A/N: Hello my lovely readers, how are you? I see you all have enjoyed the last chapter, and have showered the chapter with a lot of love. I just wanna say thank you for that and I promise, this chapter will be a ride ;)

No more chit chat, I will leave you to read. See you on the other side!

On that note, Happy reading!

***

Manik was waiting at the shoot floor, reading his scripts, for the days' sequence. His hair stylist and makeup man was fussing over him, as he sat there with a small smirk playing up his lips. Any moment now, all hell shall break loose, he mused, keeping his ears open for a certain someone's entry into the floor.

"Sir, you're ready an hour and half before call time..would you like to wait in your vanity? It's quite warm here, the anaconda AC is barely working as of now.." Rishabh Murthy's frightened voice made Manik look up from his scripts.

"So what, the anaconda is not working? You're here, boy. Get a hand fan & fan me." Manik commanded, holding back a tiny smile. He was in a great mood today. He had got what he wanted, and he knew it would make Nandini fly off the handle in rage; he was actually looking forward to it. Her, coming to attack him. There is one thing good about anger, it's an emotion and once one runs out of it, one becomes vulnerable. He wanted a vulnerable moment with Nandini, he wanted to use it to tell her to not do such shitty things with herself again. A cheap, sleazy condom ad, really? Just to get back at him? He wasn't worth it.

"Ye..yes sir" muttered Rishabh Murthy before running away as Manik waited with bated breath. About time..

As Manik heard a little squabble outside the studio, he got ready, he knew the storm was here. "..but di, please, Manik sir is ready and waiting. He..err..he is in a good mood, let's not.." Rishabh's panicked whispers sealed the deal, his tigress was here. Manik laughed. Also, now she's his Di? Seriously?

"Manik Malhotra, how fucking dare you?" In another few seconds, Nandini's raging voice reached him, and Manik coolly looked up from the scripts, nodding at her.

"Look, who's late today? If it isn't Ms. Punctual." Manik mouthed, with a twinkle in his eyes, as an exasperated looking Cabir & a thoroughly pissed Ranbir followed Nandini inside. "Nevermind, go get ready & come. I'm in a good mood, I shall indulge you today." Manik added with a sweet smile.

If looks could kill, Nandini would have Manik murdered four times, then raise him from death again and kill him a fifth time! "You fucking entitled, controlling, megalomaniac, son of a freaking misogynist!" Nandini spat with extreme disgust in her eyes. Under normal circumstances, Manik would crumple seeing this hate for him in her eyes, but not today. He would do anything to protect Nandini, like always, even take her hate. But he couldn't help feeling a little playful seeing her anger today.

"Now, now Nandini, is that how you talk to your favourite co-star?" Manik added more fuel to the fire. Nandini stared hard at Manik with a red nose, like she'd spit fire any moment, but something stopped her from physically assaulting him, maybe the fear of losing the movie, Manik wondered. Instead, she grabbed Manik's wrist with all her might and ensured she dug her freshly manicured nails right into him, before pulling him away. As Manik followed with a glaze in his eyes, onlookers would say he had gone mad, because it had been five minutes of Nandini Murthy screaming at him & now hurling him away, and yet, Manik Malhotra hadn't lost his cool. In fact he looked amused. How?

"Hey, Nandini, where are you taking him?" Manik heard Cabir, shouting after them with a bit of panic in his voice. Manik smirked. Was Cabir scared of Nandini?

"I am taking my ex-husband for a tete-e-tete, Cabir. Do you have a fucking problem?" she shouted, turning back to face Cabir. As Manik gave him a pointed look, Cabir realised he wasn't supposed to intervene, so he stopped, and even stopped Ranbir, who was hurrying to follow. What did Manik want, Cabir failed to understand. He could understand Nandin's wrath of course, but how was Manik ever going to come to her good books with such behaviour?

"What is wrong with Manik?" Ranbir's irritated voice broke his train of thought. "He's in love.." Cabir muttered to himself.

***

Manik walked into Nandini's vanity for the first time and frowned. Why was she given such a small van, when he of course had his own and that Rose was also provided an uber fancy one? She was a lead too, right? There was just a small seater cum bed stashed in a corner, a dressing table, a super noisy air conditioner and a small table crammed with some juices & titbits. Not even a freezer or a television? There was a tiny loo where he was sure he'd not even fit & the other half of the vanity was her walk-in closet where all her clothes were dumped, so stylists kept walking in and out, not giving her privacy. Technically, she only had half a van. What the hell!

