaata hai?" Nandini sighed.

"Papa...whos pwetty guwl." Mahi asked Manik as she spotted Nandini. Manik's smiled dropped and he looked at Nandini with hatred.

"Hi! Main tumhari Papa ki...dost hoon." Nandini replied with a smile.

"Papa ki Dosh?" Mahi asked. Nandini nodded. "What name?"

"Mera? Its...Nandini." Nandini replied.

"Nad..Nad...Naduwi?" Mahi cutely tried to pronounce her name making Nandini chuckle. "Thas sho hawd!"

"Aww...thats ok. Tum mujhe, Nandu bula sakti ho."

"Nannu!" Mahi cheered happily. Nandini smiled at her cuteness and reached foreward to touch her cheek but Manik moved away.

"Mahi...thak gayi hogi na? Nani tumhe sula degi ok?" Manik passed her to Sumira who took her upstairs and Dhananjay went back to his work. Manik grabbed Nandini's arm tightly and pulled her to the side.

"Aah...Manik." Nandini flinched in pain.

"TUM...Mahi se door rahogi. In fact sirf Mahi se nahi, maine sunna tum Pakhi ke saath bhi bohot time spend kar rahi ho. Tum dono se door rahogi!" Manik replied.

"Manik..kya kar raha hai?" Mukti walked upto him with the others. "Lag jayegi usse...chod."

"I dont f*cking care! Lag jayegi toh lag jaaye." Manik replied. "You...sunna na tumne maine kya bola? Stay away from Mahi & Pakhi."

"Nahi toh kya kar loge?" Nandini asked defiantly.

Manik's friends stared at her in shock since they had never seen anyone ever talk back to him. Manik also was speechless, he didnt actually have any punishment for not doing what he said....as that was never a problem before.

"Thats what I thought." Nandini smirked. Suddenly Aliya hugged Nandini startling both Nandini & Manik.

"Tum na...mere naye role model ho! Jabse entry li hi tabse shock pe shock diye jaa rahi ho! Like seriously tumne Manik se panga liya hai woh koi choti baat nahi hai! I like you...I like you very much!" Aliya told Nandini.

"WHAT?" Manik looked angry. "Aliya...you are supposed to be my friend!"

"Haan I am....and as your friend, I believe that she is going to be very good for your ego." Aliya replied.

"Sorry Manik, but Im with Aliya....Mujhe bhi Nandini pasand hai." Mukti stood beside Nandini & Aliya. "Anyways, you boys always outnumbered us even if we are still not even at least ek aur ladki toh mil gayi humme!"

"Arre Nandini ki dost, Navya bhi toh hai....so that makes it even!" Cabir blurted out without realizing. Manik & the others looked at him while Nandini's eyes widened. 

"Tujhe....iss ladki ki dost ke baare mein kaise paata?" Manik asked.

"I uh....mujhe? Nahi...mujhe toh nahi paata..mujhe kaise pata hoga?" Cabir tried to cover up.

"You just said....Nandini ki dost, Navya." Dhruv replied.

"Haan...kyunki uss din party mein ek ladki aayi thi na iske saath? I figured woh Nandini ki dost hogi but who knows, cousin ya behen bhi ho sakti hai." Cabir said.

"Aur uska naam Navya hai woh kaise paata?" Manik looked suspiciously at Cabir who was racking his brain for an excuse.

"Woh toh maine Navya ko uske naam se bulaya tha na uss din. Thats how." Nandini spoke up and saved him. "And yes...Navya meri best friend hai, bachpan ka."

"So that makes one more girl yes!" Aliya cheered & high fived with Mukti. Cabir passed a small but greatful smile to Nandini. Manik was irritated with his friends for accepting Nandini and forgot about Cabir knowing more than he should. He grumbled and sat to the side as all his friends chatted with Nandini. 

"What the hell is wrong with everyone?" Manik stood up and yelled. "Jab tum sab ko paata hai kki main iss ladki ko-"

"Nandini." Nandini spoke up.

"What?" 

