Manan FF - Kaisi yeh Yaariyan season 3 - Chapter 123 & note - Page 73

She rang the bell thrice, frantically, before someone opened the door and, without asking whether Manik was at home, they just stormed in, looking for him. For some reason, it hadn't struck them at all, that Manik could be out, lying wasted in a nondescript bar, far away from home.

Nandini was just about to climb the flight of stairs to Manik's room when a deep voice, asking her where she was going, stopped her in her tracks. Who was this man with salt and pepper hair? Nandini gaped at his face intently...why did he look so uncannily familiar? Why did it feel like she had seen him somewhere? but where...

Ranbir, on the other hand was completely clueless. What was this middle aged, handsome man, looking dapper in an expensive suit doing at Manik's house?

"What the hell are you guys doing here?" Did he know them? Ranbir and Nandini exchange glances. However, the man appeared more surprised to see them here, than they were to see a stranger at Manik's house.

Yes, Raj Malhotra was surprised. Surprised, would in fact be putting it kindly. He was stumped...stumped to see these people surface from what he had thought and known, was a long closed chapter. Cabir Dhawan was assumed dead and Nandini Murthy was supposedly finished. Manik had no remembrance of either and he was seeing a girl in Panchgani. Then what tied them all together, why were they here? What was going on, right beneath his hawk eyes and since when?

"What if I asked you the same question...what are you doing here? In fact who are you" Ranbir asked him in return.

"Well incase you didn't know, this is my house, I am Raj Malhotra!!!" He replied with practiced ease, as if it was just another introduction. If he was dumbfound, he didn't let it show on his face. He had to be in control of the situation. He wouldn't give these folks the pleasure of knowing they had thrown him off guard. Decades of ruling the business world had taught him this one thing- "never show your true fears. Never let your opponents know, you are 'un' or 'under-prepared' ". But, from inside, where no one could see, he was scared, he was damn scared. Because Manik wasn't a property or asset that he could afford to lose & hope to earn back. His son was way too precious for him to be put at stake, infact his son was the only connection to his old, innocent self, the only loving reminder that once upon a time, he used to be a good man, a man with a heart. But he also knew what power these people in front of him had over Manik. He had seen it once, seen Manik put his life at stake for these bunch of losers and that's why he had crossed every single barrier as a human being, done the most wretched of things to throw them out of Manik's life.

And yet, they had paved a way back in Manik's life?

'Raj Malhotra..Malhotra...RAJ MALHOTRA!!!!!!.. HOLY f**kING CRAP SHIT!!!' Could this day get any worse? Ranbir wondered. First Neel, then Nandini's accident, then Manik's disappearance, then Amms and now Manik's dad ?!?!?!

Nandini's mind had stopped working. She had not imagined, she would land up here, infront of Manik's dad like this. She wasn't bothered about the inevitable faceoff she was bound to have with him. Instead, what knocked the daylights out of her, was that it would all happen in front of Manik. She had been dreading this forever, Manik getting to know his father's truth, and losing trust in yet another person he truly loved.

"What a pleasant surprise, to see you guys here,...Nandini Murthy and Cabir Dhawan..if I am not too wrong?" Mr. Malhotra extended his hand for a handshake.

Nandini tried to avoid the confrontation, "Can you please call Manik? ..its urgent."

"I wish I could help you nandini, but Manik isn't home." came the immediate reply.

Nandini knew better than to believe his words. Last time too, he had done the same thing when Dhruv had called him to ask about Manik. He had told them point blank that they should stay away from Manik, and it had been a blatant lie. A lie, because he had convinced Manik otherwise and promised him that he would take care of everything, which he never did. "See, its really urgent sir, Manik needs us right now." She pleaded.

"Well you don't worry, I will take care of him, when he returns." Mr. Malhotra insisted.

That line just blew Nandini's head. She would have just grabbed Ranbir's hand and left, but that 'I will take care of him' line hit her like a speeding truck in the middle of a highway. He had told Manik the same, and had done nothing. That poor boy suffered for three years in a hospital alone, yearning for someone, struggling to make through every single day and his father HAD DONE NOTHING. She was dying here, having begged his estranged wife, had searched for his official email id and mailed him some 100 times, to know about Manik and he HAD DONE NOTHING.

