Chapter 31 #4
"Shhh... Mumma is tired, so she's sleeping. Let me help you freshen up first", Shaurya whispered softly.
Immediately, Siya covered her own mouth dramatically before quietly running toward Akansha. She kissed her mother's cheeks repeatedly and kept rubbing them lovingly until Shaurya gently pulled her back into his arms.
Seeing his daughter behave exactly like him made his heart flutter uncontrollably. She was truly his carbon copy.
Soon, he carried her to the bathroom and helped her with all her morning chores.
"Dadda... How do you know magic? It worked... I am fine now", Siya asked excitedly.
"How can Dadda's magic fail when he learned it from his little Siya?", Shaurya replied dramatically, making his daughter grin proudly.
After helping her freshen up, he prepared breakfast for her, helped her sit on the high chair he specially bought for her, and started feeding her carefully.
"Good morning, sir...", Mr. Sharma greeted while walking inside.
Soon, he started discussing work matters with Shaurya.
Shaurya listened carefully and responded wherever necessary while simultaneously feeding his daughter without missing a single spoon.
He already knew Akansha would still be sleeping because before dawn, he had increased the AC temperature slightly and covered her properly with an extra blanket.
Usually, she felt warmer in the mornings, but because of the added coziness, she was probably sleeping peacefully.
A few minutes later, even Shweta arrived. Shaurya offered breakfast to both of them, but they politely declined.
"Dadda... Ough(enough)", Siya complained with her mouth full of cereal.
"Siya... I made the exact quantity your Mumma showed me, which means this is your regular portion. So you have to finish it", Shaurya explained patiently while bringing another spoon toward her.
But unfortunately for him, Siya was his daughter. Just as stubborn as him... maybe even more.
"Dadda no... Pet full(my stomach is full)", Siya argued dramatically while pushing her stomach outward to prove how full she already was.
Mr. Sharma and Shweta couldn't stop smiling while watching the adorable little girl and her antics.
Honestly, Siya herself was so cute that simply being around her automatically brought a smile to people's faces.
"Siya... Bacha... Please don't do this. Mumma won't like it, so come on... just three more spoons", Shaurya pleaded patiently, completely forgetting every important task around him.
At that moment, feeding his daughter properly felt like the most important responsibility in the world to him.
"Mumma won't like it, so we won't tell her... Shhh... Dadda, it's a secret", Siya whispered conspiratorially, making his staff stare at the little girl in amusement.
"Siya, you still have to take your medicine as well, baby. Finish it quickly", Shaurya said softly.
"Yuck... No medicine, Dadda... I am fine. Dadda's magic worked", she argued confidently.
Shaurya sighed helplessly.
"By the way, I heard they hid some magical powers inside these last three spoons. But since you don't want to eat them, it's okay... I'll ask someone else to have them", Shaurya said casually.
Immediately, Siya looked alarmed.
But even then, she stubbornly refused to eat.
"Shweta and Mr. Sharma... both of you can have it. These spoons contain special powers for unicorns, but since my little unicorn doesn't want them, you both can take the powers instead. My Siya won't mind", Shaurya added dramatically while forwarding the cereal bowl toward them.
Before either of them could react, Siya instantly snatched the bowl away from him.
"Dadda... Uncle and aunty ale(are) so big. Cherial(cereal) is for small kids... I am small... not them", Siya argued seriously.
The moment she tried holding the spoon herself to eat faster, Shaurya immediately started feeding her again while secretly hiding his grin.
"Sit here. I'll go bring your medicines", Shaurya said while getting up from his seat.
"Dadda no... Yuck... Tonic", Siya whined dramatically.
"Yeah... say that to Mumma", Shaurya replied instantly.
Immediately, Siya stopped whining.
Shaurya tried extremely hard not to smirk at the identical fear both he and his daughter had of his wife.
"I'll go get it. Shweta... please keep an eye on her. She often tries jumping off the seat", Shaurya requested politely before walking away.
But suddenly, his steps halted midway. Because at that exact moment, Akansha was walking downstairs.
She was dressed in a crisp white shirt paired with formal trousers and a matching blazer. Her hair was left loose around her shoulders while one hand carried her laptop and files, the other held Siya's medicines, and her handbag rested against her arm.
Shaurya stood there completely awestruck. His wife looked breathtakingly elegant.
Absolutely stunning.
And dangerously professional.
