Hey guys!

This part is just a recap of what was in 'Mine' - the prequel of 'Forever Mine', so that you don't have to go to the other book to know the pre-story.  

So Happy Reading! 

Awaiting your responses (Though there is nothing new here! 🙊 )

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"Ma'am, Our deal with the European clients was finalized. They are very much happy about this project", said a man with nerdy glasses sitting on the passenger seat of the black Rolls Royce. His hair was perfectly oiled and he looked nothing but a well disciplined, studious boy sitting in front of his maths teacher. The young woman at the back seat, who was immersed in her laptop, just nodded her head in approval without moving her gaze. Her straight long tresses covered her face partially and the dark round sunglasses, hiding the emotions of her almond shaped eyes. "Ma'am.. Shall I fix their appointment by 20th of this month?", he asked turning around and she nodded her head in agreement again still not averting her gaze from the laptop screen.

"Ma'am.. I don't think it's a good idea to buy this Bungalow", he said and she snapped her head towards him. "I know what I'm doing Rohan. I don't want any of your advices", she replied back curtly, moving her gaze again towards her laptop. "Sorry Ma'am", he mouthed quicky in a low tone and turned around. It's so true that he is scared of his boss but he respects her genuinely. He heard so many stories about this Bungalow, from people around there. And everyone stated the same thing... It is haunted. On one hand, he don't want his boss to get into any trouble on the other hand he himself was a little scared to step into that haunted house. But he didn't know why she is after that Bungalow, when she owns so many already. Every person will be fond of something, that he wishes to collect so many things of that kind. And here, his boss Ms. Sonakshi Bose, is fond of collecting Huge ancient bungalows and trendy cars!

He can't understand what attracts her towards these materialistic things, but yes he very well knew that she is very much fascinated towards such things. She owned more than a dozen of Villas and Bungalows all over the world and her craze for cars were no less as she uses a car only once in a month. But being one of the top billionaires of the country, she is not a spoiled brat. She took over the traditional business of her family when she was just 19, and still now after seven long years, she proves herself to be one of the top business women of the town. Her life made her a rude and introvert person. To the world, she has everything but she has only one to be called as her world.. Her Bruno.. Her 8 year old golden retriever! She lost her parents at a very young age of 6 and since then, she was grown up by her very strict grand father. But after his death, 7 years ago she was forced to look after the companies he had left for her.

Being lonely without getting the love from anyone, made her a tough and strong young woman. With time, her fond for unique things grew up and it was then she came to know about this more than a century old Bungalow in the middle east India. She so wanted to own it and did it right away, without caring about the rumours that spread wide in that village. She was very much fascinated by the building, just by a mere look of it and thus she bought it within seconds. It was the first time that she is going to look at that huge villa and she is very much excited about it. After all, when all the women are fascinated by jewellery, she had worn nothing but a single stoned ruby ring on her right hand. She loved being unique and loved to own things that are unique.

Finally, the car came to halt and Rohan rushed out to open the door for his two bosses, Sonakshi and her Bruno. "Wow!", she muttered, as she stepped out, removing her glasses, as her dark brown eyes sparkled by seeing the huge Bungalow in front of her, which looked more like a palace. Rohan gulped down, looking at the same, as the words of the villagers rang in his ears. His trance broke hearing Bruno bark aloud getting out of his sophisticated car. "Do you like it bruno?", Sonakshi asked bending down to his level, ruffling his hair. He barked once, licking her hand, as sonakshi smiled understanding his approval. "Then let's get in", she said and they both walked in, leaving a shivering rohan behind. If he could, he will straightaway run from there to Mumbai. But to his bad luck, he can't.

"This is the best one that I ever had since now", Sonakshi said looking at the well furnished interiors in the huge hall way. Everything looked perfect to her, from the white with blood red coloured walls to the huge chandelier hanging at the middle of the hall, with thousands of sharp glass pieces, showing only the reflection of her in them. Rohan stood behind her, looking around silently as fear started engulfing him, looking at the strange empty palace with graveyard silence. "I've decided something", Sonakshi said breaking his reverie. "Ma'am shall we return by evening? If you want we will return within an hour too. I will make every arrangements", he said taking his phone but she shushed him off. "We are going to stay here for a week. Make arrangements for that", she said making him almost faint. "A week?", he asked in shock. "May be a day or two after that too", she said walking in, as Bruno walked behind her. Rohan stood there frozen, panting heavily as the fear of living there for a week, shook him apart. "Meow!!", he heard a cat scream in its loudest voice and freaked out of the room, following sonakshi.