"Nandini, this is the van the production gave you?" Manik uttered in disbelief, momentarily forgetting why he was ushered here by a madly pissed Nandini.

"Oh that's what we will discuss here, now?" came her livid response & Manik was brought back to reality. He didn't want to smile, but her red nose and cheeks along with her angry glare made her look super cute, and for one damn moment, Manik just wanted to forget everything and kiss the tip of her cute button nose! Bad idea, Manik. He mentally chidded himself.

He couldn't blame her for the wrath though! He had after all gone out of his way to stop her ad from playing on TV, to stop all the cheap publicity she had no idea she was going to garner, had it played for so long, as a day more. To be honest, it wasn't the ad, nor the fact that it was a condom ad; what made Manik ballistic was the way Nandini was used in the ad. It was cheap, vulgar & detrimental to any woman's dignity & even though Nandini was naive and she didn't realise, they chose her specifically because she was linked with a sex scandal and the way she vilified herself and promoted her evil image. What did she think? This was the end? No, it was the beginning of the reaction the public had for her flaunting her cheating, adulterous image. There would be more to come. Sleazy roles, item numbers objectifying her character and body and finally she'd be turned into a public bait, where the public would start thinking she was everyones' fuck toy. The showbiz wouldn't ever understand the hurt from which she projected this image, they'd only use this as an opportunity to stop giving her the respect of a woman, an actress and turn her into sex meat. Where would this stop? That was the point, Manik spent enough time in showbiz to know, it wouldn't ever stop. Before Nandini realised, they'd make a porn star out of her, and by the time she'd realise it, it'd be too late for even him to save her. Manik was not going to let Nandini bring this doom upon her, in anger & vengeance towards him.

"Manik, I just got a call from Times Media House, did you purchase all the air spots that the condom brand bought from television channels through Times Media for airing Nandini's TVC? Cabir sounded flabbergasted.

"Yes, there was no other way." Manik replied nonchalantly, looking up from his breakfast, as Cabir walked into his living room, in the morning. "Oh and please check if we have a shoot today, there is a high chance that Nandini will have it cancelled today. After all, the pharmaceutical company will have a field day with Zubin, Mukti & Nandini!" Manik added.

"Manik, they had a television airing plan of seven crores for three months! So, you paid that amount to save her for three months, then? What happens then, Manik? After that they'd again buy spots, how will you stop it? You will pay seven crores again? Eight times (8 quarters) seven, considering the two years contract means, you will pay fifty six crores to stop her ad? Have you lost it??" Cabir blasted doing the maths.

"Add another four crores that I have to pay to the pharmaceutical company, compensating them for making the ad, and adding Nandini and Karan's fee; it's a perfect sixty crore." Manik smiled back.

"Manik, can you hear yourself? You sound like a lunatic! Sixty crores is roughly twelve times Nandini's current net worth in the industry! This is madness! Also, fine with the money you stop the TV ads, and with so much hassle the brand wont renew her contract after two years and no other condom brands will sign her either, if this goes out in the market. But have you thought about how it impacts Nandini? She will never get another endorsement deal, Manik! Plus how will you stop the ad from airing in the digital medium? With so much bad PR, the ad will have high engagement in the digital format! Don't you know, anything forbidden is more lucrative?! Add to that the defamation case all the parties, including the brand, Nandini & Karan will put on you, add another few hundred crores there! Did you think of all the consequences?!" Cabir was livid! Honestly, his biggest concern was, Manik was pushing Nandini further away if that was even possible, and he was sure there was no coming back from here.

"Yes, a couple of hundred crores loss. Bite me. See this is the only plus point of being a Malhotra scion. The money doesn't matter!" Manik replied casually!

"And the Malhotra seniors? You think they will not notice your intention here? How are you planning to save Nandini from them & the media both, Manik?" Cabir's voice was tense. Finally, Manik looked up at him with attention.

"You think, I will leave some stones unturned, when it comes to ensuring my Nandini's safety, Cabir?" He asked seriously.

"What did you do, Manik?"Cabir was scared now.

"Instead of spending the hundreds of crores you calculated, I asked the pharmaceutical brand to not play the ad. They listened to me." Manik added with a tiny smirk. On seeing Cabir's head about to burst in tension he decided to not play more.

"I may have promised them to endorse their brand for free for three years.." he replied. It took Cabir a few seconds to digest; when he did, his eyes were round like saucers!

"You did what?!" He repeated, clutching the chair before him and sitting down.

