(Manik is working on his laptop in his cabin when the intercom phone rings, and he lets out a frustrated sigh.)
Manik (receiving the call)- Yes.
Receptionist (scared)- Sir Mr Raj Malhotra is here and wants to meet you. We tried to stop him, but he was not ready to listen.
Manik (letting out a sigh)- Send him in.
Receptionist- Okay, sir.
(Manik cuts the call and then sits back in his chair after shutting the laptop. After a few moments, Raj opens the cabin door and enters, all furious. Manik takes a deep breath looking at him.)
Manik- Wow! You are back from your trip, Mr Malhotra. But yahan kaise aana hua? Itni yaad aayi meri aap ko?
[Manik- Wow! You are back from your trip, Mr Malhotra. But why are you here? You were missing me this much?]
Raj (angrily)- Why are Ritvik Sinha and that girl in the lock-up Manik?
Manik- A question in answer to a question. Good going.
Raj (gritting his teeth)- Just answer me, damn it. Why are you doing this?
Manik (faking innocence)- Maine kya kiya? Mujhe to pata bhi nahi ki vo kahan hain abhi.
[Manik (faking innocence)- What did I do? I don't even know where they are now.]
Raj- Aur pichle 15 din ka kya Manik? Kyu pichle 15 din se Ritvik aur Palak police custody mein hai? Kyu police un dono ko 3rd degree torture de rahi hai Manik? Tumhare kehne par naa.
[Raj- And what about the last 15 days, Manik? Why are Rithvik and Palak in police custody for the previous 15 days? Why is the police giving 3rd-degree torture to both of them, Manik? On your orders, correct?]
(Manik smirks, looking at Raj and Raj paces around the cabin, pissed at Manik's behaviour.)
Raj- Agar tum bhool rahe ho to let me remind you he is the son of one of my closest friends, Manik. And you bloody knew this still you ruined everything.
[Raj- If you are forgetting, let me remind you. He is the son of one of my closest friends, Manik. And you bloody knew this but still, you ruined everything.]
(Manik now gets up from his seat and stands in front of Raj with a stern face.)
Manik (sternly)- And let me remind you that the same son of one of your closest friends tried to harm my wife. In fact, she was hospitalized for the same, so I thought, why don't they, too, have a trip to the hospital?
Raj- Riya just got injured on her foot, Manik. And it was nothing serious. To uske liye itna sab kyu? Aur mujhe pata hai ki tumne unke against complaint ki hai. But why, damn it? Why? Tumhari biwi to theek hi hai phir ye sab kyu?
[Raj- Riya just got injured on her foot, Manik. And it was nothing serious. So why all this for her? And I know that you have filed a complaint against them. But why, damn it? Why? Your wife is fine, then why all this?]
(Manik moves more towards Raj with his face blank and his eyes cold while Raj moves back, scared of Manik's next step.)
Manik- Agar un dono ko unke liye ki sazaa mil rahi hai to usme kuch galat nahi hai. Aur rahi baat un dono pe ho rahe torture ki to usse bhi pata chalna chahiye ki kitna dard hota hai aise chot lagne par. And that girl Palak, vo police custody mein apne khud ke plans ki vajhe se hi hai. A plan of giving pain to my wife and also making my sister lose the competition, so they deserve all this! Aur vaise bhi main to aur kitna kuch karna chahta tha par kya kare ab. Aise law haath mein lunga to humari family ke liye problems create ho jayegi. So vo nahi kiya.
[Manik-If both of them are getting punished, then there is nothing wrong. And if we talk about the torture happening to both of them, they should also know how much it pains to get hurt like that. And that girl Palak is in police custody because of her own plans. A plan of giving pain to my wife and also making my sister lose the competition, so they deserve all this. Aur vaise bhi main to aur kitna kuch karna chahta tha par kya kare ab. If I take the law into my hands like that, it will create problems for the family. So, I didn't do that.]
Raj- Manik you...
Manik- And also to clear out things. The word family for me just includes my wife and my siblings, Mr Malhotra. I hope you are clear about that hmm.
Raj- Tang aa gaya hoon main ye wife-wife sun kar. Itni kitni important ho gayi vo...
