Chapter 8 #2
He subtly winked at Siya, and she immediately raised her hand, saying she would like to come.
Mr. Goel left with the kindergarten students, and Shaurya instructed his staff to continue engaging the remaining children.
Then he gently lifted Siya into his arms and walked toward his home office.
"Yesss!" Shaurya and Siya high-fived each other once they reached inside the office. Shaurya felt like a child himself with her. Siya giggled at their successful little plan.
"Siya... can you give me ten minutes? I have some work, and after that we can play. What do you say?" Shaurya requested.
"Okay, uncle... for kids, study first; for elders, work first; play next," Siya said.
Shaurya smiled at her response.
Now he understood why Siya was so guarded—or rather, why her mother had protected her so carefully. It was to ensure no one ever hurt her. He silently appreciated her mother for raising her so well and teaching her to protect herself from such a young age.
He also felt a quiet sadness for the woman who had to raise a child alone. At least, he thought, she had support from her family—her parents and the uncle.
If only he had known the truth.
As promised, Shaurya finished his work in ten minutes and then joined Siya. He arranged jigsaw puzzles for kids, and they sat together solving them. After a while, they moved on to coloring books. Shaurya worked alongside her while also playing with her, balancing both worlds effortlessly.
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Akash and Akansha went to the neighbor’s house, but only his wife and daughter were present.
Akansha asked the teenage girl if her father had been sexually harassing her, but the girl denied all allegations.
Shekhar had already left the house after warning his wife and daughter not to say a single word against him.
The Sub-Inspector had earlier cautioned him about Akash’s influence and advised him to stay away for a few days.
"See ma’am, there is no need to be afraid of anything or anyone... I am Akash, Divisional Commissioner. I can help you, but only if you tell me the truth," Akash said softly.
"Sir... thank you for coming here... but we are telling the truth. My husband is not that kind of man... my daughter and I are happy with him," Kavita, Shekhar’s wife, said.
"Beta... your mumma is afraid of something, but you are brave, right? You need to stand up against what is wrong happening with you and your mumma. Tell the truth. Trust me, uncle can help you," Akansha pleaded with the girl.
But neither of them budged.
"Aunty... my papa is nice... we are fine, really," the teenage girl, Sneha, said firmly.
Akash observed them closely. The hesitation, the controlled answers, the fear masked as confidence—it was all too obvious to him. They were not speaking freely. They were speaking under pressure.
He looked at Akansha and shook his head slightly. There was no point pushing further. They were clearly scared and unwilling to go against Shekhar. He understood that much.
"Alright... we won’t force anything," Akash said calmly, his tone tightening slightly. Then he added, more carefully, "But understand this—help is available whenever you need it. Don’t hesitate."
Akansha handed her number to the girl.
"Your mumma has my number. Save it. Call me if you ever need anything," she said before turning away.
Akash followed his sister out of the house.
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"That ba****d has clearly threatened both of them..." Akash said, raking his hand through his hair in frustration.
"I'm more worried about that girl... I just hope Kavita doesn’t leave her daughter alone from now on," Akansha said.
"You are worrying about them while I worry about both of you as well..." Akash replied.
"I know... don't worry, 90% of the time Richa stays with us, and I am very careful. You know me," Akansha said.
"Yes, but still..." Akash trailed off.
"Okay, you are already late for the office. Now go to work... and don't come here after tonight. I'm warning you," Akansha said, worried about drawing attention if Akash stayed longer.
"I won't. But promise me, you'll call me if anything like this happens again. In fact, not just this—any problem, small or big, you'll call me. Promise me, Di... otherwise I'll keep visiting you guys," Akash said stubbornly.
"Akash... you can't do that..." Akansha shrieked.
"Then promise me, Di..." he insisted.
"Fine... I promise. Now leave," she said.
"Bye... take care, Di. Tell my Siyu bacha I'll talk to her in the evening," Akash said, hugging her.
"Okay, okay... now stop with this display of affection. You know I don't like all this," Akansha said, pushing him away and hitting him on his head.
"Stop being so rude, Di. Anyways, I won't stop showing my affection. Bye..." he said, kissing her hair before running away, just before she could hit him again.
"You are nuts, idiot," Akansha called after him.
Akash ignored her, though he heard it.
