She had a broken family. Yet she was happy. She didn't have a whole, but she was grateful for the half she had.
All Talia has ever known is her life with her mother. The four-year-old only understood that she didn't have a father, unlike her other f...
Hi guys, this is the third chapter. And thank you so much to all those who have voted, commented, and read this book. It means a lot to me. 😍
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The moment I got to know where she was, I immediately ordered David to ready the private jet. By tomorrow, I wanted to be in India. He complied and walked out of the office. Till the time it took to prepare the jet, I thought of whether I should tell dad and my brothers about her.
Her. I paused as I thought for a moment. I didn't even know her name! What was wrong with me today? I wasn't so lousy normally. It must be that damned presenter. If I wasn't sure before, I definitely was now, I'll make him wish he was never born.
A few moments later, David knocked and said that the jet was prepared. Nodding my head at him, I grabbed my coat and walked out of my office. Finally, I had decided that I wouldn't tell my father and brothers. Just to give them a surprise.
Yeah sure, keep lying to yourself, Adriano. You just want to meet her first, before her attention gets diverted from you.
I sometimes seriously hated my subconsciousness, even though it was true. Was I being petty? Yes. Was I being jealous? Yes. Did I care? Nope. As of now, I had informed my father that I was going on a business trip for three days.
As we reach the airport and boarded the jet, I suddenly remembered my earlier plight and turned towards David.
"What's her name?"
"Talia Hayda", he says as if he was expecting me to ask that. I smile at the name, it was our maternal grandmother's before she died due to a heart attack. Hayda must be the surname mom changed to after leaving us.
"Sir about that, there's going to be a lot more paperwork than expected when the legal guardian rights are transferred to you"
I frown and motion for him to continue.
"Apparently, Mrs. Rossi made a fake ID, before leaving the country and her ID says that she is divorced, which will prove a hassle. Also, she changed her surname without proper government authorization."
He pauses and I look at him, "There's more, isn't there?"
He sighs and nods, "Mrs. Rossi is also the owner of Fusion-o, and the inheriting rights are going to pose a problem"
Well, that's not bad at all. Note the sarcasm. I purse my lips and grab my phone. I search through the contacts until I find the name I was looking for. Our lawyer, William was definitely the one who could help us in this situation and be done with it in two days.
After he picked up the phone, I told him the problem and discussed the situation with him. Finally, it was decided that he would reach India by tomorrow, and since he had some contacts there, it would be all sorted out.
18 hours later, we were landing at Bagdogra Airport, the nearest one to Darjeeling. Two more hours by road and I would be meeting my baby sister.
The two hours flew away in mere seconds and the next thing I know, I was walking towards the police station's front gate. After arriving, the Chief Commissioner told me that Talia had been staying with my mom's assistant. Nodding, I tell him to call them to the police station. By the time, they were arriving, I had signed all the papers I needed to regarding Talia's legal guardianship.
A few giggles floated through the open door and I turned my head to meet bright blue eyes. I suck in a breath when I finally got a good look at my sister. All the pictures didn't do her justice.
She is small, that was the first thing I noticed about her.
Of course, she's small, she's four.
She is holding a woman's hand, who I think is mom's assistant Diya. When she notices me, she peers up at me curiously. Smiling at her, I bend down to her level or at least try to. She still has to tilt her head a little bit to see me. I extend my hand towards her, curious as to how she will react.
She stares at it for a few seconds, then a beaming smile pulls at her lips. She pokes my hand with her index finger and giggles softly. My heart melts. Shouldn't I be dead by now? I think I should be dead by now. She then proceeds to shake my hand.
I feel like a giant compared to her when my hand engulfs her.
"Hello Talia", I say trying to strike a conversation up with her.
"How do you know my name?", is her reply. I blink as I wasn't expecting. She's smart. Are four-year-olds supposed to be this smart? God, I don't know anything about kids. This only shows how unprepared I am for this. So, I also decide to be straightforward.
"I'm your brother"
"Bhai?", she says. I frown not understanding that.
"Its brother in Hindi", Diya speaks up. I look up and give her thanks before turning back towards Talia.
"Yup", I say, which is received with a toothy grin.
"So is mama with you?", she asks. My throat dries up, not realizing how to answer that question. Thankfully, Diya comes to my rescue.
"Honey, why don't you go and check if Mr.Whiskers is in your backpack"
Talia's eyes widen, making the cutest expression. She runs out of the room. Seriously, do kids look cute in everything they do? I'm pretty sure she'll look cute even when she's angry.
Turning towards Diya, I start asking her the necessary questions about Talia, like what to feed her, what to give her, what are her favorite things. She answers looking highly amused.
"Calm down Mr. Rossi. Taking care of a kid comes naturally, and isn't your father going to be there to help you? So, it'll be all fine."
Mulling over her words, I give her thanks and walk out of the room. Talia was there with a purple suitcase and a green backpack. And with her bright yellow dress, she looked severely out of place. Walking towards her I hold my hands out.
"Ready to go?"
Talia nods and waves goodbye to practically everyone in the station, and then after a tearful goodbye to Diya, we are on our way to the airport.
When we were on the jet, Talia and I talk. A kid talk. It started with her preferred things and ended with her dissatisfaction with me over not knowing any Disney movies. I was desperate to get her to talk to me. So I decide to enlighten you about our Mini-theatre.
"You know we have a mini-movie theatre in our house. You can make us all watch as many Disney movies as you want"
Her eyes light up like the fourth of July and she starts rambling on and on about her favorite movies. I sigh at the sacrifice I had to make. And soon, the jet takes off.
