Chapter 64
That afternoon, Shaurya put up the performance of a lifetime just to avoid eating bitter gourd.
First, it was a headache. Then somehow his shoulder started hurting. A few minutes later, he claimed his leg was cramping too.
Akansha watched his pathetic acting with narrowed eyes. She knew him too well to fall for any of it. She could tell within seconds when he was genuinely unwell and when he was simply being dramatic.
And currently?
Her husband was behaving like a victim being forced to consume poison.
After barely two spoons, his face twisted so badly that Akansha snatched the lunch box away from him before he could traumatize her further. She pushed the okra box toward him instead.
"Thank you", he said immediately, relief washing over his face as if he had narrowly escaped death itself.
"Don't mention it. I did it for myself", she replied dryly. "If you had taken one more bite while making those horrible expressions, I would have stopped eating bitter gourd for life. You were literally one second away from puking."
He looked offended. "I was not."
"You absolutely were."
She shook her head in disbelief. "I seriously don't understand why you and Siya hate this vegetable so much. Why couldn't Siya inherit this one thing from me? I carried her for nine months, but she copied all your useless traits perfectly."
Shaurya knew very well that this was no longer about bitter gourd. This was about puppies. About how both father and daughter worshipped animals while she suffered because of it.
"Akansha..." he began cautiously.
She cut him off immediately. "Not a word. I'm not buying your stupid excuses today. Save your energy."
He obediently nodded and quietly resumed eating the okra instead.
At that exact moment, Mr. Sharma walked into the office. Unfortunately for him, he entered precisely in time to witness the Chief Minister silently accepting scolding from his wife over the vegetables.
The poor man froze.
Realizing he had walked into dangerous territory, he immediately stepped back. "Sorry, sir... sorry ma'am...", he muttered awkwardly before trying to retreat.
Shaurya shut his eyes briefly in embarrassment, but it lasted barely a second. A small smile followed instead.
Taking his wife's orders never bothered him. And honestly, being seen obeying them didn't bother him either.
"So, should I confirm Sir's appointment with the Deputy?" Shweta asked, glancing at Mr. Sharma as he stepped out of the CM's office.
Mr. Sharma shook his head lightly. "Didn't get the chance. Sir's in a mood to take orders now, not give them."
Shweta blinked. "Oh! Akansha ma'am is still inside? I thought she'd left. She only asked for twenty minutes, and she's usually very punctual."
Mr. Sharma raised an eyebrow, amusement flickering beneath his calm tone. "You sit outside the CM's office all day, Mrs. Gupta. Keeping track is part of the job."
Shweta flushed. "I'm sorry, sir. I stepped out to get water, and when I came back, it was time for your appointment. I assumed—"
He waved it off with a small smile. "Be more careful next time."
Shweta nodded quickly.
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"Shaurya... I'm sorry. I didn't know Mr. Sharma would walk in without knocking," Akansha said quietly.
He shrugged, unfazed. "You don't need to apologize. During my break, I'm just your husband. And Mr. Sharma has terrible timing anyway."
She smiled faintly and began packing her lunch boxes.
"Hey," he said. "Finish your lunch."
"I'll eat with my team," she said easily, closing the box. "You look busy."
"It can wait," he replied, wanting her to stay.
She smiled, already stepping away. "It really can't."
She left without hurry, without hesitation. Shaurya shook his head slightly, a smile lingering as he turned back to his desk.
He knew she wouldn't stay, no matter what he said. That was just who Akansha was, mindful of his time, always.
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The next few days saw the CBI expediting the probe. They had gathered all the necessary evidence and were ready to take Mr. and Mrs. Virendar Shekhawat into custody.
Moves were calculated. First, unflattering stories about Virendar circulated, then speculation in the media intensified. One top news channel — widely respected in the state and across the country — started questioning Shaurya's morals.
What will the Chief Minister do now?
Will he follow what he preaches, or protect his corrupt father?
Will he take a tough stand, or shield Virendar from the law?
No prizes for guessing: it was Dev's channel. Their rivalry was public, but the facade served a purpose. The criticism would only strengthen Shaurya's position once he took a stand.
Meanwhile, Shaurya held meeting after meeting with top police officials, reviewing law and order measures and preparation levels across the state.
He implemented multiple steps to minimize the fallout, yet some risks remained.
Virendar was a seasoned politician, a three-time Chief Minister, and still had loyal supporters.
They trusted him blindly, even in the face of corruption and crime charges.
Containing them without causing chaos was a delicate task.
