Chapter 34 #3
"Then why you dis... distub him?(Then why did you disturb him?)", Siya asked innocently, making Akansha sigh while her colleagues chuckled at the little girl's logic.
"I didn't. He was the one who called me... to tell me he would talk to you at night", Akansha explained patiently.
"Oh..." Siya nodded before suddenly remembering something important. "Mumma... bhuki(hungry)."
"Mumma is busy right now. Take your green Mickey Mouse box from the bag and go to the room I showed you. The aunty there will help you", Akansha instructed.
Siya nodded and started walking away immediately.
"Will you be okay alone, or do you want me to come with you?", Akansha asked again.
"I go(I'll go)", Siya replied confidently without even turning back, making everyone around chuckle.
"Such a cute daughter you have, Dr. Dixit", Samuel commented suddenly, surprising Akansha.
For the first time, the man actually had something positive to say to her... even if technically it was about her daughter.
"Thank you", Akansha replied with a polite nod.
"Looks like she completely takes after her father. Though I don't know him, I definitely know you", Samuel remarked casually.
Akansha immediately glared at him.
"Yeah, just like your son completely takes after you", Akansha replied coolly.
Recently, Samuel's son had been caught attending a rave party. Fortunately for them, the boy hadn't consumed drugs that night, so getting bail wasn't difficult. But the family's reputation had still suffered enough damage.
Akansha hadn't wanted to use that incident against him because the man was already ashamed enough.
But he hadn't left her much choice.
And she was never the kind of woman to silently tolerate nonsense from people.
"Dr. Dixit... you're crossing your limits", Samuel snapped irritably.
"You crossed yours first, so I had to", Akansha replied with a shrug before calmly returning to her work.
Once the collaborative discussion ended, Samuel walked away after throwing one final glare at her.
"So... you're still in touch with Siya's father?", Mr. Khanna asked gently.
Akansha looked at him before deliberately softening her tone. Had it been anyone else, her sharp tongue would've instantly answered with a cold 'none of your business.' But Mr. Khanna had always supported her and treated her kindly despite the circumstances, so she didn't snap at him.
"Yes... he is a good father to Siya", Akansha replied carefully without revealing much.
"But not a good husband, huh?", Mr. Khanna asked thoughtfully.
This time, Akansha couldn't hide her frown.
"I mean... obviously he wasn't a good husband. That's why the divorce, I suppose. You did divorce Siya's father, right?", he added, only deepening her frown further.
"Mr. Khanna, I know why you've suddenly become interested in my personal life", Akansha said directly. "But trust me, Neil and I are not right for each other. And moreover, I'm not looking for a relationship right now. I hope you understand."
The old man hadn't expected such a straightforward answer.
But that was Akansha.
Bold, direct, and never hesitant to say exactly what she meant.
Though caught off guard for a moment, Mr. Khanna eventually nodded in understanding.
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Richa had started getting worried seeing the Instagram and Facebook pages discussing Shaurya's personal life becoming more viral with every passing day. It was time she spoke to Akansha about it. Maybe Shaurya could still do something to stop all this before things went too far.
If not for her best friend and little Siya, Richa would've actually wanted the news to spread further and destroy Shaurya's carefully built image and credibility.
But unfortunately, Akansha and Siya were involved in this too. And whether she liked it or not, she had to help Shaurya now. Without wasting any more time, Richa immediately called Akansha.
"Ansha... I need to discuss something very important. Tell me you're free", Richa said urgently.
The seriousness in her tone instantly made Akansha alert.
"What happened? I'm at work right now. Can this wait till tonight?", Akansha asked.
"No. I know you're at the Secretariat, and honestly, this is the best time. You need to immediately inform Shaurya about this so he can take action", Richa said seriously.
"But he isn't here. He was out of town for camp..." Akansha suddenly stopped herself midway after realizing she had almost spoken too casually. "...campaigning", she corrected softly into the phone.
"But as far as I know, the campaigning got suspended because of some issue.
Otherwise, it's impossible for the media not to cover the CM's campaign appearances.
There's literally no news about him right now, so he must be busy with something else.
" Richa paused briefly before continuing, "Either way, he'll eventually come there.
And even if he doesn't, you can still call him and talk about this. But first, listen to me properly."
