A/N: Hello Readers, I am back with the third installment of my four chapter marathon before the release of KYY S4! Guys did you see the trailer with the music release? Oh my God, I am so hooked! SPACE Goa? And good news is, from this trailer, the story seems very different from my story! :D

Now, coming to the chapter, I hope you like what you read, cause I had fun writing this! On that note, Happy Reading!

***

Nandini woke up to see a very upset Navya sitting on the couch in the living room. Upon enquiring she learnt that Navya had woken up early in the excitement of meeting her favourite superstar Manik, only to realise he had already left for the day, for a very early morning shoot. Nandini smiled seeing Navya pout & promised her that she'd arrange for a face time with Manik very soon. Navya seemed a little pacified hearing that. Nandini on the other hand felt a bit thankful that Manik wasn't around. She had thought of something while trying to sleep the night before, she now had time to act on it.

"Navu, will you manage on your own, for a couple of hours? I need to go out for a bit" she asked Navya, who affirmed; so after the two had their breakfast, Nandini left the pent-house.

It had been an hour, when the bell rang & Navya got the door to see Abhimanyu walking in. She looked confused. Nandu had said, she was going out for a few hours right, then why was Abhimanyu here? Did Nandini not take him? Upon enquiring she realised, Nandini had indeed been very discreet about her venture and had taken off without informing anyone. What was she up to, Navya wondered.

"What, she left without telling me, and you don't know where she is? Oh Damn, this is bad news!" Abhimanyu exclaimed and immediately tried to call her, but Nandini's phone was unreachable. He paced around the room in nervous agitation debating how to reach her, and Navya found it weird. What was so worrisome about Nandini going out to run some errands?

"Abhimanyu, why are you overreacting? She will come back!" she tried to pacify him.

"Navya, I don't think Nandu would have told you this, but err..her life is in danger. You know the actress Soha Khurana, right? I believe she is after her. I know her up close, she is too vindictive to let Nandu go, just because she agreed to a settlement offered to her by Manik sir! So it is very important that I find her before..." his voice trailed off as his phone rang & Navya gulped in fear hearing this. Soha Khurana, that famous actress, wanted Nandu dead! She was that crazy?!

"Yes Cabir, I tried tracing her, but it seems like her phone is switched  off, the app doesn't work if it's off" he muttered in a frustrated tone.

After a while Abhimanyu disconnected the call & excused himself. It seemed like he was going out to try looking for Nandini in places where she could probably be. Navya sat down on the couch praying for Nandini's well being. She had woken up in the morning with so much excitement, what did she know that this was in store for her.

After another hour, Navya got more tense, Nandu had said she'd be back by now, but she hadn't returned. She tried her phone again & it was unreachable. Meanwhile, there was a doorbell & she saw Tarun, their butler, run to get the door. In another few minutes, Navya's jaw dropped, as the man of her dreams, her superstar Manik, walked in through the door. He was wearing cargo track pants, with a gym tee & sported a NY baseball team cap, as he walked into the apartment with the stride of a tiger. Navya gulped. Unlike in the movies, where he is a cheerful romantic guy, the Manik Malhotra off screen, seemed like a perpetually pissed off character!

He noticed Navya and stopped short, as Navya stood up to look at him in nervousness. He glared at her in a way, as if Nandini going missing was her doing.

"You're supposed to be her friend, right? She didn't tell you where she went?" he asked her gruffly; it sounded more like an accusation.

"No..she just said, she has some errands to r.." quipped Navya, looking down. Manik stared hard at her for another second before walking off to his room, bellowing at Cabir, who had followed him into the apartment. "Keep me posted on any updates about Nandini".

"Sorry about that, Manik reacts quite unreasonably when he is worried." Navya turned around to see Cabir talking to her. Navya, frowned, she hadn't met this guy before either.

"I'm Cabir Dhawan. I'm Manik's best friend and manager. You must be Nandini's friend Navya?" He spoke in a friendly voice. Navya smiled.

