As soon as Mishka walked through the main door, Leonard rose from his chair and sauntered towards her with a broad smile.

“Mishka, my darling!” he beamed.

Mishka smiled warmly. As Leonard approached, she bent down to touch his feet first. (a traditional Indian gesture of seeking elders’ blessings) before straightening up and hugging him.

Leonard embraced her, a tender smile on his face, and everyone in the room watched them as though a father and daughter had reunited after years apart.

“How are you, my child? And how was your flight? I hope you arrived comfortably,” he asked.

“The flight was good, but I’m exhausted. I can barely keep my eyes open,” Mishka replied, her tired expression softening her features.

“I can imagine, sweetheart. Let me introduce you to everyone, and then I’ll take you to your room,” Leonard said, gently holding her hand as he guided her forward.

“This is Luke, my son and Chris’s father. This is Jennifer. This is my daughter, Berry, and her husband, Dan. Jake’s mum and dad are over there. And that’s my youngest son, Rony, and his wife, Rose.”

Mishka greeted them warmly with a warm smile. As she approached Rose and reached out her hand, Rose responded with a playful raise of her eyebrow.

“Won’t you touch my feet as well, the way you did with Dad?”

Mishka laughed softly. “Of course, why not?”

She bent down, but before she could complete the gesture, Rose quickly caught her by the arms and chuckled.

“I was only teasing. Come here and give me a hug.”

They embraced, and Leonard glanced around the room, noticing that Christian and Daniel were nowhere to be seen.

“Oh yes, those two went out to play basketball,” he muttered. He summoned a servant and instructed him to call Christian and Daniel inside. The servant nodded and left immediately.

A minute later, Daniel stormed in, holding his ears in mock repentance before Leo, who narrowed his eyes.

“What have you done this time, young man?” Leonard asked, folding his arms across his chest.

“He threw the ball at Mishka’s face. Thank goodness she caught it before it hit her,” Jake said, scowling at Daniel.

“Oh dear! Mishka, are you all right? You’re not hurt, are you?” Leonard asked anxiously.

“I’m absolutely fine, Dadu. It was an accident. He didn’t mean to throw it at me. He was just playing with him,” Mishka replied, gesturing to someone behind him.

Leonard turned and saw Christian leaning against the doorframe, hands tucked into his pockets, watching the scene unfold.

“Chris, come here. I want you to meet Mishka,” Leonard called enthusiastically.

Christian pushed himself away from the doorframe and strode forward, his expression carved from stone. The room thrummed with a charged silence as each step brought him closer to her.

“Mishka, this is Christian, my eldest grandson. Chris, this is Mishka.”

They shook hands.

Leonard’s gaze swept across the room. Only three faces looked genuinely pleased: Rony, Rose, and Daniel.

His eyes returned to Mishka and Christian, and he noticed they were still holding hands.

He cleared his throat with a faint smile, breaking the moment.

“Mishka, come along. Let me show you your room. Have some rest. I’d like to discuss something rather important later.”

She nodded, gently withdrew her hand, and followed Leonard upstairs.

~ CHRISTIAN ~

As I watched Jake and Mishka disappear into the mansion, someone tapped my shoulder. I turned to see Pasha standing behind me, a smirk firmly in place.

Pasha was Grandfather’s old university friend and the most trusted man in his life.

He was Grandfather’s lawyer, adviser, private investigator — practically everything except his wife.

One might escape Grandfather’s scrutinising gaze, but never Pasha’s. He was his shadow, reporting even the smallest detail.

“What?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. “Why are you smirking at me?”

“Nothing,” he replied lightly. “I can see she’s cast her spell already.”

I rolled my eyes.

“Rubbish. It’s nothing of the sort. I’m merely surprised. Indian girls, at least the few I met at university, were rather shy and conservative. But she’s entirely the opposite of what I expected.”

Pasha chuckled. “Don’t worry. She’s full of surprises. Give it time, she’ll change all your opinions.”

I was about to retort when a housekeeper interrupted, informing us that Grandpa wanted Daniel and me inside.

Daniel ran ahead. I followed more slowly and paused at the door, watching him stand before Grandpa, holding his ears in apology while Jake complained.

Mishka clarified that it had been an accident and even gestured in my direction.

Grandpa called me forward to meet her.

I walked to where they were standing and shook her hand. I don’t know about her, but something stirred within me — a faint spark, unexpected and unsettling.

She, however, withdrew her hand quickly and followed Grandpa upstairs.

As I watched her ascend the staircase, Daniel’s voice came from behind me.

“She’s gorgeous, isn’t she?”

I turned to find him staring after her, wide-eyed.

“No, she isn’t. And stop gawping at her like that. Go home and finish your homework. You have school tomorrow,” I said sharply.

He glared in my direction. “If she’s not gorgeous, then why were you staring at her? You haven’t taken your eyes off her since she walked in.”

“Shut up. I was not staring.”

“Oh, please. You can stare. She looks far better than that cake-faced Lia,” he shot back, grinning before darting off down the corridor.

I stood there for a moment, jaw tight, then stormed away, needing space to clear my head.

Later that Evening,

Christian was focused on his phone while walking down the corridor and accidentally bumped into someone.

He looked up to find Mishka standing before him. She wore black joggers and a gray T-shirt identical to his own.

“Oh! I’m so sorry. I didn’t see you,” she apologised.

“It’s all right,” Christian replied curtly, turning to leave.

“Chris — could you tell me where Dadu is, please?”

“What’s ‘Dadu’?” he asked, puzzled.

“In India, we call our grandfathers ‘Dadu’,” she explained with a smile.

“Oh. He’ll likely be in his study. Third door on the second floor.”

“Thank you.”

In Leonard’s Study,

Leonard was reviewing some documents prepared by his lawyer when there was a knock at the door. He called the visitor in without looking up.

“Dadu?” Mishka’s voice came softly as she peered inside.

“Oh, Mishka. Come in. I’ve been waiting for you,” Leonard said, setting the papers aside.

“You mentioned something important you wished to discuss,” she said, taking a seat opposite him. “What is it?”

Leonard hesitated briefly before meeting her eyes.

“There’s something I’ve had on my mind since we met in India.” He paused. “I would like you to marry my grandson, Chris.”

Mishka’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“You’re joking… aren’t you?” she asked, arching an eyebrow, completely taken aback.