Jasmeet, one of Shaurya's close-knit guards dropped them at her place. She took a sigh of relief at returning to their safe haven, their home, but at the same time, numerous thoughts filled her head.
Until then, her life may not have been easy but definitely away from chaos, but she can't say the same about her present and future. Now that Shaurya knew about his daughter, he would try everything to create a smooth path to introduce her to the world, but where would that leave them? Her? Can she live her life in oblivion like she did until now?
Can she carry the tag of being the CM's ex-wife? And what about the complications that come with it? Her life is definitely messed up in more ways than she could imagine. She just hoped Shaurya would find a way to lessen her difficulties.
She looked at picture frames in her bedroom. Akansha caressed her best friend and daughter's picture which looked so adorable. Richa loved Siya, there's no doubt about it but what she did wasn't acceptable and she needed some time to get to terms with it. If not for Richa, Shaurya wouldn't have known about Siya, at least not this soon. Akansha now knew why he had to utter all those to his mother that day, but she still preferred him to stay oblivious about their daughter. His knowledge about Siya had only messed up their situation, but a part of her was glad that Siya would now get a father's love as well. Shaurya may not be a good husband but Akansha believed he would be a great dad, he always dreamt of kids, and the way he got ready to sacrifice his political career showed his love and commitment towards his daughter. People would die or kill to be in his place but he was prepared to leave all that in a blink. It surprised her for sure but she knew he was being truthful when he said that.
Akansha got her daughter and herself to freshen up, and indulged Siya in playing with her toys, while she finished preparing their meal when her phone dinged with Shaurya's message.
"I'm missing my daughter...", his message read. Akansha took a deep breath, it's not been 2 hours since she came back and he was already missing them, 'not you Akansha, he is missing just your daughter' her brain reminded her. She shrugged her shoulders, she didn't have any hope for their future but her heart that had loved him too intensely sometimes failed to remember this fact.
"So?", Akansha replied, she didn't want to but couldn't ignore his text for more than a few minutes, not because she was softening towards that man, definitely not, but she was guilty for the pain caused to a father. If she had spoken to him that day, Shaurya would have been with his daughter right from day 1 and she wouldn't have suffered too but she wasn't at fault either. If she was taken back in time, she would react the same way she did, she would make the same decisions she made years ago, because it was a mother fighting for her baby's survival.
"What is she doing? How is her health now? Hope she is alright?"
"Let me know if she needs a doctor"
"Um... Siya and I have a similar body type, not all doctors suit us, I'll send my doctor, maybe that would help?"
"I am sorry if you minded, I know you can take care of her very well... I am just worried... Sorry",
Shaurya's messages kept popping up before she could reply. She could imagine his stress, she knew him too well. He might be worried that he had offended her and he was scared she wouldn't let him near Siya now.
"Siya is fine... Her fever subsided, you were right, not all doctors suit her, but yes, after a lot of experiments, her current pediatrician suited her", Akansha replied to his series of texts.
Akansha fed her daughter and made her sleep... Siya wanted to talk to Shaurya but Akansha managed to divert her for the time being... She didn't want her daughter to get used to Shaurya's presence too much, though now he would be there with her as her father all her life, he couldn't stay with them, no matter what, Siya had to accept the fact that her parents are separated and she had to live with it, Akansha was just preparing her daughter for it.
"Can I see her?", Shaurya's text popped up.
Akansha sighed before clicking a picture of her sleeping daughter and sent it to him.
"Can I talk to her once she wakes up?", Shaurya texted Akansha after staring at his sleeping daughter for a while.
"No... You can talk to her after a few days", Akansha texted him back.
Shaurya didn't know what to say, he was scared she would stop his visits if he insisted on talking to Siya. He knew no matter their differences, Akansha would make decisions in favor of their daughter, he had no choice but to trust her, if she said he could not talk to Siya then it must be for Siya's betterment, he told himself.
He didn't text her back, he didn't have enough courage. Akansha knew the meaning of his silence, she wasn't enjoying the distance between the father-daughter but she had no choice either. Akansha took a deep breath, finished her lunch, and settled beside her daughter, who snuggled to her as soon as she felt her presence. Akansha shut her eyes trying to halt the wave of memories that hit her at her daughter's little act.
Akansha stepped inside their room and sighed in relief seeing her husband asleep, now she didn't have to worry about his proximity or controlling her desires, already it was so hard for her to keep her hormones in check, and with him taking a step towards her, she could never deny his advances. But she had to. He needs to know she was upset.
