“The Entrepreneur of the year award goes to the CEO of Knight Group, Mr Luke Knight, for the fifth time in the row!! Give him a big round of applause,” The host announced and the auditorium erupted in a huge round of applause.
Sitting in the front row, Luke smiled. He was wearing a dashing three-piece grey suit and Vera was sitting next to him, clapping for his achievement. She pecked him on the cheek as he stood up, walking up to the stage while buttoning his coat.
The organisers presented the award to him, and Vera clapped for him excitedly. “Can I have the mic, please?” Luke asked the host, and she gave him the mic. Luke’s eyes gazed at the crowd and settled on his woman while various cameras flashed at him.
“Vera, my wife! Can I say this again, my wife!!” He exclaimed the last two words loudly and his voice echoed in the auditorium, “You have given the meaning to my life, Vera, and I am nothing without you. Okay, I won’t say much, as I know my wife would end up crying. So summing up in short, this success belongs to you, and I am dedicating this award to my wife.”
“So, my dear wife, care to join me on the stage, please?” He asked, and the flashes turned to Vera, who wiped her tears from the corner of her eyes and stood up.
The crowd witnessed a graceful woman in a shimmery violet gown. Her golden hair was styled in the braided crown, accessorise with flowers and beads to add a boho charm to the look and she elegantly walked up on the stage.
Luke presented the diamond-studded gold trophy to her and the paparazzi showered them with flashes.
***
The award ceremony ended on a pleasant note, and now was the time for the party. The gentlemen were congratulating Luke for winning consecutively for the fifth time and praising his hard work for seven years, which helped Knight Group to reach new heights.
“Congratulation!” a manly voice came from behind and Luke turned to look.
A man in a pure white suit appeared with a glass of wine, and Luke smiled at him. “William, so good to see you.” They shook hands while Vera briefly smiled, looking at them. “How’re you?”
“I am good!” William smiled and his eyes shifted to Vera. “How are you, Mrs Knight?”
“I am fine, thank you.” she maintained her enchanting smile.
“Where is Leena?” Luke enquired about William’s wife, and Vera raised an eyebrow with an amused face.
“She is in Paris,” William answered, and Luke nodded. “And Andrea?”
“Andrea must be here somewhere,” William looked around to spot his daughter in the crowd and his eyes halted at one particular woman in a royal blue single strapped gown, and the next moment her emerald green eyes darted back to her father. William waved at her and she walked elegantly towards them.
“Here is my gorgeous daughter!” William exclaimed and Luke and Vera turned to find Andrea, and indeed she was an epitome of beauty. An hour-glass figure, emerald green eyes, blemish-free glowing skin, long golden hair just like Vera, and a charming smile.
“Hello, Andrea. It’s so nice to finally meet you,” Luke extended his hand in her direction and she accepted.
“Hello, Uncle Luke,” she smiled and shifted her focus to Vera. “Hello, Auntie.”
“Oh, where is Christian?” William suddenly asked. “Andrea really wanted to meet him.”
“I don’t know. He should be here by now,” Replied Luke, glancing at his wristwatch.
“He isn’t coming,” Vera voiced and three pairs of eyes snapped in her direction, and she wasn’t sure if she saw the hurt in the emerald one.
“What happened?” asked Luke.
“He texted me. He isn’t feeling well, so can’t join us here.” Vera answered and Luke nodded, shifting his focus to William and Andrea.
“He is working a lot these days on the upcoming projects of JM Incorporation,” Luke said and they nodded in agreement. Luke was about to say something further when Vera interrupted him.
“Sorry for interjecting, but can we go home now? I am a little worried about Chris.” Vera said as she was feeling uneasy after his text and Luke sensed it.
“Yeah! It’s getting pretty late as well.” He shook hands with William and then with Andrea. “It was a pleasure meeting you, young lady,” He smiled and soon they left the venue.
***
Inside the black Lamborghini,
“I am sorry. Luke told me that Christian would show up at the party,” William apologised to Andrea as they headed towards their manor.
“It’s alright, Dad. Maybe it isn’t the right time for us to meet.” Andrea said but inwardly cursed her luck.
“I still wonder how his eyes never fell on my gorgeous daughter,” He said while ruffling her hair and Andrea smiled.
“I was his junior, and his eyes were already set on Diana Roger. If she would’ve been alive, I am sure Christian would’ve married her. But unfortunately, she committed suicide.” Andrea pursed her lips in a straight line. “And then he was involved with Lia Smith, but I don’t understand why he married that Indian girl.” Andrea gave him a puzzled look to her father. “What was her name again?”
“Mishka,” William said.
“Right!! And where did she disappear suddenly when he got into an accident? How can she be so cruel to leave her husband in such a state?” She wondered.
“Let’s not talk about her. She is in the past and let her be there.” William said, and Andrea nodded her head.
