Manveer

"Goddammit!" I growled, slamming a fist on the table, sending a pen rolling off the edge.

Just then, the door burst open without so much as a knock. And one of my men hurried in, panting and clearly distressed.

"Boss," the man stammered, glancing at me nervously, "Laksh Babu... he's missing."

I froze at his words, "What the fuck do you mean, missing?" My sudden roar made him flinch.

"He...he hasn't been seen for over an hour."

I stood up so quickly the chair nearly tipped over. The anger inside me exploded, "And you're telling me this now? An hour? An hour and you wait to tell me? What the fuck is going on here? Do you want harm to come to my child? Goddammit, do you want him to get hurt?"

He shook his head almost instantly, "We are trying to make him drink milk and suddenly he said he wanted to play hide and seek and..." he continued his explanation but I had no time to hear his bluff.

"I don't care if you have to search every corner of hell or heaven itself, I want Laksh back! Move!"

"Yes... Yes Boss!" he said sharply still staring at me.

"Get the fuck out of here, move your ass." I barked and he disappeared in matter if seconds.

I ran the hands through my hair with frustration, if he was playing hide and seek he must have been hiding somewhere.

"YES!" I yelled. "The CCTV."

I raced towards my computer looking for the footages from every corner of this mansion. My heart raced every time the screen changed from one room to another.

One after another I checked every corner of this fucking house but he was nowhere.

The only place left was front yard and the back yard. I quickly shifted to the footages from the places, the screen flickered to life and I was surprised to see the scene before me.

Laksh was standing just outside the gate. But... Who the hell was she?

The girl standing next to him was... simple. Too simple for the glamorous life. She had this sweetness about her, a kind of quiet calm, and for a moment, I saw Laksh as I never had before his usual fire replaced with a surprising serenity.

A smile? That was the part that unsettled me. My son didn't smile. Not like that. Not around strangers.

I leaned closer to the screen, my stomach twisting with a mix of concern and something darker. Who was she?

Laksh didn't just trust anyone. So why the hell was he standing there, looking like he actually enjoyed being with this girl?

I growled low under my breath, turning away from the monitor. "Get Laksh back."

I watched through the camera feed as one of my men appeared at the gate, guiding Laksh back inside. My eyes didn't leave the screen. The girl... her face was pale, almost ghostly, as if she had seen something she couldn't quite process.

Before turning away, Laksh gave her a small, faint smile. It was so brief, but enough to catch my attention. She looked at him with wide, confused eyes, her gaze darting nervously around, taking in her surroundings.

It was amusing, in a way. But what really caught my attention was how fragile she looked, delicate almost but at the same time, her body seemed to fit her clothes perfectly, every curve in the right place. Her long black hair flowed in the breeze, smooth and effortless.

When she turned to walk away, her hips swayed with a rhythm that was almost hypnotic. Something about the way she moved stirred something inside me something long buried, something I hadn't thought about in year.

Interesting...

Laksh finally entered my office, and I looked at him, trying to gauge the situation. His eyes met mine, and I could see the guilt in them.

"I'm sorry, papa. I won't do it again," he said, voice small, almost apologetic.

I didn't respond immediately, instead pulling him onto my lap and cradling him in my arms. I looked at him, my tone gentle, as I asked, "Laksh... who was she?"

He hesitated for a moment before looking at me. "Her? I... I don't know her name," he started, his voice uncertain. "But I like her."

I raised an eyebrow. "You don't know her name?"

He shook his head, the motion slow and deliberate right, then left.

"Then how did you meet her?" I asked again.

Laksh's face lit up with a smile, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "Papa, you know, she's so brave! She saved me from the puppy!" He beamed, as if that simple act had been the most heroic thing in the world.

My boy... who usually got irritated by the smallest things, who'd shout at my men for not playing with him, was smiling like this.

I'd die to see Laksh smile like that more often.

"Oh, I see," I said, my voice softening. "So, she's a brave girl."

