chapter 72

YOU ARE THE RHYTHM OF MY HEART!GChapter 72 :The familiar person is none other than his mother, Saagarika.She had come. She was there to witness her son’s big moment.Despite the joint ownership with the A.K. Group, despite her usual distance from public events, she had made the effort to be there. She knew how much this event meant to Nandu. But what truly caught her off guard was seeing Aadhya standing on the dais, wearing the designer’s crown.She had expected Laila to be the face of the show.Confused, she stood frozen for a moment. But soon, as she listened to the winner’s announcement, Nandu’s words praising Aadhya's courage and performance—understanding washed over her.Though she was furious at Laila’s betrayal, a quiet trace of pride crept into her eyes. Aadhya had saved the show. Aadhya had stood strong. And they had won.With a soft, content smile playing on her lips, Saagarika turned away, choosing to leave quietly before anyone in the family noticed her.But Nandu saw.He saw the gentle pride flicker in her eyes before she disappeared into the crowd. A small but deeply meaningful smile touched his lips. For a moment, he simply stood there—his heart full—before turning back to the guests to continue the conversation.But just as he began to speak again, Akhil came rushing toward him, pushing through the crowd. His posture was tense, his face etched with panic.Nandu immediately noticed and stepped forward, alarm flooding his chest. He gripped Akhil’s shoulders tightly, his voice edged with rising fear.“Akki! What’s wrong?”.Yeshwanth, noticing the sudden urgency, approached swiftly, standing beside his sons, worry clear on his face.Akhil was breathless, his voice shaky.“Aadu... Aadu is missing. I… I can’t find her anywhere”.Nandu staggered back as if the ground beneath him had shifted. His hands dropped from Akhil’s shoulders, his eyes wide in disbelief.“What do you mean by missing?”, he asked, his voice trembling. “Didn’t she go to change her dress? You didn’t see her come back?”.His heart pounded violently. His mind was already racing.Something wasn’t right.With a terrified expression, Akhil replied,“Brother! She had changed, and we were heading toward you. Just in time, I got a call. I asked her to wait and went to take it. But by the time I returned… she was gone. I thought she might’ve come to you, but you were alone. I searched everywhere, thinking someone might have caught up with her. And then… I found this”.He raised his hand, revealing the chain Nandu had given Aadhya—a precious memory of their grandmother.Nandu's eyes widened in shock as he took the chain, his gaze frantically scanning the hall, searching for any sign of Aadhya before his eyes locked on Akhil again.“Did you try calling her?”, Nandu asked, yanking his phone out of his pocket.“Yes! But there’s no reply”, Akhil said, clenching a fistful of his hair in frustration.Just then, Gaurav, Nandu’s personal assistant—rushed toward them, his face strained, breathless from running as if he had just escaped from danger.“Boss!”, he called out, panting heavily before continuing,“I saw Aadhya madam… in a car! And before I could do anything, the car sped away. I wrote down the number!”.He stretched out his palm, revealing a number scribbled in haste.“What?”, Nandu shrieked, his voice quivering. “Who took her? Whose number is this?”, he asked, his entire frame trembling with fear.-  *KRISH*