TDLS(Dark Love)-Bk 2. Imp note on Pg 93 - Page 7

4months ago

It was one of the darkest nights of the year. The highway from khandala to Mumbai was an isolated one. Travelling on a highway, late nights were not a choice for common daily travelers, but for Vishal it was a different affair. He had an important discussion to be made with his dad, who had to head off to London the next day for a deal with the clients. The Malhotra's (Vishal) just couldn't let any common guy take away their much awaited million dollar property queen Manyata Kumari.So what that she was not a Yuvraani to the throne of Devgard, nevertheless she was the eldest princess. Though Yuvraaj Devendra Singh was the heir to the throne, both his sisters, Sangeeta and Manyata were his life; most essentially Manyata held a special place close to his heart because of her sweet, innocent and caring nature. She was immature and snobbish at times, but she admitted it in front of her brother. She owned many estates and industries across the country and in foreign locations as well. She was the most eligible Princess, whom many young Princes were ready to sweep away off her feet, but no one could win her heart so easily, unlike Vishal who wasn't a royal but the son of a famous industrialist of Mumbai. He was a close friend of Manyata. She spend most of her time enjoying with Natasha and Vishal. Though she didn't like partying much, they would meet at Vishal's house and watch movies, gossip and have fun. He was close to winning the game of love and would have proposed her soon, if Professor Shaurya wouldn't have come in their life at that time. Shaurya might have been just a professor, but to all the girls of the college, he was not just a professor! He was hot, dashing and charming. He talked less but still impressed his students- not just the females but even the guys admitted that he had that thing to die for!...Manyata in the beginning overlooked Shaurya, or at least posed in front of everyone that she didn't care about his presence, but even she could not resist his charm. She started falling for him, their closeness was enough proof for Vishal after the incidents in Mayong, where Manyata tried to defend Shaurya when Vishal accused him and he saw Shaurya and Manyata being intimate. Vishal knew something has to be done before he lost Manyata over Professor Shaurya. It was high time the Malhotra's forwarded a marriage proposals to the Devgard royals.

Vishal was highly drunk; he was angry on his professor, for making a wrong entry and making it difficult for him to win the competition.He was driving speedily and wildly till his car suddenly stopped. He had speedily passed through all the trucks that were coming and going on the road and the place was all desolated now.

"Damn it..what the hell is wrong with this car now?..my life is completely fuc**d up!..."..Vishal bangs at the car steering and the car suddenly starts and speed up again, making Vishal shocked as he had kept the car gear in neutral'

"What's happening?..May be it's the effect of the booze. It has got on my brain that I feel like the car is running even in a neutral position." Vishal said to himself as he was hell confused, but just then his Skoda stopped abruptly with a jerk. It was already raining cats and dogs in the hills of khandala and the roads were getting slippery. Vishal had just drove a few miles from khandala and the road was quite isolated now, and cars and humans were completely out of sight as it was late midnight. He got mad now as he felt like some stupid tricks were being played with him. But the question was who was the player?..Was it his heavily tired brain or was it someone else?..

Manyata entered through the heavy gates of Uday niwas. She could not meet him in the college and so made it a point to go to his house to see him and got permission to got out of her palace after pleading a lot to her great DS. Wait Uday niwas?...was that the name?..Manyata was a bit surprised and had a twisted brow reading the name plate on the gate. Shaurya had brought this mansion on the outskirts of the city, far from the city's hustle and bustle and it was a beautiful and huge one. She admired the architecture as she entered inside his house.

"Shaurya?...hello is anyone there?.." she called out but felt as if her voice echoed in the large hall. She wondered if it was really his house and took out the address from her purse which she had got from the college sources, after cleverly bribing them. Shaurya had requested the college dean not to give his address to anyone not even to the professors. Earlier Rekha tried to get it a few times but failed miserably and she was only trying to make Manyata jealous by lying that she went to ask about his health.

There was some faint sound of a piano being played in a distant room. She followed that sound with a hope that Shaurya could be somewhere around a room playing music, and thus unaware of a guest's presence. She was soon disappointed as she could only find a huge empty bedroom, all neatly kept. But there was no piano being played now. The music suddenly faded and she got a bit scared and was about to leave when she noticed something that made her stop in the room. She entered after that and went near it. It was a beautiful portrait of a lady dressed in ancient clothes. She was dressed in a ghagra-choli and a pallu that covered her head(traditional skirt-blouse worn by Indian woman)heavy jewellery, that adorned her beautiful figure and she had the poise of a queen. She had a beautiful smile it was quite a lively portrait but what was more surprising for Manyata was that why did Prof Shaurya fancy her in such clothes!..The lady was purely identical with Manyata, only for the clothes. She ran her hand over the portrait, when she felt someone knocking on the door.

"Whom do you want madam?.." asked an old servant with a smile plastered on his fragile face.

"Ahh thanks for coming. I almost thought this house had no living beings here. Can you tell me like whether this house is of Prof Shaurya who works in St Nickolsan High?.."

The servant looked at her with lots of question evident on his face and he was certainly not happy to have a guest who sneaked into his master's room without knowing whether she actually wanted to be there or not!

Manyata could sense danger now and she immediately smiled and brushed away her question..

"Of course this is Prof Shaurya's house and i am his student Princess Manyata. Can you tell him that i came to see him and ask him about his health. He has not come to the college for days now..." before she could go on the servant replied...

"Sahab isn't at home. woh kahi gaye hai. humei batake nahi gaye.."(Sir, isn't at home..He has gone somewhere and he didn't tell me where he went.)

The servant looked at her without any expression and thus Manyata thought it would be beter to leave immediately as she could understand that she wasn't wanted there. She just asked for a glass of water to drink and the servant left to get her water.