She slowly climbed the bed not to disturb his sleep knowing how much of a light sleeper he was. But as soon as she lay on the bed, he scooped her in his arms, snuggling his face into her neck.
"Where were you... I was waiting for you", he whispered in his husky sleepy tone but she knew he was asleep and didn't expect any reply from her.
How foolish of her to think she could keep him away from her if she came to bed after he slept. He always sensed her even in his sleep. Cuddling with her came to him naturally as if she were his oxygen.
Akansha shook her head and after taking her migraine pill, she dozed off pushing her ex-husband's thoughts to the back of her head.
Shaurya could hardly breathe the whole day, it's hardly a few hours since his daughter left him but it felt like ages, he already missed more than 4 years of her life, and now even a second without Siya felt like torture to him. He couldn't even message Akansha as he had already taken her patience to saturation level.
"Sir...", he heard his secretary's voice, and turned to look at her, only to realize she had been calling him for a while now, but he was too indulged in his daughter's thoughts that he didn't hear her.
"Um... Yes Shweta?", Shaurya responded...
"Sir... The heads of all the conglomerates you mentioned are here", Shweta said
"Postpone the meeting, Shweta, call for a cabinet meeting in the evening instead", Shaurya asked surprising Shweta once again, for the first time in the past 4.5 years, he had been this absent-minded. He was always sharp and attended all the scheduled meetings, even if he ever missed any, it was due to another official work but now, he was sitting ideal as his brain was numb, he didn't feel capable of making any decisions and he didn't want to jeopardize the future of the state and its people by making laws when he felt incapable. The utter failure he felt as a father and husband made him question his ability as a chief minister as well. The sufferings of his wife and daughter had a deep impact on his brain functioning.
"Sir... You have already postponed this meeting once today", Shweta gently reminded him, the meeting was supposed to be at 10:00 AM, but he rescheduled to noon.
"Please shift it to another day Shweta, this meeting is very important, so not today", Shaurya said and Shweta nodded.
The industrialists involved heads of almost all the conglomerates in India, it also involved some foreign companies, they were not just cunning or manipulative but also held the power to shift the political verdict a little, though Shaurya was assured of his win, he wanted to win with the same majority and that needed funds and lots of it which these people sponsored and in return they expected favors, he was not against these favors, he believed in rapid industrialization and worked towards it, as a result, around half a million jobs were created in his tenure, a feat no chief minister achieved till date, but when these favors become a bane on people's head, Shaurya had a problem, and he could only deal with them when he is in his complete senses, not when his head is filled with uncertainties, questions about his capabilities or his heart aching badly with guilt, regret, and remembrance of his uncountable mistakes.
"Anything else sir?", Shweta asked politely
"Get me a strong coffee Please, and yes I'll personally verify all the files submitted by the Department of Finance. Just get all the raw data to me", Shaurya said shocking Shweta.
That's a very tedious job, mentally tiring and exhaustive. She understood the numbers are very important for the cabinet meeting that was scheduled in the later part of the day but Shweta didn't think Shaurya would personally do all the work related to it. That wasn't his job, there are tens of expert CAs, some of the best in the country to do this. She didn't understand why Shaurya was doing it, it looked like he wanted to tire himself extensively as if he wanted to make his head numb and disabled to think about anything else.
"Sir alone or should I ask Mr. Tiwari and team to accompany?", Shweta asked, Shaurya wanted to deny but he knew sorting out the raw data would eat all his precious time which he couldn't afford.
"Yes, to clean out the data, rest all, I'll manage, inform them accordingly", Shaurya said, Shweta nodded and walked out to get started with the tasks at hand.
Soon the data reached Shaurya and he dismissed the CAs after their work was done, they offered to help him out with the rest of the analysis but he denied it and dismissed them. They were worried about how he would manage everything alone, they knew Shaurya had all the numbers and finances at his fingertips, his sharp catches at their normally unnoticed blunders or his hard questions which put them in a tough spot was enough to capture Shaurya's ability but still the task at hand was too much for even experts, but what they weren't aware of was Shaurya was a Chief Financial Officer of a multinational firm in London before moving to India and joining politics. He enjoyed playing with numbers right from his childhood, it has been his strength, his escape, and his hobby as well. That's the reason he chose to do all this alone now when his head is messed up badly, he tried to keep himself sane by diverting a little of his thoughts towards his first love i.e. numbers.