"Why do you do this everytime? I know you are not going to take care of anything...will you for God's sake let us just meet him." What was she saying? Ranbir tried to pull her away but she wouldn't budge. Even she didn't know what she was doing. May be she was just tired, of well meaning, well wishing people trying to pull her apart from Manik. She had no intention of settling old scores, she was just desperate to reach her love and she was afraid, his father would never let it happen. What if Manik left again?

"Manik is not home, I told you."

"You are lying, he is..you are lying because you want us to believe it and leave. Yahi karte ho aap harbar. Why? Why do you hate us? What did we ever do?" Nandini was not going to back out. She had become stubborn in her insistence and this didn't go down too well with Raj. He had maintained a calm demeanor, but with every question that Nandini asked, the faade slipped a little bit, exposing his true emotions.

His pupils dilated as he stared angrily at both of them. "So you know I hate you, you know I want you out of Manik's life. Well great, then please do the honours and just leave and do not show your greedy faces to him ever again. And in any case, he doesn't remember anything from his past, he has clearly moved on."

The friends looked at each other before Ranbir said "I pity you Mr. Malhotra. I pity you ...because you to don't even know the basic realities of your son's life. You don't know its been a while that he remembered everything, you don't even know he had a lethal accident in Panchgani and was hospitalized for a week, you don't know he has come back to Mumbai , to his music and to all of us, and that girl you think he has moved on with, is no one else but Nandini herself." He paused, before resuming "And Cabir Dhawan is long dead. I am Ranbir, his twin brother."

"How much do you need, to leave for good?" Mr. Malhotra asked. He felt small, he actually felt small that he had known none of it. But now that he did, he would do what he did best..a business deal..he would buy the greedy bunches with money.

Nandini laughed, a dry sarcastic smile "Aap real estate ke sath sath rishte bhi bechte ho kya? Par ek request hai, please don't try it with us, bekar mein aapka nuksaan ho jayega, puri empire bik jayega par fir bhi hum yahi ke yahi reh jayenge. Everything is not business, everyone doesn't come with a price tag. Hum Manik se milne aaye hain and we won't leave till we meet him. Not this time, not again. Aapne ek baar bhi nahi socha ki agar Manik ko pata chal gaya ki aapne usse jhoot bola tha, that you lied to him and you never told us why he had suddenly left, to use kitna bura lagega? Do you have any idea, how guilty he would feel if he comes to know that because of you, just because of you, we suffered for three years. Aap chahte to Manik ka address de sakte the na, u promised him, par nahi diya aapne aur hum sochte rahe ki Manik himself wanted to go away, jab ki wo to hospital mein.." her voice trailed off.

"What is your bloody problem?" Mr. Malhotra screamed, surprising them both. "Oh wait, why am I even asking, when I know ki tum jaisi middle class larkiyon ka to common problem hai, your ambition, Jiske liye you catch hold of rich guys like Manik and stick to them, till there's nothing more to suck. And men are stupid, they fall into such traps easily, especially men like Manik.. He must have fallen for your innocent looking face. But main Manik nahi hun Nandini. Main bohot ache se janta hun ki tum log Manik se nahi uske paise se pyaar karte ho. Accident ke baad jab wo pune mein tha, tum mese koi aaya tha, kisi ko yaad aayi thi Manik ki? Aur wo bechara, he didn't even complete his treatment, adha chorke chala gaya because he was missing you.

Manik didn't go on his own, I tricked him into leaving without informing any of you. And I made sure that he never gets to contact you again. It was me who ruined all of your lives and careers. I BLOODY PAID NYONIKA TO SCREW ALL OF YOUR LIVES." It had come to such a point where he couldn't hold his cool anymore and confessed. "I made sure you don't creep back into his life. But somehow you did..." HE was panting, trying to catch up with his breath. "But you know what, I can do it all over again, I can go to any damn extent to protect my child. Either you leave him or I make sure that you are forced to. I will not let Manik repeat the same mistake as I did. I will not let him waste his entire life for a greedy woman."

