I sat outside on a wooden chair near the pool, the sun beamed right at my face but I didn't care. The tears from my eyes wouldn't stop, cabirs words didn't hurt me as much as the fact that this will stay with me forever, I won't stop flinching and getting scared at things like this.
I hear footsteps approaching me as I use the back of my hand to quickly wipe away the tears but it was too late, manik came and sat beside me before I could completely wipe them away. My body tensed up.
He clears his throat "Don't think about cabirs words too much"
I look at him as he also turns his face towards me, there was something about him that made me feel safe around him even though my natural body reactions that I couldn't control.
"I'm sorry for ruining your breakfast" I apologise
"You didn't ruin anything, we've had far more worse shit happen when we are together like this" he confesses "some of them even resulted in broken bones"
Damn. I mean these 4 brothers probably play fight and it gets so intense that they end up breaking each other's bones.
He brings his hand near my face as I move back a little not knowing what he was actually going to do, he stops from bringing his hand further closer seeing me move back. He stops for second but then moves his hand to my cheeks and gently brushing away the tears as I gasp and felt my breath stop for a second.
"Nandini you have to start trusting that whatever happened in the past and is the cause for your constant flinching and feeling scared around people, I assure nothing like that will happen here." He moves his hand away from my cheek "my brothers are hot headed they can be rude at times but they would never do anything bad to you"
I look away "i can't help it, these reactions come naturally to me no matter how much I try and trust that person"
"I get it but, my brothers and I are no harm to you Nandini" he tells me keeping a straight face on, the amount of information I've shared with manik just in these couple of days I don't think I would ever have the guts to talk to anyone like that about it.
"I know" I give him a small smile. "Thanks"
"Wow I didn't know I could be good at this" he randomly says.
I turn around looking at him confused "huh?"
"Consoling a woman, I've never done that before" he tells me. I look at him for a second then burst out laughing hearing his words, manik looks at me weirdly as I was laughing and it's probably because he's never seen me laugh before.
"You did a good job" I tell him as I stop laughing
"Say that in front of Ahaan because he fucking thought I wasn't capable of handling this"
"You came here because Ahaan told you?" I ask
"Yeah I didn't want to because I didn't know what to say but I guess I know now" he says. Oh I thought he willingly came here because he felt bad but I guess that's okay, at least I know I'm surrounded by good people. "Anyways, if you want I can order more food for you since your salad bowl fell"
"No, it's okay I'm full—thank you though" I decline politely, I had genuinely lost my appetite and I never ate much anyways in the morning it would always make me sick.
"I'm going to be out all day, so do you want to finish the two questions now?" Manik asks me, oh yes those two questions—I completely forgot about that. I don't know why manik was so eager to know about what happened to me but he wanted us to be decent with each other which I didn't mind, it was definitely better than fighting everyday.
"Uh yeah sure" I agree to him. "You go first"
"What's the reason behind having that stars and galaxy night lamp with you always?" He shoots his first question, and I knew I had that coming. At least he didn't ask the most impossible questions from the start. "And don't you dare lie to me again" he warns before I answer.
"My mother gave it to me when I was around 9 because I was afraid to sleep in the dark, although when I was young I used to sleep with her and I never felt scared but after she died this lamp has been helping me through it. I remember that I'm safe and she's with me just not physically" I tell him, it was 100% the truth and I've kept the lamp since then and it has made me safe during the nights.
"I see that's why, that's the only furniture you've brought over" he replies.
"Yes, it's a necessity" I nod
"Okay—have you ever thought about fighting your fears and becoming self defendant?" He asks.
"All the time, I think about it everyday especially because I feel so helpless and not being able to push past my fears. When I was at uncles house I couldn't make it happen with so much responsibilities, and then eventually i lost hope to it. But I always wished I was self defendant and if I was ever in a problem I would be able to protect myself" I tell him as his body turns over to mine.
When I was at uncles I asked ishaan if he could help me but my uncle had stopped him telling me that I don't need to learn it because I'm not going to join their business or anything, I'm going to be a housewife—I couldn't argue back so I didn't say anything.
"I can train you" he says all of the sudden as I was taken back.
"You?" I raise my eyebrows
"Yes. I've trained most of the guys here including Dhruv and since I literally own a security company I know all the ways that you can protect yourself in any harmful situation" he tells me, this is the first time he's talked about his business.
"I don't know if—"
"Being self defendant is very important Nandini, so you don't have to rely on anyone else for your own safety. No one can be around you 24/7 to protect you, sometimes it'll only be you and you need to know how to face it" he speaks, it was 100% true and I understood it too.
"If that's okay with you, I don't mind" I agree to it.