Shaurya managed to finish his work just 10 minutes before the scheduled cabinet meeting. He skipped his lunch, asked Shweta to cancel all his meetings for the day, and blocked everyone from reaching out to him the whole time. He needed this isolation to come to terms with everything that took place in his life in the past few days.
The meeting wasn't smooth sailing as the ministers were against Shaurya's proposition of spending the remaining budget on the people. They wanted to divert the public money in the treasury to fund their election campaign which is completely illegal and Shaurya was against it. With their greedy selves, his already damp mood worsened and he snapped at all of them for their foolish and selfish plans which could jeopardize their campaign agenda. His outburst came as a surprise as they all knew Shaurya as the calm, composed and always in-control man. Though they were bemused by his refusal, with the kind of power Shaurya commanded, they had to give in to his terms in the end.
It was only at midnight that he reached his residence that too unwillingly. He drowned himself in work to avoid his wife and daughter's thoughts. He didn't want to nag Akansha with his constant messages, a bitter laugh left his throat at how time turned his fate, there was a time when his one message used to brighten her entire day, but today the very same text from him could dampen her spirits for days, the familiar pain knocked his heart at the sad reality. He freshened up and dropped his self on the bed though he knew sleep wasn't coming to him anytime soon. A gentle knock made him straighten up.
Mrs. Sudha came with his dinner, he appreciated the elder lady's concern for him but also rebuked her gently for staying up till this late.
"Relax Shaurya, I wasn't waiting for you, I asked Suraj to wake me up when you return home so that I could feed you some food, I heard you haven't eaten anything after the breakfast you had with Akansha this morning", Mrs. Sudha said, concerned for his health.
"I'm not hungry Mrs. Sudha...", Shaurya told her honestly expecting her to understand him.
"I know, but you have to eat a little, you can't afford to fall sick, There's a lot on your plate and you need to be physically strong to handle all of that, your professional and personal life is at a crucial point now, one wrong move and you would lose all of it. I understand the reason for your lack of appetite but skipping meals wouldn't miraculously fix anything, Shaurya, it would only cause further damage", Mrs. Sudha's wise words made sense to him, not that he didn't know any of it, but sometimes, he needs that elderly advise and care which he can never expect from his parents. They only reach out to him for their needs, it's always been like this. His parents might have loved him but they never cared for him. It's always him who gave love to others, be it his parents, his sister or his friends, his compassionate and giving nature was a bane on him, people only expected from him, well, his best friend Dev was an exception.
Though Dev and he were inseparable and could sacrifice their life for one another, the love and care were absent as the men didn't know how to shower those, they were driven by their personal and professional goals which kept them busy throughout for these little yet most important emotions. Only when Akansha entered his life did he understand the feeling of being loved and cared for. She loved him immensely and cared for him, he experienced bliss in his relationship with her, those days were the best days of his life, many times he wanted to abort his silly retribution, come clean and beg for her forgiveness but every time the very same force that made him take up the challenge stopped him. But every second witnessing her love for him multiplied his own feelings for her yet, he shoved all that for his retribution, though his plan to seek retribution wasn't self-attuned but thrust upon him forcefully, he had the choice to do it differently by avoiding a few things but he didn't. There are a lot of factors affecting his actions, one among them was his love for Akansha and his desperate need to keep her safe, he knew his actions weren't justified no matter what as they started on a wrong foot with his intentions untrue and wrong at the beginning.
"Shaurya... Are you listening to me?", the elderly woman's words broke his reverie of thoughts, he gently nodded at her, taking the plate and filled it with the food.
"You had your dinner?", he asked her gently, to which she smiled at him before giving a nod. Mrs. Sudha started working in his family when he was a toddler, she was in his early teens then, with her parents gone too early and her relatives denying to take her in, the responsibility to feed herself fell on her shoulders which prompted her to start working from a tender age and with Shaurya's parents involving in his father's political party, taking care of little Shaurya became a rescue to her mental health offering a support in her life.