Manyata looked at the room with a disappointed face, but Shaurya's big painting just above his bed made her smile a bit. He looked so charming and elegant in the suit that she could not take her eyes off the picture. The room was filled with flower vases and exquisite paintings of horses, men in war but she noticed two swords hung up on the wall, both kept in a cross position, which was so chivalrous. Too much to be called a room of a mere professor. It was getting difficult for her to believe that all this was his. This mansion, this room with such fine architecture, it looked more of a prince's suite..Her eyes traveled around the room to find a book which was written in some old dialects which she could not read. It was quite an old handwritten book, and was beautifully carved. She got curious to know what it had and put it in her bag to know more about it.

The servant came at the right time, and she quickly drank from the glass and left.

Kurwaki noticed this from her room and smiled, she being more than firm on the thought that Manyata must have noticed the book on the table. Her work was done!

Vishal came out of his car and lit a cigarette.It was much needed in his tensed situation. His car broke down in the wrong place and he would not be able to move till morning. There was no question of getting help at this time of the night. The wind was blowing heavily with a howling sound and it was quite foggy in the distance. Nothing could be seen around and it seemed like even the moon was reluctant to shine tonight. He felt chilled and risky to sleep inside the car as it was on the highway and he was on quite a narrow hilly road. He was standing on the edge of the hill, which was at a thousand feet high. He decided to move back to his car and try to sleep as there lay no other option available.

Just as he headed towards his car, the head lights turned on and shone brightly at him. He got shocked thinking how could it turn on by its own. He walked fast now to see who could have done that, when suddenly the lights turned off. He twisted his eyebrows and looked around. He was sure that someone was there on his car now and he headed off towards his car in a fast pace as he was in a distance from the point where his car was parked. While he was coming the lights again turned on and someone whispered...

"Ssshhh...haaa..." he turned around immediately only to find a desolated road behind. He thought he was hallucinating due to the extra doze of booze. He tuned towards the car and now he was shocked. The car lights seemed to play an on and off game with him in this dark road. It went off at once and then again turned on again. A lump formed in his throat as he found it all creepy. He rethought about going near his car and planned to move back.

He started walking now on the highway, and was all lost thinking why was he walking on this long lonely night. He thought about his past days and about everything and cursed himself for planning to drive home late night. Apart from his footsteps, he could hear some leaves whirling on the road, as if they were kicked or dragged by feet. he turned back to see who it was but could not find anyone.

"Who the hell is it?...why don't you answer me?..Common even ill get a company, i mean no harm to you..come out please. I know its not my brain. there is someone here..." Vishal shouted at the top of his lungs, but was shocked to death when a shrill voice whispered...

"BUT I DO MEAN HARM TO YOU..." he didn't have the guts to turn around this time and just looked vaguely in the front...

Just then he heard a car being drove speedily from behind. He turned back to look who it was and was shocked to see his eskoda being drove at a fast pace.

" How is it possible. My car had broke down earlier and there was so much smoke coming out from it. I remember checking with the battery just an hour ago and it had died out. How is it running now?..."

he cried out as he felt helpless now and he sensed that all this was being handled by some supernatural powers now and he could do nothing but anticipate his danger which lay ahead. The car sped fast towards him and he could do nothing but run for his life..He ran and cried for help but there was no one in the road who could save him. His car drove in the same pace as it was a clear road and there was no place for Vishal to hide..There was a shrill and deafening scream around and he was dragged down to his feet and he fell on the road. His legs seemed to be held tightly with force and he could do nothing but only scream and shout, and try to stop, what was about to happen to him.He was dragged mercilessly with his chest resting on the road by some invisible power and his screams and those continuous shrill screams went on when suddenly everything died off. The invisible figure's voice, the lights and the car came to a stop.He too suddenly stopped shouting and just lay still on the road. He was scared to get up thinking what could happen next, but just then when he was about to get up, he was blown up in the air and thrown towards the car swiftly. He fell inside the car, resulting in a smashing sound of the front glasses. Everything lay silent around, and even Vishal. Just then it seemed like a tall figure was standing at a far distance and watching everything. Vishal tried to get out after at least 30 minutes of his laying still. He thanked his stars as nothing more happened to him and that he was still alive!..

He came out of his car in a very bad condition as he was full of blood and all his clothes were tattered. He limped out of the car and tried to walk when he was again thrown off the road and he fell to the ground in a horizontal position blocking the road. The car this time without even letting him think sped up and ran over his legs and he could do nothing but yell in shock, horror and pain. His pain would have definitely broken all the glasses of the neighborhood, if there would have been one, but unfortunately it was a highway and all that could witness his pain and misery were the bats, crickets and some birds, that were disturbed by his screams.

He lay there in shock waiting for his death to embrace him. Never in life did he think to die such a horrible death but today fate wasn't with him. He reminded himself of all his bad deed, all the games of love that he had played with girl's and playing with their life, which he was about to do with Manyata's as well. Just then for his luck a truck came from the opposite side and stopped seeing a body lying on the road. The driver and his men came out running from the truck and saw Vishal lying in shock. He was completely numb and could not speak a word. Seeing his condition he was taken to a nearby hospital.

The road was empty and silent again like a few hours back and it started raining heavily, as if the sky also cried witnessing the dreadful scene but a figure stood silently a smiled at a distance

"DON'T WORRY. YOU WON'T DIE WITHOUT SPREADING MY MESSAGE TO RAJKUMARI MANYATA!!"

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That's all guys. Plz do hit the like button. Those who read my story quietly i would be happy and would appreciate if you could hit the like button. It doesn't take much effort. you just need to click it. So please do it because it took me lot of effort to think about this chapter and be awake till 1am to write it. So i won't update the 2nd Chapter this time unless i get 30 likes.😊

Love

Gargi