"And you know, Papa," he continued, his words rushing out with excitement, "she even baked tasty cakes just for me!"

My chest tightened. I hadn't expected this. Not from my son. But somehow, she'd managed to soften his heart, bring out a side of him I never thought I'd see.

"Papa," Laksh said with a serious expression, his eyes wide, "can I play with her again? I promise I'll drink all my milk."

I almost chuckled at the promise. This boy could barely get a glass of milk down without a fight, and now he was offering it up just to see her again.

"Does that make you happy?" I asked, my thumb gently caressing his cheek as I met his gaze. His answer came in the form of a nod, his grin stretching wide. "And you promise you won't yell at the uncles feeding you?"

"I promise, Papa, I won't do that," he said, stifling a yawn as he settled into my arms.

I kissed his forehead. "Fine then, you can go."

With that, he grinned, slipping off my lap and dashing for the door, his playful figure retreating into the hallway.

Later that night, I stepped quietly into Laksh's bedroom. He had already fallen asleep, sprawled across his bed amidst a mess of scattered papers and crayons.

A small smile tugged at my lips as I gently pulled the sheets over him. My gaze fell to one of his drawings lying near his tiny hand.

A stick figure version of him playing with her. Cupcakes dotted the page, and he'd drawn a heart next to her figure.

Ever since she left us, Laksh had been different his innocent world shattered. He carried anger far too heavy for someone his age. Always yelling at my men, ignoring their attempts to help him, and stubbornly refusing to listen to anyone.

Always asking me, 'where is my mom'. But nowadays he had stopped asking me that question. He never even mentions about her. I am worried!

I swallowed hard, my chest aching as I thought of those words. How could I explain to a boy so young, so pure, that his mother was gone? That she would never come back?

My parents had been relentless in their insistence. "Marry someone else," they said. "A good woman can take care of Laksh, can fill the void."

But it had only been a month. A single month since she's passing. The thought of replacing her felt like a betrayal. Besides, I knew the truth about people, especially in my world. Women like the ones they suggested wouldn't care about Laksh, they'd care about my money, my power. They'd never love him and I'd never risk that.

'NO! I'd stay alone, even if it meant being a single father for the rest of my life.'

I leaned down and placed a soft kiss on Laksh's forehead. Quietly, I stepped out and returned to my bedroom. I skimmed through my emails one last time, setting it to silent mode before placing it down. As I lay there, staring at the ceiling. After days, I had been feeling these emotions. Empty and hollow, as if even I had everything, but it felt like I had nothing at all.

I had thrown myself into work, deliberately burying the weight of my emotions. But no matter how much I tried, the gnawing guilt of neglecting my responsibilities as a father lingered.

Running a hand through my hair, I sank onto the bed. Memories of my once-happy little family flooded my mind. Just the three of us her, Laksh, and me. Those days had felt like a dream, a life so perfect it didn't seem real.

But then, one day, it all unraveled. Everything changed.

I didn't even realize when exhaustion claimed me last night. The next thing I knew, sunlight filtered through the curtains, and I was late. A knock on the door broke the quiet.

"Yeah," I called out groggily.

Shan my PA, stepped in, "Boss, we have a meeting today about selling the properties to Mr. Kumar."

"Yeah..." I mumbled, still half-dazed.

But what caught me off guard wasn't Shan's update. It was Laksh, trailing behind him, clutching an oversized teddy bear almost as big as him. Without hesitation, he climbed onto my lap, "Papa, look! I'm going to give her this as a thank-you gift," he declared.

I couldn't help but smirk a slow, knowing smile curling my lips. "Hmm," I murmured, running my fingers through his hair affectionately.

Just as quickly as he'd appeared, Laksh hopped off my lap, and bounded off the room, dragging that toy behind him.

"Boss, do we need to..." Shan began, but I waved him off with a casual flick of my hand.

"No need," I said firmly, cutting him off.

Rising to my feet, I walked to the window. I knew exactly what Laksh was up to. And I also knew that his innocent actions would ultimately work in my favor.