“When mom is coming back?” She asked.
“When her shopping is done, maybe,” He said, and they both chuckled.
***
Inside the Roll Royce,
Vera was removing her diamond earrings when she heard Luke mentioning about Andrea. “Andrea is gorgeous. Did you like her?” Luke asked and Vera stiffened, as she knew where this conversation would lead to.
“Yeah, she is a nice girl,” she answered leisurely and threw her head against the headrest to relax, and closed her eyes.
“Don’t you think Andrea is just perfect for Chris?” Luke suggested and Vera sighed, completely irked with this topic.
“Luke, you know everything. Then why do you always try to set him? Chris doesn’t want to get married.” She said while keeping her eyes closed.
“And Mishka isn’t the reason for that!” Luke countered. “Vera, we have to take some decisions for him. He can’t be like this forever.”
“Dad took this big decision for Chris’s life, and the outcome is in front of us,” Vera stated, and Luke rolled his eyes.
“Vera, you are not understanding!” He exclaimed and Vera looked at him.
“Don’t repeat what mom did to us and dad did to Chris. He is an adult. Let him take major decisions of his life and marriage is one of them.” Vera said and their car stopped outside the Knight mansion and she turned to open the door.
“Mishka isn’t coming back,” Luke said, and Vera’s hand froze as she looked back at him. “Just in case you are waiting for her grand comeback.” He continued.
“There was no hope for me to come back either, Luke. But I am here, sitting right next to you, huh?” She said and sighed, tired of explaining her point of view. “I also want Chris to move on in his life, but not before the proper closure of his past relationship. We don’t know what exactly transpired between them seven years back and where did she vanish? I don’t want his past to suddenly pop up and destroy his present, especially when he has no recollection of the past.”
“So how long are we going to wait for Mishka?” He questioned.
“Luke, I am not ready for this conversation. I am exhausted and wish to rest.” She said, stepping out of the car, and walking inside the mansion, and Luke followed her inside.
Luke walked past her, giving her a look while Vera stopped outside Christian’s room and slowly opened the door. She smiled, watching him sleeping peacefully, and her eyes travelled to the wall-mounted wooden slab where the beautiful wax statue of the Ganesha idol was dazzling under the dim light. She stared at it for a few more seconds and slowly closed the door, walking away.
***
Luke was already settled on his side of the bed when Vera entered the room, she glanced at him and went to change her clothes. But when she came back, Luke turned off the light and faced the other side, ignoring her. Vera smiled, watching Luke’s grumpy attitude, and got under the duvet.
She tried to touch him, but he jerked her hand away. Vera kept annoying him till he took a deep breath and stopped pushing her hand away. “Honey, listen to me. Please!” She said politely and when he didn’t object, she continued.
“Do you remember? When Chris was born, we promised each other that we’ll never force him to do anything. We won’t take decisions of his life and we’ll never do what mom did to us. It was pure luck that we fell in love, but Christian has a different story. We have witnessed his love for Mishka and if he ever remembered his past, he will never forgive us.” Vera said.
“Let’s sleep, Vera,” Luke said and Vera felt defeated.
In the middle of the night, Christian abruptly woke up and sat straight on the bed, holding his head in his hand firmly as he was experiencing intolerable pain in his head. He was sweating profusely and tried to calm his racing heart, taking some deep breaths, but nothing helped him.He removed his hands from his face and his eyes roamed inside the pitch-black room and halted at the open door of the balcony, and between the cut of the white curtains, he saw a glimpse of an hourglass figure in a pure white dress, who was standing against the railing, facing the other side.Christian gazed at her, removing the duvet from his body, and his legs started taking involuntary steps leading him to the mysterious woman. His heart was thumping against his chest as he was inching closer to the woman.He halted at the entrance of the balcony, staring at the woman without blinking. Her long, dark brown wavy hair cascaded down up to her waist, and she shivered under the icy breeze.Sweat was drippin
Varanasi, India It was around four-thirty in the morning, the sky was a soft glowing haze, beautiful ashy pink was endlessly soothing, birds were chirping in their melodious voice, and the rest of everything was serene, tranquil, and peaceful. Hundreds of small temples that dot the banks of the river Ganges were decorated for the morning Aarti (Prayer). Painters and artists around the dawn create magic on the walls of the Ghats and the graffiti they create on the walls gives the Ghats a very flamboyant and cheerful vibe. A number of Hindu devotees were worshipping, and flowing diyas in the water, Shiva sadhus (ascetics devoted to Lord Shiva) and pilgrims were deep in meditation. The foreigners were riding on the boats clicking pictures of migratory birds like large cormorant, bar-headed geese, northern pintail, reddish shelduck, and golden pheasant as they glided over river Ganga and they were all set to capture the beautiful pictures of the world famous Ganga Arti which was about
“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
“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