He already knew Akansha could effortlessly carry both traditional and western outfits beautifully.
But to him, she looked most attractive when she carried herself with that unwavering confidence and quiet authority.
Shweta deliberately coughed after noticing Shaurya openly staring at his wife, who had now descended the stairs and was walking toward them. Her cough immediately pulled him out of his trance and reminded him that there were people around them... not just him and his wife.
Embarrassment instantly spread across his face, turning the tips of his ears red.
Quickly recovering himself, he walked toward Akansha and immediately took her bag, files, and Siya's medicines from her hands. He was about to take her laptop too, but Akansha stopped him, saying she could manage it herself.
Meanwhile, Shweta, Mr. Sharma, and the rest of the staff looked completely awestruck at the way Shaurya attended to his wife.
His effortless attentiveness and sweet gestures impressed everyone present.
Well... unfortunately, "everyone" didn't include his wife.
Or maybe Akansha had simply become immune to all this by now.
She did love these gestures of his. But she feared the aftermath attached to his love much more.
"Mama bear... You look pwetty(pretty)", Siya complimented excitedly before throwing a flying kiss toward her mother.
Akansha laughed softly hearing her daughter while everyone else around them melted at how adorable the little girl was.
"Have this, bacha", Shaurya said softly while holding the syrup bottle in front of Siya.
Immediately, Siya made a disgusted face. But unlike before, she didn't protest loudly because of her fear of her mother. Still, she angrily glared at her father while he made her drink the syrup with an apologetic expression on his face.
"Done", Shaurya announced proudly before quickly making her drink water from her sipper to wash away the medicine's taste.
"Okay... We'll leave now", Akansha said softly.
Shaurya nodded immediately.
"I'm leaving Siya's bag here because I'll be going directly to our school from there", Akansha informed him.
"What about the demo?", Shaurya asked curiously.
"Don't worry, I'll be there on time. The rest of the team will arrive earlier along with Mrs. Arora. Mr. Khanna and I will reach the venue exactly on time", Akansha explained professionally.
Shaurya nodded again.
"Suraj will drop you till the signal. I already arranged a cab for you from there. It'll take you wherever you want to go", Shaurya informed calmly.
Akansha was just about to refuse when Mrs. Sudha walked in carrying packed tiffin boxes.
"I packed breakfast and lunch for you. Shaurya already informed me you won't have time to eat breakfast", Sudha said warmly while handing them to Akansha.
"Aunty... it wasn't necessary", Akansha replied politely.
But Mrs. Sudha immediately shook her head.
"You can never stay hungry in Shaurya's presence. It has never happened before, and he would never allow it to happen", Sudha said firmly.
Akansha instinctively looked toward Shaurya. For a brief second, countless complaints flashed through her eyes. But the next second, they disappeared completely. Because it was true. No matter what happened between them, Shaurya had never allowed her to stay hungry.
Even during the time he behaved as though he hated her, he never forgot her meals or neglected taking care of her. But what was she supposed to do with that care now?
Where was this care when he shattered her heart so brutally?
Where was he when she stayed hungry during pregnancy while carrying his child?
"Thank you, aunty... Siya, let's go", Akansha said softly.
Siya immediately nodded before hugging her father tightly.
"Dadda... I'll miss you...", Siya whispered sadly.
"Dadda will miss you even more, my bacha", Shaurya replied emotionally before kissing the crown of her head.
"I know...", Siya started confidently.
Instantly, both Shaurya and Akansha looked at her curiously. Akansha already understood from her daughter's behavior what she was about to say.
"Siya know Dadda loves her a lot... this much", Siya declared proudly while extending her tiny arms as wide as possible.
"And Siya loves Dadda this... this much", she added before showering kisses all over Shaurya's cheeks.
Immediately, Shaurya's eyes welled up. At that moment, he finally understood that his daughter was no longer angry with him.
Honestly, he never expected her to forgive him this quickly. But perhaps she was still too young to fully understand how badly he had failed. Still, he was grateful.
Grateful that his daughter held no complaints against him anymore. Unfortunately, he couldn't say the same about either himself... or his wife.
"I love you, Siyakriti... a lot", Shaurya whispered emotionally before hugging his daughter tightly.
"Siya... Say bye to Dadda now. Mumma is getting late, baby", Akansha reminded gently.
Truthfully, she could have allowed them a few more minutes together.