"..and while I was being generous, I told them if they needed a lady along with me, why go for a newbie Nandini, when they could have Rose Godfrey for free too? Now in the same air spots, instead of Nandini, my & Rose's ad will flash! Problem solved." Manik replied, with a grin, now spreading to his face.

"..you did not!..and Rose? She agreed to this? A condom ad for free?" Cabir asked, scandalised.

"It's free for the brand, not her. I'm paying Rose. About three crores, her standard endorsement fees. We will shoot the ad today, all on my expenses, if Nandini cancels the movie shoot for today. Now pit that against all the hundred crores you calculated. Does it make business sense, Cabir? As for Rose's agreeing, well the whole industry knows she'd do anything to sleep with me, so a request from me was enough to cut it" Manik added, enjoying himself.

"Oh my God" Cabir mumbled, before adding, "..and Nandini & Karan?"

"I had a chat with Karan. That guy is genuinely decent. I offered compensation too, but he refused, saying he gets it. Even he was a little apprehensive for Nandini, after seeing the final edit. As for Nandini..well..we are yet to see, when I face her next.." Manik replied, munching on waffles.

Cabir sighed for a moment, before two more tormenting questions bothered him. "Manik, these news are never hush hush, it will circulate & your dad & grandfather will know. You are protecting Nandini here, that too publicly. It won't sit well with them. Aren't we putting her at risk again?"

Manik sighed and a sad smile covered his face. "How sad is it, Cabir, that I have to fool so many people to save the one I love; but yes, that's why I got Rose to replace Nandini. I can tell them, it was my way of taking a step towards #MoSe or #MaSe whatever it is we are called together. They wanted me to try this coupling for PR next, right? Plus I take work off Nandini, it is another plus for them."

"..but Manik you really did take work off Nandini. The insiders folk will know & she will never get another endorsement deal again. Since no one would want to risk working with her." Cabir added.

"I may have a solution for that too, Cabir. I will never let anyone stop Nandini's flight. After all the shit I put her through, my God knows, she deserves all the happiness in the world. Alia was going to endorse a chocolates ad for a big brand, I may have requested her to talk the brand team into considering Nandini. Alia was of course happy to help and again denied any compensation from me, saying she was doing it for her friend Nandini, but she also told me to keep looking out for Nandini, because that's what partners do. I think she's figured me out.." Manik sighed. There was a fondness he had in his voice, while talking of Alia. She was his one true friend in the industry, and maybe Nandini's too. Could he maybe confide in her, and take some help with Nandini?

"I am happy that you fixed it, Manik; but I am afraid, Nandini will now have another thing to hold against you & never forgive you forever." Cabir sighed.

"If Nandini & I are meant to be, then no matter what shit we spew, our ending up together is inevitable; and if we don't I will come back in the next life to try again, and again till I have her." mused Manik with a small smile. He was feeling hopeful today.

"Answer me damn it! Why did you sabotage my ad?" Nandini's snapping brought Manik back to the present. It was time to act.

"Oh come on, Nandini, it's obvious. I sabotaged it because you were looking sexy in it!" Manik answered in a bored voice, rolling his eyes.

"Excuse me?" Nandini asked, looking thoroughly pissed and confused.

"Well, you know, the whole PR thing. If she's sexy, she can't be your ex. Now I can't change the fact that you're my ex, so I can't let you be sexy now, can I? Simple." Manik replied slowly, as if he's dummying the idea down for an idiot. This infuriated Nandini more.

"What the fuck does that mean?" Nandini snarled.

"Uff..you can be so thick sometimes, Nandini. If you have a sexy image, you soar up the chart, and if by some floose you become an A-lister actress in the coming time, I cannot avoid working with you. Truth be told, I am bored of you Nandini, and your same old, same old saga. I don't want to work with you again. In fact I don't think anyone wants to either. You really need to retire, love. As for me, I want a new & preferably fresh face for my new PR thing, and it's important, the public finds her sexy & not you. That's why I replaced you & Karan with me & Rose. We look so good together! You know we even shot for the ad yesterday, when you decided to cancel this shoot? See you actually helped me. Guess, I should thank you? But I won't, you know why? Because even I helped you become a public figure at my cost, didn't I? Now we are even." Manik spat. His heart was clenching inside, but he had to be believable else it'd not work with Nandini.

"You are so sick, Manik Malhotra." Nandini's voice was hoarse. Manik expected her to be a firecracker today, but what was that slump in her demeanour? Was she tired fighting? Shit was that a tear rolling out of her eyes? Manik panicked at that moment. Did he push her buttons too far?

"Nandini.." he gasped.

