57• The Stolen Bracelet

At night, they came to have dinner at the restaurant because Nandini wanted to go outside.

"I just come, Kiddo." Manik went to the washroom after kissing her temple. She closed her eyes and a peaceful smile flashed on her face as she felt his lips brush against her skin.

She was going through the menu when her phone rang up. She took it out of her sling bag; it was Ethan's call.

"Ethan, say." She placed the phone over her ear.

"Nan... whe..." Due to network issues, his voice was unclear to her. That's why she went out of the restaurant, holding her bag, to talk to him. It had gotten dark.

"I'll come tomorrow. Bye." She hung up the call after talking to him, and then only someone came on the bike and tried to snatch her bag, but she grasped it tightly.

She tried to fight back, refusing to give him her bag because it contained a valuable item of hers, but he was stronger than her, so he won. He seized her bag and pushed her down the road. Her head hit the road, and her hand was scratched. At that time, she didn't feel any physical pain.

She immediately got up and ran behind his bike to get her bag. Tears began to stream down her cheeks mechanically because she lost the thing which was in her bag; the precious thing she wanted to keep with herself until her last breath, but now it had been stolen from her, and the pain was killing her from within.

She slumped down on the road and wept.

Manik came outside searching for her and his eyes dilated in horror as he saw her miserable condition. He dashed over to her and knelt in front of her. His heart ached as he saw blood oozing out of her forehead and scratches on her arms. After seeing her in this condition, he felt as if someone had stabbed a knife into his heart.

"Who did this, Kiddo?" He asked her in a serious tone, clasping her face. He was enraged and wanted to rip the soul out of the person who had hurt his kiddo. If he did find that person, he would not leave him at any cost.

She looked at him with her moist eyes. "They stole my bag, Manik." She sobbed, placing her head on his chest. Her sobs shattered his heart into a million pieces, and he was furious at the person who had hurt his kiddo.

'Manik, put your anger aside and first console her; she needs you.' He composed himself after a long sigh. He was able to control his anger for the first time because he could do anything for his kiddo.

"It was just a bag, Baby. Why are you crying so much about it?" He asked her concernedly, rubbing her back; he had no idea what was in her bag.

She raised her head from his chest. "Manik," she hiccuped, "there was the-the bracelet inside it which you gifted me on our first night." She again rested her head on his chest and whimpered fretfully.

"It was just a bracelet, Love, I'll give you more. Please stop crying like this." He consoled her, rubbing her back and caressing her hair.

"No, it was not just a bracelet, Manik. Our first-night memories were attached to it, and I lost it. I want it back, Manik." She was crying continuously and making him crazy.

"Please, for God's sake, stop crying because it's hurting me." He begged her to stop crying.

"Okay." She sobbed and pouted sadly at him. She tried to keep her tears at bay for him.

"Please don't cry over small things. I'll bring millions of that type of bracelet for you." As he said, she just hummed dejectedly.

"And I promise you, I'll try my best to catch that thief and get your bracelet back." He reassured her, clasping her hands.

A small smile flashed on her face and her eyes sparkled with hope. "Seriously, you'll bring it back."

"Yes, I'll find that bloody bastard who hurt my kiddo so much." He placed a soft kiss on her forehead wound before gently caressing the scratch on her hand.

"Now first, eat something. Then we'll go to the hospital for your dressing." He stood up and held out his hand to her. She blankly nodded at him and got up, clasping his hand.

They went inside the restaurant hand in hand. He was lovingly feeding her while she was sitting grimly. He didn't like her at all in that condition.

"Kiddo, it was just a bracelet. Stop bothering so much about it." He again tried to explain to her.

"No, it wasn't just a bracelet for me, Manik. I shouldn't have kept it in my handbag. It's my fault." She spoke dejectedly.

"Okay, tell me one thing, will it come back by sitting sadly?" He asked her, clasping her hand.

"No, but I'm upset." She shook her head, staring at him with her sorrowful eyes.

"Fine, I'll also sit like this with you, maybe after that thief comes to give back your bag to you." He said and drew down his lips like her.

"Manik, it was not just a bracelet for me. I shouldn't have kept it in the bag. It's all my fault." He mimicked her and sobbed like her.

She scowled at him. "Manik, here I'm upset and you're making fun of me. You're very bad." She whined, hitting his chest while he laughed out. She just got lost in his laughter, and a smile flashed on her face. He also became absorbed in the depths of her oceanic eyes as she took out her phone to take a selfie of the two of them.