"I was the one who gave the offer Nandini" he replies sarcastically.
"So my turn to ask" I sit properly "tumhare ghar mein koi photo frame Kyu nahi hai? I mean not even a single photo of your family or anything" I ask him.
Manik looks at me as his expression change it to a very bitter one, did I ask a wrong question?.
His jaw clenched as he looked down "because people usually capture good memories and put them up, there's no good memories from my side and I'm sure my brothers agree with that too"
From his answer I could sense that he hasn't had a good past either, I wonder what it is because I've never heard them mention properly about their parents except one time when Cabir told me off for calling him Mr Malhotra as it reminded him of his dad.
"What about your parents? How come they—"
The rage in his eyes grow as soon as I mention his parents as he cuts me off "Nandini you've exceeded the limit of your questions today, your two questions for the day is done" he stood up not looking my way.
"But I've only asked one yet" i stand up as well but he still doesn't look at me and the bitterness from his face hasn't wiped off yet. "You said we can ask two"
"Stop reminding me of things I say, I asked you in the room if you consider that one question as your one for today and you said yes—so that's it. I'm getting late" he cold eyes search for mine and then storms off from here.
What happened to him? Everything was going smoothly but why did that parents question trigger him?
I go to my room going on my laptop, seeing if I can still enrol in my physiotherapy course as I couldn't earlier on. After doing a few research on it, it was around 1 and I make my way downstairs nervously hoping I can find something to eat as it was lunch time. There was literally no one in the house right now, only the guards outside. Manik and Cabir were gone for their meeting, aarav was at school and I had no idea where dhruv was but it seemed he wasn't here.
I walk over to the kitchen looking around but it was almost empty.
"What are you doing" I hear a deep voice from behind, my anxiety rushes through and as I turn around my steps stumble making me fall and landing on my butt. I felt a little pain as I winched, but I felt embarrassed as Dhruv narrowed his eyes down at me. He was standing in front of me still with a poker face
Dhruv put his phone in his pocket and bent over me as I flinched making him freeze. His eyes widened at that moment but controlled his expression "jeez, I'm not going to harm you" he held out his hand in front of me "stop getting scared and take my hand"
I hesitated but I remembered Manik's words from earlier
my brothers and I are no harm to you Nandini
I did putting my hand on his, as he helped me on my feet and then let go of my hands instant after that, I quickly fix my dress. "I-I'm sorry I was just thinking to cook lunch" I tell him.
He eyes for a second studying me which wasn't helping my anxiety at all then walks over to the fridge "good luck. There's no food in the fridge, only beer. Manik is the only one who pretty much remembers to get food but he's been busy so there's nothing"
"Oh" I said.
He grabs the bottle of the water and pours it out in the glass.
"Let's grab something to eat, we can do a quick detour because I need to check on the new security staff who are having troubles with some protocols" he looks at me. "And plus manik told me to look after you since you are defenceless here"
Ouch. Defenceless. As much that word bugged me it was true, there was no way I could protect myself. But the fact that manik thought about me.
My eyes widen, just like manik even Dhruv told me a little about the business—back at my uncles place they would not even discuss a single word to any of the female there about business.
"We don't have to go out" he said seeing my expression "but then you'll have to go without food"
"That's not why I was shocked, I'm not used to hearing about business" I tell him.
Dhruv put the bottle back in the fridge "it's what we usually talk around here especially Cabir and manik, this is our main business"
I smile nodding. "We can go" I give in, I didn't want to repeat my mistake from morning and after Manik's words it did give me a reassurance that I was safe around them.
"You can go to the main room and wait, I need to grab a few things then we can head out" he says as I nod. Okay that's a positive thing.
I go out and wait in the main room for Dhruv to come down. He came back down with a gun in his hand which honestly scared me but I've seen them a lot, as we went outside I walked behind him and it was sunny but cold outside. All the security guards greeted him as we walk over to the parking lot, there were several cars parked there, he goes over to a Jeep as there was a driver standing there. I look at the driver who looks at me, I look down feeling uncomfortable.
Dhruv looks at me noticing my uncomfortable expression then the driver "I'll drive today, you can leave" he brings his hand out to him as the driver hands him the key.
I sit in the front passenger seat as Dhruv seats in the driver seat. He started the car as the engine roared to life but he kept his leg on the brake not moving the car out as he checked something on this phone.
I look outside the window as I see a broken fountain "how come the fountain is broken?" I ask Dhruv.
He puts his phone down and reverses out of the parking lot.
"It's was my fathers most precious possession, after me and my brothers came in power—Cabir got a hammer and broke it"
I could almost picture it in my mind "why didn't he just throw it out?"