[Raj- I am fed up listening to this wife-wife. How important has she become...]
Manik (raising his voice)- Important hai vo. Mere liye bohot important hai vo. And take this as my last warning, Mr Raj Malhotra. Stay away from my family and me. Jitni trips pe jaana hai jaiye aur apni wife ko bhi saath lekar hi jaana, unhe yahan chodne ki zarurat nahi hai. Aur jo karna hai apni company ke paise se kijiye. Mujhe contact karne ki koyi zarurat nahi hai. Keep me out of all your things.
[Manik (raising his voice)- She is important. She is very important to me. And take this as my last warning, Mr Raj Malhotra. Stay away from my family and me. Go on as many trips as you want and take your wife with you. There is no need to leave her here. And whatever you want to do, do it with your company's money. There is no need to contact me. Keep me out of all your things.]
Raj- Mujhe vaise bhi tumhare paise ki koyi zarurat nahi hai Manik. Tum...
[Raj- I don't need your money anyway, Manik. You...]
Manik- That's good. So please leave.
Raj- You...
Manik- Leave, Mr Malhotra.
Raj- You are...
Manik (shouting in anger)- I said just leave from here, Mr Raj Malhotra. Just leave.
(Raj leaves from there, feeling insulted, and Manik is blazing in anger. Manik closes his eyes to calm himself down and takes deep breaths to control his anger.)
Manik (to himself)- Everything is okay, Manik. Relax.
(Just then, he receives a message from Riya. He sits back in the chair and smiles.)
MANIK AND RIYA'S CONVERSATION
(As Ridhaan leaves for his shift after lunch, Riya sits alone in her cabin and thinks about her decision to tell Manik everything about her past. She closes her eyes, and all the scenes from her past come before her eyes, and tears roll down her eyes.)
Riya (to herself, in tears)- No, no. Kuch galat nahi hoga. Manik will trust me. He won't leave me alone. I need to stay calm. Kuch galat nahi hoga.
[Riya (to herself, in tears)- No, no. Nothing will go wrong. Manik will trust me. He won't leave me alone. I need to stay calm. Nothing will go wrong.]
(She takes a few deep breaths and continues attending to patients. While on the other side, Manik sits back in his seat and thinks about the 02 months he has spent with Riya.)
Manik- We both will be alone tonight. Should I tell her about all that happened? She is my wife, and she deserves to know yaar. And what if she is ready to share everything with me too? Or wait. I will let her say what she wants to tell me, and then I will share everything with her. Perfect.
(He then calls someone to make the required arrangements and sighs deeply.)
(Manik picks up Riya at 05:00 PM, and they start their journey. They both stay quiet for the initial few minutes, and then Riya speaks up.)
Riya- Ghar pe kisi ko pata hai that we are going somewhere?
[Riya- Anyone at home knows where we are going?]
Manik- Tumhare kal koyi appointments hai?
[Manik- Do you have any appointments tomorrow?]
Riya- No. I don't have appointments tomorrow.
Manik- Great! And Mukti and Cabir know we are going out for some work today and will come back till tomorrow evening.
Riya- Tomorrow evening? Manik kal takk kya karenge hum? Aur hum jaa kahan rahe hain?
[Riya- Tomorrow evening? Manik, what will we do till tomorrow? And where are we going?]
Manik- 03 years back, I got a mansion made for myself. So that I could spend some alone time away from all the drama happening at Malhotra Mansion. Mujhe laga tha ki shayad vahan akele reh kar mujhe thoda peace milega but aisa kuch hua nahi aur after some months I stopped going there completely. Today it's after 02 years that I am going there.
[Manik- 03 years back, I got a mansion for myself. So that I could spend some alone time away from all the drama happening at Malhotra Mansion. I thought I might get some peace by being alone there, but nothing like this happened, and after some months, I stopped going there completely. Today it's after 02 years that I am going there.]
Riya- Wow! So does someone else know about this secret place of yours?
Manik- Hmm, Cabir does. But I don't think he remembers much about this. And after him, you are the first person I am taking there with me.
Riya- Oh! But...
Manik- Don't stress yourself so much about all this. Abhi when we reach there tumhare saare questions ke answers de dunga tumhe hmm.