Despite the deep connection both share, Shaurya never opened up about his feelings whether it's his loneliness, pain, or despair he felt as a child to Mrs. Sudha. He seemed to be a very outgoing, compassionate and extrovert kind of person but when it came to his own feelings, he was very closed off, even with Dev it took him years to share what he deeply felt, but that changed when he fell for Akansha, a woman who had an opposite nature to him. With Akansha, his feelings overflow, he never had to struggle to share what he felt. He loved her deeply, immensely, and to date regretted how he failed her and himself in giving them the best life they could ever have and his one mistake snatched the 4 years of his child's life without a father. 'Siya', just her thoughts made his heart squeeze in immense pain and contrasting bliss at the same moment.
"I'm done", Shaurya replied after having a few morsels.
"I won't force you to eat more today, Shaurya", Mrs. Sudha said staring at him deciphering the inner conflict of emotions he felt at the moment. "Don't think too much that not only ruins your peace but your chance to correct your past mistakes, let the time heal, just do what you have to", Mrs. Sudha advised, seeing him in so much despair hurt her, he was the most compassionate man she had ever seen, but unfortunately he couldn't hold that quality or to say fate didn't let him hold it when it came to the one woman he loved more than anything in the world.
After wishing him a good night, she left with the soiled vessels. Shaurya fell on the bed staring blankly at the pristine ceiling, every inch of his room screamed his wife's taste, not just his bedroom but every single brick and wall was according to her taste mixed with his. While buying this place, he foolishly hoped one day, he would be living with her under this roof, though the hope seemed a distant reality at that time, he spent hours despite his tight schedule to design this place so that whenever Akansha returned to his life, she would feel at home, at that time, his own thoughts and actions seemed absurd to him, but now that she re-entered his life though unwillingly, her demeanor and actions shattered his hopes of ever having the dream life he had hoped for them. He knew it was all his fault but he didn't want his past mistakes to have an impact on his wife and daughter's life or their happiness.
He opened his WhatsApp and to his surprise, Akansha changed her Display Picture, earlier it was Akansha with Siya, but now that image was replaced by Siya's picture alone but what raised his heartbeat was the shawl his daughter was holding, it was his, the one he gave her on the night they became one in all senses, the night both of them had an unsaid agreement not to regret ever...
After their blissful moment of becoming each other's, Shaurya covered her with his shawl before pulling her to him.
"This is yours from now...", he said making her surprised
"But this is your favorite shawl, Shaurya, you said this stayed with you right from your childhood and it's your comfort in your every pain and distress, what would you do without it", She asked him...
"Now you are my comfort", he answered with a gentle kiss on her forehead.
"But I can't be with you 24Ã7, at least not now", she said rubbing his slight stubble making him draw a sharp breath. Her simple and innocent touches are enough to create havoc in his heart, soul, brain, and body.
"Like I can't be with you 24Ã7, so I want you to keep this with you, feel my warmth whenever you need me and I am not available...", he said
"But I can't keep this with me knowing how much this means to you", Akansha whispered kissing his cheek while ruffling the soft and smooth cloth of the Kashmiri shawl. His gesture overwhelmed her, she knew how much he loved her if he was ready to leave this shawl to her.
"Don't worry, I am not asking you to keep this forever, you will have this only until the arrival of its next and permanent owner", Shaurya whispered mischievously.
"Permanent owner? Really?", Akansha scoffed. She is aware of Shaurya's mischievous teasings to irk her but the tinge of seriousness in his eyes spoke volumes now. She can't seem to share Shaurya's love with anyone, not even with his kids.
"Yup... My long-term plan is to pass on this shawl to my daughter. She has the sole right on this after me, you are just a borrower, you get to keep it until my daughter arrives", he answered making her glare at him.
"What if we have a son?", she asked
"We will try for a daughter again", he answered pulling her close and flustering her.
"What if we have a son again... We have only sons and not a daughter, will you let me keep this shawl permanently then?", she asked him, now it was her turn to smirk looking at his pale face.
"Don't say such things, My only hope for a happy life is you and my daughter, I am spending every day in the wake of holding my daughter in my arms one day", Shaurya said, fear in his eyes of not being able to have a daughter.
"I was kidding, relax... We'll definitely have a daughter, if not, we'll keep trying until we succeed even if it meant filling half of this earth with our babies", she said gently hitting his forehead with hers making him chuckle.
"I don't mind", he answered hovering over her, "but first promise me, you will give this to my daughter when the time is right, I know you have your eye on this shawl. My rest all shawls are yours but this one belongs only to my princess", he said and Akansha rolled her eyes.