"Bruno! Bruno! Slow baby", Sonakshi was running behind her bruno, who almost travelled every nook and corner of the house. He stopped finally reaching the closed door of a room and stood there awaiting for her, to open the door. "Bruno.. You are becoming more naughty day by day", she complained sitting down, annoyed by his behaviour. He was always hyperactive and she loved running behind him, though she didn't accept it. In her boring colourless life, he was the one who filled colours. "What happened? Do you want me to open this door?", she asked looking at Bruno, who was scratching the door with his palms repeatedly. She stood up and tried open the latch, but it was too tight. The door looked too old and didn't even looked polished and the latch was almost rusted, too tight to open. It looked obviously untouched and this made her more angry. She told Rohan to renovate the house before a week. Though everything looked perfect but this room looked worst in every possible way.

With lots of struggle, she finally opened the latch and pushed the door in. The dust surrounded her, as soon as the door flung open. He quickly covered her mouth, without noticing her ruby ring blinking. She slowly stepped in, followed by Bruno. The room was covered with dust and spider webs that she can hardly see anything on her way. But the interior of the room looked perfect, though dirty. There was a huge king sized bed at the centre, with two tall night lamps on either side. The room was huge, the biggest one she had seen till now, in that bungalow. She looked up and saw the neatly finished ceilings. The dark paintings over there conveying some different meaning. As she was so much engrossed in her thoughts, she didn't realise Bruno was pulling down the hem of her skirt. "What Bruno?", she asked as he excitedly ran towards the other side of the room to show her something. Sonakshi's eyes widened in surprise as he jumped up and down, as he stood beside the huge piano, place at one corner of the hall.

"Wow!", she exclaimed touching the dusty keys of the piano one by one with her soft fingers, as music filled the room after so many years waking up the small creatures over there. She walked up towards the window and asided the heavy curtains, letting the golden rays of sun pass in. It was then she realised that the window exactly opposite to where she is standing now, belongs to the room that she is going to be in. The garden down there looked beautiful in the bright day light as the flowers blossomed even more. Her thoughts broke, hearing Bruno barking constantly sitting down still. "Bruno!!", she called him out but he didn't stop. So she walked towards him and snapped her head towards the direction he was looking at. It was a huge painting, placed in the farthest corner of the room. The frame was fully covered with dust and the picture was almost eaten up, revealing nothing but a pair of honey brown orbs. Rest of the face didn't look visible as the picture was damaged badly except his well sculptured body cladded in black suit and a black cat sitting beside him. She looked up at his captivating golden orbs, that looked as if he is starring at her and couldn't believe that she is losing her senses on a portrait. She traced her long slender fingers, along the hidden features of his face, her gaze never left his. She was so lost in his eyes, that she failed to notice the ruby in her ring glowing the brightest.

"Ma'am!", Rohan shouted breaking her trance. She quickly retrieved her hand back and stepped away from the portrait. "Madamji, you shouldn't come here", came another voice from behind Rohan. It was kicchu, their gardener. "Why?", she asked irritatedly. She bought this house as a whole, then why is he restricting her to not enter this room. "It's because.. Because..", he stuttered. "Because of what?", she asked annoyingly. "This room used to be his..", he trembled. "Whose?", Rohan asked gulping down. "Devrath!", he replied and Rohan's face lost it's colours. He looked like he had seen a ghost and would faint any time. "Who's that?", Sonakshi asked confusedly. "The one who is behind you..", he replied and she furrowed her brows confusedly. She turned around and saw the same man in the huge portrait that she was admiring just a while ago. "In the picture.. ", he completed and rohan left his breathe out, which he didn't know for how long he was holding inside him. "Who's he?", she asked still looking into the eyes of the picture, she couldn't help but get mesmerized every time looking into them.