[Manik- Don't stress yourself so much about all this. When we reach there, I will answer all your questions. Hmm.]
Riya- Okay.
(He then continues driving while she looks outside the window, enjoying the view.)
Manik- Well, what is the thing that you want to talk about?
Riya (taking a sigh)- About everything.
Manik (confused)- Everything... what do you mean?
Riya- Everything about all that happened with me. My family, the past thing, everything.
Manik (concerned)- Are you sure about this? Riya, you don't have to rush...
Riya- I know, Manik. And I am okay with sharing everything with you. It's okay, and I am ready for this.
(He takes a deep breath on listening to her words and then speaks up.)
Manik- What if I, too, want to share everything with you? About me, about all that happened?
Riya- Are you ready for it?
Manik- I don't know. But somewhere, I want to let it all out. And I want you to know everything about me. We have been married for 02 months now, and I think we have that level of understanding between us now, where we can be a part of each other's past.
Riya- You are right, Manik, but we will only go with this idea if you are okay with me knowing everything that happened. Are you sure about all this?
Manik (after a pause)- I am. I am sure.
Riya- Great. Let's do it, then.
Manik- Sure.
(They pass each other a small smile, and Manik continues driving, they reach the mansion after an hour, as it is on the outskirts of the city. They leave the car, and Riya looks around the mansion as it looks beautiful.)
Manik- So? Andar chale?
[Manik- So? Let's go inside?]
Riya- Sure.
(He smiles, looks at her, and forwards his hand to her. She looks at him, a little surprised, but he blinks his eyes in assurance to her, and she puts her hand on his, and he grips it. They both then together walk into the mansion with a constant smile on their face.)
THE MANSION
(Riya looks around at the interiors as they walk through the corridors, and he smiles on seeing her smiling. They have just reached the hall when an old man, the head butler of the house, comes and greets them.)
Butler- Manik baba. Bohot acha lag raha hai aap ko yahan dekh ke.
[Butler- Manik. It's great to see you here.]
Manik- Mujhe bhi yahan aake bohot acha lag raha hai kaka. Baaki saari problems se durr. Sirf hum dono.
[Manik- I also feel pleased to come here, Uncle. Far from all other problems. Just the two of us.]
(He passes a smile to Riya, and she smiles back at him warmly.)
Manik (to Riya)- Riya ye Mohit kaka hain aur ye yahan ke head butler hain.
[Manik (to Riya)- Riya, this is Mohit Uncle, and he is the head butler here.]
Butler- Ji. Aap logon ko kuch bhi chahiye ho aap mujhe bula lijiye gaa. Main bhijva dunga room mein.
[Butler- Yes. If you guys need anything, then call me. I will send it to your room.]
Manik- Umm kaka aap saara kaam kar ke ghar chale jaiye. Aur dinner mat banana vo hum manage kar lenge.
[Manik- Um, Uncle, you just do all the chores and go home. And don't cook dinner. We will manage that.]
(The butler nods in a yes and then leaves, and Manik turns to Riya.)
Manik- Let's get fresh first. We can talk after that.
Riya- Sure.
(They both then go to their room and get fresh. As Riya got fresh first, she stood on the balcony in the room and admired the view from there. The sun is about to set entirely, and the sky has an orange tint. The atmosphere is calm, and everything is peaceful. Riya closes her eyes and takes a deep breath to breathe the fresh air. She then thinks something and opens her eyes, a little worried.)
Riya- I hope I can make him understand. (taking a deep breath) I won't fall weak this time. I will tell Manik everything, and I will stay strong throughout.
(Manik comes out of the bathroom after getting fresh and stands with Riya on the balcony, looking outside.)
Manik- Sab kuch kitna peaceful lag raha hai naa.
[Manik- Everything seems so peaceful, doesn't it?]
Riya- Bohot.
[Riya- A lot.]
Manik- I got this mansion built. Mr and Mrs Malhotra don't know about this. And others know that I have many properties, so this doesn't matter to them. But to me... it matters a lot.
Riya (sighing)- Tum Mohit kaka ko bohot time se jaante hoge naa. Tabhi tum ne unhe iss ghar ki responsibility di.
