Hello, Mr. Major General (1)

Chapter 3: Guardian

Sidharth Shukla was a soldier. At the moment, he wasn’t in C City.

He had accepted a secret mission a month ago, and had soon after left the C City military base. No one knew
where he had gone.

Before leaving he had entrusted Shehnaaz to Sandeep, instructing him to look after her.

Who would have thought she would get into trouble the moment he left?

Sandeep thought of Sodharth's cool, imperious eyes, and his methods of punishment. Just thinking about them
made him feel as though his heart was about to leap out of his throat.

Holding his phone, Sandeep stole a sideways look at Shehnaaz, who was writhing and moaning on the sofa., Well, he thought, surely this counts as a matter of life or death?

Sandeep was thinking of the phone number that Sidharth had given him before he left. Sidharth usually came and went as he pleased, without a thought for anyone else, but this time he had actually left a number with which he could be reached at any time.

Of course, Sidharth had also warned Sandeep, repeatedly, that he should never, ever call this number unless it was a matter of life or death.

This was it. It was now or never.

Sandeep dialed the special four-digit number, then stared at the phone interface, muttering agitatedly,“C’mon, pick up! Pick up! Pick up!”

When Sandeep called him on the
phone, Sidharth had already completed his mission and was in the imperial capital, standing outside the door leading to the Senate, awaiting his turn.

His current mission was to persuade the Senate to fund the newly established Sixth Military Region.

It was not yet time for him to enter the hall.

Sidharth stood at the end of the corridor outside the assembly hall, a cigarette between the fingers of his white- gloved right hand. His left hand was in his trouser pocket. He stared quietly and vacantly at the night view beyond the large glass window, his thoughts elsewhere.

Not too far from him, a few female assembly interns hung about, all beautiful women from distinguished families. They kept looking his way, but none dared to walk over and strike up a conversation with him.

Sidharth was in full military uniform today. He had on a navy blue army blazer, made of fine wool; the bright brass buttons shone in a line, up to his slender neck. On his epaulettes, a pine branch and a solitary star, both picked out in gold, glittered under the lamp light.

Around his waist was a wide
military-issue belt made of rhino skin. Below that were the navy blue uniform trousers, also made of fine wool, the seams impeccably straight. His
feet were clad in a pair of knee-high riding boots.

He was about six feet tall, and with his shoes on he was easily over six feet. He was not only tall but strapping, with wide shoulders and a broad chest. He had begun his military
career at the age of 15, and before that he had trained in martial arts. Standing there, he was as imposing as a mountain.

The military uniform clung to his waistline, before dropping away. Below the waist his long legs seemed to go on forever.

His tall, strapping figure alone was enough to set hearts racing, but as though that weren’t enough, the face that went with the body was so handsome that all who looked upon it despaired over their own
inadequacies.

Fortunately, the world wasn’t
completely unfair. His enviable looks were balanced out by the fact that nobody dared go near him. His exceptionally handsome face was perennially grave and forbidding, and anyone on the receiving end of his gaze always felt overwhelmed by the weight of it. His eyes, cool and aloof, seemed to say—this was how Shehnaaz described it, at least—”you are all scum.”