"Yeah yeah... I'll give it to your daughter when the time is right, but why me? You can give it yourself huh?", Akansha asked
"I have used this till now, it has my warmth, this gave me comfort, and was my companion until you came in, from now this will serve the same purpose filling it with your warmth as well and when the time is right, you will pass on to our daughter offering both our warmth to her", he said. The depth in his words and the raw emotions in his eyes spoke volumes. She nodded gently.
"I will definitely pass this on to our daughter", Akansha sealed the promise with her lips on his.
Finally! The shawl reached its rightful owner. He never spotted that shawl with Akansha after their marriage. He thought she might have burnt it by now with the kind of act he pulled but seeing the same shawl in his daughter's hand now brought tears to his eyes. With the tight hold of Siya on the shawl as if it were her lifeline, he knew Akansha must have told her about the shawl belonging to him, the little girl's father. Just the thought caused immense warmth to spread over his heart. He knew the picture was at least a year old as Siya looked much younger than she is now. Despite Akansha's numerous complaints and hatred for him, she never let it pass on their daughter, she only gave loving memories to hold on to, this single thing was enough to prove what a gem of person Akansha is and how unlucky he is to toss such a woman for his some unjustified and some unavoidable reasons.
He kept staring at his daughter's image, she looked so adorable in the picture that all he wanted was to cuddle with her giving her all the love in the world. The way she is clutching the shawl with her little palms swelled his heart with pride and warmth. What would be her reaction when she knows he is her father? Will she be happy, jump on him in happiness or hide away fearing any attachement with him? Will his little girl question his absence all these years? If she does, what would he say? Will he tell her that he wasn't aware of her existence? No, that would be blaming Akansha indirectly and no matter what, he would never let his little girl turn against her mother, even if it meant taking his daughter's hatred, he would but never let his daughter know Akansha hid the truth about Siya from him, at least not until Siya is old enough to understand her mother was only protecting her.
Even if Siya gets upset and withdraws from him, he would do anything and everything to gain his daughter's love. He wouldn't let her spend a single moment missing her father now. He would proudly announce to the world that the most adorable child is his, his own blood and flesh, his little princess. And just like that, cold water splashed on his thoughts, he hadn't made a plan on how to control the situation yet. He would soon announce his daughter to the world before they found out because if that happened, it would blow out into a major scandal. He had to find a way which doesn't tarnish Akansha's image or his for that matter. Protecting Akansha and safeguarding her and their daughter was paramount for him more than his reputation. If he couldn't find a way to save both himself and her, he would find the next best option to save her.
Maybe he could announce he was the one who left her as he chose public service over family. That would create sympathy for her in public and they would trouble her less, but that meant driving away his woman supporters which was one of his strong suits with the kind of women-oriented policies he implemented that tremendously improved women's safety, empowerment, and their participation in the workforce. The 'SHe Park' he built in one of the best commercial plots in the capital city is a place for top companies involved in healthcare, human resources, Beauty & Personal care, Fashion & Retail, Hospitality & Customer Services, Event Management, Public Relations and Childcare & Early Learning Centres where female workers have a domineering presence. Shaurya's initiative created not just numerous job opportunities for women, but also prompted for more women empowerment. The equal pay policy he strictly implemented gave equal rights to the women of the state which was a luxury in other parts of the country despite stringent laws.
With his careful yet thoughtful initiatives for women, he gained immense popularity, love, and respect among the female population. He couldn't say he wasn't worried about losing their support but he wouldn't hesitate to bear this loss if that's the only way he could protect his wife from the potential hate and torment she would get once their relationship is out in the light. He was a career-oriented man who cared about his image in the public, he had carefully built every step of his career to make it sustaining, long-lasting, and successful. Tossing all that away seemed too reckless and painful to him so he kept it as a last resort. He needs to find a way to keep things as they are, because stepping down as the chief minister is not just a personal loss to him, but a public loss, he knew the state needed him now, he had a great vision for the state and he is determined to make it come true, creating a better society, environment for the future generations, and his desire and determination has only multiplied since he got aware of his daughter, the dream and desire is not just a vision he saw for the people anymore, it became personal now, he wanted to create that society he envisioned for his daughter and for that he needs to safeguard his political career as well.
Staring at Siya's cute image, he shut his eyes and slipped into a slumber though a restless one. He woke up in less than an hour to start his day.