[Riya (sighing)- You must have known Mohit Uncle for a long time, wouldn't you? That is why you gave him the responsibility of this house.]
Manik- He used to work at Malhotra Mansion first. And he was ready to help me during that rape case because he was at home and had everything. But he couldn't reach the court to testify for me on time, so I lost the case.
Riya (turning to him)- Ajeeb hai naa. Humare apne hume dhokha dete hain aur bahar wale humara itna saath dete hain.
[Riya (turning to him)- Strange, isn't it? Our own families deceive us, and outsiders support us so much.]
Manik- I know. But tumhare saath bhi aisa kuch hua hai?
[Manik- I know. But something like this happened to you too?]
Riya (sighing)- You know why Mom and Dad came to meet me in the hospital that day? To tell me about their entire story. Why did they not want me? Vaise to main vo kahani bohot baar sunn chuki hoon but har baar...har baar it hurts to the same extent. Every time Mom used to tell me to address her and Dad as Mam and Sir. It used to hurt so much, and it still hurts. A lot.
[Riya (sighing)- You know why Mom and Dad came to meet me in the hospital that day? To tell me about their entire story. Why did they not want me? By the way, I have heard that story many times, but every time it hurts to the same extent. Every time Mom used to tell me to address her and Dad as Mam and Sir. It used to hurt so much, and it still hurts. A lot.]
Manik- Are they insane? How can they do this? Tum ne unse pucha nahi ki vo aisa kyu karte hai?
[Manik- Are they insane? How can they do this? You didn't ask them why they do this?]
Riya (teary-eyed)- The first memory I have of my Mom is when she slapped me at a party, in front of everyone, when I told her to take me home as I was tired. I was 03 years old at that time.
(There is a silence between them as Manik looks on, quite shocked at her, and she is just looking straight.)
Riya- But the story doesn't start from here. They actually never wanted me. They were happy with my brothers because they thought that they both would take their businesses ahead. Both of them were hungry for money. Their parents, too, were good friends, but they were not rich. My parents wanted to be wealthy. So they started with their illegal businesses too. They were happy when Harshad and Aryaman were born. Their sons would take their legacy ahead and keep their name alive in the market. But then, everything changed when they both came closer after a party... and Mom got pregnant again with me. And they term it and me as the biggest mistake of their lives.
(Riya clutches the balcony's railing tightly to control her emotions, and Manik looks on sadly at her. He keeps his hand on hers and presses it to show her he is there for her.)
Riya (in tears)- They never wanted me, Manik. The day I was born marked a black day in their lives. Their businesses started facing losses, losing all their money and status, and I was responsible for everything. I was the one who ruined everything. Think about it, Manik, the day I was born, I went and shook hands with his rivals. And started ruining them.
(She bites her lips to control herself, but he doesn't stop her from speaking as he knows it is the first time she is letting it all out in front of him, and he wants to know everything so that he can be there for her and be her strength.)
Riya (in tears)- They were never there for me. (in a choked voice) Har choti baat pe haath utha dete the. Bachi thi main. Galtiyan ho jaati thi mujhse. Par harr galti ke liye kabhi sab ke saamne maar dete the yaa ghar pe ek kamre mein band kar dete the. Har taraf bas andhera hota tha aur ghutan hoti thi mujhe andhere mein. Cheekhti thi darr mein, chilati thi par koyi nahi sunta tha. Unhe kabhi farak nahi padta tha ki main theek hoon yaa nahi, arey farak kya unhe to 2-3 din takk yaad bhi nahi rehta tha ki unhone mujhe band kiya hai. Aur unn 2 din takk main andar rehti thi Manik, kabhi darr se kisi kone mein rote huyi, kabhi darr se kaampte huyi, par vo darvaza nahi kholte the.
[Riya (in tears)- They were never there for me. (in a choked voice) They used to raise their hands on me at every little thing. I was a kid. I used to make mistakes. But for every mistake, they used to hit me in front of everyone or lock me in a room at home. It used to be dark everywhere, and I used to feel suffocated in the dark. I used to scream in fear, but no one listened. They never bothered whether I was fine or not. They didn't even use to remember for 2-3 days that they had locked me. And for those 2 days, I lived inside Manik. Sometimes crying in some corner out of fear, sometimes trembling with fear, but they would not open the door.]
