The Nerd and The Brat (Sequel) ✔

Chapter - 4

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Manik had number three at the back of his mind when his alarm went off in the morning. It was the third consecutive day when he hadn't gotten proper sleep. After he had started telling his mother about Nandini, they hadn't realized the time and it was already past midnight. What bothered him the most was the fact that he hadn't touched any book, non-office ones, to compensate for the lack of his sleep but it was fine. Today was different from the past days. Today, there was business to be done, there were answers to be found.

After getting ready, Manik glanced at his watch. It was six in the morning. As far as his memory went, Meera was an early riser, so he called her on his way to his car. "Good morning, Meera. Did I wake you up?", he asked. He hoped he didn't because he would have called her irrespective of the time but he could do that without feeling guilty about it.

"Morning, Sir", she replied. "No, I woke up sometime back."

He sighed. "I need a favor actually. I will be out of the city limits for the day. Could you manage at the office even today for me?"

"But sir, what about the signatures I might need during the day? Shall I come home in the evening with the files?", she asked.

Manik recollected the important dates, if any, but couldn't point anything out. "I don't know when I will return. It might be too late even. I don't remember if there are any important signatures but if there's an emergency, contact mom. She would be available throughout the day", he told. "Anything else?"

"No, sir."

"Thank you so much, Meera. Have a nice day."

The office is handled. It's time to meet his head girl.

XXX

Manik loved the morning breeze. The way the cool air teased on his face while driving was refreshing and whenever he got a chance, often because of an early morning meeting, he preferred driving on his own. It calmed him down.

It took Manik more than an hour to reach the outskirts to the Murthy Villa, thanks to the lack of traffic in the morning. Before entering the house, he gulped a good amount of water. Unlike the general belief of people, pure dihydrogen oxide energized the nerves more than any alcoholic drinks.

All the calmness he tried maintaining, since the morning, evaporated as soon as he saw the scene playing in front of him. The house was decorated inside, the Murthy couple heavily dressed, and Mr. Kapoor of ASK estates had a grin on his face as he had a conversation with Mr. Murthy. Amidst all the festive mood, there was his head girl in bridal attire, crying openly as she struggled against her mother's hold.

Manik felt a rush of pure rage inside him as he stalked towards the center of the Murthy's living room. "What the hell is going on here?", he asked, maintaining his composure.

Nandini stopped struggling at her place but the tears weren't stopping. It broke his heart to find his head girl, a girl who could rule an entire college, in such a state.

Mr. Murthy had a smile on his face. "Mr. Malhotra, I am sorry. My daughter is in love with Mr. Kapoor. We didn't know about it yesterday. If only we had known it, we wouldn't have invited you for the alliance." He tried to act the regret in his face, but Manik knew better. "I would send my heartfelt apologies to Mrs. Malhotra", he added after a moment.

Manik rolled his eyes. "I don't need your heartfelt apologies, Mr. Murthy. I am here to take my fiance out for our wedding shopping. I don't think I would get your permission, Sir'', he told, before turning to the girl. "Nandini, come on, it would take hours to reach the city and you already know about Mumbai's traffic."