"Umm..Cabir, Nandu will be fine, right?" she expressed her concern and Cabir sighed. "Let's think positive, shall we?"

***

It was past four in the afternoon, as Nandini hurried back to the pent-house. She felt guilty, because she knew Navya & Abhimanyu both would be worried for her. She had not realised while leaving home that her phone hadn't charged last night, and was running on reserve battery. So after a short while of her departure, it died. She had gone to meet Aryamann. She had called him in the morning & requested to meet, but Aryamann was a big man, his calendar was full. Although he could schedule Nandini in for the next day, he didn't want to come across as a transactional person to Nandini & asked her to come meet him at his shoot location. Nandini thought she'd not take more than a couple of hours, but once she reached, she realised, Aryamann was shooting for a difficult scene that day & his co actor was not able to deliver. As they did take after take after take, Nandini kept waiting, not realising how late she was getting. However, thankfully, she did finally meet him & discussed what she had in mind; then she hurriedly travelled homewards.

Nandini used her keys to enter the apartment, and before she realised what, she was ambushed by a gigantic hug.

"Thank God, Nandu, you are okay! Why did you leave like that, knowing your life is in danger?" squealed a teary eyed Navya. "You know how worried Abhimanyu got for you? Even Cabir was worried for you!" she added, scolding her.

"I know Navu. I'm really sorry, this won't happen again." she whispered, pacifying her. "It was really urgent, else I'd have not gone. Wait, my phone is dead, let me put it on charge & inform Abhimanyu, that I've.." she murmured, and started walking towards her room when another thunderous voice shook her.

"Who the hell do you think you are, Nandini, to pull such a stunt on us?" the roaring voice of Manik reached her from the corridor.

"Perfect" she muttered, rolling her eyes.

"If it wasn't important, I wouldn't have gone, Manik." Nandini replied, calmly, looking at him.

"Acha, what exactly is more important than staying alive, Nandini? Do enlighten me." he barked furiously, as he took menacing steps towards her.

"Uhm...Manik, she must be tired, maybe we should let her get freshed up first?" Navya's timid voice floated to her ears; she was trying to help Nandini. Manik's cold anger filled eyes turned to Navya, as he dangerously mouthed, "You think I care?". Navya looked at him in shock. Nandini decided to end the debate saying, "Manik, point is I am here, alive, ready for the next charade you have in mind. Now please excuse me" she answered calmly & walked off.

***

It was around evening, Manik was on the terrace, watching the sunset. He loved the golden hours; whenever he got the time, he took a lot of nature photos during this time. The sky was spread in hues of gold and vermillion with the high sky reflecting shades of pink and mauve; Manik always found peace at this hour. It was the end of a day, yet the new dawn was yet to come. It was the interim. It was time for all battered souls to relax.

A small noise behind him made him turn around, and he saw Nandini walking into the terrace with a mug in her hand. She hadn't seen him yet, she was looking up at the sky with a wide smile playing on her lips. "Wow" he heard her whisper, as she finally looked ahead and stopped in her tracks, locating Manik.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you." she quickly apologised and turned to leave. "It's okay, the sky is massive, I think I can share it with you" replied Manik, while peering at her. In many ways, this Nandini was quite different from the girl he was married to. She seemed more confident & much stronger than what she used to be.

Nandini nodded and walked towards him, her eyes, on the setting sun. "I should have guessed you'd be here, when you're home" she spoke softly, admiring the twilight sky. "I remember you loved enjoying the golden hour". Manik glanced at her once with a small peaceful smile playing up his lip, before glancing at the view before him.

"Did you notify Abhimanyu that you're back home? He was very worried." asked Manik, looking ahead of him.

"Yes, I did." she replied, gazing at him. "Manik, I had gone out to arrange something for Navya" she added, knowing Manik was still curious about where she had gone, whether he said it or not.