-----------------
Akansha got ready to visit the secretariat as she received Mrs. Arora's call in the morning citing some urgent finalizations to make to move forward. She informed Mr. Joshi about her leave request and quickly got ready for work. She secretly hoped to get a glimpse of Shaurya, but as soon as the hope rose, her heart and brain chided her mercilessly for even wishing something like that when all she should wish was not to see him. She was worried for him, to her dismay she knew him too well and hence was aware of the void Siya's absence might have created in him. She just wished he be fine. She couldn't sleep the whole night in his worry, a piece of her rebuked self for not letting him talk to Siya, if she had, he would have been less distressed but the rational part of her knew she did the right thing, she can't afford to get her daughter attached to him more than she already is.
The previous night, Akansha tried a lot to hold the desperation she felt to ease his pain, but she couldn't, at last, she gave into her relentless heart, she searched for her daughter's picture that was dearest to her and kept it as her WhatsApp DP. She knew looking at this image would definitely make him feel better. It was the night of Siya's birthday, when the little girl started talking about her father and asked her if he loved her just like her friend Ammu's father does.
As soon as Akansha heard her little child's innocent question, her eyes welled up, it was her birthday and if all was fine between her and Shaurya, they would have celebrated their daughter's birthday together, he would have given so much love to Siya, she thought. Wouldn't he? She self-questioned. Soon Akansha shook her doubts about the man who ruined her. This was about her daughter, she needed to make this day memorable for her. She wanted to see Siya happy and she would do anything for that. If Siya wanted to feel her father's presence today, she would definitely. With that thought, Akansha got up and brought the shawl from her stuff. The memory of that night and their talk hammered her head with pain. Shaurya's craving for a daughter again filled her heart with guilt which she pushed to the back of her head for the time being.
"Siya bear... I have a gift for you", Akansha spoke settling in front of her daughter.
"But you gave me cho many giphts(so many gifts)", Siya muttered still sad about her father's absence even on this birthday.
"Well this is not from me, but your father", Akansha spoke gently, as soon as those words left her, Siya crashed into her arms excitedly, anything about her father excited the little girl.
After calming her excited daughter, Akansha gently gave Siya the shawl and weaved a story on how Siya's father gave her this. Siya gripped the shawl with so much adoration that a familiar pain tugged Akansha's heart but she didn't want to dwell upon it. She took out her phone and caught Siya's cute antics on camera creating a ton of memories.
Akansha sighed deeply trying to stop the memories from flooding in her head. The previous night was a roller coaster ride of emotions for her, she fought a battle with herself before deciding to change her DP. She waited for him to become online and after an hour of waiting, finally, Shaurya opened his WhatsApp, and she was sure he would see the picture now. Only after that she got a wink of sleep. No matter how hard she tried to stop herself from caring for that man, she couldn't do it. Yes, she hates him, yes she wouldn't leave a single opportunity to hurt him but this is also true that she couldn't completely kill the love she had for him for years now.
She helped Richa's parents with Siya's schedule before walking out of her home. She badly wanted to ask about Richa but the betrayal was still a fresh wound so kept calm for now.
Akansha reached the Secretariat and was preparing herself to meet Mrs. Arora with the files she asked but the woman herself made her way along with Mr. Khanna and Mr. Samuel.
They exchanged pleasantries before getting to work. Phase 1 is ready for mid-review and they were working on briefing the progress they made till now and turning it into a quick presentation to get Shaurya's approval so that they could continue with the second half of phase 1.
Mr. Khan too joined them with his findings and all of them compiled their work, finally after hours of continuous efforts, they completed the work.
"Okay, we are done here... Dr. Dixit will get the approval from Sir while Mr. Khan will help Mr. Samuel in preparing the agenda and flow chart we will be following from tomorrow. Rest all can leave for the day", Mrs. Arora announced, Akansha groaned mentally hearing her. She wanted to refuse as she could not tolerate Shaurya's presence now, her mind is completely messed up. Moreover why should she be the only one to take approval from him always? Why can't anyone else in the team go this time? She questioned mentally but she couldn't be voicing this out as it sounded so childish. Instead, Akansha gave an excuse of compiling the reports she collected from various prestigious institutions across the world about the prodigy they are following. Mrs. Arora offered to compile it for her while Akansha took Shaurya's approval, Akansha realized she was not getting relief from this anytime soon so she accepted the task cursing her fate mentally.
She took the necessary documents that needed Shaurya's signatures and the pendrive which has the presentation.