***

They returned home after visiting the doctor's clinic. Nandini was still upset about losing the bracelet. She kept looking at her empty wrist every few minutes, saddened by the absence of the bracelet.

Manik had already asked someone to find the thief at any cost to bring back his kiddo's smile and exact revenge on the thief who hurt her.

"Kiddo."

"Manik, I'm going to change." As he called her, she took out the pad from the drawer and rushed to the washroom before he could say something.

"Shit! She is so upset after losing the bracelet. I have to do something to make her feel better, and I'll find that thief at any cost." He murmured, staring at the door of the washroom with determination.

As she stepped out of the washroom, still her lips drew down in sadness, he grasped her hand and led her to his walk-in closet. He opened the drawer where he kept all of his bracelets.

"Take all of them, please just don't be upset." He implored her.

She stared at him silently with her sorrowful eyes. 'How do I explain to you, Manik, that bracelet was so precious to me? I wanted to keep it close to my heart till my last breath. I shouldn't have kept it in the bag, but he is trying so hard to cheer me up, I have to keep my sadness on the side and be happy for him.'

She smiled faintly at him. "I'm fine, Manik. I'm just tired, I want to sleep." She rested her head on his chest.

"Okay, I'll make my kiddo sleep." He carried her in his arms and returned to the room.

He sat on the bed, placing her head on his lap. He clasped her hand and kissed it. She pouted sadly as she saw her empty wrist. He leaned down and kissed her pout.

"I'm going to bring back your bracelet, kiddo." Saying this, he placed a soft kiss on her forehead and promised her to bring back the bracelet through this kiss.

She closed her eyes and fell fast asleep, holding his hand close to her heart and placing her head on one of her favourite pillows, his lap. He dozed off in a sitting position while caressing her silky hair.

***

The next morning, she was still a bit upset, but she kept her sadness to the side for Manik, and he could feel that she wasn't fine.

"Manik, is the meeting important? Today also, I wanted to stay with you." She hugged him from behind when he was getting ready for the office. He was decked up in a black suit, looking breathtakingly handsome.

"Yes, Kiddo. I just joined the office again and I have already taken two days off. I didn't want to disappoint Dad." He explained to her after turning her towards him.

"I understand." She gave him a slight nod.

"Now you get ready, I'll drop you at the college."

"Manik, drop me home first, I'll go to college after meeting Ethan." She told him.

"Okay!" He leaned in and kissed her forehead.

***

"I'll see you in the evening." She gave him a tight hug before stepping out of the car.

"Take care and change the pad on time." He instructed her, holding the steering. She admired him because he looked so fucking hot in the black suit.

"Okay, my hottie CEO." She bent down and kissed his lips after entering her face inside the car through the window.

"See you." She bid him bye and dashed into the house.

She bumped into Ethan and hugged him, smiling.

"I missed you, Doll." He embraced her.

"More, Ethan." She said as they pulled apart.

"I just got a notification on my phone, your periods are arriving. I'll take off from my office to take care of you." He kept checking on his sister's periods because he took proper care of her during those days. She was extremely fortunate to have a brother like him in her life, and now she had a caring boyfriend as well, so she was doubly fortunate to have them both.

"They arrived two days ago only, Ethan." She told him.

"Then why didn't you stay at home and tell me?" He freaked out.

"Don't worry, Ethan, my friend took care of me properly and gave me medicine too." She told him cheerily, remembering how well Manik had handled her during her periods.

"You took medicine?" He asked, staring at her in shock.

"My friend forced me to have it because I was having cramps." She told him, placing her hand on her belly.

"Now I'm eager to meet your friend who persuaded my stubborn sister to take medicine during her periods." As he said, she grinned.

"Today my friend will visit here, you gonna like-" she was about to say 'him' but paused for a second and said, "my friend."

"I just can't wait to meet her."

'Ethan, how do I tell you that you already know him and like him, and he is also very close to your heart?' She wondered, smiling at him.

"Now you get ready fast, I'll drop you at college."

"Okay, I just come." She rushed into her room.

***

After college, when she was putting her things into her bag, she received a message from him.

My Hottie Biker: I'm sorry, I can't come to pick you up because I'm busy in the office. I'll meet you at night at your place, and we'll tell Ethan about us.

She shrugged her shoulders and said to herself, "So what, he can't come? I can go to meet him in his office." She grinned, excited to surprise her hottie biker.