"It would be around 110 years ago. Devrath, returned from England after his studies and business over there. He was too rich at that time and built this palace with great hopes. But he wasn't lucky to live here for long", he replied as sonakshi looked at him confused. "Was he murdered?", she asked and he shook his head in denial. "He loved a girl from village, no one knew who she was and how she will look like. But my great grandmother used to say that she was the most beautiful girl she had ever seen. Though she was not of his class, he accepted her and they were about to get married but on the day of the wedding.. ", he stopped as sonakshi listened to him curiously. "But what happened?", she asked as he gulped down. "He had a stone.. The most precious ruby in the world, which he gifted to the girl he loved. He didn't know that the British general, who ruled this place at that time was after that. To get that stone, they captured his place and killed his love in front of his eyes brutally. Unable to take that sight, he slashed everyone's head, who were the reason of her death. But after that, unable to live without her, he burned himself alive along with her body, not before making a promise that he will come back to live with the love of his life. And from that day, it was said that people used to hear the music of piano from this room. Few have even seen a human silhouette from this room window", he completed gulping down.

"Such a sad story, isn't it Rohan?", Sonakshi asked Rohan but he was too much shocked to even reply. He stood there frozen, panting heavily, as his mind started imagining things that would've happened. "Rohan!", she called again, loud enough to jerk him out of his thoughts. "Ahhh?", he jerked shivering while sonakshi rolled his eyes off him. "Where were you lost?", she asked looking at his panick stricken face. "Ma'am... Let's go from here. This place is not safe", he replied looking around, trembling. "Rohan, don't be stupid. There is nothing called ghost in this world. We are ourselves god as well as ghost", she replied sternly. She being an atheist, never believed in any supernatural stuffs. But only Rohan knew how scared he is right now. "By the way, what happened to that Ruby?", she asked to Kicchu. "No one knows about that.. A few say that it was burnt along with them but a few say that it can't be burnt and it may be with someone, waiting for it's owner to come back", he said as sonakshi laughed. "Who believes in all these stories!", she said shrugging her shoulders and walking out along with Bruno.

"Bhaiya, ask the maids to clean this room. It looks bad", she said to kicchu as they came out, closing the door. "Sorry madamji.. But no one will dare to enter inside this room", he replied sadly. The villagers knew everything about this bungalow and they were taught from their childhood to not even dare to look at the side of this room. "Then Rohan will do it", she said walking away pointing towards Rohan, who looked at her wide eyed. Here he was begging to get out of this house, but she was pushing him into the ghost room itself. He stood there in shock in front of the room, only to be disturbed from the same scream of the cat. "Meow!", this time the noise was louder and he was sure that it came from inside the room. "Ahh!", he shouted running away from there, as the black cat inside the portrait blinked it's green eyes twice.

***

At Night :

Sonakshi was sleeping peacefully in her room on the 1st floor, with her Bruno down on the right side of her bed. She found this room quite large, not as large as that room she saw by morning, but next to that. Rohan and other employees have their rooms at the ground floor of the house. While the rest of the rooms on the 1st and 2nd floor were empty except sonakshi's. It was past midnight and sonakshi felt someone caressing her hair. "Bruno.. Sleep", she mumbled in her sleepy voice and turned towards the other side. She felt the other side of the bed, getting down as if someone is climbing up on the bed. She opened her eyes in a jerk and saw bruno, still lying on the floor. She very well remembered that she locked the door, then she scared thinking who would've came inside. Gulping down, she turned around the other side and was relieved to see the bed empty. She let out a long breathe, Brushing her thoughts thinking that they were just her hallucinations and closed her eyes again. As she was about to sleep, she again felt someone caressing her hair from the other side. "Sona..", she heard a faint voice, ringing in her ears, as her ruby started glowing again. She opened her eyes with a jerk and sat up looking around. The room was still calm and dark. She could see no one but sense someone's presence around her.