"Manik.." Nandini gasped with so much pain and devastation in her voice that it shook Manik. Did something he say hit a really low chord? Shit.

"Nan.." he began, but Nandini showed him her palm, to stop.

"PR drive. That word from your mouth, haunts me, Manik Malhotra." she whispered, sitting down on the settee behind her, and Manik instinctively crouched before her, gently placing both his hands on both her knees.

"Everytime you start a new PR, a part of my life crashes. What's there left to go now? What do you want now, Manik? You have already destroyed my marriage, my heart, my brother, my child, even my character. What is left now? My life? Please don't make a public execution of me, tell me I will get rid of myself, but in privacy. Grant me that?" she whimpered.

Unknown to Manik, he was shivering and whimpering too, seeing her vulnerable. In that moment, he decided to fuck every plan in his head and jumped forward to pull her into an embrace. Nandini clung onto him like she was dying to be here forever, and this was her final destination. She fit between his arms, onto his chest, like the final missing piece of the puzzle of his life. Manik sniffed softly, dipping his head into the crook of her neck, inhaling her scent. All his master plans were going for a toss at that moment and Nandini, she was shaking like a dry leaf in his arms..

As Nandini continued to shake hysterically, Manik pulled his head back. Something didn't feel right. He peered into Nandini's face and was stumped to see she was having a fit of laughter. "Nandini.." Manik called out to her, cautiously. Did she completely lose it?

"Gosh Manik, we should have kept a camera running. This would make for one heck of a BTS!" she laughed. "I mean, both of us were so on point. The angst, the meltdown and the tears.! Honestly, I thought you'd not take my cue, but you scoundrel of a man & beast of an actor, you couldn't let this opportunity go could you? You had to flaunt your acting prowess! Damn. There's so much to learn from you!" Nandini added, while she pulled back, shaking with laughter and rubbing off her fake tears.

"So, all this was..it was fake for you?" Manik murmured, pulling back.

"Well, the anger wasn't fake while I was on my way here; I could totally murder you to be honest, but just before I entered the studio, I got an endorsement call from the biggest chocolate brand in the country! How cool is that, Manik? So they want to sign me for a three year endorsement deal & pay of course is much more than that shitty condom ad that now you will be seen in, for the next three years, I believe? So all's well that ends well; but then I thought we're in showbiz, so a little drama is good, right? Plus there were so many folks on the floor, this gossip will circulate for sure, our film will make it back to Page 3 again! Damn, wish we had the camera for this scene we played here too.." Nandini whined. "Hey Manik, you want to do a retake, with the camera? Zubin can anonymously send this to some papps for publicity." she added, with an excited voice.

Manik stared at Nandini's cool, remorseless, radiating face. She only meant business. It hit him hard that, despite doing such a huge fuck up, Manik could not get Nandini to emote, he couldn't even spark hate in her. Was she really so far gone from him?

"So all this trauma was fake, huh? Nothing hurts you or touches you anymore?" Manik stood up on his feet and turned around, and asked with absolute nonchalance.

"Eh. No." Nandini mouthed, now looking at her phone. "We're over for long Manik. I don't care about your personal life or choices anymore. What do you expect me to do? Sit here and still mourn for your nonexistent, yet dead baby?" she remarked casually.

Manik turned around sharply, but there was not even an inch of remorse on her face. Manik's hand trembled and he didn't know it was fear of losing Nandini or her lack of attachment to his baby girl. "..how about mourning for your so-called brother, Abhimanyu. Do you do that, or that is gone too? You know, it's going to be almost four-five months since his demise now. Who'd care to remember, right?" Manik snapped, unable to hear anything so careless for his girl. His heart wrenched for Nandini and his girl both, and he didn't know who's side to take.

"Manik, don't go there." Nandini snapped standing up.

"Oh so, sisterly affection was real?" Manik spat. He didn't know who he was angry at, but he wanted to see some emotions in Nandini, badly. Just to ensure, she was still alive, deep down somewhere.

"Oh, so now he's not my baby daddy anymore? You know Manik, I'd like to know at what point did the blame change? You used this dirty allegation to end your PR right? Then why do you show touchiness while talking about that fictional child, like you loved it? And, if you loved it, why did you vilify the identity of that nonexistent child? Do you love your PR more than that fictional child? Or all this love like drama for that thing is another PR drama for you?" Nandini asked, feigning curiosity.

Manik knew Nandini had the right to spew all the hate she ever had in her, on him and he'd bow his head & take it. He was going to do it this time too, but what he couldn't digest was the continuous usage of words like non-existent and fictional for his baby girl and Nandini's continued reference to her as it. She was his baby, damn it. Their baby. How could she be so hard? Was she really dead too?