"My name is not YOU...or Tum, or yeh ladki...its Nan...di...ni... Nandini Raichand aur ab Mrs Nandini Manik Malhotra." Nandini told him. Manik got angry and pulled Nandini roughly towards him, digging his fingers into her arms.

"Kitni baar bolna parega TUM MERI BIWI NAHI HO!" Manik shouted. He was gripping her arms so tightly that it started to get red and Nandini had a tear run down her face.

"Stop it Manik." Cabir separated the two and pushed Manik away and stepped between them. "Tu yeh manne ya na manne....Nandini teri biwi hai and you cannot manhandle her like that!"

"Haan tu kisi bhi ladki ke saath aisa behave nahi kar sakta." Mukti added. "Just go for a walk and cool off!"

Manik stormed off and Cabir turned to Nandini who was trying to hide her tears. Cabir cupped her face and wiped her tears with his thumb. "Hey....its ok. Rone se tumhari bravery kam nahi hogi. I know...Manik ne bohot zyada roughly tumhe pakda tha....dard toh hoga hi na?"

Zubin walked over to a cabinet and took out a first aid box. "Here isme ointment hoga."

Cabir made Nandini sit and gently applied the ointment on her arms. 

"We are so sorry Nandini." Aliya hugged her. "I swear...Manik humesha se aisa nahi tha. Woh toh jabse-"

Cabir motioned for her to stay quiet.

"Jabse kya?" Nandini asked. She looked to the others but they all stayed quiet fearing Manik's reaction is they said anything.

"Woh...bas itna keh sakte hai ki ek...ek nahi do kaafi bade tragic incidents hua tha uske baad se hi Manik badal gaya. Its like usne apna dil ko pattar ka bana diya aur uske andar sirf aur sirf nafrat bhar gaya." Dhruv said.

"We tried everything to help him out, therapy ke liye bhi bola tha....lekin its like he build a extremely tall wall around him. Humme pata hai woh bohot kuch chuppa raha hai but no matter how much we try, woh share nahi karta humse." Zubin sighed. "Even....Manik's relation with his parents has suffered. Agar koi rishta nahi bigra toh woh Pakhi ke saath aur Mahi ke saath. Those two are his weaknesses."

"Toh....Manik pehle kaisa tha?" Nandini asked curiously.

"Very caring...Itna nafrat nahi tha uske dil mein." Mukti smiled. "Haan...attitude aur gussa toh tab bhi bhar bhar ke tha usme but he never used to harm anyone like he is doing with you. Dhananjay Uncle ke saath uska ek best friend wala rishta tha aur Sumi aunty ka ladla bacha."

"Also...he used to love music. Manik, Cabir, Muku, Aliya aur main....humara ek band ha college mein, Fab 5. Manik was our lead singer....uska awaaz na, its just magical." Dhruv added.

"Prankster bhi tha...mere saath milke masti karta tha. Hum boys humesha girls ko tang karte they." Cabir spoke up, tears in his eyes as he remembered the old times. "He used to be so much happier...always laughing and enjoying life to the fullest."

"Laughing....aur yeh Monster? Dekhne se toh lagta hai that his face muscles do not even know what laughing means." Nandini thought to herself. "Par...aisa kya hua hoga ke yeh monster itna badal gaya? Chor Nandini....tu bhi kya soch rahi hai? You cannot feel bad for him....bhool mat isne kya kiya hai tere saath."

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Mahi Malhotra/ Agarwal (3.5 yrs): Mahi is the daughter of Dhrishti & Siddarth Agarwal and niece of Manik & Pakhi. She was only 6 months old when her parents passed away so Manik took her responsibily & raised her like his own daughter. She was given the surname Malhotra so nobody questions Manik as he is unmarried but her birthcertificate still says Agarwal. Mahi knows who her birth parents are but calls Manik as Papa and loves him like that. She is a cute bundle of joy & a very friendly child. Often goes to visit Siddarth's parents but Manik has her custody so she lives in Malhotra Mansion.

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