A Restless Search...
1439 Words
Seated in his leather chair, Akshad slowly spun it around, completely lost in his thoughts.
The only face that kept appearing in his mind was Muskaan's.
Her tear-filled eyes... the silent pain hidden within them... and the helplessness she tried so hard to conceal had somehow left an unfamiliar ache in his heart.
Knock... Knock...
A knock echoed through the cabin.
Without even looking up, Akshad gave permission in his usual cold, emotionless voice.
"Come in."
As soon as she heard his response, the young woman waiting outside opened the cabin door and walked in confidently. She went straight to Akshad, placed a light kiss on his cheek, and casually took a seat across from him.
However, Akshad's expression instantly turned cold and unreadable.
The girl pouted slightly before saying,
"Hey, Akshad... you don't even remember me anymore."
Akshad didn't respond.
He completely ignored her presence and continued working on the files in front of him as if she didn't exist.
His indifferent attitude irritated the girl, but she forced herself to stay calm. Keeping a faint smile on her lips, she spoke again,
"Akshad, I came all the way here just to see you, and you're completely ignoring me."
Hearing her words, Akshad finally lifted his gaze and looked at Joya. His face remained as cold and unreadable as ever.
In a calm yet indifferent voice, he said,
"Joya... how could I ignore you? I'm just tied up with some important work, and I have to leave for a meeting shortly. If you don't mind, we can talk later."
Although his words were polite, the meaning behind them was crystal clear.
Akshad was asking her to leave his cabin.
Joya's expression darkened with anger. Her fists clenched tightly as she glared at him for a brief moment. Without saying another word, she turned around and stormed out of the cabin.
---
The moment she stepped out of the company building, she pulled out her phone and immediately dialed her father's number.
On the other end, Ranvijay Mehra smiled the instant he saw his beloved daughter's name flashing on the screen.
He answered the call warmly.
"Hello, my dear princess."
Before he could say anything else, Joya's furious voice came through.
"Hello, Dad!"
The anger in her voice was enough for Ranvijay to realize that something was terribly wrong.
Concern filled his tone as he asked,
"What happened to my princess? Who made my daughter so angry?"
Joya could no longer control her emotions.
Grinding her teeth, she said,
"Dad... who does Akshad think he is? I want Akshad, Dad... no matter what it takes. I don't care about the consequences—I want him at any cost!"
There wasn't just determination in her voice.
There was obsession.
Joya had loved Akshad ever since they were children. But over the years, that innocent affection had turned into an unhealthy obsession.
For her, Akshad was no longer someone she loved...
He had become someone she was determined to possess.
The bond between the Raychand and Mehra families went back decades.
Akshad's grandfather, Kamlesh Raychand, and Joya's grandfather had been not only childhood friends but also powerful business partners. Together, they had built a vast empire, expanding both their legal businesses and the illegal world that operated behind the scenes.
Because of the close relationship between the two families, Joya had grown up around Akshad.
From a very young age, she had considered him the man she would one day marry.
But Akshad had never looked at her that way.
To him, Joya was nothing more than the daughter of his family's business partner.
The only reason he had tolerated her all these years was out of respect for the long-standing relationship between their families and the business they shared.
After listening to Joya, a faint smile appeared on Ranvijay Mehra's face. Confidence was evident in his eyes as he spoke in a calm yet firm voice,
"Don't worry, Princess. Akshad will be yours. And whatever my daughter desires, she always gets."
Hearing her father's words, Joya's restless heart finally calmed down. A satisfied smile slowly returned to her face.
She had complete faith in one thing...
If her father had made a promise, he would fulfill it at any cost.
---
A while later...
The city's largest auditorium was buzzing with excitement as the children's dance competition was about to begin.
The entire venue sparkled with colorful lights while the audience eagerly waited for the performances.
Meanwhile, Muskaan had already arrived with the children from her dance studio.
The moment the little ones saw her, they ran toward her excitedly and hugged her one by one.
A gentle smile spread across Muskaan's face. She lovingly patted each child on the head before encouraging them through sign language.
She gave them a thumbs-up, placed a hand over her heart, and gestured for them to perform with confidence.
The children instantly understood her signs. Smiling brightly, they nodded enthusiastically before heading backstage to get ready for their performance.
The competition was about to begin.
On the other hand...
Akshad Raychand had also arrived at the venue as the Chief Guest.
His presence itself was nothing short of surprising.
Akshad never wasted his valuable time attending small events like this. In fact, he rarely postponed or skipped important business meetings for anyone.
But today...
He had canceled one of his important meetings.
And the reason was only one person—
Muskaan.
Earlier, Vivek had informed him that Muskaan would be attending the competition with the children from her dance studio.
That single piece of information had been enough.
No matter how much Akshad refused to admit it...
His feet had unconsciously led him to the very place where Muskaan was.
Akshad no longer wanted to miss even a single chance to see Muskaan.
He had no idea what it was about that one glance of hers, but somehow, she had cast a spell on him.
He had never spoken to her.
He barely knew anything about her.
Yet, his heart kept pulling him toward her as if it had already chosen her.
It was a feeling he had never experienced before.
A feeling he neither understood nor wanted to let go of.
---
The dance competition was about to begin.
The auditorium was packed with people, but Akshad's eyes weren't on the stage.
Instead, they wandered restlessly through the crowd, searching for just one face.
His piercing blue eyes carefully scanned every corner of the hall...
As if the only reason he had come there was to catch a single glimpse of Muskaan.
Just then, the school's director hurried over to him with a nervous expression.
Bowing his head respectfully, he asked,
"Sir... do you need anything?"
Hearing the question, Akshad slowly shifted his cold gaze toward the director.
The icy look in his eyes was enough to make the director's heart skip a beat.
For a brief moment, he felt as if he had stopped breathing.
Noticing the fear on the director's face, Akshad slightly softened his expression before replying in his usual calm voice,
"No."
With that single word, he turned his attention back to the crowd.
His search for Muskaan continued.
---
On the other side...
Muskaan was quietly sitting in the farthest corner of the auditorium.
She had deliberately chosen a seat where no one would easily notice her.
Her entire attention was on the children backstage, silently praying for their performance to go well.
She had no idea...
That somewhere in the same auditorium, a man was searching for her with restless eyes, longing to see her just once.
Meanwhile...
Muskaan sat quietly in her seat, but a storm of emotions raged inside her.
The nervousness was clearly visible on her face.
She kept rubbing her palms together anxiously, her eyes repeatedly drifting toward the stage.
With every passing second, her heartbeat grew faster.
She wasn't worried about herself.
Her only concern was the children.
Silently, she prayed that all their hard work would pay off and that they would win today's competition.
Finally...
The competition began.
One by one, children from different schools stepped onto the stage and delivered their performances.
The entire auditorium echoed with loud applause as the audience cheered for every participant.
However...
The children dancing on stage failed to capture Akshad's attention.
Seated in the front row as the Chief Guest, his gaze wasn't fixed on the performances at all.
Instead, his piercing blue eyes continued searching every corner of the auditorium.
The competition held no importance for him.
The only reason he had come there...
Was to catch a glimpse of Muskaan.
- Writer
