Shackles of Love#4# MG FF Chpt 17-21 - Page 2

Originally posted by: aashluvsmaan

CAke😲😲 Cake😲😲 whwres teh cake😲😲

TQ u eating acke alone? again😭

Originally posted by: maankigeet4ever

lolzzz😆...always thinking of food moti 😆...

but moi making brownies tonite...will send u some if they turn out well 😳

chalo...for mow...moi going to write the test...

love u DQ..muahhh🤗

i luv you babes

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~~~~FLASHBACK~~~

"That's enough Darji! I don't want to hear a word about that woman. If she had my best interest at heart, she would never have done what she did. I hate her! Do you understand? I hate her!"

"Maan sometimes our hatred blinds us to what's right before our eyes. In your preformed prejudices and notions you can't seem to see the greater picture. After all she is your'."

"DON'T say that word Darji! Wo meri kuch nahi lagti. She is nothing to me!"

"Theek hai, theek hai! We will let it go! But think over what I have told u. And do it fast. You need to marry someone beta. Kab tak yu akele zindagi jeeoge? Jeevan me aage badho. Don't let the past cloud you soo much that you yourself impair your future. There is nothing to gain by living in the past. I am sure your Maa must want the same."

Maan looked up at the mention of his mother. He was about to protest when Darji stopped him by putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Think about it puttar. Maine tum ko bachpan se apne hi bete ki tarah paala hai. Kabhi tumhara bura nahi chahoonga. No need to decide on the spot. Sleep on it."

After returning to Secunderabad, Maan kept thinking about Darji's words. He had tried all other ways, but the financial backing he needed was too large an amount without adequate collateral. Plus the sudden dip in realty had made investors think twice before investing in a relatively new company.

Mann spent the whole night thinking over his problems. No one except him knew about the precariousness of the company till now. If he didn't act soon, Dev or Arjun would definitely realize it. The only reason why they hadn't caught it on till now was because; both couples had gone for a belated honeymoon of sorts after AA's marriage. Their financial circumstances hadn't been too great after the whole Savitri Devi fiasco and so AA had postponed their honeymoon. Maan had pushed Naintara and Dev too to go away for a vacation, knowing that they needed the time alone, after all the hard work.

And it had turned out to be a good thing. He had been alone when the bomb had dropped otherwise Dev who was the CFO of KRKC would have known first about it. He needed to act fast before Dev really delved into matters. He had held off Dev with platitudes but he knew Dev suspected something.

After tossing the night away, he was no nearer to the solution then he had been at the start.

In a fit of rage, he took out the document which was turning out to be the bane of his existence.

It was the will.

Of Savitri Devi Khurana.

Stating that the whole of Khurana empire, along with the business, home, assets, jewellary, just about everything would go to Maan Singh Khurrana on the day he got married. If he doesn't get married before the age of 35, everything would go to some trust.

He read and re read the will, even though it was already engraved in his heart! He had never intended to claim the wealth of Khurana's. What he wanted was something else. Something which was meaningless now. But now he needed it! Not for himself. But for his family. The family he had grown up with. Shared the harsh realities of life with.

He closed his eyes and sat back on his bed massaging his head. It was not even dawn yet and he could already feel a head ache coming on.

"Everything would go to MSK the day he gets married'" the line echoed in his head.

He opened his eyes in shock! "Noo" he whispered, "It can't be that simple!" he looked at the document in his hand again and wondered "Can it?"

==============

"Maan if you marry Geet your problem will be solved, so will ours! Is ladki ne hume kahi mu dikhane ke kabil nahi choda! Poore gaon me humare naam mitti me mila diya. Ab kaun karega isse shaadi? Waise iski galti bhi nahi hai! Hai to bahoot bholi na humare beti. Us kamine ki baton me aa gayee."

"Darji aap meri baat samajh nahi rahe ho!"

"Puttar I understand what you are saying. You want to marry someone only to gain your inheritance. You want a contract marriage of 6 months. After which you will amicably divorce her. Beta Geet ki to waise hi shaadi nahi honi hai abhi. Kam se kam yaha se door jayegi kuch dino ke liye to samaaj me humari izzat jo mitti me mil gayee hai wo shayad hum samet sake."

"And what after 6 months?" Maan asked in confusion.

