32. NEW MANIK!

Manik enters the basement with a demonic aura passing chills to everyone’s spines.

Kaushal stood behind him and looked in front of the guys who snatched Manik’s happiness. He kept all of them alive so that Manik could have his way with them because they snatched something precious from his friend. He can’t even imagine what Manik is going through. In this life, he had loved only one girl, and that too was taken away from him by these cruel demons. He doesn’t know what he will do without Nandini but is sure something is wrong with him. His silence is what is troubling him. 

Manik walked towards Dikshit who was also present there with a limp body and a tear-stricken face. Seeing his face, other normal people get scared but not Manik. He sat in front of him and grabbed his cheeks tightly causing pain to his previous injuries, making him wince. “Ah…. Manik… Manik…. My son…” Dikshit pleads, making him tighten his hold hearing him, and continuous in a low monstrous tone, “She also pleads like this in front of you but what did you do to her?” He punched his already bruised face, breaking a few more teeth. “Leave me… Please… I will do anything… Just say, how much money do you want?” Dikshit tried to bribe him while he chuckled seeing his failed attempts.

Manik smirks seeing his tears. This provides him with the next level of satisfaction. He sits royally on the chair like a king while Dikshit is lying near his legs. Now, the tables have turned. He lightens his cigarette, smokes on his face, and says, “How much money do you have?” Dikshit smiles thinking that his trick worked, “I have enough, just say the amount. I will also arrange the girls for your satisfaction. Leave that girl and move ahead with me.” 

Manik fisted his hand as thinking about another girl was not even an option on his list but right now, he controlled himself. “Kaushal, call the lawyer and tell him to make papers in that it is stated that DIKSHIT MALHOTRA IS TRANSFERING ALL HIS PROPERTIES TO HIS SON MANIK MALHOTRA’S NAME.” Kaushal nodded and called the lawyer whereas Dikshit gasped, “What are you saying, Manik? I won’t give you anything.” 

Manik smiles as he gets what he wants, a helpless Dikshit Malhotra under his feet. He knew that Dikshit loves money more than his life and today he proved him right. He wanted to destroy his self-esteem in front of all the people who once worked for him as this was the final blow from him. “You have two options, father. Either transfer all the properties on my name or clean my shoes.” 

Everyone froze in their places as cleaning others’ shoes is a pure humiliation for them. Dikshit greets his teeth whereas Manik whistles like a teenager who is bullying his junior. “You have 10 seconds to choose any one option and your time starts now.” The monstrous Manik said looking at his wristwatch that still has some drops of Nandini’s blood reminding him of her death. His expression further changed from cool to demonic. 

Dikshit looks down at Manik’s shoes which are covered with marshy soil and dirt but he doesn’t want to give even a penny to him. In fact, he is planning to free himself from here and plan something to murder Manik Malhotra like his girlfriend. Keeping his aggression and humiliation aside for a second, he forwards his hand to wipe Manik’s shoes only to be stopped by his stern voice, “Who told you to use your hands?” Everyone looks at him with a frown while he continues, “CLEAN MY SHOES WITH YOUR TONGUE AND I WON’T REPEAT IT TWICE.” 

This is the moment where Dikshit wants his death not this kind of humiliation. But this is his karma. He turned Manik into this DEMON. He snatched his reason for living, he snatched his breath and now he is repenting it. Silent tears come out from Dikshit’s eyes and murmurs, “Kill me, please…” 

Manik wants only this. He wanted to break him like he did to him. He wanted to make him feel the pain like he did to him. No, he will not kill him, HE WILL SNATCH HIS REASON OF LIVING AND FORCE HIM TO LIVE TILL HE GETS SATISFIED. Today, he will snatch his money, power, and respect which will turn him into a living corpse. 

Manik asks, “Kaushal, what should we do with him?” Kaushal comes ahead and laughs seeing Dikshit and replies, “I think we should give him a torturous death.” 

