"Mallika, she is just five now. Why are you talking about her marriage now?" Sumedh left her waist and tied his tie properly.
"Because I don't want her to undergo what I am going through right now." Her voice was low.
Sumedh looked at her silently, as she took his overcoat and make him wore that. He felt his tongue-tied with an invisible spell, he couldn't utter a single word.
He got down from the table and engulfed Mallika in a comforting hug.
"I am sorry, Miku." That's what he could say at that very moment.
Mallika buried her face in his chest and cried silently. She didn't even hear Sumedh utter any reply. All she needed was her parents. She missed them terribly, especially her dad when she saw Sumedh's love for their princess.
He let her cry in his embrace and wiped away the teardrops that visited his eyelashes. He gulped down the huge lump formed in his throat, which forbid him to console her by saying any soothing words.
He picked Mallika in his arms and took her to his private room attached to his cabin.
He made her lay on the bed and kissed her forehead, "Rest here until I complete my works. Then we will go to school to pick up Madhi."
He turned back to go but she held his hand, "Stay with me, please."
He realised that she was crying more now. He laid down beside her and took her fragile body in his embrace. She kept her head on his chest and wept her heart out. Though she decided that she should never see her parents, she couldn't control her heart from remembering all those beautiful moments with her parents.
Sumedh kept on caressing her hair. He didn't initiate any steps to stop her from crying. Because he didn't want her to keep her pain within her heart.
Soon her mind got diverted when his heartbeats reached her ears penetrating her emotions. She closed her eyes and slowly stopped crying, listening to the sound of his heartbeats.
Sumedh kissed her hairs now and then. He looked at her face when he heard a soft snore. She was sleeping like a small baby in his embrace.
He smiled at her peaceful face and made her lay on the bed properly. He kissed her forehead once again and went out of the room to his cabin.
He called his P.A. through an intercom and lost in thinking. Soon after his P.A. came, he asked her about the contract file to make a deal with Mallika.
Though she would be officially the queen of his business empire, he didn't want to give those nosy people in his office to get a new topic for gossip by giving privilege to Mallika before their wedding.
"Here it is, Sir." She handed over Sumedh a few papers and looked around the room for Mallika's existence.
"Do you need anything?" Sumedh's words caught her off guard, as she stammered, "N...No, Sir."
"Great, then invite the author Pearl Soul as chief guest for the novel launch. It should be conducted next week. I will mail you all the details about the launch party. As for now keep at least a thousand copies of the book ready before the launch date." Sumedh had confidence over his idea, as he had prepared well to celebrate his first event with Mallika in a grand manner.
"But, Sir, we didn't even cross-check her work..." Miss Agarwal dragged her words and looked at Sumedh hesitatingly, as she knew how much Sumedh was cautious about the books published by their publications. That's why his company reached the level of International status within five years.
"Miss Agarwal, do you even know about whom you are talking about?" Sumedh narrowed his gaze on her.
After receiving the silence from her, he questioned her again, "Have you ever read the book, Fallen from Heaven?"
"Yes, Sir! That is the topmost book on my favourite list. It was written by the author, Penguin, she had won Internation Golden Quill award for her work." She said excitedly and tried to remember the real name of the author, whose pen name was Penguin.
"And she is Penguin. Author of the International Award Winning Book, Fallen from Heaven. That author is none other than Miss Mallika Mishra. So, do you need any more explanation on why I have so much confidence in her?" Sumedh questioned her once again, but she was already on cloud nine that she had met her favourite author at last.
"Sir, you should have said this earlier itself. I have a lot of questions to ask her and talk with her. Why did she keep her name as Penguin? Why did she keep her identity hidden? Why didn't she receive an award instead of her friend received it? Why didn't she..." Sumedh cut her off, "This isn't your fan moment, Miss Agarwal. Can you please look after the arrangements for the launch party?"
"Of course! I will make it wonderfully. But one condition, you shouldn't keep budget limit. Because this is my favourite author's novel launch party. Yaayyy!" She shouted in excitement and went out.
Sumedh face palmed while muttering, "I don't know whether I am boss or her. Shouldn't keep budget limit! Why will I man? Because I, myself, want the even to be so special for my Jaan."
He smiled but jerked when he heard Mallika's whimper from the room. He rushed inside the room only to find her crying in sleep.
He sat beside her and took her head in his lap, "Baby, relax, I am here."
She held his hand tightly and blabbered in sleep, "Papa, believe me. I don't know anything. I don't know how this had happened. Don't leave me, Please, I beg you!"
She cried like her tears would dry up any soon. Sumedh's heart pained to see her in that way. She was in a vulnerable condition.
"Mallika, wake up!" Sumedh shouted to make her wake from her sleep so that she would stop crying.
She woke up with the jolt and looked around the room hastily. He hugged her tightly and rubbed her back, as she slowly came back to reality.
"Nightmare," Mallika whispered.
But Sumedh knew that wasn't a nightmare!
~~~
So, guys, what do you all think about Mallika's so-called nightmare?