Much to her own surprise, Nandini wasn't feeling any hatred towards this man, though he had and was threatening to ruin her life. All she felt, was pity, and a strange kind of sadness that overcame her. She knew Manik loved his father. And that his father loved him back, was all too clear from the confession he had just made. But what kind of love was it? All through his growing up years, Manik had to stay alone with that wicked mother of his. Why had his father not taken him away, why had he not bothered to check what his son was going through? What kind of love was it, that made him misread and misjudge them, Manik's friends? that made him go to such extents , to do such nasty things? What kind of love was it that he couldn't be there when Manik was fighting alone in hospital? Was it love at all? Or the mere illusion of it that he had been carrying for years..

"Ranbir chalo yaha se, there's no point shouting in front of a wall. We will wait outside and keep calling Manik's number till he answers." Nandini said to Ranbir while still looking at Mr.Malhotra and right at that exact moment they heard the sound of glass crashing on the floor.

Surprised, they turned around to see Dhruv holding a heavily drunk Manik at the door.

"Chor mujhe, I aaam all fiiine" He freed himself from Dhruv's hold and staggered across to where Nandini , Ranbir and his father were standing. Nandini and Ranbir lunged forward to support him, desperately hoping that he hadn't listened to the conversation. "Wow...Dad, u didn't tell me..U liiikeee plaayin gaames.."

His condition was frightening, his eyes red, his hair disheveled, his shirt was crumbled and a corner of it was hanging out of the trouser. Where had he been and how did Dhruv..??

A single tear escaped Nandini's eye. She wrapped her arms protectively around him from the side. "Manik.." is all she could say.

"Shhh nandiiiniii...Don't u see, I am talkiiinn to myyy deeear dad..." and then he turned towards Mr. Malhotra "Daad, uuu haave been plaaayiin games with meee????? Wiiid mee???...aaand uuu diint teelll me...when diiid uuu leeearn deese gaaames daad? Niiyoooniika taut yoouu..haaiii naa..?"

"Manik kuch nahi hua, kisi ne games nai khele tumhare sath.. You are in not in senses. Tum...tum baitho..yahan aake baitho" Nandini was trying to console him, a rush of tears streaming down her face.

"Manik, hosh samhal" Ranbir too was trying to stabilize him.

"Manik!!! Yeh kya halat bana rakhi? Get a grip on yourself..." Mr. Malhotra shouted at Manik. "See this is what you have done to him. You bloody losers." He tried to pull Manik away from Nandini and Ranbir but Manik shrugged him off and losing his balance, flopped on the floor.

It continued for a while, Manik's senseless questions which by the way made a hell lot of sense. The poor guy wasn't shouting, wasn't screaming, he was simply heartbroken. In his garbled speech, he kept on asking his father, why, why he had played with his emotions & his life, why he had made him guilty before his friends, why he had snatched away three years from his life and his father kept on convincing him that he had done it all for Manik. Yet, on the floor, next to Manik, were his three friends, while his father knelt down at a distance trying to defend himself. It continued till it reached a point where Mr. Malhotra put his foot down.

"Manik!!! don't forget that whatever you have or you ever had is because of me. All these luxuries of life, that you flaunt..I have earned them and today you have to make a choice..between this and those money minting friends of yours. You can't have it both." Raj thought he had played a winning stroke, and that Manik would chose the life he had always lived, the only way he knew to live, simply because he didn't know any other way . He hadn't finished college, he wasn't even playing music, it was about his existence. Manik would have to choose him to survive, and more so, because without money even his friends would desert him now.

But he was wrong.. He was very very wrong, because even in that inebriated state, without knowing what he was getting into, how he would survive or how he would take the very next step, Manik chose Nandini... and his friends.

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A/N : I went to see the doctor. She told me I have both allergy and infection. On medication now. But she strictly told me to improve my lifestyle or be prepared to damage my eyes further.

So I will keep updating. But it will be very slow because instead of writing for 7 hours straight, i would do 2 hours on most days.

I dont have enough words to thank u for your messages on my health update and sorry i couldnt reply. I might be replying less but I love you very very much. God bless you all, happy thanks giving.