“Did you find any clue?” Leo asked someone on the call, and the reply shattered the little hope inside his heart.
“No, sir. Mishka isn’t here this year as well. My people were keeping close watch around the orphanage and her house, but she didn’t even visit for once. I don’t think she even visits Varanasi or India anymore.”
Leo smiled sadly. “It’s not possible. It’s her parent’s death anniversary. She is there, but she won’t let us find her till she wants to come out in the open.”
“Anyway, keep searching. Engage more men if required. I don’t care about money,” Leo said and ended the call.
“She doesn’t want to come back, dad,” Luke said and took long strides towards Leo, who in return gave him a heated look.
“I don’t want her to come back either in this house or in Christian’s life. I want to say sorry for my mistake. Otherwise, I won’t be able to die peacefully. The feeling that I’ve ruined her life is eating me from inside and all of this is because of your son!!” Leo almost shouted while saying the last part but soon his volume turned down when he saw Christian descending from the stairs in a silk purple shirt and black trousers.
Leo calmed himself as Christian reached them. “Everything alright, gentlemen?” He eyed both of them.
“Yeah, everything is great!” Luke answered while Leo turned to walk away and Christian stared at his retrieving figure, unable to understand his weird behaviour towards him. “Are you going somewhere?”
Christian looked at Luke and nodded. “Yeah, Danny is throwing a party. I’ll be back in the morning. Just tell mom not to worry about me so much. She seems a little stressed since I said I am going out.”
Luke smiled, “She couldn’t take care of you for seventeen years when she was wheelchair bound, that’s why she is protective of you,” He said, “Don’t worry. Just enjoy yourself!”
“Bye, Dad,” Christian said and exited. Leo was standing against the railing of the balcony, and he saw Christian sliding in the back seat of the car. The former raised his eyes and waved at Leo with an intriguing grin playing on his lips, but Leo turned his face away and his eyes turned misty, remembering Mishka.
“Just come back once before God calls me!” He muttered sadly, and Vera appeared beside him when he was lost in his trance.
“Dad, alright?” She asked softly, and Leo nodded. “I am sorry for Luke’s behaviour. I tried to knock some sense into him last night, but he is hell bent on getting Christian married.”
Leo sighed, “I don’t know what to say!!”
“He isn’t wrong, dad. But tired of watching his son’s suffering. Luke tried to search Mishka too, but his all means to reach her failed, and looking at Christian’s state, he feels helpless.” Vera paused for a moment.
“Luke and I both failed as parents. When Chris needed us both the most, we were not in his life, it’s just we are trying to redeem our mistake without giving a thought that Christian is a grown up man and not seven years old boy, who roamed in the house, shouting for his mom and dad for every petty thing. I know sometimes Christian gets irritated with my over protectiveness, but I can’t help it.”
Leo smiled hearing her last sentence, “Vera, I honestly don’t care about what you both decide for your son. What disheartens me the most is how Mishka suffered because of my family and my grandson.”
“I still hold that letter she wrote for Chris, and it reveals the story of Christian’s betrayal. He trapped her in a fucking Contract Marriage for the sake of this CEO position and to get back with Lia after the one year period is over, but he never disclosed this to Mishka, and that poor soul agreed because of me.” Leo spat.
“Mishka thinks I betrayed her, but how should I explain to her I never knew he was in a relationship, even after his marriage? He told me he has broken up with Lia. I didn’t have the slightest idea that he would do something like this behind my back.” Leo said, and Vera looked at him wordlessly.
“I don’t want Mishka to ever get back with Christian. He doesn’t deserve her. Girls like Lia suits him the best and I hope Luke finds someone like her for him.”
***
Mishka averted her gaze from the magazine she was reading and looked at Aryan’s pale face as he sauntered in her direction and sat next to her with a loud thump. She tried to suppress her amusement and gazed at him. “I told you not to eat so much! Are you enjoying your trips to the toilet?”
“Don’t make fun now! Ahhh, my stomach,” He yelped in pain, holding his stomach, and Mishka looked at his pained facial feature.
“Do you need medicine?” She asked, but Aryan shook his head.
