Chapter 36 #3
Shaurya knew his father was planning something dirty, but he hadn't expected him to directly jeopardize his political career as well.
Two days later, Shaurya attended the party meeting where he was questioned relentlessly about his hidden marriage, his daughter, and even the divorce.
But he refused to answer anything.
He simply asked everyone to wait until he made an official announcement himself.
Unfortunately, that answer didn't satisfy them.
And the moment some party members discovered Akansha worked in his office, they decided to approach her directly for answers.
Shaurya knew exactly how these people operated.
No matter what he had to lose, he wouldn't allow Akansha to face humiliation because of him.
So before they could reach her, he immediately brought her to his office.
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"Say something, Shaurya. What's going on?" Akansha asked impatiently. Her patience was already thin, and his silence was only irritating her further.
"My father leaked the news about our marriage to the party MLAs and MPs", Shaurya finally admitted.
Then after a pause, he continued quietly, "They wanted answers from me. I asked them to wait until I announced things officially, but they wanted to question you too. Some of them were already heading toward you, so I had to bring you here."
Akansha's face darkened instantly.
"What exactly is my fault, Shaurya?" she spat. "Actually no... it is my fault. Falling in love with a monster was my mistake, and now I'll suffer for it my entire life."
Shaurya quietly turned his face away.
He could stand against the whole world without flinching, but one hateful sentence from Akansha shattered him completely.
"I'm sorry", he said softly. "Stay here for a few hours. Suraj will drop you home once things calm down outside. I'll handle this. Neither you nor Siya will face any trouble because of this. I'll make sure of it."
Then he walked out immediately and called for another party meeting.
How dare they think of approaching his wife for answers?
Fine.
If they wanted answers so badly, he would give them answers powerful enough to shake the ground beneath his father's feet.
Dev learned about the sudden party meeting and immediately called Shaurya while he was on his way to the party office.
"Shaurya... calm down. Don't take any rash decisions", Dev warned the moment the call connected.
"Not rash, Dev", Shaurya replied coldly. "But strong decisions are definitely needed. How dare they try troubling Akansha? They wanted answers, and now they'll get them."
His blood was still boiling.
"Shaurya... elections are close", Dev reminded him carefully. "Think calmly. What if they demand someone else as the CM candidate?"
"No problem", Shaurya replied without hesitation. "If they replace me, they'll lose the elections, and you will become the Chief Minister instead. Either way, the state will remain in safe hands."
Then his tone hardened again.
"But they don't get to trouble my wife and walk away."
He glanced outside the car window.
"I've reached the party office. I'll call you later."
And with that, he disconnected.
Immediately afterward, Dev activated his sources inside the party office to keep track of the discussion. Both Dev and Shaurya had informants inside each other's parties with mutual knowledge. It helped them stay aware of every political movement around them.
The moment Shaurya stepped out of his car, several MLAs loyal to him rushed toward him.
Unlike others, these men never questioned him or demanded explanations. They trusted his decisions completely, and Shaurya respected them deeply for that.
"Sir... your father..." Pankaj Ji spoke worriedly. "We need to stop him somehow."
"What exactly are they planning, Pankaj Ji?" Shaurya asked respectfully.
"They were even discussing replacing you", Pankaj admitted grimly. "Honestly, I never imagined they would act this foolishly."
Another loyalist, Mr. Naresh, stepped forward.
"Sir, you are the face of this party now.
With all due respect, the party hit rock bottom during your father's leadership.
Most of us had already lost hope of returning to power.
Then you stepped in and brought back the party's lost glory.
.. in fact, even greater recognition than during your grandfather's era. And now these people..."
Shaurya gave them a calm nod.
"No worries, Naresh Ji. I'm grateful that all of you are standing beside me like a rock. I genuinely respect the dignity you showed by not questioning my personal life. Unfortunately, not everyone thinks the same way."
Then a faint confident smile appeared on his face.
"And don't worry. I still hold all the cards."
His confidence instantly reassured them.
After discussing a few more points, Shaurya finally entered the conference hall where the rest of the party leaders, including Virendar, were already waiting.
The moment he walked in, accusations started flying at him from all directions.