Manik looked at her. He wondered what was so secretive about this, that she didn't take Abhimanyu with her, but he didn't say anything. "Yes, Navya. We were to figure something out for her...what's her academic background?" Manik asked, casually.

"Digital marketing. She has a digital marketing background" Nandini replied.

"Aah..that's good. I think I have a friend, who was looking for a social media manager. He has his own chain of restaurants across Mumbai, Delhi and many other metros" Manik replied thoughtfully. "Maybe I can talk to him.."

"It's okay, Manik. It's sorted now." she replied with a small smile. Manik looked at her surprised. She hardly knew people in town, how'd she manage to get Navya a job without his help?

"How did you manage that?" he asked, not masking his surprise.

"Asked a friend for help" she replied, focusing on her coffee. Did she look a little uncomfortable? Manik wondered.

"I thought your only friend in this city was Abhimanyu. If he didn't help, then who did?" he persisted, now feeling curious.

"I may have asked Aryamann for a favour" she replied, avoiding his gaze. Manik listened to her, and an unknown fury made its presence felt inside him. He ignored it.

"Oh, so you have learnt the currency of showbiz? A favour for a favour?" he asked, trying not to sound bitter. Who knew why he didn't like the idea of Aryamann being Nandini's go to person.

Nandini turned to him & gazed at him in surprise. "Manik, Aryamann and my relationship is real. It's not made for the papps like MaNan. So I can ask him for a favour, and he'd have helped me, even if I didn't do the PR activity with him" she replied, with a hard voice. Her words landed like a slap on Manik's face.

"I'm sure he would." Manik muttered stiffly. "I am just curious, Nandini. Why'd you need to go to Aryamann, when I had said I'd help?" he added after a minute. Nandini looked at Manik for a few seconds and sighed before replying, "..because I figured, there's no benefit for you in helping Navya, so you might go back on your words in a few days?"

"Nandini" Manik growled, hearing her. He hated seeing how selfish she thought he was. Was she wrong though, he was using her for his benefit.

"Manik, if you really want to do something for Navya, give her some time to spend with you. She is a huge fan of yours and I think she'd like nothing better than to spend some fan moments and take a selfie with you." Nandini challenged him with calm eyes, before turning to leave. Manik didn't know why, but he felt the need to prove her wrong. He wanted her to know that he wasn't just a selfish man, there was more to him & most importantly, he really did love his fans.

"Nandini" he called her, just as she was exiting through the terrace door. She stopped and turned around to look at him. "Please send Navya here, on your way" he replied, with a cold smile. Nandini stared at him for a moment before flashing a small thankful smile, and nodded, before leaving.

"She almost looks pretty, when she smiles" Manik muttered absentmindedly.

After another ten minutes, Navya came to the terrace. Manik gazed at her with a patented Manik Malhotra fan meet smile. She was entering the terrace wearing a red dress that reached her knee. The neckline had shiny sequins bordering it, highlighting her creamy skin & collarbones. She had put on smokey eye makeup and her hair was tied up to a carefully made bun. Manik resisted the urge to laugh seeing her dress up so much just to meet him at his terrace. Manik did his signature step of taking a few steps towards her and extended his hand for her to take. He heard Navya gasp, as her cold hands touched him.

"Am I really holding Manik Mahotra's hand?" she murmured to herself, and Manik laughed hearing her.

"Yes you are, Navya; and you are about to have coffee with him too!" he replied, with a warm & friendly smile. Navya looked like someone had promised her the universe and she had no more wishes left in her list.

"Really?" she whispered & Manik nodded, looking at the terrace door, from where Tarun was entering with two mugs of coffee for them. Manik smiled and took the mugs from Tarun, ushering him to go and turned to Navya to give her one mug.

"You can pinch yourself and check." he joked, with a smile. Navya laughed, finally believing her luck, as she accepted the mug from Manik.

