Chapter 28 #5
A wide smile spread across his face. Unable to control himself, he kissed the phone tightly. His daughter was impossibly adorable.
And the moment Siya turned toward the camera asking how the card looked completely melted him. Since Akansha was holding the phone while recording, it felt as though Siya was directly asking him for approval.
That single moment captured his entire heart.
He never imagined he would be smiling like this after the disastrous meeting he had just endured with the officials and ministers involved in the construction scam.
The sheer shamelessness they displayed while defending their corruption had disgusted him.
When he confronted them, they tried every dirty tactic possible to escape accountability.
Initially, he had intended to warn them subtly, but their audacious behavior forced him to issue a direct ultimatum. The meeting had turned extremely ugly. Still, given his authority and political hold, he managed to control the situation for now.
But his mood had been completely ruined afterward.
And now, thanks to his daughter, he was smiling “like a fresh flower,” he thought before internally cringing at his own comparison.
Unable to stop himself, he immediately called Akansha. After watching the video, he desperately wanted to talk to his daughter.
And somewhere deep inside, he also wanted to thank Akansha. The thoughtful caption she had added beneath the video had affected him far more than she probably realized.
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Akansha sighed when Shaurya’s name flashed across her phone screen.
Initially, she considered ignoring the call. But then another thought crossed her mind.
Maybe Siya’s response toward Shaurya would help her understand what exactly was going on inside her daughter’s little head. So she picked up the call.
“Hi... um... I just saw the video,” Shaurya said immediately. “That was so adorable... Can I talk to her once?”
The affection in his voice whenever he spoke about Siya was impossible to miss. And despite everything, Akansha simply did not have the heart to disappoint him.
“Um... yeah... Let me ask her,” Akansha replied softly.
The moment those words left her mouth, Shaurya’s senses sharpened instantly. Why did she need to ask Siya? Usually, Siya would snatch the phone the second she heard his name.
“Akansha... what’s wrong?” he asked quietly.
“Nothing... Let me talk to Siya first,” Akansha replied, avoiding the question.
She turned toward her daughter, who was silently eating her french fries. Akansha still couldn’t decipher what exactly her little one was feeling.
“Siyabear... it’s Shaurya,” she said gently. “He wants to talk to you.”
Siya looked at Akansha and gave her a small smile. That tiny smile instantly relaxed Akansha.
Okay.
Her daughter did not hate Shaurya, Thank God.
Siya stretched out her little hand for the phone, and Akansha passed it to her. But unlike every other time, Siya remained quiet and waited for Shaurya to speak first.
“Why is my little jaan so silent today?” Shaurya asked softly. “Where are you, baby? Are you out with mumma?”
“My mumma... mall,” Siya replied in two short syllables.
The correction surprised Shaurya. For the past several days, Siya had stopped correcting him whenever he called Akansha “mumma.” Sometimes she even ignored it happily.
But today, after such a long time, she corrected him again. And that tiny change unsettled him.
From her words, he understood they were at a mall, but why was she sounding so distant? Why wasn’t she talking to him excitedly like she always did?
“Okay... I’m sorry,” he corrected himself immediately. “But tell me, why are you in the mall?”
There was another pause.
“Is my Siya angry?” he asked carefully.
“No Sholya...” she answered softly.
Akansha quietly released the breath she had been holding. At least Siya was still calling him “Sholya” naturally. That meant her feelings toward him had not changed completely.
It only confirmed Akansha’s growing suspicion — Siya was confused, not upset. And confusion was easier to handle than rejection.
“Acha okay,” Shaurya continued gently, deliberately trying to cheer her up instead of questioning her further. “Tell me what you’re doing there. Are you enjoying? I heard my Siya likes playing in the game zone. Did you go there yet?”
He had noticed the dullness in her voice, but he chose not to pressure her. Whatever was bothering her, he would ask Akansha later.
“No... Mumma and I are eating... We will pay(play) later,” Siya answered quietly, though a small smile finally appeared on her face.
No matter how conflicted she felt, she still could not stop responding to him. That alone eased Shaurya slightly.
“Okay then,” he said warmly. “I’ll let you two enjoy. Bye Siya... take care.”
“Bye,” Siya replied meekly before disconnecting the call.
Akansha did not question her daughter afterward. She simply let Siya eat peacefully.
And once they were done, she quietly took her to the game zone, hoping a little fun and distraction would help her daughter process the overwhelming truth she had learned today.