The song on top describes Shubman's feelings in the end of the chap

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"Hey hey, stop crying beta" - Ishan tried to calm him down.

Shubman who was looking for vivaan heard his cries and immediately rushes towards him.

"Vivaan! What's wrong, baby? Why are you crying?" - he quickly takes Vivaan in his arms and pats his back trying to calm him down.

Vivaan sniffled pointing at Ishan. He was about to say when Shubman shouted.

"Who the hell are you? And what are you doing here, making my child cry?"

"Wait, wait! It's not what it looks like. I was just—" Ishan raised his hands defensively.

"Not what it looks like? My son is in tears, and you're standing here like it's nothing? Start talking!"

"Your son came to me himself-"

"And you decided to make him cry." Shubman interrupted me.

"Who the hell are you at the first place" - Shubman said.

"To know Who I am you should be present in the meetings" - Ishan said glaring at him and left from the place.

"What the actual fuck" - Shubman muttered and he took Vivaan inside his cabin and called abhishek.

"Abhishek, In my cabin right now" - Shubman said on call while pressing his hands on his head.

Abhishek asked mayank to stay in his cabin while he rushed to check on Shubman.

"What’s wrong, Shubman? Why did you call me? You sounded furious." - Abhishek entered closing the door behind him.

"Who the fuck was that guy, Abhishek? And what the hell happened in the meeting? Explain. Now."

"Alright, calm down. The project head of Hundia industries, Yash Hundia. During the meeting, he proposed a collaboration between us and Kishan industries. So according to his conditions, The team from their company will stay here for the 90 day project."

"So, let me get this straight. You’re telling me that we’re stuck working with them for three months? And you didn’t think to consult me before agreeing to this circus?" - Shubman said clenching his fists.

"Shubman, You know this project was important for us. I know it's not ideal but- "

"Not ideal? You don't realize the mess this could create, Some guy from their company made Vivaan cry and infact do you know about the company history? Are they fair? What if we work jointly and they take all the credit. I cannot believe how are you this stupid Abhishek."

"Calm down shubman, they are a trustworthy company I have researched well. You are saying things just because he made Vanu cry.It might be a misunderstanding."

"Fine, If you say so" Shubman nodded.

"Besides, I guess you met the CEO. You should have met his secretary Mayank, he is so hot, well even that CEO looks good. But that mayank he is so captivating." - Abhishek said getting lost in his dreamy thoughts.

"Abhishek- ABHISHEK" - Shubman shaked him.

----

"Mayu try to understand This Shubman gill more like, Short-tempered Gill. He is so unprofessional, rude and short tempered"

"What happened ishu?"

"His son called me 'Mumma,' and when I told him, 'No, I am not your mom, you kid,' he started crying, and then Gill saw it and blamed me."

"It's okay, Ishu. Maybe just his fatherly instincts popped up."

"But he should listen to what the other person is saying, right? Faaltu mein chilla diya usne."

(Like this only he shouted at me)

"But the main question is, why was his son calling you 'Mumma'?"

"Kya pata, baap-bete dono hi pagal hain."

(I don't know, dad-son both are mad)

"Ishan, since when did you start hating kids?"

"No, I love kids, and I like him too, but uska jo baap hai na, woh—"
(But his father is-)

"Okay, okay, stop. Enough, I got it."

"you tell, How is this Abhishek guy. Is he also like that idiot gill?"

"No no infact he was very nice and hot-"

"Ahem, Hot huh so Do we get to see an office affair here" - Ishan said with a teasing smirk.

"Shut up" - Mayank blushed.

-----

Mayank went to the washroom in the meantime Ishan went in the canteen as it was lunch time now.

In the canteen, Vivaan was eating his pasta when he spotted Ishan. He immediately called out,

"Mumma!" he made grabby hand gestures. Ishan went near him and Vivaan immediately latched onto him,

"Hello, Mumma." He said

"Baby, I’m not your Mumma." Ishan replied to which Vivaan pouted and was about to cry again.

"See baby I am a man so I can't be your mumma. But I can be your uncle instead. Good idea, no?" -Ishan got scared and quickly said.

"Nuhh, mumma!" Vivaan shook his head.

"I am a man. Men can't be mothers naa," Ishan grunted.

"Then papa!" Vivaan said holding onto Ishan's shirt.

"You already have your dad,"

"Nuh he is dada and you are papa," Vivaan giggled.

"I can't be your papa," Ishan huffed out. Seeing his angry face Vivaan started crying again.

Everyone started looking at their tables and feeling embarrassed Ishan quickly accepted his defeat.

"Okay okay, you can call me papa. But don't cry!" He squealed out.

"Okay, Papa." - Vivaan agreed and smiled. Ishan was in disbelief for a minute seeing how easily he stopped crying.

"What's your name bacha?"

"I’m Vivaan, papa."

"Vivaan" Shubman's PA, Shreyas, came, looking for Vivaan.

As he entered the canteen, he saw Ishan with Vivaan, and with a smile, he thought, A cutie with a cutie.

"Your dad is waiting for you in the cabin." Shreyas walked over to Vivaan and gently told him

"No, I wanna stay with Papa." Vivaan pouted.

Shreyas’s eyes widened in surprise as he looked at Ishan, who quickly closed his eyes in embarrassment, not knowing how to react.

Shreyas's heart skipped a beat when he looked at Ishan. As their eyes met, Ishan opened his eyes and smiled. Shreyas got lost in the moment, unable to look away, feeling an unexpected rush of emotions.

Ishan quickly broke the eye contact and looked at Vivaan, who was smiling at him.

