Prologue

“Nandana, Aryan will be there at the party. Make sure he feels at home.”

Aditya stares up from the laptop screen and announces in a casual placid voice. Till now, Nandana was breastfeeding her 6 months old baby girl Mini. Adirah Oberoi. Aditya’s words stiffen her all nerves. In an impassive voice, she replies,

“I have to go for Rishi’s counselling. I can’t be at the party. In any case, your friend Aryan very much considers this house as his own home. I think there is no need for my special hospitality.”

The frigidness in her tone makes Aditya place his rigid eyes on his wife.

“I don’t know why you dislike Aryan so much.”

Nandana removes her swollen nipple from Mini’s teeth less mouth. The tiny frame stirs in her sleep.

“There are so many reasons. But unfortunately, you don’t want to see.”

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“Aditya, my offer is still open. Join us, Bro. We will rule the Manhattan.”

Aryan gulps the neat whisky and mouths in an ardent voice. Aditya relaxes on his revolving chair while puffing some rings of smoke.

“I am already ruling its business market, Aryan. In any case, I have you and you have me. There is no need for any official pact.”

A lopsided smile creeps on Aryan’s lips. He fills his empty glass once more and utters in a derisive tone,

“Why don’t you admit that you don’t want to hurt Nandana? She belongs to a lower-middle-class family. The word Mafia is like horror for her. She is lucky, Man. Aditya Oberoi, the ruthless, ethicless brute is head over heel for his angel.”

Aditya’s eyes flicker for a nanosecond. He rubs the flaming cigarette in the ashtray and replies in an arctic tone,

“I differ. In fact, I am lucky. She turns my hell into paradise. She is my angel in her brute’s paradise.”

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“She is Aditya’s life. Your friend’s wife. How can you desire her?”

His conscience frowns at him. A sinister smile peeks on his lips. He whispers while eyeing the huge image of a smiling Nandana hanging on the wall. His eyes become dark in desire.

“Before that, she is a woman. Beautiful and desirable. And everything is fair in love and lust. She is Aditya’s life but life doesn’t last for a lifetime.”

He pouts his lips and gestures a kiss at Nandana’s smiling face.

“You are beautiful Nandana Oberoi and my thoughts are dangerous.”

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“Aditya Sir! Is it necessary to collaborate with Dhawan’s? I mean they don’t have a good reputation in the market.”

Ayan places his point hesitantly as he knows how Aditya is possessive about his friends. Aditya completes the last signature on the last page of the contract and stares up.

“I know, Ayan and exactly for that reason, I want this collaboration. Because I know neither Aabir nor Aarav will ever ask for help from me. This is the smartest way to help my friends in their crisis. Don’t worry I will take care of everything. By the way, what about Nandana’s family? I hope you are taking care of them. I mean from every aspect.”

Aditya utters the last line in a perilous cold tone. Ayan’s every pore gets alert. He replies in an assuring manner,

“Yes, Sir. Ummm…SP Bhosle is keeping in touch with them but as anticipated, Ma’am’s parents aren’t entertaining his questions. Sir…?”

Ayan halts as he wants to share something important. Aditya’s eyes squint in query.

“They want Ma’am to go over there. They want to meet their granddaughter.”

Ayan’s words make Aditya’s eyes blaze with a sinister emotion. He mutters in a low dangerous tone,

“It will never happen. Nandana will never leave me. Not for a month, not for a day or not for a second. She is safe in my paradise. Understood? Then make them understand this too.”

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“Aditya, can I ask you something?”

Nandana asks while running her slender fingers through his unruly silky hair. Aditya gulps the milk sucked from her swollen breast and lifts his content face from her bare chest valley.

“You don’t need to ask, Angel.”

Nandana smiles at her husband’s jubilant expression. The room is dark but not so much that she can’t see the lines on his face.

“Can I go to India? It’s been one and a half years since I haven’t met Papa and Maa. Rishi is also being restless.”

Nandana observes Aditya’s eyes turn dark. He keeps on staring at her pleading eyes and suddenly hides his face in the crook of her neck.

“I can’t live without you, Angel. I can’t sleep without you. Not for a single night. If you go you will never come back. You know how much I remain scared of this reality. So, please don’t ask for anything that I can’t give you.”