She stepped into the CM's office, and Shweta greeted her with a polite and respectful smile as if she knew who she was. Akansha is so embarrassed to face Shweta after how she and Mr. Sharma witnessed her little act at Shaurya's residence. She cursed her impulsive self for throwing the towel at Shaurya that day.
"I need to meet sir, sorry I couldn't fix an appointment prior as this was spontaneous, could you please allow me in so that I get his signatures? I'll not take more than 10 minutes, I promise", Akansha requested, Shweta wondered how this woman be pleading with her despite being the CM's wife, she had all the right to demand seeing him but she maintained that Professionalism which increased Shweta's respect for her boss's wife and boss as well.
"Sir's schedule is packed for the whole day ma'am, I would have fit you during his dinner time but unfortunately, today he is dining with the governor for official purposes", Shweta said with an apologetic smile.
"It's already 5... When is his dinner meeting?", Akansha asked
"It's at 8, sir will be leaving for the Governor's residence at 7:15", Shweta narrated her boss's schedule.
"Okay... Please try to fit me, 5 minutes is all I ask...", Akansha said, desperate to get his approval today so that they could start their further work and complete phase 1 on time.
"Um... Ma'am the meeting he is currently handling ends at 6:30, then at 6:30 he had a meeting with the finance secretary until 7:15 PM. But since you are insisting I can allow you inside now, as sir is not in an official meeting completely, I mean it's sir's friend who is also the head of the real estate behemoth. I wouldn't have allowed anyone in but you can go, since you are family", Shweta said, Akansha's grateful smile suddenly turned into a frown hearing 'family' from Shweta.
"What do you mean by that, Mrs. Gupta?", Akansha asked, not bothering to mask her displeasure.
Shweta got careful, observing Akansha's sudden shift in demeanor.
"Sir has informed me about you being his wife, Ma'am but please don't worry, I'll keep this to myself just as sir instructed. I am sorry if I have crossed a line", Shweta said cautiously choosing words.
"Who else knew it?", Akansha asked crisply, fury bubbling inside her.
"It's just me and Mr. Sharma, I guess", Shweta said, wondering why is Akansha furious, anyone in her place would have proudly flaunted her position but Shweta refrained from judging as she wasn't aware of the issues between this complicated couple.
Akansha fumed at Shaurya's audacity. How dare he disclose such crucial information, that too false info? They were now divorced, why didn't he tell them that? She didn't want a single soul to know about the relationship between Shaurya and her but now, his whole personal security team and now his assistant and principal secretary knew about it. She is not gonna spare him for this spill. But for now, she needs to be professional, get his damn signatures on the file, and get the hell out of here.
"Can I go in?", Akansha asked Shweta, her cold demeanor unmasked. In her anger, she didn't even ask Shweta about the friend Shaurya was in a meeting with. Akansha stormed towards Shaurya's cabin, Shweta didn't understand what made her so furious but she prayed that Shaurya wouldn't blame her for his wife's furious state.
Akansha knocked on his door though with her fury she just wanted to barge in and bang his head, she maintained her composure as her impulsive self had already done enough damage. She understood that Shaurya had to lie about her being his wife after the way she threw the towel at him and the words she uttered. So, now she is determined to keep his impulsive angry self in check. But all her resolve broke after she entered in hearing his gentle 'come in' and saw who was sitting opposite him. She wanted to rush out but unfortunately, she was spotted before she could turn on her heels.
Shaurya froze seeing Akansha there, he thought it was Shweta so he allowed in.
The lady opposite Shaurya stood up in surprise seeing Akansha, she smiled gently at Akansha though the smile seemed fake to her like always.
Precap - Their argument, Akansha's anger, Shaurya's guilt and apology, Siya and Shaurya spend time. Richa comes back with solid truth.
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ANNOUNCEMENT!!!!
My New Book 'Amidst Chaos' is now live on Wattpad. It's an intense love-hate love story with all the dramatic elements that would hook you to the plot. Below is the link. Hope you will give it a shot and soon will love it just like my other works 'The Royal BEAST' trilogy, HIS Retribution & Rue, Rainbow, Impounded Love, For Him...?? & 'MY WOMAN'.
https://www.wattpad.com/story/379770787-amidst-chaos
Parts 25, 26,27, 28, and 29 of His Retribution & Rue are now live in scrollstack. Links are available in my message board.