A Thousand Encounters

Chapter-34

"Maybe he just really wanna talk to your man," Rishi said as soon as Mr Murthy walked away. Nandini had tried to talk to her father about dinner thing and he had one simple yet most complex answer that how he just wanted to talk to Manik.

Nandini laughed a bit as she heard her brother.

"What's so funny?" He asked.

"You don't know that simple looking man at all," She whispered looking towards her father who was talking to some servant at a little distance.

"He always has some cunning plan going in back of his mind. I was here for these 19 years and believe me, you have a lot to learn about us," She replied as subtly as she could. Though, subtle was the mockery here.

"That's rude," Rishi said shaking his head, trying not to get intimidated by his little sister.

"You never liked his ways so that's what speaking here," He said clicking his fingers trying to prove his point.
Nandini rolled her eyes and then sighed.

"Why am I even trying to reason my parent's son?" She didn't miss to taunt before getting up. She needed to see only intelligent man in that house.

"Where's Daadu?" She asked one of servants as she couldn't find him anywhere.

"Bade Sahab has gone out of town and would return till dinner," servant informed and Nandini wondered.

Apparently, she didn't know anything in that house. Daadu was not home and she didn't know. Her father had turned subtle, she didn't know. Her brother had started to take interest in her life, she didn't have a clue. She sighed and sat on sofa placed in hallway. She needed to be prepared for dinner. Her cadet was coming on a war and she was afraid it doesn't turn out to be the war he had been chanting these days.
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Manik threw another blazer on bed as he struggled with this royal decision of what to wear. Initially, he had thought he won't go at all but then he couldn't run away from his own feelings. It was an embarrassing day all in all and he couldn't let Mr Murthy live with impression how he was a boy who got caught with his daughter in a warehouse and then had no guts to show up for a talk.

"A talk couldn't harm, can it?" He asked himself standing in front of mirror. He smiled as that navy blue blazer smiled at him.

"I knew it is my color," He mumbled totally trying to play it cool. He had tried it once how you can kill the anxiety by pretending to be brave. Duh, must have worked.

He got ready and looked at keys of Jeep. It was strange how Lieutenant Kalra was very quiet after Mr Murthy had left. Moreover, he had given him army Jeep till morning. It was strange, strange day.
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It was night and Nandini hadn't sat in peace for a second even. She was restless and her mood voiced for it. She had blasted her brother for nth time as he had tried to calm her down. She was hating idea of this dinner. She knew something bad was coming her way. She wanted to steal Manik before he could enter the Murthy Mansion.

She heard sound of Jeep and her engine trained ears recognized in seconds how it was an army Jeep. She wondered who lent Manik that vehicle for a personal meeting. She ran towards door and saw him walking towards main door. She grabbed him before he could reach it and started to drag him in opposite direction.

"What's wrong?" He asked perplexed and Nandini slid her hand in pocket of his pant. He jumped like baffled kitten but she paid no heed to his antics.

Opening door of his Jeep, she pushed him inside and looked at him.

"Drive away. No dinner here," She said catching her breaths. Manik frowned unable to understand her actions.

"But your father... " He tried to argue but she glared him.