(Manan Dark) Mafia's Intense Desire

33

Manik's POV

"What?" I had a hard time register his words.

While my gaze lingered on his face, my breaths remained stuck inside my lungs.

This could not be serious!

She CAN'T join now.

Like really.

"What you don't trust my words?" I firmly shooky head in a yes since I was indeed skeptic to believe it.

Jerry heaved an audible sigh and eyed at my phone, "Well, nobody did. Not until they checked her message on their own!" he said, kind of urging me to look at her dropped message if I didn't believe it.

Surely, I didn't, henceforth I reached for my device and opened whatsapp messenger.

Ut has hardly been few days. Okay not days but barely two weeks and half, and she needs to stay back home. She CAN'T think of joining now.

What does she think?

It was a joke. Her injuries. Those hours spent in ICU while er prayed and hoped for her quick recovery... Were they all a joke?

No ways, it was sure real. And i have seen it. I have witnessed it.

From that traumatic moment of crying to the one where she passed out in my arms, along with the hours she suffered in hospital ward out of those injuries... I have seen them all.

And I don't think she should be coming here!

"How can she do this? She is... Freaking not ready to join now." I declared, my disappointed dripping from every word I spoke, because my eyes were not lying.

"You bet as all assumed the same. But the CEO is the CEO. We follow what she says, and it is her wish to join. Who would stop her?" Jerry expressed.

"Exactly bro, she is not ready for this. She must rest after such incident... Not join her freaking job again when the atmosphere here is stressed and exhausting." I quickly said, I still didn't want to believe him.

But...

She has indeed left a single yet clear message that read,

'Good evening guys,
Had been a long while since I last left such a note, right?
They shall be recurring now as I am rejoining from Tomorrow.
Thanks so much to everyone who prayed and wished for my goodness.'

It was short and exact. No added words. No extended acknowledgment. Nothing.

It was just a wary dry and cold reminder that was rather imposed than communicated.

My fingers tightened around the phone as eyelids fell across my view. My squeezed them tight, trying to hold my uneasiness and shared, "Nope, she can't do this."

"And why exactly you think I can't do it, Mr. Malhotra?" My heart beats dropped, skin felt cold and freezing as a voice spoke.

A voice that neither belonged to Jerry nor any other person I had seen in the office building today.

My eyes eventually opened and I saw the face I had been trying to avoid so far, "Nandini..."

****

Nandini's POV

It would be mean if I said I hated staying with my father!

I had a great time with him. He treated me like how u always wanted him to.

He had separated himself from me after mom's death. However, in the past days, we shared more than just good memories and thoughts.

I was wrong to think he was torturing me by drawing himself away. He just wanted to protect me by doing so. Because I was his, THE Ram Maheshwari's daughter. A man with plenty of rivals.

And he just kept me safe hy drawing me away. Until the current tragedy that occurred to me.

Papa thought I was safe if stayed away from him. But he was proved wrong after that brute tried to force me.

He did everything to make up for the pain and the lost old days of yearning we missed. Alas, I still felt incomplete. A part of me felt incomplete because I was dissatisfied!

My broken heart wanted to see him and know exactly why he didn't come for me. Why not when he punished the wrong doer who tried to throw me in such condition.

Why he preferred to be an ignorant jerk and shattered my heart like that. Just why?

"Yes, Mr. Malhotra, why exactly can't you agree to see me joining again?" I asked him and walked inside his cabin.

I was physically fine as the doc claimed, but mentally I was disturbed. And i knew it could only be cured when once i had got my answers.

And my answers were to come from him. Him, who forced me to fall in love with himself years ago. Him, who vanished after leaving an impression on me. Him, who was unreachable, no matter how hard I tried to look for him.

But then, when I had almost forgotten him, he came like a thunderbolt that strikes during a forlorn rainy stormy night and turned shit upside down on earth, in my life!

"Ms. Maheshwari?" my cheeks heated seeing him after so many days.

Nothing about him changed except for the thickness of the stubble on his jaw. He had grown them an inch long that made him look (I hate to say that) sexier than before.

"Yes, Mr. Malhotra, I am in need of your answer. I wish to know why would you think I  don't deserve to come to my company and work?" I asked, my hands folding against my chest.

He looked away from me, at my front, and then was when I realized we were not alone. There was Jerry, my employee from R&D department, standing overwhelmed.

"Ma'am," Jerry's eyes flickered as he looked at me quietly. "Weren't you supposed to come tomorrow?"

My gaze involuntarily flew back to HIS face and I watched him go all dry and stunned as he scanned me from head to toe. It was a scan that was being done to assure i was fine. No desires or concern, much to my anger, associated at all.

"I was supposed to by tomorrow but," but my aggression toward this bloody guy, pulled me here before time.

I wanted to say that yet I switched my further statement into this, "I had no reason to stay back home while my company was suffering alone during this scenario of change." I answered, my eyes still staring at his face while he looked deeper in my eyes.

"In point of fact I have plenty of businesses that need my attention. I can't leave them hanging because of a petty problem"

So deeply as if he was trying to read my thoughts.

But, I didn't let him to. I cut my gaze away and sighed.

He doesn't deserve that. He doesn't deserve to look at me like that.

'Nandini better do what you have come here for. Do it... And get done with it.'

With that thought, I looked up at his face and addressed to Jerry, "Mr. D'Souza, mind leaving us alone for a few minutes? I have some important work to discuss with Mr. Malhotra."

"Sure ma'am," Jerry replied and got up.  "I'll take your leave."

It was just the two of us left now. In the room alone, standing face to face. Eyes never blinking and facial expressions communicating our feelings, we stood there. But not for long, because after this conversation, we will not be meeting ever again. I say, never ever.

Tbc...