Chapter 18 #3
"Okay, sir. I understand the urgency. My team and I will do our best to complete this before the review meeting next week," Akansha said, forcing herself not to sigh.
This man hadn’t changed one bit—if anything, he had only grown more stubborn. She silently cursed her fate for having to deal with him again.
Even though Akansha had stepped back, the team silently admired how fiercely she had argued to buy them more time. It impressed everyone—including Mrs. Arora. Everyone except Samuel.
Had she been alone with Shaurya in his cabin, she wouldn’t have backed down so easily.
She had stronger arguments, enough to completely corner him.
But in front of an audience, pushing further would have raised questions.
No matter what, he was still the Chief Minister—a powerful man no one could openly challenge beyond a point.
She already knew she had crossed more lines than anyone else ever dared to. But that was her nature—when she knew she was right, she didn’t back down, no matter who stood in front of her. And with Shaurya, that cold detachment she had built only fueled her resistance further.
But not anymore.
"Good. Now I would like to hear about further advancements from the research perspective," Shaurya said.
The team mentally groaned. It was clear he intended to grill each one of them today.
"Sure. Dr. Rashid will brief you on that," Akansha said, turning towards Dr. Khan, who took over the presentation.
After the discussion concluded, Shaurya finally left—reluctantly.
Spending time in the same room as his wife after an entire month had brought him a strange sense of peace. He didn’t want to leave. But he had no choice. Several important meetings awaited him, and he couldn’t delay them any further.
The moment he stepped out—
"God! You can’t even call him a devil when he looks like that," Mrs. Arora huffed.
Akansha shot her a sharp look.
What exactly did she mean by ‘that’?
And more importantly—wasn’t she a little too old to be openly drooling over men? That too, someone younger than her… and her boss?
The thought irritated her more than it should have.
She pushed it away almost immediately. It didn’t matter. He didn’t matter.
Soon, everyone got back to work.
A few days passed.
Siya called Shaurya to check if he had returned to the city. When he confirmed, she insisted on meeting him. He couldn’t refuse his little friend—especially when his own heart longed to see her just as much.
The only obstacle was Siya’s aunt, Richa Upadhyay, who kept coming up with excuses to delay their meeting—for reasons he couldn’t understand.
He had met Siya a few times through Richa, but he still didn’t fully understand their relationship. All he knew was that the little girl and the journalist shared the same home.
This time, he made a mental note to find out more. If he wanted to keep this bond with Siya for life, he deserved to know everything about her.
In fact, he had already decided—after the elections, he would meet her mother and offer whatever support she might need in raising Siya.
From what little he had observed, Siya’s mother was a woman of strong values. It reflected in the way the child had been raised—disciplined, a little guarded, but deeply rooted. And the way Siya spoke about her mother… it said everything.
He wanted that woman to know that he would always stand by his little friend.
If only he knew—
that the strong woman he admired from a distance was once his wife…
and that it was his own betrayal that had forced her to raise their daughter with such guarded strength.
Shaurya tried to convince Richa, but she kept coming up with strange excuses.
By now, he understood—she simply didn’t want Siya to meet him.
The reason, however, remained unclear. He decided to give her some time, hoping she might change her mind.
But in the process, little Siya was the one who suffered.
Richa asked Siya not to call Shaurya often, and that didn’t go well with the child. She cried, threw tantrums, and did everything in her power to make her aunt take her to him—but this time, Richa stood firm. She was determined to keep the promise she had made to her friend.
Akansha got busy with her work, while Richa continued postponing their visit to Shaurya, leaving Siya deeply upset. Whenever Siya asked for Richa’s phone to call him, she was denied with one excuse or another. Eventually, the little girl decided to call him using her mother’s phone.
Siya was dialing Shaurya’s number when Akansha walked in with her food.
"Babybear... who are you calling? Mamu?" Akansha asked.
Siya immediately hung up before the call could connect.
Seeing the fear on her daughter’s face, Akansha frowned. "Siya... what happened, baby? Won’t you tell Mumma?" she asked gently.
Siya threw herself into her mother’s arms, sobbing uncontrollably. Akansha’s heart clenched. She knew this pattern—Siya only cried like this when the topic of her father surfaced. The little girl longed for a father figure in her life more than she ever expressed in words.
"Siyabear..." Akansha whispered, rubbing her back and placing soft kisses on her head, trying to calm her down.