"You don't worry about that! We will take care of our daughter. Bas abhi use yaha se le jao. Distance and time will make people forget the black mark against her. Aur mujhe bharosa hai tum uska khayal rakhoge." Darji said wiping a fake tear.

Submissively, he removed his pagdi, "Beta humare izzat ab tumhare haathon me hai! Agar tum chaho to!"

Maan caught Darji's hands before him and shook his head. "Darji plz don't talk like that. You know I respect you more than anyone else in this world. What you have done for me, no one would have done for an orphan. But what about your granddaughter? Will she agree for such a marriage?"

"Puttarji you don't worry about her! Geet will never flout my word" he said arrogantly.

"Ok! Then if you say so. I will marry her! But it has to be fast. I will arrange for a court marriage at the earliest!"

"Nahi!! Humare samaaj me shaadiyan mandir me hoti hai. Kisi court me nahi!"

"Par Darji ye shaadi to..."

"Beta lekin samaaj ke nazron me to shaadi shaadi hoti hai na. Tu fikar mat kar! Hum shaadi ki tayaariya karenge aur ye shaadi kal hi hogi! Tune haan kar di hai! Bas hume aur kuch nahi chahiye"

Maan left from there, his heart in turmoil. Not really agreeable with Darji's appeal, but knowing he could not say no to the old man!

After Maan left, Tejji came to Darji and looked at him questioningly.

"Yes! Maan has agreed! But he has some weird notions about a contract marriage for 6 months."

"Contract marriage? In name only?" Tejji shouted. "Then how will the plan go forward."

"Tejji, you are experienced enough to know that a man and woman living under the same roof for six months, will garner some feelings. Even if they are one of need and possession. And Geet is no average looking girl. No red blooded man can keep away from her for long. Maan will definitely fall for her."

"And if that does not happen? And he still leaves her? A divorcee in our house? No! Never!"

"Aisi nobat nahi aayegi! I have faith in my plan. And I know Maan. He might pretend to be all hard and tough. But he needs the right woman's touch to melt him"

"Darji aren't you taking a huge risk here? Maan lo aapka kaha sach nahi hua. Aur Geet ko Maan ne chod diya to? Humare kya izzat reh jayega HP me?"

Darji looked Tejji in the eye ruthlessly and said, "Fir ek hi raasta bachega humare paas! Humare izzat se badhkar aur kuch nahi hai! Maine us ladki ko isi din ke liye pala tha. Warna uske ma-baap ke saath use bhi maar deta. Meri izzat se khelne walo ki sazaa sirf MAUT hai!"

"I knew one day, I will need her to fulfill my dream. Of being the samdhi of the Khurana's. Rano ne wo hone nahi diya! Lekin abhi mera wo sapna Geet pura karegi!"

