Chapter 61 #2
Everyone eventually settled in the cafeteria discussing ideas, future procedures, and points they wanted to present before Shaurya.
"Since today's workload is lighter, let's continue the discussion over lunch?", Mrs. Arora proposed.
'Proposed.' Not ordered. That alone shocked everyone.
Mrs. Arora was notorious for commanding people around, but those who worked closely with her knew she genuinely valued opinions when it came to work. She believed diverse perspectives always helped in finding the best possible solution.
She was an absolute perfectionist. And honestly, that was the only reason Akansha tolerated working with her so well. Everyone agreed.
Though Akansha's usual lunch group nodded rather unwillingly since they normally preferred eating late while gossiping freely about random nonsense.
Unfortunately for them, with Mrs. Arora around, gossip was officially dead for the day.
They all sat in the cafeteria discussing work. Akansha, Rashid, and the rest of their teammates occupied a table away from the senior staff, which included Mrs. Arora, Samuel, and Mr. Khanna.
Though Akansha and Rashid directly reported to the Chief Minister, same as Mrs. Arora, Mr. Khanna, Samuel, Mr. Anjan Goel, and the other senior researchers, they preferred taking breaks with the junior staff.
They vibed better with them and, as Rashid often claimed, staying away from Mrs. Arora for at least an hour helped them "rejuvenate properly. "
So they used their breaks wisely.
Unlike the senior table, which was already deeply immersed in work discussions despite it being lunch hour, Akansha's group sat with carefree laughter and relaxed smiles.
"Ah! Look at the old batch... discussing work even during lunch", Rashid commented dramatically, glancing toward the senior table.
"I knew this was going to happen the moment Mrs. Arora called all of us for lunch", Akansha muttered, rolling her eyes.
In the background, Mrs. Arora was delivering what sounded like a motivational speech. Unfortunately, the stern woman failed miserably at sounding motivating; it resembled a threat more than encouragement.
Rashid chuckled at Akansha's reaction.
"You should thank me for dragging you here. You were about to walk straight into a trap, got stuck in a deep conversation with Mr. Khanna", Mr. Khan declared proudly.
Akansha laughed. That was true.
She had been discussing some calculations with Mr. Khanna while walking toward the cafeteria and was seconds away from joining the center table where Mrs. Arora and Samuel were already seated when Rashid dramatically rescued her and pointed toward their usual break group occupying the corner table.
"Yeah, Mr. Khan, thank you for the favour. I'll repay it by preparing your presentation slides again, like I always do", Akansha taunted.
Everyone burst into laughter while Rashid glared at her.
The entire team knew Rashid Khan was absolutely terrible at preparing PowerPoint presentations.
"We honestly never thought you could be this cool", Savita admitted while looking at Akansha.
"Exactly!", Rashid agreed immediately. "When I first saw her working so perfectly, being strict about deadlines and intolerant of mistakes, I thought she'd perfectly fit into that oldies group. She looked like a younger version of Mrs. Arora to me. Thankfully, she is nothing like that."
Everyone laughed again.
"The next time you mess up the statistics, don't expect me to fix your numbers, Mr. Khan", Akansha warned coolly.
Rashid instantly raised both hands in surrender, making the group laugh harder. They continued eating and joking around until Kishor suddenly cleared his throat hesitantly.
He looked nervous.
"Dr. Akansha... hope CM sir is fine now? We... we heard he was hospitalized. We don't know whether it's true or just a rumour."
Akansha understood his hesitation immediately. She appreciated how carefully he phrased it.
Though she couldn't reveal details about Shaurya's condition, she didn't want to lie either.
"Yeah, he was unwell, but he's fine now", she answered with a small smile.
But the smile disappeared almost instantly when she noticed her husband walking toward the cafeteria.
Wonderful.
She silently prayed he wouldn't notice her.
Unfortunately, he did.
Thankfully, he didn't walk toward her immediately. Instead, he first addressed the entire cafeteria. Everyone stood up the moment they saw him, but Shaurya politely gestured for them to sit and continue eating.
He casually announced that he was there to have lunch "as one of their colleagues."
Akansha nearly rolled her eyes.
He first approached Mrs. Arora's table since it occupied the center area. He discussed the progress, praised the team's commendable work so far, and announced an interactive session in the auditorium later that evening.
Only after finishing there did he slowly make his way toward Akansha's table. Her colleagues visibly stiffened.