Akansha immediately grew uneasy.
"What is it?"
She quietly walked aside after requesting Mr. Khanna to keep an eye on Siya, who was currently taking a nap in the daycare center Shaurya had arranged for her inside the Secretariat premises. Once Mr. Khanna nodded reassuringly, Akansha finally walked away to speak privately.
"There are a few Instagram and Facebook pages that recently started digging into the CM's personal life", Richa explained quickly.
"And the way they're writing things... it's almost as if they already know about your marriage.
Initially, they were only posting vague speculations, but now they're presenting everything like confirmed news. "
Akansha's heartbeat instantly turned uneasy.
"The bigger problem is that nobody paid attention to them initially, but now the posts are going viral rapidly. And if this isn't stopped now, there's a chance they'll soon reveal your marriage with the CM... and even Siya's existence."
"WHAT?" Akansha almost snapped in shock. "Richa, how the hell is that even possible? Shau..." She stopped herself quickly before correcting, "He made sure nobody outside knew about our marriage. There shouldn't be any chance of a leak."
"Are you sure about that, Ansha?" Richa asked carefully. "Because anyone could leak information for money. It could be the servants in the CM's house, his close associates, friends... literally anyone."
Akansha pressed her fingers against her forehead.
Richa was right.
It could be anyone.
"Talk to him, Ansha. He has the power to stop all this", Richa continued worriedly.
"Even my hands are tied right now because Dev sir and even my own bosses seem way too interested in making these posts go viral.
I can understand my company heads because they've always wanted to defame the Chief Minister.
But Dev sir? That's what's shocking me. He's always been against dirty tactics like this. "
Akansha froze slightly.
"Dev was encouraging all this?" she asked before instantly realizing her mistake.
"Yes..." Richa replied slowly before narrowing her eyes suspiciously. "Wait... you just spoke as if you personally know Dev Bisht."
"I do. He and Shau..." Akansha trailed off awkwardly.
"Oh yes, obviously! They've been political rivals forever", Richa immediately completed the sentence herself.
Akansha internally rolled her eyes at her overtalkative best friend. Because of this exact habit, Richa missed obvious things constantly. But this time, thankfully, it worked in Akansha's favor.
There wasn't even a one percent chance that Dev would ever intentionally work against Shaurya. Which left only one possible conclusion. Shaurya himself was behind all this. That realization instantly filled Akansha with fury.
He had mentioned revealing Siya's identity eventually, but she had assumed he would wait until after the elections. More importantly, she had very clearly warned him to inform her beforehand if he planned to do anything involving their daughter.
How dare he ignore her words like this?
Akansha clenched her fists tightly, struggling to control her anger.
"I'll talk to him about this. Send me the links to those pages", Akansha said firmly.
Richa agreed immediately, and after exchanging a few more words, the call finally ended.
Akansha's unusually controlled reaction surprised Richa. It almost seemed as if she already knew who the culprit was... and exactly how to handle the situation.
The moment Akansha ended the call and walked back toward the room, the sight in front of her froze her from within.
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Shaurya reached his office and immediately instructed Mr. Sharma to schedule only highly confidential meetings for the next few days. At the same time, Suraj and his team informed Shaurya's immediate staff to keep his presence inside the Secretariat as discreet as possible.
But one piece of news disrupted all of Shaurya's plans to stay buried inside his cabin.
"Sir... the ex-Education Minister and a few opposition party leaders have reached the Secretariat along with their supporters. They are protesting against the CR committee. The situation needs to be brought under control before the protest turns violent", Mr. Sharma informed urgently.
Shaurya's first instinct wasn't political.
It was personal.
Akansha was a member of the CR committee.
"Let's go, Mr. Sharma. Call DGP Pathak there immediately and alert the team as well", Shaurya instructed before rushing out.
Suraj attempted to stop him, but winning against Shaurya's stubbornness was nearly impossible. So instead, he tightened the security arrangements and quickly followed Shaurya toward the Education Department wing of the Secretariat.
Thankfully, Shaurya and his officers reached there before the opposition leaders and party workers could enter the wing.
The moment the protestors spotted Shaurya, loud slogans and angry protests erupted against him. The police were prepared to take charge immediately, but Shaurya chose to handle the situation peacefully first.