Celebrity Castaway | COMPLETE | MaNan Fiction

44| Another Malhotra?

A/N: Hello my lovely readers! How are we doing? Can you believe it, we are already into March? This year is passing in a flash! My little boy will be starting play school this time & I am not ready to let him out of my sight for so many hours! I fear the well being of the other children around him :D.

On the story front, you can expect a MaNanlicious chapter with a lot happening, and let me tell you this chapter is longer than my average chapters too! While I am very excited to present some super DHAMAKA in this chapter, I cannot fail to notice that the votes are going down! :(

Are you guys not enjoying this story anymore? Do let me know, because, I need to compromise on a whole lot of sleep to write these chapters, and it kinda hurts to see when readers drop :(

Anyway, for the readers who still continue to support me, this chapter is dedicated to you all! May you enjoying reading this, and it adds to your Sunday happiness! On that note, Happy Reading! I will catch up with you on the other side!

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"Congratulations, my love..!" Manik whispered, bending towards Nandini, further, if that was even possible. His nose gently touched her and he shut his eyes in benediction. A careless drop of tear cascaded down his chiselled jaw and gently landed on Nandini's cheeks. Something inside her broke deep down seeing Manik's state, but she couldn't cry; maybe that's why Manik's disloyal teardrop abandoned him to be of her service and be a relic of all the silent anguish she was feeling?

"Manik, not here..please" she managed to croak.

"Come on Manik, do save some salutation & greetings for me too?" Zain's uber chirpy voice caught Manik's ear and he snapped out of his momentary paradise, and turned to look at Zain with dead cold eyes for a moment before a lopsided grin overtook his features.

"Rose, honey, come here and kiss dear Zain and wish him on our behalf please?" he requested politely, as Rose Godrey entered Nandini's line of sight in a rather flashy and uber skimpy traditional attire. Manik clarified, turning to Nandini, "I've noticed he falls for all my exes. Maybe Rose will add to the glorious list after you, and leave you for me?"

"Shut up, Manik" Nandini hissed, trying to smile for the shutterbugs at the same time, and Manik giggled and swayed in his place, losing balance; Nandini caught him before he slipped.

"Oops" Manik mouthed, as Nandini glared at him, still grasping his wrist tightly, lest he fell.

As Rose, Zain, Manik and Nandini stood in this order before the papps for the photos, Manik turned to Nandini, ignoring the requests of the press as he whispered, "Nandini, doesn't Zain look cuter with Rose here? Are you sure you want to be with him?"

"Manik, not here." Nandini hissed again, before adding, "Why the hell do you drink more than you can handle? The whole of Page 3 is here, do you want to make embarrassing headlines tonight and then spend the next decade playing another PR coup to clean it?"

Manik's silence made Nandini turn away from the cameras for a moment and look at him. His soft, glassy eyes were gazing at her; there was raw pain there. "How will I play a PR coup anymore, Nandini, when you won't be there in it, with me?" he asked, with a choking voice.

Before Nandini could respond, the next set of people came to congratulate them, and Cabir came out of nowhere and tactfully flushed Manik out, after muttering a quick apology to Nandini. She sighed, as she saw Cabir, Manik & Rose moving away from them. For once Rose's presence there as Manik's date didn't bother her, for now, Nandini knew what she meant to Manik Malhotra.

"That went better than expected! I was expecting something way more dramatic" Zain's relieved voice brought her back to reality; a place where she was getting engaged to him and Manik was now going to be a nobody in her life.