The Girl In His Heart

Chapter 1

Inhale. Exhale.

Casper let out a huge puff of smoke and a spasm of pain contorted his face.

He didn't know why but his chest felt a little stuffy. It was getting difficult to breathe. Blame it on the cigarette smoke.

He loosened his tie and undid the first two buttons of his white shirt. His Rolex watch was ruthlessly thrown at the side table. Dusk light from the sun shined lazily on his body, illuminating his sharp features and chiseled face.

His thin lips were pursed and brows were furrowed in an unnoticeable fashion. A piercing gaze from his grey orbs added to the sharpness of his features but it softened slightly on landing on a metal band on his left hand. His lips twitched to form a slight arc.

He looked down at the bustling street from the 33rd floor of his office building. Cars, fancy motor vehicles all were rushing to reach their chosen destination. He smirked to himself and glanced at his hands- a cigarette stick and wine flute.

He gulped a mouthful of his imported wine and let out another puff of smoke. This was his life.

Surrounded by all luxuries and whatnot, his life looked perfectly stable from the outside. But No one knew of his emotional struggles and loneliness. What would he do with all these luxuries when he had no one to share them with? The one he solely wished- her.

Involuntarily his mind went down the memory lane- the night fifteen years ago.

He was not always rich. He once lived in a shaggy apartment in the shady parts of the city with his mother. Everyone looked at him with scorn. He was a bastard -the one born out of wedlock. Since childhood, he was faced with whispers and murmurs. As a child, he came face to face with the cruel reality of society.

"Look, where the bastard is going!"

"Did your mamma's lover not give you something to eat?"

He faced it all with a brave face. In a dark corner of their apartment, he used to release all of it out occasionally. Some tears and sobs were let out but his mother never came to know of them. He was strong for her and determined to give her a deserving life. And he did give her that.

His worn-out clothes never appealed to anyone. They got pity, sympathetic gazes, and even some pushes. He was never treated the same as them. Except for her.

She was eight years old that time and he was ten. She was the apple of the eyes of the society where he was a shame; an embarrassment. Her heart was the purest he had seen. There was no scorn or pity when she saw him. It was curiosity and a big genuine smile.

His mother was seriously ill that day and he had taken it upon himself to get her medicines from the nearest medical store. He never bothered with the affairs of others nor the others did. But she was so naive and innocent that he had to intervene.

A big, burly sturdy man was talking to her.

"Where are your parents,dear? "

He could not hear her reply but the man was guiding her towards his black car.

"Let me take you back to your home. Get in the car and we will reach there in a minute."

The stupid girl giggled at the man. Giggled!

Could she not see the black tinted windows of the car or absence of the license plate? She was really very naive.

"Stop! That man is no good, girl." He could not trust his own voice when he said that. He regretted it the moment he said the words. She was not going to believe him. Nobody did. He was going to walk away when he heard her angelic voice.