“I think I am fine now.” He relaxed, taking a deep breath, and turned to Mishka, “I wanted to discuss something important,”
“What happened?” Mishka turned serious.
“I was wondering, can I complete the rest of my schooling and college from India, Varanasi?” He asked, and Mishka furrowed her brows.
“What’s wrong in completing from New York?” She asked.
“I want to live there and take care of our orphanage, and I may get beaten up, but you and Riya di have already gotten so many things on your plate to manage. Education and living are costly in New York. I don’t want to burden you or Riya di. Education is much affordable in India and I’ll be around my people, so you don’t need to worry.” He pursed his lips in a straight line and waited for Mishka to start her lecture.
“Aryan, you are not a burden. I understand things are sometimes hard to manage, but Riya and I will manage everything. I won’t let you suffer, I promise.” She said.
“Di, you are not understanding! I wrongly used the burden word, but what I really meant to convey was, let me help you. I can go for further studies in India?” He argued.
“It’s your friend’s brother’s wedding, right? Focus on that. We’ll talk about this when you’ll come back from the trip, and yes, you are going to get beaten up once we get off this plane.” She said and focus back on her magazine.
Soon their flight landed in New York and Mishka sent Aryan home with their luggage while she took another cab and moved in another direction.
***
Riya was preparing lunch when someone started ringing the doorbell continuously, something Aryan always does to annoy Riya as he knew she absolutely hates it.
“Coming!” Riya quickly opened the door and glared at Aryan.
“Hey, ugly lady!” He said and looked at her with an amused face.
“You’ll never learn!!” She screeched.
“It’s my style, you should get used to it.” Aryan winked and walked past her, leaving all their luggage at door for Riya to bring in. He always behaves respectfully to Mishka as she was a mother figure for him, but with Riya, the duo was Tom and Jerry.
Riya looked at his behaviour as if he was a king, and she was her servant. “Now what are waiting for, young lady? Bring my luggage in and close the door,” He said sarcastically.
Riya pulled their luggage inside and closed the door. “Where is Mishka?” She asked.
“I don’t know. She said go home and she’ll inform you.” He said, and Riya’s mobile pinged with a message from Mishka.
“I had some work. I’ll be home in the evening. Give some porridge to Aryan, he is unwell.”
Riya was reading her message when she heard Aryan, “Can I get some aloo paratha (flatbread stuffed with potatoes) and curd?”
Riya flared in anger. “Eat porridge. I just got a text from Mishka that you are unwell.”
“Oh, my god! Why do you guys make a big deal of everything? I can sniff Aloo paratha in the air and it’s calling me.” He said, inhaling deeply, and raced to the kitchen before Riya could catch him.
***
A Mercedes stopped right outside Danny’s house, and Christian stepped out. He walked inside the house and the booming rock music welcomed him. The vibe inside the house made him feel as if he has entered some club.
Half of the crowd was drunk, dancing on the floor as if there was no tomorrow while others were enjoying themselves at the poolside. Christian searched for Danny and finally spotted him at the bar with his girlfriend, Maya.
Maya’s facial expressions quickly turned sour as she saw Christian approaching in their direction, and Christian huffed, noticing her weird behaviour towards him. Maya welcomed Christian with a poker face and then turned to Danny. “I am going to meet my friends.” She said, collecting her drink from the counter and disappeared into the crowd.
“I just don’t understand why your girlfriend hates me so much?” Christian asked, while slipping on the barstool next to Danny. “Did I try to flirt with her in the past?” He asked, and Danny chuckled.
“You ditched her best friend,” Danny said, and Christian scowled.
“Who is that fucking friend, and why did I leave her?” Chris said in a frustrated tone.
“Don’t mind her,”
“Leave her,”
Danny and Chris said at the same time, and Danny burst into laughter.
“Don’t laugh, I am serious. Leave Maya!” Christian said, and Danny laughed again.
“You know, eight years back, you were dating a girl. I hated her with every inch of my skin. I told you to break up with her several times but you didn’t listen,” Danny said, though he knew it will leave a terrible effect if something triggered him, but words always left his mouth before he could realise, his face turned white and he cursed himself for bringing up the past.