'This Akash made me take leave for nothing... and it's wasted. That Shekhar already flew somewhere... idiot,' Akansha muttered to herself in frustration. She hated skipping work.
She checked the time—it was almost time to pick Siya from school. She got ready and was about to leave when her phone rang. It was the principal.
Rage built inside her the moment she heard what he had to say.
"How could you make this decision without consulting the parents?" Akansha snapped.
"Akansha... we cannot ignore the CM’s request, and there is no need to worry. Chairman sir is with the kids," the principal tried to calm her.
"Sir... I'm coming to the school to pick my child. Until then, I want my daughter to be present there," Akansha said sharply before hanging up. Her anxiety refused to settle.
What if some of the kids mentioned her name and Shaurya recognized it?
It wouldn't be difficult. Siya was a complete reflection of her father, and her name—Siyakriti—would also be easy to connect if heard.
She cursed herself for naming her daughter that name back then.
She had wanted to give her daughter something connected to her father, if not the man himself, but she had never thought about the consequences.
She forced herself to calm down first, then left for the school to bring her daughter back and deal with the school management.
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"So... what's your mom's name?" Shaurya asked, handing Siya crayons as she colored diligently.
"Anshu..." Siya said, fully focused on filling the white page with colors.
She had often heard her Richa aunty call her mother "Anshu" or "Ansha," so that was what she remembered most of the time.
Moreover, she still struggled to pronounce her full name, "Akansha.
" It was difficult for her, so she preferred "Anshu" or "Ansha" depending on her mood—and unknowingly, that habit had saved her mother today.
"Hm... nice... so who all live in your home?" Shaurya asked gently.
"Mama bear, me... licha aunty..." Siya trailed off. "Opho... uncle, this went out of the border," she whined.
"It's okay, baby... it still looks good," Shaurya said, trying to cheer her up.
"But I want pelfect(perfect), not good," Siya said, pouting sadly.
Mrs. Sudha, who had just entered with a chocolate milkshake for the little girl, stood still for a moment, astonished by her words and expressions. With her antics, she looked just like a baby version of Shaurya.
"Mrs. Sudha... please come in," Shaurya said, noticing her.
"Chocolate milkshake for the kiddo here... and coffee for you, Shaurya," Mrs. Sudha said, placing the coffee mug beside him. She then held the chocolate shake and straw out for Siya, waiting for her to take it.
"Wow... choco shake! I love it... thank you, aunty," Siya said happily, carefully taking it in her hands.
"You sure you can hold it, Siya bacha?" Shaurya asked, lightly supporting the glass.
"Yes, uncle... thank you," Siya replied with a wide smile, appreciating his gentle help.
"She is a very well-mannered kid for her age," Mrs. Sudha commented, still quietly observing the striking resemblance between the child and Shaurya.
"Yeah, that she is... did you give it to all the kids? And you made sure it's with less sugar and ice, right?" Shaurya asked, glancing at Siya, who was now happily focused on her shake instead of her coloring.
"Yes, Shaurya, don't worry... I made it keeping your instructions in mind. I’ve sent it to all the kids. And when I was coming to your office with your coffee, Shweta informed me about a child here, so I brought the shake along," Mrs. Sudha said.
"Thanks, Mrs. Sudha," Shaurya replied.
Mrs. Sudha nodded and gave Siya one last thoughtful glance before walking out.
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Akansha stormed into the principal’s cabin.
"Sir, where is my daughter?" she asked directly, slamming both her palms on the table.
"Akansha... what’s with the aggression? Calm down," the principal said, his patience already wearing thin.
"Sir... you allowed the chairman to take my daughter to the Chief Minister’s house without my consent.
I’m sorry, but I cannot calm down. Parents send their children to school believing they will study within classrooms and within secured premises, not roam around outside.
If the school plans such activities, it must inform the parents—which, in this case, you did not," Akansha said firmly.
"We did send messages to all the parents, Akansha. No one had any problem. In fact, they are happy that their children will be appreciated by the Chief Minister," the principal replied, clearly unable to accept her accusations.
"Really? Then why didn’t I receive any message?" Akansha asked, but then paused as realization struck her.
Since she was a teacher in the same school, she often received internal updates directly and never bothered to check whether her number was properly registered under the parents’ database. She immediately cursed herself for her negligence.