Delhi, Night, City Hospital
At this moment, the cries of a woman in labor echoed from a ward in City Hospital. She was screaming in intense pain, crying, and writhing.
Outside the ward, a man sat on a bench, his hands holding his head in distress. His face showed signs of worry. It seemed like his wife was giving birth today, and it was her first delivery.
A while later, when the female doctor came out of the ward, the man quickly stood up and rushed in front of her, asking, "How is my wife and the baby?"
The doctor, walking away, reassured him, "Mr. Knight, don't worry. Everything will be fine."
Hearing this, Morad took a sigh of relief. A few hours later, the sound of a baby crying reached his ears.
It was around 3 AM when the door to the ward opened, and a heavy shadow entered the room. The shadow was quite dark. It walked directly to the crib, looked at Elina lying in the bed, and then at the baby, only a few hours old, sleeping in the crib.
The figure stood still, gazing at the tiny baby for an unknown period of time. Then, it gently bent down, carefully lifting the baby into its arms. The baby immediately curled up in sleep.
The figure removed its V-Cap and softly raised the baby's eyelids to look into her eyes. The baby stirred, and then her eyes opened wide.
The sixteen-year-old boy just stared at the baby. The baby, in turn, looked back with her blue eyes, staring into his golden ones.
The baby fit into his arms as if she had been accustomed to this embrace for years.
The boy gently placed the baby back in the crib, turned away, and muttered, "Nooo.. Kitten... I am only your uncle."
Ten Years Later,
Manchester, England
The Oxford School in Manchester had just finished, and the streets of Oxford, covered in white snow, were filled with the footprints of children and their parents.
The crowd was so dense that if anyone fell, they might not get up again. Amidst this crowd, a lone little girl sat on a bench in the school parking area, holding a lollipop in her hand.
Her large, ocean-blue eyes spun around as she slowly ate the strawberry-flavored lollipop. Her pink lips moved slightly as she chewed.
She looked to be about ten years old, and she was quite cute. She freed the lollipop from her lips and, noticing the crowd around her, mumbled to herself, "Why hasn't Daddy come to pick me up yet?"
She stood up from the bench, pouting her chubby cheeks, and began looking around.
Just then, a white Mercedes-Benz stopped in front of her. She froze and started staring at the car. The moment the car door opened, the driver stepped out.
As soon as she saw him, her large, round eyes narrowed, and when the driver came over and gently bent down, he lovingly said, "Noah, baby, let's go. I've come to pick you up."
Noah made a face and said, "Uncle, why didn't Daddy come?"
The driver replied, "Noah, baby, your Daddy is away on an important meeting."
Without saying anything, Noah pouted and climbed into his arms. "But Uncle, Daddy always comes to pick me up, even if he has to leave something important. Why didn't he come today?" she asked.
Carrying her to the car, the driver said, "Because this work was really important."
Noah remained silent, still upset with her dad for not being there to pick her up today, the first time he hadn't done so.
After a while, they arrived at the famous Knight Villa in Manchester, and as soon as the car stopped, Noah quickly jumped out and ran inside. The driver sighed deeply as he watched her rush in.
Inside the large villa, Noah, carrying her small bag, was running toward the hallway. She suddenly stopped when she saw a girl around twenty-two coming down the stairs.
Noah dashed toward her, hugged her legs, and started crying, "Maryam, Maryam, Daddy! Daddy!"
Maryam, her nanny, grew alarmed when she saw Noah crying so hard. She quickly bent down, scooped her up, wiped the tears off her cheeks, and said, "Noah, what happened? Why are you crying, sweetie?"
Noah pouted and said, "Maryam, Mama said she won't come to pick me up because she has office work, and Daddy didn't come either. Noah is upset."
Maryam, hearing this, felt bad. She knew Noah had been growing up without the love of a mother. It wasn't that Elina didn't love her, but her business always took precedence.
For the past ten years, Maryam had been the one taking care of Noah since her birth, even though she was just twelve at the time.
Despite her mother's love for her, Noah had always been closer to her father, Morad Knight, who had always given her both time and affection.
Maryam, seeing Noah upset, recalled Morad's phone call where he had explained that he was unable to pick her up because of a crucial client meeting, but he requested that Maryam take care of Noah.
Maryam, still holding Noah, walked her into the living room, sat her on the sofa, and gently took off her bag. After kissing Noah's cheeks softly, she said, "Noah, sweetie, Daddy had something really important to do. Let's go eat lunch, okay?"
Noah still pouted but didn't say anything. Maryam helped Noah shower, change clothes, fed her, and even helped her prepare for tuition.
Meanwhile, at G@MA Industries,
G@MA Industries, based in Manchester, had a major presence not just in Europe but worldwide.
At the meeting room of this massive company, a sense of calm prevailed. The president's chair was empty, and the staff was eagerly waiting.
A conversation broke out between two men in whispers, "Did you hear? The president is coming in person after ten years. No one knows why he's suddenly coming now. He's never shown up before."
Another man replied, "I've heard that a huge project is about to be launched, and that's why the president is coming from India."
"By the way, Mrs. Elina Knight is already here," said the first man.
The other man glanced at the chair next to Elina's, the CEO's chair. "And Mr. Morad has arrived too."
The atmosphere was buzzing with curiosity. Everyone wondered why the president was coming after so many years. The person they were about to meet was no ordinary man. He was a business mogul and a feared mafia king.
The door to the meeting room opened, and a figure entered with great presence. His footsteps commanded the room.
Dressed in a custom-made three-piece suit, he was tall, standing at 6'4", with golden eyes and a sharp, striking presence. His features were so mesmerizing that everyone in the room, including the women and men, couldn't look away. His watch, costing millions, added to his aura.
The room fell silent as the president took his seat, and Elina and Morad greeted him with respect.
Elina handed over the project files, and after scanning them briefly, the president spoke in his deep, powerful voice, "Misses Elina, good job. Today, our company has achieved a milestone. We are now not just number one in Europe but also in the top ten in the world."
The room filled with joy, but then he dropped a bombshell, "And because of this, today, Gama Industries will officially be taken over by Agnihotri Group."
Elina and Morad's eyes sparkled with excitement.
The meeting continued for another half hour before the president, accompanied by his bodyguards, left the room.
As they walked out, Elina said to him, "Dransh, thank you for coming today."
Dransh shot her a cold glance, replying, "We are in the office, Elina..."
But Elina wasn't done. She quickly took his arm and said, "Yes, in front of everyone I called you 'President', but now that you're here for the first time in ten years, you'll have to come with me to my house."
Morad chuckled and added, "Yes, Dransh, no more excuses. You've come to Manchester so many times, but never to our home."
Dransh gave them a cold stare, then with a sharp voice, said, "I can't come."
With a quick shake of his arm, he turned to leave.
Elina, watching him go, felt a knot in her chest. She quickly ran after him and called out, "Dransh, we grew up together. You were like my brother. After our parents passed, you were the only one who cared for me. Don't you want to meet your niece? She's ten now, but you've never seen her."
At these words, Dransh stopped in his tracks.
To be continued...