"Because he wants to keep it to remind him how much he hates him and he never wants to be like him" Dhruv replies, to my surprise this was going pretty smooth. "We didn't stop him either, you can never stop Cabir—you are a fool if you try to. And we hated our father too so we didn't care"
"Oh" is all I could say, all of them hated their father it seems.
"What do you want to eat?" He asks me.
"Anything is fine" I reply nervously. "Sorry you have to babysit me, it's a bit strange considering you are two years older than me"
His expressions hardened "age doesn't matter, I've been trained to protect myself and others. Ive also fought, so I'm more than capable—infect manik was the one who trained me"
Ah yes I remember manik mentioning about it today.
Dhruv parked his car outside a restaurant, it looked like a sandwich and wrap place which I didn't mind at all.
As soon as we got out of the car, dhruv's expression changed. It didn't take me long to realise he wasn't the same Dhruv in the mansion, he expression turned cold like he was this strong hot headed man.
He stepped closer to me as I moved back a little "I'm supposed to protect you"
"I thought no one here would dare to do anything to you guys" I say to him.
"You're right, but it's always good to take precautions"
Dhruv didn't make me as nervous as Cabir which was a relief and by far it was going good with him. We entered the restaurant as the staff members stopped and stiffened seeing Dhruv walk in, of course the people here remember him and what they do. Dhruv held the door for me leading me in first.
We went to the counter ordering two sandwiches to go and a cold drink with that, the staff member who took the order looked like he feared him as he took the order. I couldn't help but feel bad.
"Is everyone here scared of you and your brothers?" I ask him when we walk back to the car.
"Not everyone no. Cabir had once beat him up for something that he had done which is why he was like that" Dhruv answers.
The moment I put my seatbelt on, Dhruv pulled out of the parking and drove off.
"Can I eat in your car?" I ask
"Yeah fuck it, I get it cleaned almost everyday—hand me my sandwich too." He says as I hand it to him, he eats with one hand and drives with another. The sandwich was delicious.
"We are going to the company, I need to collect some files from cabit so you'll have to come" Dhruv tells me looking my way for a split second, I nod to him.
This is probably the first time I'll be seeing Manik's company, I've never seen it but I've heard it's huge—all I knew that it was a security company.
Dhruv parks outside the company, my mouth hung open seeing it. The company was huge, and by huge I mean big in terms of levels too, it was all glass from outside. We got out of the car.
"The company looks amazing" I compliment
"It's all Cabir and Manik's hard work, I hope I can be like them in the future"
"You will be" I give him a smile, he doesn't react to that and asks me to follow him inside as I do.
The staff members greeted us, some of them eyed me as a few whispers went around as well. I am pretty sure the news broke out to them that I was now Manik's wife, so they all greeted me with Dhruv as well.
I follow him to the elevator "my office is on the 20th floor with manik and cabirs" he tells me, it's like he was a guide here but I loved getting to know about their company. I've never seen ishaans company and I'm pretty sure neither has aunty or diya w we weren't allowed.
We reach the 20th floor, for some reasons I wondered if I could see manik here and I wonder what he was like here. This floor was empty, no staff members except one near the elevator maybe to guide anyone who comes here, this floor had 5 rooms I think 1 was for conference and the other ones were offices for manik and his brothers, of course aarav was still young but they had his anyways which I thought is sweet.
I look over at the conference room and all the windows here were tinted making it hard for me to see anything through so I don't know where manik would be.
He looks towards the conference room "manik and Cabir are in there, we will have to wait until they finish"
I nod.
A few minutes pass as the door opens, I quickly stand up after Dhruv as manik comes out of the conference room first, he was wearing a dark blue suit carrying a file in his hand and his phone in another. He eyes me probably thinking what I am doing here, as it was so unexpected, behind him Cabir walked out who looked at Dhruv and then me—I gave him a small smile despite what happened today morning.
Between them I had forget there were other people in the conference room, the door clicks open again as a few people walk outside of it behind manik and Cabir. My anxiety rushes through me, I felt my heart beats pick up and my palms go sweaty as I take a step back.
———————————————————————
Author: hope you guys liked the update! Do tell me in the comments how you guys are liking the story so far! Who do you guys think Nandini saw in that conference room that made her scared again? And how will manik manage to get to Nandini's past before it gets worse?! Stay tuned and avoid any mistakes!
Guys also do tell me if you want me to write some of my dialogues in hindi because I can do that as well I will include more hindi dialogues if you guys like! And with Nandini's past, it is the main plot of the story so it won't be revealed straight away but if you guys want I can reveal it soon!
Don't forget to vote and comment!