Shaurya weighed options carefully. House arrests of potential troublemakers seemed the most effective, but he hesitated.
He did not want to appear autocratic or silence public voices unnecessarily.
Yet the alternative — inaction — could lead to riots and loss of lives.
For him, the choice was clear: if necessary, he would bear the label of authoritarian to protect the state.
For now, the decision stayed a last resort. He would wait until the very last moment, hoping for a solution better than house arrest.
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"Dadda... When will my doggy come?" Siya asked her father for the nth time in the past few days.
It had been days since he began convincing his wife, but nothing seemed to melt her resolve.
He knew his daughter's fear and didn't like seeing her suffer, so he tried to make her understand instead.
Well, he had been trying for days, but Siya was as stubborn as her father — not her mother.
Akansha was less stubborn than him, and clearly, he had passed on that particular quality to his daughter.
"Siya, listen to Dadda carefully. If we get a doggie, it will die soon," Shaurya said with a sad face.
"Hawwww, why, Dadda?" Siya asked, cupping her mouth.
"The neighbors have a tiger," Shaurya said. "They said their tiger will eat the doggie if we bring one."
Siya was shocked. "But I didn't see the neighbor's tiger, Dadda. Where is it? Why will it kill doggie? Show me the tiger, Dadda!"
Shaurya froze. Show the tiger? He hadn't expected that. Where would he even bring a tiger from? The state had a few, but he couldn't exactly put one in the neighbor's house a mile away just to convince his daughter. God! Where did I get myself into?
"Do we have neighbors?" Siya asked again, and Shaurya was left speechless.
"Yes! We do," he said.
"I didn't meet them ever, Dadda. Take me to them," Siya asked again.
"Neither did I," he muttered. His estate was big, and homes in that area had a lot of space between them. Neighbors hardly saw each other, and being Chief Minister, he maintained privacy over his personal life.
"Yeah, I would have if they didn't have a tiger with them. Okay, we'll discuss it later. Finish your dinner first," he said, feeding her.
"Dadda, will the tiger eat my puppy?" Siya asked, chewing her food.
"Yes, bacha... that's what I'm afraid of," Shaurya continued acting, feeling guilty for fooling his daughter.
Akansha, who had been listening to the father-daughter conversation, secretly chuckled.
She enjoyed watching her husband's cute attempts to make Siya withdraw her request. He didn't want to say "No," and definitely didn't want to cite the reason of her mother's disagreement.
He was getting creative, but it seemed he wasn't succeeding.
She recorded Shaurya's story and sent it to the WhatsApp group her father-in-law had created with her and Dev.
"Tiger in neighbour's house? That's his excuse for the day? God! His creativity sucks," Dev sent.
"He is better than you in that department. Did you forget narrating the latest crime thriller when your second one asked for a bedtime story?" Rajnath sent, tagging Dev, to which Akansha reacted with a laughing GIF.
"Dad! Don't reveal my secrets in front of this woman. She teases me for life now," Dev whined.
"Who tells a crime thriller to a 6-year-old, Dev?" Akansha sent, with a GIF labeled 'Dumb.'
"Not 6, Ishan was just 4 then," Rajnath clarified.
"DAD? Someone please snatch the phone from his hand ??♂???♂?" Dev sent.
"And someone please donate a brain ?? to him @Devbisht. I mean, you told a crime thriller to a 4-year-old, damn you," Akansha sent.
"Definitely better than your husband, who is creating a fake tiger afraid of his real tiger — sorry, I mean wife," Dev sent, making Akansha react with a 'Punch ??' emoji.
"I don't understand how Siya and my kids get hooked to Shaurya's stories. Clearly, his creativity is a curse to humankind," Dev sent.
"At least he comes up with his own ideas, not narrating a crime story of a movie to a 4-year-old," Akansha teased.
"Woman, I am warning you! Don't go there... And don't you dare say it in front of Rachna," Dev sent.
"Rachna? Why? Something is fishy," Akansha replied.
Dev had asked his father not to disclose anything in his personal chat, but Rajnath was Rajnath.
"Oh, that? After his stupid narration, Ishan got afraid and caught a fever. Let's just say Rachna became the goddess of hell for the next few days," Rajnath sent.
"Next few days? I'm bearing her anger to this day. She would deliver a lecture whenever she remembers it," Dev typed.
"Great then! Time to call Rachna. Bye guys, talk to you later," Akansha texted.
"Such a devil you are," Dev sent. Akansha reacted with a ?? emoji. Rajnath laughed at their silly fight.