Pushing her duvet away, she stood up and glanced at her mobile phone. "3.41 a.m.", it showed and she shut it off. She went to the washroom and splashed the cold water on her face. She looked at her panick stricken face on the mirror and shook her head in dismay. "You are insane sona.. You were just dreaming", she said to herself through the mirror and closed her eyes patting it with towel, but she failed to notice the green eyes in the dark background glowing brightly. She opened the door and found bruno still sleeping. She walked towards the window and saw the same garden looking dull without any glow in the moonlight. She raised her eyes up and was shocked to see a silhouette standing near the window of the room, opposite to hers.. The same room which is said to be Devrath's.

She blinked her eyes and was shocked to see no one standing there. "Someone is playing with you sona", she said to herself shaking her head. "I will find who's that", she said taking her phone and switching on the flashlight, walking towards the restricted room. As she stood in front of the room, she was shocked to see the latch locked, the same way it was when she left the room that day morning. Her one side of the mind asked her to step back while the other side provoked her to walk in and have a look at who is inside. Giving up to the latter, she opened the rusted latch with a screech and entered the dusty room, which is now pitch dark. "Meow!!", she heard a cat scream and creases covered her forehead. She flashed the light, towards the direction of the sound, and found nothing but the same portrait that she saw that morning. She could feel someone's intense gaze on her and her breath increased with every second. Suddenly she heard a cacophony of piano keys and jumped in her place, hearing the noise. "Who is that?", she asked trembling and flashed the light towards the piano, but found no one.

She turned around and took long strides and was about to reach the door, but it shut off with a thud, making the room pitch dark. She quickly rushed towards the door and knocked it with all her strength. "Hello... Help! Stop playing with me.. Rohan.. Kicchu bhaiya.. Rohan..", she shouted at the top of her voice but no one came to her rescue. Suddenly her flashlight went off and her phone fell down from her hand making her startled. "Rohan... Bruno..", she shouted, her voice choking in, sensing the situation getting out of her hand but no one could hear her. Her eyes widened in shock looking at the ruby in her hand, glowing with all it's might and she clasped her mouth with the other hand in shock. "Help! Help!", she shouted banging the door again as tears streamed down her cheeks. But she stopped as she felt a strong grip on her shoulder, making her body shiver due to the sudden touch. Her ruby glowed to it's brightest making the things around her visible. She slowly turned around, only to look at the hand on her left shoulder that was completely burnt. "Aahhhh!!", she screamed pushing it aside and shutting her eyes in horror, covering them with her shivering hands

"Sona..", she heard the same faint voice but now it was aloud and she could sense someone's hands holding her by her shoulders. She tried pushing away but instead the grip grew stronger. Gathering her courage, she slowly lowered her hands, which were covering her face to look upon who is in front of her, only to scream aloud looking at a completely burnt person standing in front of her, holding her by her shoulders. She tried to get out of the hold but instead the grip on her shoulders grew stronger and the ruby glowed brightly and she was shocked to see the burnt hand on her shoulders turning into a normal one. Her words died in her mouth as she saw the person standing in front of her, turning to his normal skin, as the burnts faded away. Her eyes reached his face from his sharp jaw line, to his pointed nose and finally to his honey brown orbs that made her gasp. It was the same captivating orbs that she had seen that morning in the portrait.. The portrait of Devrath!

Her eyes widened with fear, when she looked at his form as the lights inside the room lit up. She looked around and saw the room, looking perfect, completely tidy and decorated with candles all around. She pushed him away and moved back only to be hit by the door. "Help! Help!", she screamed her lungs out, weeping badly. But he shushed her cupping her face, standing dangerously close to her, making her gasp in fear. "Sshhhhh..I won't do anything", he said wiping her tears with his cold thumb as she sweated profusely. She looked into his eyes, that held a lot of unknown emotions to her, that she had never seen before. The fear of getting lost in his eyes, overtook her and she pushed him away and banged the door turning around. "Somebody please help me.. Please..", she shouted, coughing in between as her voice choked in due to excessive fear. But she felt a strong grip around her waist and he pulled her, turning her around, holding her dangerously close to him. She looked at him scared, as his eyes held nothing but anger. "Don't try to go away from me!", he shouted holding her tight as she stood numb in his strong grip. He saw the tears pooled up in her eyes, and released his grip realising that he has hurted her.

