Celebrity Castaway | COMPLETE | MaNan Fiction

41| Queens Rule

A/N: Hello my lovelies! It is always such a pleasure to be back with a new chapter! I know you all are waiting earnestly for a week now, so without further ado, I will open the chapter! A lot happens in this chapter and a little valentines week surprise is packed in here, for you all! I hope you enjoy! ;)

I will see you on the other side! Until then, keep the love, in-line comments & votes flowing! :D

Happy Reading!

***

Nandini was stunned into silence. Yes, her mind had added the pieces & had reached the conclusion before Manik's affirmation, but Manik acknowledging it made it so real, that there was no room for doubt left anymore. Wow, Abhimanyu was really killed by Manik's family..now with that still as concrete in her mind, her next question was why?

"Why..why Manik? Why did they kill Abhimanyu? How was he a threat to them? Unless..." Nandini's question drowned in a mumble when a sudden hypothesis struck her. The Malhotra's had no beef with Abhimanyu, but looks like they hated her more than death. So, was the bullet really meant for her & not Abhimanyu? Did he die to save her? The weight of that guilt would scatter her life again. But hadn't the investigating case officer in charge of the case, confirmed to them when they were in London that not Nandini but indeed Abhimanyu was the target? No. Nothing was making sense. Was the ICO wrong?

"Manik, did they actually want to kill me and Abhmanyu..." her voice trailed again as tears smeared her eyes and choked her throat.

"No. That's not true Nandini, quit finding a reason to blame yourself for this. If anything, you've only been on the suffering end of this game." Manik retaliated quickly to not let that cloud of guilt hover over Nandini, even for one moment.

"Then why Manik? Why damn it, did they get him killed?!" she screamed in vexation and suddenly Manik realised where they were. They were in the fucking parking lot, it wasn't the most ideal place for such a conversation, when Nandini's lid had flipped hearing about Abhimanyu's murder & she wasn't putting any effort to keep it hush.

"Nandini, not here. I will tell you everything, just let me drive you to a safer place okay? I promise you will have all your answers.." Manik pleaded, with honesty and after a brief eyelock, Nandini agreed and feebly nodded, as they got into Manik's car, and he drove them off.

***

"Boy, this place never seems to have enough of me. Everytime I leave it, some or the other reasons bring me back here.." Nandini muttered to herself, as Manik drove the car through the driveway.

Manik stared at her silently, as he opened the lock of his penthouse. Maybe this is a sign Nandini, that you truly belong with me here, he thought, but how can he say that aloud?

"I just thought, this place is the safest for this discussion, since all the security is under my control." he muttered, as they entered the penthouse and Nandini fumbled at the first step as her feet hit an empty beer glass bottle, and set it rolling towards the shoe rack.

"Wow, this really is a bachelor's pad." Nandini mumbled, momentarily forgetting why they were here. Unlike the Malhotra ancestral property Jannat, this place had good memories for her; she still wasn't sure if her memories with Manik were genuine or not, but the ones with Abhimanyu were! In many ways this felt like homecoming, but wait, what was that stench of tobacco everywhere?

As Nandini entered the house and saw the state, she frowned. "Manik, are you on some deranged alcohol & tobacco diet? Why are there only remains of those all littered across your place? Where is Tarun? Has he stopped taking care of this place?" she asked with her elbows folded and fists on her waist. Manik managed to hide a chuckle. She had so seamlessly fitted into the role of the matriarch of his home, forgetting why she was here, or that she was here temporarily.