"Papa, feed me, please," Vivaan said, his eyes sparkling with innocence.

Ishan, feeling a bit awkward, glanced at Shreyas, who was still watching them. Taking a deep breath, Ishan grabbed the fork and, with a shy smile, began feeding Vivaan, trying to ignore the fluttering feeling in his chest. He felt different when Vivaan smiled at him.

I am maybe overthinking it. It's just out of my love for kids. - Ishan thought

Shubman noticed it had been a while since he sent Shreyas to bring Vivaan, so he decided to go check on them himself. As he entered the canteen, he saw Ishan feeding Vivaan. For a moment, his eyes softened, but he quickly regained his cold demeanor.

"What the hell, I sent you to bring Vivaan, and you’re here, looking at a stranger feeding him?" -He glanced at Shreyas and said sharply.

Shreyas snapped out of his trance, looking guilty, but Shubman’s piercing gaze made him quickly straighten up.

"Vivaan, let’s go," Shubman said, approaching him and trying to pick him up. But Vivaan refused, whining.

"I wanna stay with Papa."

Shubman was taken aback, confused. He looked at Ishan, who was again visibly embarrassed.

"Who?" Shubman asked, his tone firm but puzzled.

"Him, he is my papa, dada." Vivaan pointed at Ishan and said.

Shubman’s eyes widened slightly, and he glanced at Ishan, who was now blushing under the intensity of the situation.

"What nonsense, Vivaan."

Vivaan trembled and his eyes welled with tears.

"okay okay baby don't cry. Papa has to go now come let's go."

Vivaan pouted and hugged Ishan. Ishan felt a sense of warmth and he hugged him back and kissed his forehead.

"Bye papa"-He said and Ishan smiled and waved at him.

-----------

"I need a cabin also Mr sharma and we will start working on this project from tomorrow"

"Let's prepare a schedule then." - Abhishek said.

"Uhm Should I call ishu" - Mayank said taking his phone.

Abhishek held his wrist and took the phone from him.

"I think we both are enough for this" -Abhishek said huskily making Mayank shiver.

Abhishek placed his laptop on the table and asked Mayank to sit down. Abhishek stood behind the chair, one arm resting on the chair’s arm, the other on the cursor. His face was just above Mayank's shoulder, creating an intimate closeness. Mayank froze, feeling the tension of the proximity.

Abhishek was preparing a schedule on MS Excel. He turned to look at Mayank, his nose brushing against Mayank's cheek.

"Is this okay?" he asked softly, his breath warm against Mayank's skin.

A shiver ran down Mayank's spine, but he nodded in response.

"Looks good, right?" Abhishek said, giving Mayank a reassuring smile.

Mayank nodded again, and Abhishek, with a quiet smile, whispered,

"We did a good job." Then, unexpectedly, he kissed Mayank's cheek.

Mayank's eyes widened in surprise and he blushed deeply and looked down.

-----

Shubman carefully placed Vivaan on the couch in his cabin, then sat down on his knees, facing him. With a concerned expression, he asked,

"Why were you calling him 'Papa'?"

Vivaan looked up at him, a serious expression on his face.

"He is my mumma dada, But mumma does not like being called mumma, and Vivaan respects that, so he will call mumma papa." - He said softly.

Shubman stared at Vivaan, his heart softening as he listened to his reasoning.

"Okay but vanu, Who told you he was your papa?" - Shubman asked furrowing his eyebrows.

"Papa's name is Ishan which is like isha mumma. He is our papa angel" - Vivaan said innocently

When Vivaan mentioned that his name was Ishan, which was similar to Isha, Mumma's name, Shubman’s expression shifted. His eyes darkened, a flicker of discomfort crossing his face. The mention of Isha, despite it being innocently connected to the name Ishan, triggered something deep within him.

His jaw tightened, and the air in the room grew heavier. He fought to keep his emotions in check, but the subtle tension in his posture betrayed the complexity of the feelings. His gaze momentarily hardened, and he took a slow breath, trying to regain his composure.

In the evening, when they reached home, Vivaan had already fallen asleep in the car, exhausted. Shubman gently picked him up and carried him inside, placing him carefully in his room. He covered Vivaan with the duvet, brushing a soft kiss against his forehead and gave him a small smile.

Afterwards, Shubman went downstairs to the gym room to get rid of the discomfort that had been building inside him all evening. He quickly changed into sweatpants, the fabric hanging loosely as he approached the punching bag. His movements were aggressive, each punch landing with force as he let out the tension.

He paused for a moment, reaching for a cigarette, lighting it. He took a long drag, the smoke spreading into the air as he went towards the balcony, Shubman closed his eyes, the quiet night surrounding him, and let the cool breeze calm him, trying to find some sense of peace from the chaos inside.

Shubman stood there, cigarette in hand, the moonlight casting a soft glow on his features as his thoughts churned. He paused, his fists clenched at his sides as his mind grappled with the emotions swirling inside him.

It’s not Isha, and it’s not her past that’s triggering me, he thought, taking another drag of his cigarette.

I hate that woman, and I’ve well moved on...

But then his thoughts shifted. His jaw tightened, his brow furrowing in frustration.

But this Ishan guy... who the fuck is he?

The question lingered in his mind, unanswered, the discomfort only deepening as he tried to push it away. He closed his eyes and Ishan's face appeared on his mind.

He groaned and threw his cigarette angrily.

"I Hate everything related to her. Why is his name Ishan?! I fucking hate him"

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A/N - sarcastic1212 and me r writing this story on collaboration so if updates r not consistent usko gaali dena 😔👉👈