A crazed look entered the wily old man's eyes as he repeated the words with fervor.

~~~END FLASHBACK~~~

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Maan who was already bubbling with anger got wild! "What the hell does she think of herself? How dare she forget that I have done her a favor by marrying her and here she is trying to make me feel guilty by trapping me with her fake tears and those deceitful eyes!"

He turned around and glared at her "What part of LEAVE ME ALONE you don't understand Geet?"

"But I just came to'"

He pounced on her before she could react and pushed her against the wall. "You just what Geet? You just what? Can't you let me even breathe in peace? Why do you keep coming to me? Haven't I made it clear that I want nothing to do with you?"

Tears came to Geet's eyes, "Maan please aisa mat Boliye. Humari shaadi hui'"

"Aur mai is shaadi ko nahi manta! Kyu manu mai is shaadi ko! You knew all this from the start right? So why are you creating a big deal now! Stay away from me dammit!" in her pained state; she missed his words which made no sense to her.

The tears running down her cheeks made him angry at himself. He didn't know why, but he just hated himself to be the cause of those tears.

He brought up his hand to punch the wall, but all Geet saw was his hand lifting. She cowered away in fright, covering her face with her hands, as she waited for the blow to hit her. But the hit never came; instead she heard his hand hitting the wall behind her. She opened her tear laden eyes to look at him fearfully. Such scenes were common in her house and she had grown up expecting the worst from a man. Be it her Mamaji or her Veerji, both never left a chance to hit their wives. After watching her gentle father cosseting her mother in her early age, such violence had been hard to bear for her, shocking the innocent child she had been. The one time she had tried to save her bhabhi, her Veerji had landed up making her the victim of his abuse.

The scars from that time she still bore, both physical and mental. They might be faded now, but their presence still reminded her about the brutality that a man was capable of, when his inner animal was at its peak.

But Maan had surprised her yet again, she looked at his hand which was now bleeding, and looked back at him in surprise.

Maan on the other hand was angrier if possible. "What the hell does she think of me?" and punched the wall again, making Geet wince as she felt the tremor which ran through his body, only now noticing his proximity.

He grabbed her by her shoulders and brought her closer still, "What did you think I was going to do?" he asked her angrily, shaking her. "I am not that weak that I need to hit a woman to prove my superiority!" he said in a calm voice laced with rage.

His calmness gave Geet the strength to fight back. Now that she knew what she had thought earlier was true, she felt glad. At least her husband respected woman. He might not respect her, for whatever his reasons. But a man who was comfortable in his own skin, who did not need to resort to violence at every other issue, could not be that bad. "Haan! Thoda ghussa jaldi aata hai, lekin ghusse me bhi apne aap pe kaboo hai!" she thought, wiping her tears.

She pushed at his chest, trying to create some distance so that she could look into his eyes. "You don't need to physically hit me to wound me. Your words are sufficient to do that, don't you think so?" she asked him quietly, making him go still realizing the truth of her words. She took his hand in hers to see that it was bleeding at one end. "You hurt yourself instead of hurting others, is that also a sign of male superiority? Or is it the other way round? That by hurting yourself you cause more pain to the people around you?"

She gently moved her thumb near the cut on his hand, fresh tears pooling in her eyes looking at the bruised and battered state of his hand. "Why are you hurting both of us Maan? Boliye na? If you talk to me maybe we can find some solution to this'" They both looked into the others eyes, trying to find answers to their questions, which they knew they would never get otherwise. His free hand which till now was on her shoulder went around her, to settle comfortably on her waist, while hers was spread on his chest, as if to push him away.

Their eyes locked in a battle of wills, each determined to hold its own, but wanting to give in for themselves. There was this invisible bond which was tightening around them, if they but knew it. The feeling of those silken shackles was a new and untried sensation. Neither knew what to do, whether to break away or come closer. So they stood that way, in each other's arms, letting their eyes probe the other's soul. The bottomless pools that were her eyes called out to him, and Maan could feel himself drowning again. The feel was such that he couldn't stop himself, even though a voice shouted him warnings at the back of his mind. His hand tightened around her waist bringing her closer still, until she landed up flush against him. Geet was also lost in the sensual haze which overcame her whenever he was in her proximity. His scent, his touch drove every other thought out of her mind. She was lost in a pleasurable world with only him on the horizon. Geet closed her eyes as she felt him pulling her closer, her body softening to fit in against his. As she relaxed in his arms, she felt something poking her chest and looked down in irritation to see the kangans on her hands which were still sandwiched between them, gleaming in the sunlight, cautioning her against this feeling. The fallacy would fade as soon as he came to his senses and she would be left broken once again. The pain she had felt in the morning came back like a dose of bitter medicine.

She extricated herself from his hold slowly and without looking at him, grasped his hand, pulling him towards the bed. Maan felt the sense of loss immediately, but was silent. After he was seated, she went to find the first aid kit which was still left on the bathroom counter. She dressed his hand without a word passing between them. The moment reminiscent of their morning encounter. Both didn't want to remember it for their own reasons. The air was heavy with unsaid words and emotions. Geet's eyes were fixed on his hand, while Maan looked at an empty spot on the wall ahead as if it was the most fascinating sight.

After she had bandaged it, Geet removed the kangans from her hand and offered them to him. "I had come to return these to you actually." He looked at them in her hands, an unassailable guilt washing through him. "I know you don't want me to have something which belonged to your mother. So I shall wait for the day when you will give them to me yourself. Don't worry about Naina di, I will tell her that I am not used to wearing jewellary daily so I have kept it safely inside. She won't trouble you about it."

"Aur waise bhi, I just realized, these kangans are for the weaker sex right?" she looked at him haughtily, "and in our relationship you are the one who is always running away from the truth. So they actually suit you more! Aap hi pehan lena inhe!" saying that she thrust them in his hands and walked away without a backward glance.

Maan was amazed at her audacity, too shocked to actually be angry. Had she turned back, she would have been just as surprised to see him smiling at her gumption.