“So, are you in revenge mode now?” Christian arched an eyebrow, and Danny sighed in relief as he didn’t pick his lines and enquire more about it.
“Don’t stress out yourself, ignore Maya. Anyway, How was your date last night with Becky?” Danny inquired.
“It was good. She was gorgeous. We had dinner together and then I dropped her off at her apartment. She invited me in for a coffee and…..” Christian trailed off.
Danny waited for him to continue impatiently. “And?” He asked, and Christian looked away with an amused face.
***
Riya looked at the wall clock. It was already seven in the evening. She quickly prepared Masala Tea as she waits for Mishka to arrive. She poured masala tea in two cups, and put the tray on the centre table, when the doorbell rang and she turned on her heels to open the door.
“Coming!!” She shouted, and as soon as she opened the door, a pile of books was thrown in her direction and Mishka sighed in relief, walking inside their small apartment.
“These books are so heavy, my hand is paining,” She said in a tired voice and settled herself on the brown couch. Riya followed her inside and kept the pile of books on the centre table. Her eyes accidentally landed on Mishka’s white top, where she spotted bloodstains.
“What happened to you!?!?” Riya asked in a high pitch and moved to check her.
“Nothing serious! I went to that crime scene to find some evidence, but I stumbled upon something and scraped my elbow and knees.” Mishka said, showing scraped knees to her, and her expression turned slightly painful.“My god, let me bring the first aid box. It’s still bleeding!” Riya said, walking away and opened the wooden cabinet in their small living area to retrieve a rectangular box while Mishka closed her eyes to relax for some moment.“Why do you play with your life? Why did you go to that crime scene? Who will look after kids if something happened to you?” Riya bombarded Mishka with questions, dressing her wounds while Mishka took a sip of masala tea and moaned in pure bliss.“You make the best masala tea. I just love this!!” She said and took another sip.“Don’t you dare try to dodge my questions!! Why, Mishka? Why do you have to get into trouble to solve cases?” Riya asked, completely annoyed with Mishka’s irrational behaviour as she drowns herself in every damn case and fo
“I have planned something amazing for her. She’s going to love it,” Danny exclaimed with a mysterious glint in his eyes and Christian raised his brows.“Let’s see,” He said when a boy came out of nowhere and informed them they were ready with all the arrangements.“Bravo!” Danny said, straightening his silk white shirt, but his face soon dropped when he heard the next words.“But we have a problem. There seems to be an issue with the camera setup. It’s not working,” The boy said and Danny clenched his jaws.“You gotta perfect day to spoil everything.” He spat, and the guy looked down, embarrassed.“If you allow us some time, we can fix or arrange something, but we need an hour at least,” He said, but Danny was impatient.“We don’t have time and if anything goes wrong tonight, I’ll sue your event management company,” Danny said furiously when Christian interrupted.“Hey! Don’t spoil your mood. I’ll record everything on my phone. Chill!!” Christian said and looked around. “I’ll be right
Next Morning,Danny and Maya were outside the ward, waiting for Christian’s doctor to come out. Danny was pacing back and forth anxiously while Maya stared at him, sitting on the bench. “Chris usually gets hyper or unconscious when something from his forgotten past is repeated.” She pointed, and Danny’s steps halted as he turned to look at her.“What is repeated at the party?” Maya looked at Danny for an explanation and the latter realised his grave mistake.“Fuck, how can this skip from my mind!!” He gripped his hair in frustration and Maya looked at his actions with wide eyes.“What happened? What did you do?” She asked in an uncertain tone.“The proposal, I copied Christian’s idea. He proposed Mishka the same way back in Brazil.” Danny said, “FUCK!!”“What the hell, Danny? How could you copy someone’s idea?” Maya shouted, but before Danny could open his mouth to explain, the doctor came out and Danny rushed to him.“Is he alright?” Danny asked, and the doctor nodded.“Yes, he is a