"Un... uncuul... I want uncle... uncuul..." Siya sobbed, clinging to her tightly.
Akansha’s heartbeat spiked. Was she talking about Shaurya?
"Licha aunty... Licha aunty said no... I can’t call uncuul..." Siya hiccupped.
Akansha’s eyes widened. Did she just try calling Shaurya from my phone? Did he give her his number?
Before she could process it, her phone rang.
The unknown number flashing on the screen made her chest tighten.
Siya tried to grab the phone, jumping in her arms. "Uncuul..." she cried.
But Akansha pulled it away.
"It’s Mumma’s friend, baby... I’ll be right back. Don’t cry, okay?" she said calmly.
Siya nodded, wiping her tears. Her mother wasn’t angry—that meant she would take her to Shaurya. At least, that’s what the little girl believed.
Akansha stepped aside, her palms damp with sweat. Her mind raced. What if he traces the number? What if he finds out it’s mine? What if that leads him to Siya?
The thought alone terrified her.
She picked up the call.
"Hello..." Shaurya’s voice came from the other end.
Very few people had his personal number.
Seeing an unknown number had already made him curious.
He had missed the earlier call while in a meeting and decided to return it.
If no one answered, he had planned to trace it through his PI—but now that the call was answered, what he heard next stunned him.
"It’s me... Akansha..." she said, shutting her eyes tightly.
"Akansha? At this time? Is everything alright? Are you okay?" Shaurya fired questions, concern lacing his voice.
He instinctively reached for his work phone, ready to alert Suraj if something felt off.
"I’m fine... um... Sh-Shaurya... I..." she faltered.
She didn’t know how to cover this up. Lying to him was never easy—he could read her even without words. And now, she had already made the biggest mistake.
Shaurya froze.
She had said his name.
After years.
His breath hitched. His eyes welled up. It felt like his wife had called him back to life.
Akansha realized it too late.
"I... I called to discuss postponing the review meeting. It won’t be possible to present all the findings by then. But... I guess calling you like this isn’t appropriate. We’ll talk tomorrow—I’ll take an appointment. I’m sorry..." she rushed through her words, praying he wouldn’t see through her.
"Akansha, wait... you called me personally for this? Is everything okay with the committee? They’re not pressurizing you, right?" Shaurya asked, his concern deepening.
If she had reached out like this—something she always avoided—then something had to be wrong. The mere thought of someone troubling her stirred a dangerous anger within him.
"Things are challenging, but not bad. I can handle them," she replied quickly, shutting down any possibility of his interference.
Then it struck him—how did she get his personal number?
Akash, he concluded.
Still, the fact that she had called him personally bothered him. Was the pressure really that intense? Was Mrs. Arora pushing her? Or was it Samuel? He had already noticed the man’s resistance toward Akansha during her selection.
"Akansha, take my appointment tomorrow. We’ll discuss this—and if needed, I’ll extend the timeline. Don’t stress yourself so much," Shaurya said.
The words surprised both of them.
He never did personal favors. Not for anyone.
But this was his wife.
He was careful to say if needed, but the softness in his tone gave him away. The Chief Minister in him wasn’t pleased—but the husband in him was more than satisfied.
"No... that’s okay. I’ll try to meet the deadline. Sorry again... for this impulsive call," Akansha said, and quickly hung up before he could respond.
She slid down onto the floor, wiping the sweat off her face. Tears followed soon after.
She couldn’t tell if he believed her or not.
What if he suspects something?
Maybe she should meet him tomorrow and observe his reaction. Yes—that would help her understand if he had doubts.
She steadied herself and walked back to her daughter.
She had no idea how to handle this situation.
At that moment, she wanted to slap her best friend.
Her daughter had only just begun to forget Shaurya—and now she would have to take her back to him again, rebuilding a bond she had been trying so hard to weaken.
If only she knew the truth—that Richa hadn’t taken Siya to Shaurya just once, but many times.
Seeing her mother, Siya immediately began complaining about Richa—how she refused to give her phone or let her meet Shaurya. Akansha listened patiently, feeding her in between, nodding gently at her words. A part of her felt relieved—at least her best friend was finally keeping her promise.
After feeding her, Akansha tried to explain why meeting Shaurya wasn’t right, but Siya was nowhere close to being convinced.