Chapter 9

The Search

A month had passed.

Sharada’s legal complaint collapsed in court. The documents were airtight, the signatures verified, the transfer lawful. The judge ruled clearly — both and were under Veeresh Raisinghania’s ownership.

Business stabilized.

Profits rose.

Operations ran smoother than ever.

On paper, everything was perfect.

But Veeresh wasn’t.

His cabin lights stayed on late into the night. Files remained unsigned. Meetings were shorter. His temper was sharper.

Because Poornima had vanished.

The day Rayan informed him that she never reached her parents’ house, Veeresh had quietly activated every contact he had. Railway CCTV footage. Ticket verifications. Station vendors. Private investigators. Hospitals in Tumkur. Lodges. Temple guest houses.

Nothing.

No trace.

It was as if she had stepped onto that train and dissolved into thin air.

Ritwik and Rayan worked tirelessly, fear silently building inside them. They had seen their boss ruthless in business. They had seen him cold in negotiations.

But this—

This was different.

He wasn’t angry.

He was desperate.

Every day, the first question was the same.

“Any update?”

Every day, the answer was the same.

“No, sir.”

Veeresh would simply nod.

But his jaw would tighten.

Some nights, he would stand alone in his office, staring at the city lights, replaying that moment at the railway platform.

Her pale face.

The faint slap mark.

The way she said thank you.

The way she held her stomach.

He remembered Akash’s weak voice in the ICU.

Take care of my wife…

Veeresh ran his hand through his hair in frustration.

“Where the hell are you, Poornima?” he muttered under his breath.

For a man who controlled empires, not knowing felt like defeat.

At home, he was quieter. Even Inayat noticed. His stepmother watched him from a distance, sensing the storm inside him but not asking questions.

Ritwik doubled the search radius.

Rayan checked records personally.

Still nothing.

The absence of news was becoming terrifying.

Because disappearance meant possibilities.

And not all possibilities were safe.

Veeresh had faced competitors, lawsuits, betrayals.

But this uncertainty—

This helplessness—

It was eating him alive.

One line:
For the first time, Veeresh Raisinghania feared he might have failed a promise.