Hello, Mr. Major General (1)

Chapter 197 - Déjà Vu (1)

Due to the nature of his work, Sidharth rarely appeared in public.

General Rawat had encouraged him to step out of the shadows
and take center stage, but for the moment Sidharth's name was known only to the military and the upper echelons of the India. The common folk on the street did not know who Sidharth Shukla was.

But Rashmi had called him "General Shukla." She obviously knew both his name and his real identity.

Sidharth knew who Rashmi Desai was. He had ordered
his men to run thorough background checks on Kartik
and Rashmi when Shehnaaz had applied for B University Law School.

It was strange for Rashmi to know who he was, however. Or, to put it another way, nothing in Rashmi's background indicated any connection to Sidharth, or
any possible interest in him.

Something stirred within Sidharth's mind. He kept the
indifferent expression on his face as he turned to look at Rashmi and wait for her reply.

There was a flicker of panic in Rashmi's eyes. She quickly glanced towards Kartik, a faint blush creeping across her cheeks, before lowering her head. She gripped the iron bars on the window of her room, and said in a stammer: "...I saw you at the dinner party in the Prime Minister's official residence. I asked Devika who you were, and she told me."

The explanation was water-tight.
But Sidharth did not let his guard down. He asked: "Oh? Are you good friends with Devika Gandhi?"

"I was Devika's defense lawyer when I was abroad. I helped her with a lawsuit." Rashmi gradually calmed down. She looked up at Sidharth, silently appraising him.

This was the first time she had seen him up close, and she was not quite prepared for it. Sidharth was so devastatingly handsome, the sight of his face was enough to send most people into an existential crisis.

She stared at him for a long moment, before averting her gaze. The major general had been handsome enough in his photos, but she had not expected him to be even more beautiful in person...

Sidharth glanced sideways at Rashmi. He gestured for his men to open the door to Kartik's room.

Kartik emerged from the room, his expression stony. He said to Sidharth: "General Shukla, you seem very interested in my assistant. Why?"

Sidharth smiled, but did not reply. "Professor Sen, this way, please."

Kartik snorted. The expression on his face had grown even icier. He pressed his lips together and walked towards the room opposite them.

Just as Sidharth turned to leave, he caught sight of Rashmi's face out of the corner of his eye. There was a faint smile on her face.

She was watching Kartik's retreating back with her complete and undivided attention. Beneath her thick bangs, her narrow eyes seemed alive with emotion; her snowy white skin, her round face, her slender eyebrows and her
small mouth seemed oddly familiar. Sidharth was momentarily overcome with a sense of déjà vu.

...

Upon entering the interrogation room, Kartik stopped to sweep his gaze over the room, before seating himself at the rectangular table inside. He chose to sit facing the door.

Sidharth did not enter the interrogation room after him. Instead, he entered the room next to the interrogation room, and seated himself. He crossed his legs and lightly tapped the table before him with a slender finger as he said to Deepak, who was standing behind him, "Begin the
interrogation."

"Yes, sir." Deepak exited the room and entered the interrogation room next door.

Sidharth took up a leisurely stance as he fixed his gaze upon the window before him; it was actually a sophisticated one-way mirror, disguised as a normal wall on the other side.