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He panicked.
“Maria,” Ranveer yelled at the top of his voice.
Maria was Laura's replacement, who was already tense on her first day of the job, wondering what had gotten her boss so annoyed.
“Yes, Sir?” Maria responded nervously.
“Where is Maya?” Ranveer demanded.
“Oh, Maya, Ma'am. She has—” Maria paused, retrieving a note from her diary. “She has asked me to give you this.”
Ranveer took the note from her and read it.
‘Have you ever played Treasure hunt, Ranveer?’
What the! Of course, he had played this stupid game, but what connection did it have now?
“Second note, Sir,” Maria handed him another note from her diary.
Ranveer groaned and snatched the note from her to read.
‘I am sure you have. So, if you want to know where I am, you need to find me. Hunt your wife, Sweetheart.’
Ranveer clenched his jaw. Wife Hunt? Seriously?
“Third note, Sir.” Maria slowly gave him the next note from her diary, holding her blush. Ranveer stared at the woman, annoyed.
“How many more of these do you have?” he scowled.
“That’s the last one with me, Sir.”
Ranveer sighed and left for his bedroom, reading the note on the way.
‘First Clue: I love this place the most in the house.’
Her most loved place in this house - the Poolside? Yes, that’s the place she loved the most. The first time she was here in Paradise, to apologize to him, she had slipped and fallen into the pool where he was already swimming. He couldn’t even explain what his body went through that day, seeing her all drenched. Shrugging all those thoughts away, he hurried to the poolside. God knows how many more clues he had to guess before finding his beautiful wife, hopefully in red.
As he reached by the pool, he saw a red rose placed on a note kept at the side of the pool. That must be his next clue. He picked up the rose. It had her perfume on it. She was purposely doing this, wasn’t she? Sprinkling her everyday perfume on the rose to lure him even before coming face-to-face. He opened the note.
‘Good guess, Mister. Did I ever tell you how much I love seeing you swim here? I could write essays over this place with you in it.
Second Clue: The room where I see you the most, every morning or late nights.’
Ranveer stiffened. She loved watching him swim? He hadn’t realized that so far. If that’s so, he should swim more often and maybe even make her join him in the pool. The mere thought of it hardened him. Every delay in finding her was testing his patience. Once this was all over, he promised to make her pay. He read the second clue again and then gave it a quick thought. He was always in the home gym early mornings and when he couldn’t work out in the morning, he did so late at night. So, the second clue pointed to the gym. He strode there. It wasn’t difficult to find the next note amidst so many gym instruments because, just like before, the note had a red rose placed neatly above it. That red color was in stark contrast to the black instruments in the room. He picked the second rose and the note placed at the dumbbells.
‘I wish to work out here with you someday – A romantic couple workout.
Third Clue: You want me here, but never had me here.’
Ranveer smirked. If she thought he wouldn’t be able to find this clue, she was totally wrong. He knew what this place was. The shower. He had always desired to make love to her under the shower. Was she there now? This was more torturous than he had thought. He walked to their bedroom and headed straight inside the bathroom. The shower cubicle was all dry. She wasn’t there, but the next note was. He was getting annoyed now. Why was she testing his limits to this extent? He picked the note and read it.
‘Dirty mind. You didn’t take a second to find this clue, did you? Lol. Now, no more clues. If you wish to find me, close your eyes and think where I am. If you really love me, you will guess it in no time.’
Ranveer felt an urge to crumple the note this time. How could Maya assess his love for her based on mere speculation like this? It didn't seem fair. Returning to the bedroom, he found it empty. He scanned the room, feeling a sense of disbelief. This is where she belonged; she had to be here. Should he trust his instincts and let his heart guide him to her whereabouts? Glancing at the closet, a sudden intuition struck him. With only two potential hiding spots in the room – behind the curtains or within the closet – and the curtains no longer offering concealment due to their translucent nature, the closet remained the sole option. He approached the closet and gently slid open its door. There he saw his wife, Maya Malhotra, her expression one of bewilderment.
“Hey,” he smirked with relief, finding her after all his efforts. His eyes wandered around her petite form sitting inside one of the compartments where his suits usually hung all this time. She had worn a red gown with thin straps over her shoulder. Her silky hair was curled at the end, and a red gloss on her lips was her only makeup tonight.
“How did you get in there?” he asked.