"Just, shut up, Nandini." Manik snapped, unable to control his rage. He was seething in anger and he knew he needed an outlet. He didn't want to lose it on Nandini, but he was losing his mind, Manik was seeing red.

"She was my daughter." he mouthed, breaking down each word, trying to control his anger, and when he couldn't, he lashed out on the table of snacks before him, as he banged his fist there, and pulled all the stuff down on the floor. Nandini gasped, in shock.

"Do not refer to her as it" was the next statement Manik could put together in his rage, and he turned around and crashed his knuckles onto Nandini's vanity mirror, breaking them into shards. Nandini shrieked in terror, ducking away.

"She was not fictional, Nandini" he screamed this time as his treacherous tears flung out of his eyes, as he next targeted the bulbs attached to Nandini's dresser and crushed each with his bare hands.

"Manik, stop!" Even Nandini's panicked voice couldn't reach him, at this point. He was blinded with pain & it was time he cleared this with her once and for all. "And I sure as hell didn't malign my own daughter's name in public! When I blamed you, I blamed you in the confines of our very home in Panvel, to end the PR shit Nandini, it was not in public. In fact, in public, despite not providing a paternity report, I claimed her to be my daughter from the heart. I never maligned her name, Nandini Murthy & I never can! You know why, because whether she existed or not, whether you remember her today or not, she was my damn fucking daughter & always will be, and no matter what, I will mourn her loss forever! Now go shoot this for your God damn fucking BTS." Manik hurled at her before kicking the chair next to him, wrecking it too, on his way out. As he banged the door shut behind him, Nandini crashed on the settee again. She was breathing hard. What had just happened? Was this Manik's real face? Was he acting? Was this raw pain real? She couldn't understand a thing right now. How could Manik love their child so much & destroy everything at the same time? Nandini held her head between her hands and gagged. She didn't know what to believe! Was he acting then, was he acting now? Nandini thought she'd go mad, when the door banged open and Ranbir rushed in to handle her.

"Are you alright, Nandini?" he freaked out, but breathed a little seeing her fine. "It's okay, Nandini. You want to stop the shoot today and rest? Even Manik sir's hands are bleeding. I don't think there will be any shooting today." he added before noticing the wreck inside the van.

***

"Manik, what the hell.." shouted Cabir, as he saw him marching out of Nandini's van, but Manik didn't pay him any heed. He looked like there was a volcano inside him, waiting to erupt. As he walked towards the parking lot, he barked two orders.

"Cabir, cancel today's shoot and put the expenses on my account." Cabir could only nod as he called for the set doctor to treat Manik's wound before he drove off.

The second order was for Rishabh Murthy, "Rishabh, you will ensure your Di gets a vanity better than Rose's and only then will the shoot resume. This is on you, boy! Be the brother she calls you." he ordered a terrified and almost- about-to-faint Rishabh, before walking out.

***
Word Count: 4,341

A/N: So, how'd the chapter go? Did you enjoy the MaNan confrontation?

As you all know by now, my curious mind asks many questions, I am putting down a few for you now, and I really would like it if you guys answered them for me :)

1. Do you think Manik stopping Nandini's condoms ad was justified, or would you have had her do it and then bear the consequences, but still do it because she wanted to?

2. What are your feelings on Manik going way out of his way, to get Nandini out of the condom ad? Is he justified, or do you think he is a moron who loves playing God in Nandini's life? :P

3. I know a lot of you wanted MaNan to have this real confrontation where Nandini questions his deeds during the Baby PR exit drama a long time back, but in these chapters, I hadn't let them have a conversation until now. So how did you find the conversation? What are you feelings on Nandini's accusations and Manik's justifications?

4. So, Manik is super touchy about his fiction baby girl. Did you imagine he'd even snap at Nandini for his baby?

5. Nandini's drama of crying vs. Manik's vulnerability. Did you guys enjoy this part? What are your thoughts and feelings on this - Is Manik serving his karma? ;)

6. Any other thoughts on this chapter or the overall storyline?

You folks know I love these answers and you in-line comments the most, so please do keep them flowing - as those & the votes are the only validations I get to gauge your reaction to my chapter!

Anyway, as promised, I will be back next weekend, and until then enjoy this chapter & wait for more funk to unfold in the coming chapters! :D

Until then,

Much love,

Your writer,

A.

Next Update: 28th Jan'24 (Sunday)