Manik chuckles dryly, “Ah…Nah… Not an easy death.” Next, what he said shocked almost everyone. “I want him to live as long as me.” No one understands why he wants Dikshit to live but Kaushal knows that something horrible is coming their way. 

Dikshit bent and touched Manik’s legs and thanked him for mercy who kicked him aside and ordered his men, “Call an ambulance right away.” Kaushal did as ordered while Manik took a long and sharp knife and slowly yet steadily cut off Dikshit’s right arm through which he shot HIS NANDINI. The room went silent except for the cry of Dikshit. Everyone turns their head not able to watch the cruel scene but Manik acts like nothing happened as if he doesn’t care about the blood stains he got on his face. 

“No…. Please….” Dikshit cried, feeling the raw pain, soothing Manik’s heart. “How can you think that I would leave the hand that killed my Nandini.” Manik screamed at his face and stabbed his thigh with the same knife. He stabbed him three times at the same spot until Kaushal informed him about the arrival of an ambulance. Punching his limb body one last time he stood up, “Kaushal, I want him to live. Make sure that he won’t die at any cost.” 

Kaushal nodded and helped the ward boys to pick Dikshit’s limb body. He too went in the ambulance to manage the situation in the hospital but halfway he informed everything to his boss Amir who palmed his head and got worried for Manik. Somewhere Amir hadn’t expected this behavior from Manik he thought that he would become silent and immerse himself in alcohol but here he turned out to be the Monster. 

On the other hand, Manik tilts his head and looks at the men who abused HIS NANDINI. He wanted to give them the more harsh punishment and all the rage came back to him seeing their frightened faces. He looks at one man who trembles in fear and moves back seeing his red eyes, “I heard that you called her SL*T….” He asked with a dry chuckle, making the man cry in fear who pleads. “No… No… Sir, I am so… sorry.” Giving no heed to his pleas he pressed his neck, making it difficult for him to breathe.

“I have a family… My wife is pregnant… please, let me go… I promise… I won’t go against you ever, Sir.” The man whispers difficulty because of Manik’s hold on his neck. He chokes to take oxygen but is unable to do so because of him. Manik’s rage tripled upon hearing him and he yelled pressing his neck effortlessly, “My Nandini was also pregnant when you dragged her to Dikshit. Didn’t she beg you to spare her and her child?”

The man nods while tears flow from his eyes and closes them to sleep forever but before that Manik pushes him aside like trash. He coughed while Manik continued, “You called her sl*t, right? So, should I call your wife and prove you who is the real sl*t here?” He gasped and joined his hands to get his mercy. “I swear on my unborn child sir, I will be loyal to you from now. I won’t even hesitate before killing myself for you but please forgive me.” 

( THE END OF THEIR FIRST BIRTH’S SAGA. ) Hope you enjoyed it till now. 

“From that day Manik becomes the dead soul who is still waiting for his Nandini to arrive to complete their LOVE-SAGA. He became a man who drinks, smokes, and kills people for money and enjoyment.” Cabir ended with tears as well as Navya who also had tears after reviving all those memories. Nandini is just like her sister who gave her support when she needed the most and she let her go just like that. She wipes her tears and continues on her husband’s behalf, “Manik didn’t attend her funeral. He did not even look at her after leaving the hospital. He just left…” Taking a small pause she continues, “Since then, we haven’t met Manik. Rather I would say, he didn’t come in front of us.”

Naira, Rishabh, Palak, and Abhimanyu don’t believe what they heard till now. It is very difficult for them to believe that such love stories exist. Out of nowhere, Naira speaks after licking her lips, “It is very hard to believe. I mean, Nandini is the girl who comes back to get HER MANIK.” 

Cabir nodded and placed a picture on the table to make them believe what he said was not a lie. 

“She is Nandini…” Palak utters in shock recognizing her at a glance. “Now, how will we find her?” Abhimanyu asks. 

“If I am not wrong then, we have to make this news reach Manik after that he will do everything to get her back,” Cabir states, finding a link through which he could inform Manik about HIS NANDINI. 

To be continued…