"We trusted you to lead this party despite your inexperience, and this is how you repay us?"
"You are the Chief Minister and our CM candidate! Do you even realize this scandal can shake not just the state but the entire country?"
"And you still haven't presented any proper POA to the party leaders? How can you be so irresponsible?"
The room erupted into chaos.
Shaurya simply sighed before walking to the center of the hall.
At this point, it felt less like questions and more like accusations.
"I'm honestly surprised by your tone", Shaurya said calmly, though authority rang clearly in his voice. "I hope all of you remember that you're speaking to the Chief Minister of this state."
Silence slowly spread through the room.
"Do you remember the condition of this party before I stepped in?" he continued sharply. "Or how I pulled all of you out of the deep sh*t you had buried yourselves in?"
Then his gaze shifted toward one of the leaders.
"And Harish Ji... don't use the word 'scandal' in front of me. You became a synonym for that word long ago, and if not for me, you would've been rotting in jail by now."
That shut several mouths immediately.
But not all.
"How are you standing here this confidently after what you've done?" someone questioned again, and soon the arguments resumed once more.
"What have I done? I don't think marriage is wrong", Shaurya asked calmly.
"Hiding it is. Where is your wife till date? Why did no one know about her? And your daughter? How—"
Before he could continue, Shaurya cut him off sharply.
"Don't talk about my wife and daughter", he warned coldly. "I understand your concerns and I am here to address them. But don't you dare approach my wife with these questions. Next time, I won't stop with just a warning."
The room fell silent for a second.
"I never hid my wife", Shaurya continued. "Our party president was aware of it, and I was going to disclose it publicly very soon."
"After all these years? Just before elections?" Mr. Harish questioned angrily. "People will turn against us."
Shaurya looked at him with a faint smirk.
"I don't understand why people are suddenly so invested in my marriage when they were never this interested in any other politician's personal life before", he said, deliberately downplaying the matter despite knowing exactly why it would attract attention.
"And even if they are interested, I'll handle it.
I'll disclose it in a way that minimizes the impact. "
"We want to know how you plan to do that", Anil, Virendar's right-hand man, asked.
Shaurya turned toward him slowly.
"Someone told me recently that people openly accept leaders who sacrifice their wives for the people", he said meaningfully. "That great intellectual even gave the example of Bhagwan Shri Ram."
His eyes shifted toward his father.
"So yes, maybe I should follow the same route. I will tell people that I abandoned my pregnant wife for politics. That I dedicated myself so completely to the state that I didn't even see my daughter until she turned four."
The room exploded.
"WHAT?"
"That will destroy your image!"
"We will lose women voters!"
"People worship you because of the reforms you brought for women!"
"This will create sympathy for your wife and destroy us politically!"
Shaurya calmly leaned back in his chair.
"This suggestion came from our honorable party chief himself", he said while looking directly at Virendar, who still looked stunned by the trap his son had laid for him. "Virendar ji... kuch toh boliye."
"Yes, but I..." Virendar tried speaking, but the chaos in the room drowned his voice completely.
After nearly an hour of arguments, accusations, and discussions — during which Shaurya very strategically cornered his father — he finally gave his concluding statement.
"I have multiple plans to minimize the political impact", Shaurya said firmly. "Trust me and let me do my job. There are still months left before nominations are filed. If my approval ratings fall drastically or the public response becomes dangerous, you are free to choose another CM candidate."
That statement finally calmed the room.
"We trust you, Shaurya ji..."
"You brought this party from ruins to glory..."
"Yes, we should let him handle it."
"Shaurya ji is the face of this party."
Eventually, it was decided that Shaurya would handle the situation his own way, and the party leaders would support him publicly before the media.
Shaurya also reminded them that he had officially declared his marital status before the Election Commission five years ago while filing his nomination papers. That revelation impressed several leaders and settled the remaining chaos for the time being.
One by one, everyone began leaving the hall.
Only Virendar remained seated.
"Years ago, when you tried to harm my wife, I was neither powerful enough to fight the goons you hired nor influential enough to stop your moves", Shaurya said coldly once they were alone. "All I had back then was my brain."
He stepped closer.