Chapter 73: The Search Begins.
Captain Koker sat at his desk, the silence of his office pressing in like a vice. The lamp’s dim glow cast shadows across the papers scattered in front of him, but his eyes were fixed on the dark ocean beyond the window. Mira was gone. Three weeks, and not a word. His daughter, his only child, had slipped out of his world, and he hadn’t even noticed. His fingers tightened around the edge of the desk, knuckles white, as the fear he’d been fighting clawed its way up his chest.
He’d built an empire, outsmarted tycoons, crushed competitors, but this—this was different. Mira wasn’t a deal to be won or a rival to outmaneuver. She was his kid, and she was out there, somewhere, beyond his reach.
The thought made his stomach churn, a feeling he wasn’t used to. Failure wasn’t in his vocabulary, but right now, it was all he could taste.
He pressed the intercom, his voice sharp. "Get me Sterling. Now."
Minutes later, the door opened, and Marcus Sterling stepped in. The private investigator was a lean man in his fifties. He carried a battered leather briefcase, his suit slightly wrinkled, but his posture was all business. Koker had hired him before, to dig up dirt on competitors, track disloyal partners...but this was personal, this was his daughter.
"Mr. Koker," Sterling said, nodding as he set his briefcase on the table. "Your personal assistant sounded urgent on the phone."
"Sit," Koker said, he said with a clipped tone. He didn’t look at Sterling, his gaze still fixed on the window. "My daughter’s gone. For three weeks now. She flew out with my jet to Mumbai. Without my approval. I want her found by all means possible."
Sterling pulled out a notepad, his pen already moving. "Mira, right? Age, description, any recent conflicts?"
Koker’s jaw tightened. He hated this, having to explain his daughter like she was a missing asset. "She’s eventeen. Five-foot-six, dark hair long hair, sharp tongue, sharper mind. No conflicts I know of, but I’ve been... away. Geneva. Business."
Sterling’s pen paused, his eyes flicking up. "Away for how long?"
"Two months," Koker said, the words bitter in his mouth. "She was at school. Brookside High. I thought she was fine."
Sterling nodded, jotting a note. "And she took your jet. That’s bold. Any idea why Mumbai?"
Koker’s hand twitched, itching to slam the desk again. "If I knew, I wouldn’t need you, would I?"
Sterling didn’t flinch. "Fair point. But I need something to work with. Friends, boyfriends, enemies? Any reason she’d pull a stunt like this?"
Koker leaned back, his chair creaking under his weight. "Mira’s not the type to run off for no reason. She’s stubborn, not reckless. But she transferred a million dollars from my accounts. Without my permission. My staff let it happen because they were too scared to say no to her."
Sterling raised an eyebrow. "A million bucks? That’s not pocket change, Koker. Any chance she’s in trouble? Debt, blackmail, something like that?"
Koker’s eyes narrowed. "Watch it, Sterling. She’s my daughter, not some con artist."
"I’m not saying she is," Sterling said, his voice calm but firm. "But kids don’t move that kind of money and hop a private jet to India for fun. She’s got a plan, or someone’s got one for her. You sure she didn’t mention anything? A fight, a project, anything?"
Koker’s mind raced. He hadn’t spoken to Mira in two months. Not really. A few texts, a rushed call here and there, but he’d been neck-deep in the deal that just fell apart.
He tried to picture her last visit, her rolling her eyes, laughing, storming off when he told her to focus on school. Had she said anything about Mumbai? About needing money? He came up blank.
"I don’t know," he admitted. "She didn’t tell me anything."
Sterling leaned forward, his pen tapping the notepad. "Okay. Let’s start with what we do know. She was at the estate three weeks ago, with friends, talking about a school cultural exhibition. Then she’s on a plane to Mumbai with two others. Who were they?"
Koker’s jaw worked. "I don’t know. The flight manifest said three passengers, no names. My crew didn’t question her. They’re fired now."
Sterling’s lips twitched, almost a smile. "Firing’s one way to handle it. But I need access to that manifest, the crew, anyone who saw her. And her room, any chance I can take a look?"
