Chapter 32 #5
"Oh hello... Don't say her name so casually. She is THE Akansha Dikshit... my favorite professor. I just love her", Akriti defended passionately.
"Okay bye... I'll see you in the evening, Shaurya", she added before rushing out.
Shaurya instinctively followed her outside just to make sure she safely got into the car.
The driver nodded respectfully at Shaurya, silently assuring him he would take care of her.
Akriti's guards, driver, maids... everyone around her remained fiercely loyal to Shaurya.
Because he could never risk anything happening to Akriti.
For him, Dev and Akriti were the only people he genuinely considered family.
"Akansha Dikshit?", Shaurya repeated thoughtfully the name of the woman his sister admired so obsessively, once Akriti left.
"Shaurya... Come inside", Dev called out from inside the house.
Shaurya walked back in. After talking for a while, Dev patted his shoulder meaningfully.
"I think it's high time you tell her the truth", Dev said quietly.
"No... not now. It'll hurt her, and anything that hurts her should stay away from her. Let things remain the way they are", Shaurya replied firmly.
Dev nodded despite disagreeing internally. He didn't want his sister to get hurt either. But deep down, he believed it would be better if she learned the truth from them instead of discovering it herself later.
"Tell me about this Akansha Dikshit", Shaurya asked curiously.
Dev sighed dramatically before shaking his head.
"God... don't even start. I'm already tired of hearing that name. Akriti is completely obsessed with this woman. She's just her professor, but Akriti treats her like some celebrity." Dev looked genuinely exhausted.
"I mean seriously... who loves their professor this much? She is obsessed with everything about her. The way she speaks, the way she dresses, her confidence, her beauty... literally everything."
"Hmm... interesting", Shaurya muttered thoughtfully.
"I think I should meet this woman once."
"Interesting? I'm honestly bored of hearing about her", Dev complained again.
And a few months later, when Akriti expressed her wish to have Akansha personally tutor her, Shaurya finally decided it was time to meet the mysterious woman his sister admired so deeply.
That opportunity came during a charity event organized by Akriti's college.
At that time, Shaurya was still merely an MLA and youth-wing leader.
Before meeting her, he had mentally prepared countless questions and conversations.
He genuinely wanted to understand what made his sister admire this woman so much.
But the moment he saw her... Every prepared word vanished from his mind completely.
Despite looking exhausted, sweaty, and visibly tired from handling the event, she still looked like the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.
And the worst part?
She didn't even properly look at him.
Not even once.
After briefly informing him that she had to leave, she hurried away, completely and royally ignoring him.
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It took her three whole months to even notice him.
.. to acknowledge his existence... to realize that he had practically been stalking her all that time.
And it took even longer before she finally started talking to him.
Then how could she become so friendly with Neil within just a few hours?
Did she do it deliberately to irritate him?
'Nah... you were never that important', his brain mocked coldly, frustrating him even more.
"Sir... We are here", Suraj's voice interrupted his thoughts.
Shaurya sighed softly before turning toward his wife, who had fallen asleep during the drive. If he woke her up now, her migraine would worsen again, and he didn't want her to suffer more. Besides, she was a deep sleeper. He knew she wouldn't wake up even if he carried her inside.
"Suraj, make sure the surroundings are clear", Shaurya instructed quietly.
Once Suraj confirmed everything was safe, Shaurya carefully stepped out of the car with Akansha sleeping peacefully in his arms. He already knew Akash was with Siya because Richa's parents had left earlier.
Suraj rang the bell, and within seconds, Akash opened the door.
Akash was about to question what happened to his sister and why Shaurya was carrying her, but one calm glance from Shaurya immediately stopped him.
The composure on Shaurya's face itself was enough for Akash to understand that Akansha was perfectly fine. Because if there had been even the slightest problem with her, Shaurya would have panicked so badly that by now he probably would have woken up the entire capital city.
Shaurya quietly carried Akansha into the bedroom and gently laid her down on the bed.
For a brief second, his fingers brushed her hair away from her face before he lightly kissed her forehead.
Then he quietly walked toward his daughter and softly kissed Siya's forehead too.
But Siya wasn't fully asleep yet. The moment she sensed him, her eyes opened immediately.
"Dadda...", she squealed excitedly before hugging him tightly.
"Shhh... Mumma is sleeping. You should sleep too, baby", Shaurya whispered softly.
"No... Dadda...", Siya stubbornly clung to his arms.
Shaurya sighed helplessly before finally lifting his daughter into his arms and quietly carrying her outside to the hall after carefully shutting the bedroom door behind him.