(She wipes her tears, and he looks on sadly at her.)
Manik- Riya, you don't have to tell me everything now. It's okay we...
Riya- No Manik. I want to let everything out. Don't stop me, please.
(He cups her face and wipes her tears while she takes some deep breaths to control herself from breaking down.)
Riya- They were never there for me. Be it my first day at school or some function at school. Whether I approach them when I come first in a quiz or if I don't get good marks. They would just walk away. No, no, actually wait. When something went wrong, their image would also get spoiled... So once I got 18 out of 20 for a class test. I was happy and satisfied that I got the second-highest marks in the class. But as soon as I stepped inside the house, I found Dad fuming angrily and coming towards me. Before I could even say something, he just started slapping me. I was crying in pain, but he didn't stop. He kept on hitting me for not performing well. I got this big bruise on my cheek, but he pushed me out of the house and punished me to stand in the rain for 02 hours as I got 02 marks less on a test, which severely tarnished his image. And yet again, they forgot about me, and I kept standing outside the house, shivering in the cold for the whole evening. The butler took me to the servant quarters with him because Mom said my punishment was still not over.
(She bites her lips, tears roll down her eyes, and he takes her in a side hug.)
Riya (cryingly)- I had no one Manik. They even told everyone at the school to not be friends with me, as I was a bad girl and would harm them. I remember all that till today. How all the children in the class used to judge me, how they used to talk and laugh after looking at me. Everyone had someone in the class, but I was all alone. At home as well as outside. There was no one who could listen to me. (cryingly) I was a little kid, Manik. I used to be so scared of everything. There was so much pain, but no one was with me. From what should have been the best time of my life, my own parents made it the worst. They destroyed my childhood, and they ruined my life. They destroyed everything.
(He rubs her back as she cries more.)
Riya (controlling herself)- But then I met Ridhaan. He became the ray of hope in my dull life. He became my first and only friend and didn't believe me when Dad told him I was bad luck. In fact, you know, he told Dad I was good luck to him because I helped him cheat on a test, and he scored good marks.
(Manik chuckles at this, and Riya laughs with tears in her eyes.)
Riya- He was there with me through thick and thin. He supported me when I felt low about myself, and he was worried when I didn't come to school for 2 days because my Mom locked me in the storeroom as I dared to go in front of her friends. But Ridhaan would never give up. He became my best friend. He would do anything to make me laugh. He would cheer for me when I did something good and bring me ice cream if I lost. He was my only hope. We both used to spend the whole day together at school. He even used to make excuses to help me sneak out of the house.
Manik- He knew everything that was happening with you?
Riya- He didn't know about that, and even I didn't tell him anything because I had this point in my head ki agar maine kisi ko kuch bataya to vo bhi mujhe chod ke chala jayega. So I just stayed mum and never told him anything until he saw Mom slapping me and cursing me when we were in class 10th. He came to return a book, and I did not know that he was standing there at the door and witnessing everything. The next day he told me ki uss ko humesha se kuch doubt that despite that, I didn't tell him anything except that my parents get angry with me sometimes, and that ended the topic for us.
[Riya- He didn't know about that, and even I didn't tell him anything because I had this point in my head that if I said something to someone, they would leave me and go away. So I stayed mum and never told Ridhaan anything until he saw Mom slapping me and cursing me when we were in class 10th. He came to return a book, and I did not know that he was standing there at the door and witnessing everything. The next day he told me he had some doubts and that despite that, I didn't tell him anything except that my parents get angry with me sometimes, which ended the topic for us.]
Manik- This means he supported you throughout your college and school life?
Riya (sadly)- That's not the case, Manik.
Manik (confused)- What do you mean?
Riya- He left the country to pursue his studies in Australia.
(Manik sighs on this, and Riya chuckles sadly.)
Riya- And I was all alone. But Ridhaan and I were still in contact. No matter how busy he was, he used to call me every day to check if I was doing okay or not. But it can't be such that he can always help me. This night changed everything for me after he left.
Manik (confused)- Did your Dad again...
Riya (teary eyed)- Not Dad, Manik. Harshad.