"Manik, can we take a selfie?" she blushed as she requested & Manik smirked before agreeing. Navya was ecstatic as she took a few photos with Manik. Manik even suggested a few poses, while she happily agreed and clicked them. Navya felt like she was at the top of the world. She looked at Manik's friendly smile, his warm, endearing actions and suddenly she remembered how he behaved with Nandu in the afternoon, when Nandini had returned home. The memory made her frown & Manik noticed that.

"Is the coffee too bitter for your taste, do you want more sugar?" he enquired casually.

"No, no, it's not that." Navya replied, thoughtfully. "It's just that, you are so nice, and polite with me now, but in the morning when you were speaking to Nandu when she returned..." her voice trailed off. Manik looked at her and understood what she meant.

"Umm..Navya, I know I had gone a bit overboard with her then. With the whole Soha angle to it, I know she is my responsibility, because she is staying here to help me..I guess I had freaked out a little too much back then." he replied, honestly. Much to his surprise, Navya smiled mischievously upon hearing him.

"What?" he enquired, frowning.

"For a man who claims to not care, you sure need to up your acting game" remarked Navya, with a smirk & Manik stared at her in shock. What was she implying? Of course he was worried. He couldn't just let her die now, could he? He needed her to play along for a lot longer than this, plus, honestly, he didn't hate Nandini enough to let her die.

Ignoring her snide comment, Manik spoke. "So, I hear Aryamann Khanna has offered to refer you for a job?" he asked her and she smiled and nodded in affirmation. Manik traced the lining of his cup with his index finger, when he spoke again.

"So, what would you do, if you had one job offer from Aryamann's reference, and another, to work for your favourite superstar?" Manik looked at Navya. She looked confused for a second, but as the sentence seeped in, she looked dazed.

"Wh..what do you mean?" she asked, stuttering.

"Nothing, just a thought here. You see Zubin handles brand Manik, but as you know, we are working towards a temporary brand MaNan for my image cleanup. Zubin is managing that too, but it's getting tough for him, so I was thinking of employing an assistant for him, who could handle MaNan for him" Manik spoke, looking at her with shrewd eyes. "You see, talking to you I realise you're sharp, you have a smart tongue, you are Nandini's friend, so you understand her too. Plus you have a degree in marketing too. Who can be better for the job?" he asked silkily, as he saw Navya gulp in temptation. On one side there was her friend diving her neck in danger for a job for her, and on the other side is her superstar of dreams offering her to work for him. What would she choose?

"I need time to think." she muttered looking at him. Manik nodded and spoke gently, "Sure. In that case, I promise you another coffee meet & greet when you have reached a decision" with that he nodded and Navya left. "How's that, #AryaNan" Manik whispered with a smirk.

***

Word Count: 2,880

A/N: So, how was the chapter, readers? Did you enjoy? B)

So Manik, hmm... ;P What do you guys feel about his behaviour? Does this nut case make any sense at all? :D

Nandini-Aryamann, what do you think of their friendship? Do you like what is brewing there? The comfort, the sense of safety?

MaNan interaction? How as it? Do you feel Manik is able to overpower this new Nandini? I didn't want her character to go all out on Manik, then her stand to help him doesn't hold, but to have proper boundaries? Do you enjoy her strength?

So, Navya's new job..do you think it will impact MaNan? Who's offer should she take? What are your views!

Readers, thank you for loving this story & being honest about it so far. Request you to support me and I promise you an engaging read! Do vote, comment & like this story, if you feel it's worth it :)

For all readers who hate Manik, and don't want Nandini with him, I can only say, this is just the beginning of the story, let a man grow.. ;) No one is perfect, neither is Manik. Imagine how boring the love story of a perfect man would be? Would you read it? Or would you enjoy reading the journey of a fucked up man to self actualisation? The devil is in the details, readers :)

Anyway! Please note, the next update will be the LAST one until some time after KYY S4 is released, so stay tuned & enjoy & don't forget that I love all your comments, so please keep sharing them :)

Next update: 1st Dec, 2023 (Thursday)

Until then, stay safe!

Much love,

Your writer,

A.