"See.. I came for you.. I came to fulfill my promise.. The promise that I will come back to live with you..", he said cupping her cheeks as she shivered in fear. "I won't leave you.. You can't leave me now.. No one can separate us..", he said kissing her all over her face and hugging her tightly. "I killed them.. I killed everyone who tortured you.. Who took you away from me.. And now no one can separate us..", he said pulling her more towards him as she stood numb trying to understand his words. She saw a black cat walking from the portrait towards them, yawning and rolling itself down near his legs. "I came again for you.. To love you.. To live with you.. Because you are Mine.. You are mine..", he whispered softly, crashing his lips on hers as her eyes widened in shock.

"Noooo!", Sonakshi screamed waking up from her sleep, panting heavily. She looked around and found herself in her room, Bruno lying down, on the right side of her bed. The room was pitch dark with a dead silence, except the sound of her breathing and ticking of the clock. She touched her forehead and found herself sweating profusely. Pushing her duvet away, she stood up and glanced at her mobile phone. "3.41 a.m.", it showed and she shut it off. She went to the washroom and splashed the cold water on her face. She looked at her panic stricken face on the mirror and shook her head in dismay. "You are insane sona.. You were just dreaming", she said to herself through the mirror and closed her eyes patting it with towel. She opened the door and found bruno still sleeping.

She walked towards the window and saw the same garden looking dull without any glow in the moonlight. She raised her eyes up and glanced at the window of Devrath's room. It looked peaceful and pitch dark. She immediately closed the curtains and lied on the bed, starring at the ceiling. "Was it just a dream?", she asked to herself as her dreadful dream flashed before her eyes. "Yes, it's just a dream", she convinced herself shutting her eyes tightly. "But..", she remembered the way he touched her, the way he kissed her and she immediately jerked her eyes open. "I could feel something..", she said touching her lips, the moment he kissed her flashed on her mind and she shut her eyes in horror. She quickly covered herself with the duvet, trying to sleep but the fear of getting the dream again stopped her from sleeping, making it a long night for her.

***

Next morning, Sonakshi came out the washroom after a refreshing shower. After all, her last night's dream made her restless though she didn't show it up to anyone. It didn't felt like a dream, everything looked very close to reality. She received the greatest shock when she saw the door of the restricted room open by that morning. When she asked about this to Rohan, he informed her that a man accepted to renovate that room. "Though he didn't belong to this village, he looked very much interested in the history of this place. He has agreed to clean the whole room by himself without anyone's help", Rohan's words made sonakshi surprised. When everyone around him advised him to not go in, he went into the room as a single person. This quality of him impressed sonakshi and she told Rohan to give him extra fare for what he did. But what surprised her more was that he refused to accept money, saying that he considered it as a social work. She wondered then what for he came to clean the room, that too with a high risk. According to her, money is the only thing that a man craves for. But this man, who refused to take money for his own work, surprised her with his actions.

She told Rohan that she wanted to meet him by today and thus she is getting ready for. She was standing in front of the mirror drying her hair, when bruno barged in barking all the way. "Bruno.. What happened baby?", she asked looking at him surprised. From the day they stepped into this bungalow, he is behaving differently but she didn't know why. He came inside and pulled the hem of her skirt, gesturing her to come along with him. Setting her hair back, she descended down the stairs and followed him to the living area, only to see a man sitting on the couch with his back facing her. "Ma'am.. He is the one who renewed that room", Rohan said as sonakshi moved forward, to see the person whom Bruno is very much interested in. She walked towards him and forwarded her hand as he stood up. "Hi.. I'm Sonakshi Bose.. I..", her words died in her mouth as she saw the same honey brown orbs staring at her. Her eyes moved from his pointed nose to his sharp jaw, everything remained the same.. the same as she saw him last night... In her dream. "Hi.. I'm Dev.. Dev Dixit", he said with a smirk, holding her hand for a handshake as she stood numb in shock. "See.. I came for you.. I came to fulfill my promise.. The promise that I will come back to love you.. to live with you..", his words rang in her ears, making her lose all her senses that she failed to notice the ruby in her ring glowing brightly.

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Now it's time to get into the actual story! 

Read further to find more!

Happy Reading!

~Mishti❤️