Koker stood, his movements sharp. "You’re here to find her, not play detective in my house. Start with the jet. Track the flight, the passengers, where they went after landing."
Sterling didn’t move, his eyes steady on Koker. "I get it, you’re pissed. You want her back now. But if you want me to find her fast, I need to know who she is. What she’s into. Why she’d run. That means checking her room, her phone, her laptop. Kids leave trails, Mr. Koker. Even smart ones like Mira."
Koker’s hands clenched. An outsider poking into his daughter’s life, into his failures as a father, very annoying. But Sterling was right. Mira was smart, smarter than most. If she’d gone to Mumbai, she had a reason, and it wasn’t in his office or his bank accounts.
"Fine," he said, his voice tight. "Her room’s upstairs. But you’re not touching anything without me there."
Sterling nodded, standing. "Lead the way."
Koker strode out of the office, Sterling following. The house was too quiet, the marble floors echoing their steps. Koker’s chest tightened as he climbed the stairs, each step heavier than the last.
Mira’s room was at the end of the hall, the door slightly ajar. Koker pushed it open, the familiar scent of her perfume hitting him like a punch. The room was neat, too neat, like she’d planned to leave. Her bed was made, her desk organized, but a few things stood out—a crumpled receipt on the floor, a notebook half-tucked under a pillow.
Sterling moved to the desk, his eyes scanning everything. "Mind if I look at this?" he asked, pointing to the notebook.
Koker nodded, his throat tight. "Go ahead."
Sterling flipped it open, his fingers careful. The pages were filled with Mira’s handwriting—notes about school, sketches of dresses, random thoughts. But one page caught his eye, the ink darker, the writing hurried.
"Mumbai. Need to go. It’s the only way to fix this. E. and L. will help. Don’t tell Dad—he’ll stop me."
Sterling’s brow furrowed. "E. and L. Friends?"
Koker stared at the page, his heart pounding. "I don’t know. She never mentioned anyone by those initials."
Sterling kept reading, his voice low. "Says here she needed the money for ’the exchange.’ Any idea what that means?"
Koker’s mind blanked. "No. She never talked about anything like that."
Sterling closed the notebook, his expression grim. "Okay. This is something. She’s working with two people, E. and L., and it’s tied to some kind of deal in Mumbai. Could be a project, could be trouble. I’ll need her phone records, bank transactions, anything you’ve got."
Koker’s jaw tightened. "You think she’s in danger?"
Sterling met his eyes. "I think a seventeen-year-old who moves a million bucks and flies halfway across the world without telling her dad is either running from something or running toward it. Either way, it’s not good."
Koker’s hands shook, and he shoved them into his pockets to hide it. "Find her, Sterling. Whatever it takes. Money’s no object."
Sterling nodded, tucking the notebook under his arm. "I’ll start with the airline, track the passengers. But I need you to be straight with me, Mr. Koker. Anything you’re not telling me? Any reason she’d want to hide this from you?"
Koker’s mind flashed to the fights, the times Mira had begged him to stay home, to listen. He’d brushed her off, told her he was building a future for her. Had she been trying to tell him something? Had he missed it?
"I wasn’t around," he said, his voice rough. "I was working. Always working. If she was in trouble, I didn’t see it."
Sterling’s eyes softened, just for a moment. "Kids don’t always tell you what they’re into. But we’ll find her. I’ll need access to her accounts, her school records, anything that might show who E. and L. are."
Koker nodded, his chest heavy. "You’ll have it. Everything."
Sterling turned to leave, but Koker grabbed his arm.
"Sterling. If she’s in trouble, if someone’s hurt her...you make them pay. You hear me?"
Sterling’s jaw tightened. "I hear you. But let’s focus on getting her back first."
Koker let go, watching as Sterling headed for the door. The room felt smaller now, the walls closing in. His heart sank. She’d been planning this, and he’d had no idea. His daughter, his world, was out there, and he’d let her slip away.
Koker sank onto her bed, he felt powerless. His empire, his billions, his control, none of it could bring her back. But he’d find her. He’d tear the world apart if he had to.