The realization that the Chief Minister himself was about to sit and eat lunch with them nearly stopped their breathing.
Meanwhile, Shaurya looked perfectly calm. Akansha, on the other hand, desperately wanted to glare at him.
"Can I join you guys?", Shaurya asked politely.
Everyone immediately nodded.
"Yes, sir... of course, sir."
He took the seat directly opposite his wife.
His attendant placed his lunchbox before him. The meal had been prepared by Mrs. Sudha according to the strict diet chart Akansha herself designed for him.
Yes.
His wife literally prepared a proper food chart to ensure his meals remained healthy without becoming repetitive.
Shaurya smoothly initiated casual conversation while eating. He could sense their nervousness immediately.
This wasn't new to him.
People naturally became anxious around him because of the position he held, but over the years, he mastered the art of making people comfortable enough to speak openly while simultaneously maintaining enough authority to ensure nobody crossed limits.
He carried an aura that quietly screamed:
Comfortable... but cautious.
Akansha watched her husband skillfully ease her colleagues into conversation, and despite herself, she admired him for it.
While talking, Shaurya suddenly noticed Akansha's lunchbox.
He frowned instantly.
It contained the same bland diet food prepared for him.
He clearly remembered instructing Mrs. Sudha to prepare separate food for Akansha and Siya.
"What's this? Didn't Mrs. Sudha prepare separate food for you?", he asked.
Akansha looked at her colleagues and then at him, silently hoping he would understand this was not the place to behave like her husband.
Unfortunately, Shaurya currently operated under a completely different logic. For him, this was lunch break. He was casually eating with his wife's colleagues, not functioning as the Chief Minister.
And he still waited for an answer.
"I'm okay with this", Akansha replied softly.
"I know you don't like it. Wait...", Shaurya muttered before pulling her lunchbox toward himself.
"Suresh! What's on the menu today?", he called out.
The canteen head, who was already approaching after learning Shaurya was there, immediately hurried toward them.
"Saab...", Suresh greeted respectfully before listing the menu items.
Shaurya ordered fresh food for Akansha. When Suresh turned to leave, Shaurya pulled out his wallet to pay, but Suresh politely refused.
"Please... take it", Shaurya insisted while opening his wallet.
Then paused. It was empty.
He sighed and looked at Akansha with visible embarrassment. Akansha instantly understood what had happened.
Their tiny mouse of a daughter had probably chewed up the currency notes again to put it in her piggy bank.
Thankfully, Akansha carried her wallet. She handed a five-hundred-rupee note to Suresh, who continued refusing awkwardly.
Shaurya took the note from her hand and practically shoved it into Suresh's palm before the poor man escaped.
The moment he left, Akansha glared at her husband. This time she didn't care about maintaining his image before her colleagues.
"Looks like you'll go bankrupt soon with the speed your daughter is eating your wallet", Akansha muttered.
She tried whispering.
Unfortunately, the cafeteria was quiet enough for everyone at their table to hear.
"I gave her the money", Shaurya lied smoothly.
"Stop lying to protect your daughter. I know both of you very well", Akansha shot back immediately. Then narrowed her eyes.
"The next time I find your wallet empty, I'll empty Siya's piggy bank. I'm serious."
Shaurya nodded obediently while the entire table tried not to laugh. Suresh personally brought Akansha's food while Shaurya resumed speaking with her colleagues casually.
Interestingly, throughout the conversation, Shaurya and Akansha interacted less like husband and wife and more like two professionals sharing a workspace. And everyone noticed it.
They also noticed how naturally Shaurya treated every single person with respect.
Until then, most of them had only heard stories about his personality. Now they witnessed it firsthand.
This wasn't their first interaction with him. They had seen him during earlier CR Committee events too, but this lunch gave them actual insight into who Shaurya truly was.
He blended into the group effortlessly, as though he had been part of their team for years. And then there was the husband version of him.
Honestly?
That part felt annoyingly attractive.
He wasn't embarrassed when Akansha scolded him publicly. He handled it gracefully and casually, as though it was completely normal for his wife to threaten him over their daughter's wallet crimes.
Everyone appreciated how naturally both of them shifted between professional roles and personal comfort.
The ease with which they balanced being husband-wife and Chief Minister-employee made the group genuinely admire them.
Together, they made everyone around them comfortable.
"Okay, had a great time with you all. See you in the evening", Shaurya said before standing up.