Aditya’s voice is laced with fear and worry. A disheartened sigh comes out of Nandana’s chest. Sometimes these lines mean a lot.

“Hell sent us the evilest disease
And we humans called it Love.”

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Characters and Context 1

Aditya Oberoi: A business tycoon of Manhattan U.S.A. A year and a half ago he left India and permanently settled in the U.S.A. The reason is his Angel, his wife and his life Nandana Oberoi. He doesn’t want to lose her at any cost. He doesn’t want her to know that he actually did a lot of things to keep her with him. For Nandana, he is her brute who is only good for her. However, for the outside world, he is still that perilous Aditya Oberoi who only believes in power, money and domination. In his paradise, there are three people; Nandana, Adirah aka Mini Oberoi his 6-month-old daughter and Rishi Basu, Nandana’s mentally challenged younger brother. However, Aditya got Rishi with them for creating pressure on his in-laws. He planned that it will be wise to keep Rishi along with Nandana with him to control Vivek Basu and Jaya Basu. So that, in future they can’t go against him and mislead their daughter to leave him. However, gradually, Rishi’s childish brain and selfless love changed him a bit. Now, he considers him his other sincere responsibility. There are three more people in his life who are his friends since his early teenage. Aryan Khurana and Aabir and Aarav Dhawan. They used to study in Panchgani boarding school till their 18 years age. After that, they parted away. For so many years, all of them were oblivious to each other’s existence and place. But fortunately, Aditya came in touch with Aryan while he was planning to leave India with Nandana. Old friendship took a new form and 4 old friends of notorious 5 reunited in the U.S.A. However, it is truly said, life changes so are the meaning of friendship.

Nandana Oberoi: Wife of Aditya Oberoi and mother of their 6-month-old daughter Adirah. Life has not changed much for her, neither does in her character and principle. She is still that naïve yet crystal clear, simple yet strong and angelic yet rigid in her ethics. Aditya, Adirah and Rishi are her world and she is content in this paradise. She thinks her love changed Aditya totally. To some extent it is true yet she doesn’t know that her love has only changed his lookout to the word love. He has become one woman man but for that woman, he can do anything. Good or bad. Ethical or non-ethical. She doesn’t know her husband’s love is the other side of obsession. But how long she would be an illusion? A bird can’t love freely when caged.

Adirah aka Mini Oberoi: Aditya and Nandana’s daughter. Apple of Nandana’s eyes. But for Aditya. Well, her early birth was Aditya’s insistence. Not because he loves kids. But he just wanted Nandana to be more bound to him. Children are good bridges between their parents. No….don’t misunderstand him. He loves his daughter. Because she is a part of Nandana. Though Adirah looks exactly like Aditya her characteristics are very similar to her mother. She is adorable as well as stubborn. Sometimes even Aditya is to bend down in front of this Mini monster. Blood speaks.

Rishi Basu: Nandana’s younger brother. He is autistic. Nandana got him to the U.S.A for better treatment. In the last one and a half years, Rishi’s condition has improved a lot. Now, he can communicate with his close ones with specific words. He always loved Nandana but now he loves Aditya too. For him, Aditya is Adi. He can do anything for his Adi Bro.

Vivek and Jaya Basu: Nandana and Rishi’s parents. They have one more daughter Manvi but now they don’t have any connection with her as she left their house with her rich boyfriend at the tender age of 18. She chose her ambition and money over her family so her parents chose their ethics and morals over their affection. Nandana tried to convince them but sometimes heartbreak makes people stone hard. For the last one and a half years, they haven’t seen Nandana and Rishi. Nor they have ever met Adirah in person. Sometimes parental love revolts. But Nandana’s safety is more important. They know in what circumstances Aditya convinced them to get Nandana with him while leaving India. Murder cases never get expired.

SP Apoorva Bhosle: He was the officer in charge since Nandana had been kidnapped by Aditya. During the case, he got personally involved and was eventually duped by Aditya. Since then, he is seeking a single chance when he can catch Aditya Oberoi red-handed and make Nandana Oberoi understand how stupid she was to trust her husband’s words. However, he hasn’t got that golden chance yet.