16
Chapter 16
The Question That Changed Everything
Anaya slowly sat down.
Every instinct told her to leave.
Unfortunately, leaving was impossible when Aarav looked like that.
Calm.
Silent.
Dangerously calm.
The version of Aarav that scared people wasn't the one who shouted.
It was the one who lowered his voice.
And right now, his voice was very quiet.
"We need to talk."
Anaya forced herself to remain composed.
"About the gala?"
Aarav stared at her.
The look alone answered the question.
Definitely not the gala.
A knot formed in her stomach.
"What happened?"
Instead of answering, he placed a folder on the desk.
The same folder he'd been staring at when she entered.
Anaya immediately recognized the logo.
Kabir's school.
Her heart skipped a beat.
"Aarav..."
"Why is the father's section empty?"
The question landed heavily between them.
Not because it was unexpected.
Because it was coming sooner than she thought.
Anaya carefully chose her words.
"Because I raised him alone."
"That's not what I asked."
Her pulse quickened.
"Aarav-"
"Who is his father?"
There it was.
The question she had feared for years.
Anaya looked away.
A mistake.
Because Aarav noticed everything.
"You don't want to answer."
"No."
His eyes narrowed.
"No, you don't want to answer? Or no, you don't know?"
The frustration in his voice surprised her.
He wasn't angry because he was suspicious.
He was angry because he cared.
And somehow that made this harder.
"His father isn't part of our lives."
The statement was true.
Technically.
Aarav studied her carefully.
Then leaned back.
"You know what's strange?"
Anaya remained silent.
"For someone who doesn't want to talk about him, you become nervous every time he's mentioned."
The room suddenly felt smaller.
Much smaller.
Fortunately, a knock interrupted them.
Vikram entered.
And immediately sensed the tension.
His gaze shifted between them.
Then wisely decided not to ask questions.
"Sir, the security team is waiting."
Aarav didn't move.
"Five minutes."
Vikram nodded and left.
The interruption gave Anaya a chance to breathe.
A much-needed chance.
Unfortunately, Aarav wasn't finished.
Not even close.
---
That evening, Aarav was standing inside one of his private warehouses.
The atmosphere was tense.
Several men stood nearby.
Security reports covered a large table.
Normally, his full attention would have been on the situation.
Tonight, it wasn't.
Because his thoughts kept returning to Anaya.
And Kabir.
And unanswered questions.
"Sir."
Aarav looked up.
One of his men approached.
"We found the source."
Immediately, the room became silent.
"The anonymous messages?"
The man nodded.
"Not the sender."
Disappointment flickered through Aarav.
"Then what?"
"We traced the photographs."
His attention sharpened.
"Go on."
"They were all taken by the same person."
That wasn't surprising.
"What else?"
The man hesitated.
Then-
"The photographer has been following Anaya Mehra for months."
A dangerous silence followed.
Because following Anaya meant following Kabir.
And that crossed a line.
A very serious line.
"Find him."
The order was simple.
But everyone in the room understood what it meant.
---
Back at the apartment, Anaya was helping Kabir prepare for bed.
The little boy seemed unusually thoughtful.
Which was never a good sign.
"What is it?"
Kabir looked up.
"Can I ask something?"
Here we go.
"Sure."
"Do you miss my father?"
The question hit harder than expected.
For a few seconds, she couldn't respond.
Because the answer was complicated.
Painfully complicated.
"Why are you asking?"
Kabir shrugged.
"My friend's mother misses his father."
Anaya sat beside him.
Children always found the questions adults tried to avoid.
"Sometimes."
The answer was honest.
At least partly.
Kabir nodded slowly.
Then asked the question she wasn't prepared for.
"Does he miss us too?"
Her chest tightened.
Because she knew the truth.
He didn't know they existed.
How could he miss them?
Yet somehow, the answer refused to come.
Instead, she brushed a hand through his hair.
"Go to sleep."
Kabir accepted the change of subject.
For now.
But Anaya knew it wouldn't last forever.
---
The next afternoon, preparations for the charity gala moved to the hotel venue itself.
It was the first time the entire team would inspect the completed decorations.
Anaya arrived early.
Everything looked perfect.
The lighting.
The stage.
The floral arrangements.
Months of planning had finally come together.
She was reviewing a checklist when someone bumped into her.
Hard.
The clipboard slipped from her hands.
Papers scattered everywhere.
"Sorry."
The man who had bumped into her bent down to help.
For a split second, their eyes met.
And something felt wrong.
Very wrong.
The man smiled politely.
Too politely.
Then he handed back the papers and walked away.
Anaya frowned.
A strange chill ran down her spine.
She couldn't explain it.
But she felt watched.
Again.
---
Two floors above, Aarav stood in a private suite overlooking the ballroom.
He was reviewing security footage when something caught his attention.
The screen showed the ballroom entrance.
Guests.
Staff.
Workers.
And then-
Anaya.
A few seconds later, another figure appeared.
The man who had bumped into her.
Aarav's eyes narrowed.
He replayed the footage.
Then again.
And again.
The man's behavior wasn't accidental.
He had approached Anaya deliberately.
Watched her.
Followed her.
Aarav's expression darkened.
Because he recognized him.
Not personally.
But from another report.
The same man suspected of taking the photographs.
The same man who had been watching Anaya and Kabir.
And now he was inside Aarav's hotel.
Close to both of them.
For the first time in weeks, Aarav stopped thinking about the truth.
Stopped thinking about Kabir.
Stopped thinking about Anaya's secrets.
Because a much more immediate problem had appeared.
Someone was targeting them.
And if that person posed even the slightest threat to Anaya or Kabir...
They had just made a very dangerous mistake.
To be continued...