"You have pretty lips" and she felt a finger run along the length of her small lips. She clutched the sides of her skirt to keep the uneasiness at bay. She had managed to escape from him upon hearing her name being called. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes but she had no one to complain to. She rubbed her lips with the back of her palms as if that would erase the memories of those fat fingers on her lips. She felt her body shaking and her name being called out. Her eyes flew wide open and came in contact with a pair of eyes very similar to hers but those eyes held affection and unwavering support for her.

"Daddy" she hugged him and cried.

"The same dream ?" He asked and caressed her messy hair.

She nodded her head against his chest and shut her eyes chest.

"You know you have come a long way right ?" He asked tearing him from her fragile form.

"It still doesn't leave me. Time to time those memories torment me. I shudder to think, what would have happened to me had you not seen me then ?" She spoke thinking about that horrific evening.

"Shhh" he hugged her again and rubbed her back. She was breathing heavily. He let her to sit by herself and fetched a glass of water for her.

"Drink this and wash your face" he ordered.

She did as instructed. She had no energy to argue or even say anything. These memories leave her exhausted and today was no different. Even taking a step towards the bathroom felt impossible but she dragged herself knowing her father wouldn't leave her otherwise.

"A certain lady seems to have Avinash Nanda wrapped around her finger"

"Avinash found in a compromising position with a mystery lady"

Kartik was standing before his boss as he read the headlines in the entertainment column of a reputed newspaper. Lucky, his sister caught the news and he brought it to Avinash's notice.

"Good job Kartik" he said still reading the news column furiously.

His cabin door flew open and the other two Nandas joined him.

"I thought it was a close door party papa" Akhil asked staring at the news that was now lying on the table.

"It was Akhil" he said thinking about the news himself.

"Round up those who worked that day and let's run through the guest list. The person should come forward eventually" Avinash said crushing the newspaper in his hands.

"I will talk to Gautam meanwhile" Anand said.

"I have to let Aadhya know" Avinash said aloud.

"What if it's related to all other incidents ?" Akhil asked.

"It could be and if it did I am not sparing them this time. Also knowingly, they have involved Aadhya in the mess. They will pay for it" Avinash almost yelled.

"You both need to calm down" Anand said hoping his sons don't go hunting the suspects down.

"Calm down ?" Akhil scoffed.

The two of them left leaving a worried Anand. This time he needed to talk to his wife. If there was one person who could calm these two men down, it was her.

Avinash knocked Chopra's main door and waited for them to open the door. She wasn't at the hospital today and this piece of information surprised him. Rohit and Gautam were aware of the news. They knew how media worked but Aadhya disliked media. Both of them had warned him to be careful when he was to share the news with her. He wondered why she had so much of a dislike for media. Something felt amiss to him suddenly.

"Hi aunty, Aadhya ?" He asked as soon as the door opened.

She controlled the smile that escaped and told him she was in her room. He rushed to the stairs but he was stopped again.

"First room on the left" she said and informed him that she will send something for them to snack while they talked.

He knocked the room door and entered the room after he heard a feeble voice asking him to "come in". She looked like she was in some kind of pain. She was shocked to see him enter through the door.

"Give me a moment" she said and was about to rush to the bathroom but he held her.

"I need to change Avinash" she told him but he simply made her sit on the bed.

"You're more than fine. I am also glad to see you in your comfortable clothes" he said and chuckled.

She smiled back at him and felt herself getting lost in his hearty laughter. She felt her mood change from sombre to content.

"You don't look good to me" he said taking a seat next to her.

"I am good Avinash" she stressed and asked about his visit.

"If you say so" he replied and he was sure something kept her at home. He was not going to push her for answers today only because they had other things to deal with.

"I" he stammered a couple of times.

"You are scaring me. I haven't seen you hesitate to talk something" she told him with worry creeping in her tone.

He told her about the news article and looked at her to know her reaction. She turned red and there was something more than anger.

"I am sorry" he apologised.

"It isn't your fault" she assured him.

"I shouldn't have called you there. I don't know what I was thinking" he said worried.

"It's done. Those news mongers have no job anyways. Not like they know who it is. But it's fine we will figure it out" she told but her mind wandered elsewhere.

He saw the distant look on her face and was tempted to ask what bothered her. But he chose to keep quiet. They had not come that far in their relationship but whenever they do cross boundaries, he made a note to ask her about this day in specific.

"Take rest. You don't look good. I don't want to stay back and bother you" he said unwillingly.

"Thanks Avinash. I will be fine soon" she said with a smile on her face that nowhere looked natural. She was more than glad to have the space he offered. She had no issues with what was printed but the choice of words bothered her. Her face wasn't visible thanks to his tall frame. She was glad that he made the effort to tell her instead of hearing it from her father or her brother.

"Avinash" she called.

He turned at once and rushed to her. The way she called out his name was so desperate. He'd do anything if she used that tone he knew.

"Thanks for telling me" she said and this time around the smile was genuine.

Something did upset her but that smile made him feel better. Without saying a word or any kind of warning, he wrapped his arms around her. She pressed her face against his chest inhaling his perfume. She suddenly felt calm. His erratic heart beat helped to calm her tensed nerves. His cologne soothed her nauseating feeling. His warmth gave her the strength she was craving for.

He got out of the embrace and looked at her watery eyes. He looked at his shirt and saw the small wet patch. Tears threatened to spill out of her eyes. He quickly flicked the tears with his thumb and looked at her concerned. Something was troubling her and she was as stubborn as him. She kept parroting that everything was fine. But only if she realised he saw through her facade of a smile.

He drove through the traffic thinking about her. She had taken the news easily. But he wondered who could have sneaked in to that corner. That part of the mansion wasn't very obvious to anyone and if anyone did manage to get there must have known every nook and corner. His car speakers erupted and he looked at the caller name.

"Yes Kartik" he answered.

"Akhil sir says, it's them. The person who took the picture has managed to leave the city" he heard.

An evil smirk appeared on his face but he had to run it by Akhil. He'd love to go solo but Akhil loved entertainment and who was he to deny his brother.

"Thanks Kartik" he replied and disconnected the call quickly and dialled his brother's number.

"Are they really that dumb Akhil ?" He asked and heard his brother laugh the other side.

"Well I want to clean them up this time around so that they don't repeat these nonsense" Avinash said.

"What the fuck" Avinash heard Akhil cursing from the other end.

"What happened now ?" Avinash asked wondering.

"The media has released a picture of you both. Trust me they have filled this media house's pocket" he heard Akhil say.

He stopped the car all of a sudden forgetting he was on the main road. He quickly restarted the car when heard vehicles behind him blasting the horns. He drove steadily before stopping at a safe zone.

"Let's meet at home. Chopras also need to be there. Or better let's meet at the Chopras" he heard Akhil's voice boom and the call was disconnected.

He needed a drink he knew. His mind was clouded with too many things. He couldn't understand why they were being targeted after a long time. Here he thought all the issues were settled but it seems the issue was far from being completed. He felt a sudden rush of emotions zip through his body. He knew where he had to go. He started the car and he was off. He would reach her house after a quick fix.

To be continued ~

Hope you all enjoyed reading this. I really hope I do justice to the plot else it's a waste. That's possible only with a good motivation. Kindly like and comment :). Thank you