Vera was pacing back and forth, her heart was pounding inside her chest while staring at the giant closed gates of the Knight Mansion when the gates opened and a Mustang slid in. She walked out of the mansion hurriedly and hugged Chris as soon as he stepped out of the car.“Are you alright? Hurt anywhere?” Vera asked.“I am all fine, mom. Don’t worry.” Chris replied.“You say don’t worry, but always make me worried about you,” Vera said, but Chris only showed his charming smile in response.“Come, let’s go inside,” He said, holding Vera’s hand and they both walked inside the mansion while Danny followed them.They heard loud chaos upon entering inside and Chris glanced towards the living area where he spotted some guests sitting, facing the opposite direction.“Who is this new business partner I don’t know about?” Chris whispered to Danny, who appeared a little stressed about everything happening since morning.“Hey, Chris! Come join us,” Luke call him and Chris smiled, walking in the
[MATURE SCENE AHEAD]“This is just a rumour!! Not a confirmed news.” Riya said in a high pitch and Mishka left out a chuckle.“Rumour? Type about me and Chris and check out the next news,” She said and Riya turned the laptop in her direction typing Mishka’s name but there was nothing. In fact, news about Christian was also limited.Riya furrowed her eyebrows and typed different keywords, but still, nothing came. No news about their marriage, no news about the fashion show, no news about the car accident they suffered, no news about the modelling for Star Magazine, no news about the chemical factory incident. The last eight years of Christian and Mishka’s life were completely erased from the internet, including their famous hashtag CHRISHKA.“They have wiped out my existence and here I was trying my best to hide myself!” Mishka smiled, wiping tears from her eyes. “Knights never cease to amaze me,”Riya felt this weird, too. “Why are you crying? It’s not like you were planning to go bac
Summer Camp, A boy in blue jeans and a brown hoodie was sitting on the rock near the riverside, completely focused on the book he was reading while other children were enjoying themselves with their friends or involved in the activities assigned to them by their teachers. But he was sitting away from the crowd and his ocean blue eyes were busy reading the content of the book, flipping to the next pages when a group of kids of his age group appeared beside him and started to mock him. “Hey, why are you so boring? Come play with us.” They said, removing the cap of the hoodie from his head and his dark brown hair shined in the sunlight. The boy ignored them and continued to read, but his classmates started troubling him. They pulled his cheeks painfully. “Why are you always so miserable?” One of them said. “Of course, he will be miserable, his father never shows up and his mother is always busy.” The other boy said. “Poor unwanted baby,” They laughed at him, but he focused on his bo
At Summer Camp,Wearing a blue jacket and black trousers, a ten-year-old boy was standing facing the paper target. Black headband neatly lifted his light brown hair back, and he focused on the target through his eye blinder. He was holding Walther Hammerli’s ar20 air rifle in his hand and he waited for the next direction of his trainer.“Focus on the golden ring and shoot at 10,” The trainer said and the deep blue eyes of the boy focused on number ten in the middle of the target paper.“Shoot,” The trainer directed, and while he pulled the trigger, his friend Noah came running shouting his name, and the boy missed the shot.“Eric!!! Eric!!!” Noah came running to him and Eric lifted his eye blinder, looking apologetically at his trainer.“I am sorry, sir,” He looked down.“It’s alright, we’ll try again later!” The trainer patted his shoulder, but before he could say anything further, Noah interrupted them again.“Eric!” Noah rushed to him and was panting heavily while Eric glared at hi
NEW YORK,Mishka was sitting on the calabah swing on the balcony. She was thinking about something with her eyes pinned on the stars in the sky when Riya appeared with two cups of coffee and placed them on the table in front of her.“Don’t think so much,” Riya slid into the chair next to her and Mishka smiled.“Kiara slept?” She asked.“Yeah, after a lot of drama,” Riya replied as she handed her the cup of coffee and Mishka silently took a small sip. “What are you thinking about?” Riya asked.“I am trying really hard to manage my personal and professional life, but sometimes I feel I am failing to be a good mom to them,” Mishka said, and a tear escaped from her eyes that she tried to hide. “I took Kiara away from Christian, but do I really deserve her? She isn’t happy with me at all.”“What rubbish are you talking about? Kiara is so small, it’s just she doesn’t understand your ways sometimes,” Riya said and Mishka glared at her. “Okay, most of the time,” Riya corrected.“But that does