Hello, Mr. Major General (1)

Chapter 200 - I Care

“Why do we owe it to Sana to give you a better room? Please give me a reasonable explanation.”

Sidharth sat across from Kartik, his posture relaxed and casual. They looked like two men engaged in an innocuous business meeting; the rectangular table between them added to the illusion.

The Special Ops base was equipped with a special interrogation room for criminal suspects, but Sidharth had decided it wasn’t necessary to use it for the current phase of the investigation. None of the guests at the Prime Minister’s party were criminal suspects, after all.
The interrogation room the two men were sitting in right now was mainly used to question witnesses who had been asked to assist in an investigation.

Kartik crossed his legs and placed his hands on top of his knee. His expression was cool and dignified as he said casually: “I should get a better room because I’m Sana’s mentor. I hear that it is part of the Indian culture to show the utmost respect to your teachers. If this is the way you ‘respect’ your teachers, I shudder to think what your ‘disrespect’ looks like.”

“We’ll show you our utmost respect, if you truly think of yourself as Sana’s mentor.” Sidharth looked towards the camera in the interrogation room and smiled.

“The camera in this room is recording your every word, Professor Sen. I hope you won’t ever forget what you said today—you are, first and foremost, Sana’s mentor.”

“Oh, I won’t forget it.” Kartik leaned forward and placed a hand on the table. He drummed out a tuneless song with his fingers. “But General Shukla, I should remind you that the old saying ‘a teacher for a day is a father figure for life’ no longer applies in this day and age.” His expression remained stony, but a hint of a smile flickered in his bright, almond-shaped eyes.

Shehnaaz was watching the two men from the adjacent room. She could hear every word Kartik had just said through her earpiece; she sighed as she covered her face with a hand. What was Professor Sen trying to do here?

Sidharth cocked his head as he considered Kartik from across the table. He knew Kartik had seen through the trap Sidharth had laid for him, and had cunningly pre-empted him before he could spring the trap.

Sidharth mirrored Kartik’s posture; he, too, laid a hand on the table and began drumming his fingers on the wooden surface. “Professor Sen, the saying ‘a teacher for a day is a father figure for life’ is just as relevant today. Nevertheless, you are free to behave as you see fit. After all, we can’t very well arrest you if you wish to engage in immoral acts, so long as it isn’t actually a crime. But I have absolute faith in Sana. She’s a good girl who knows right from wrong, and I know she despises the morally corrupt. I don’t think your bad influence will rub off on her.”

Kartik’s face instantly darkened. He stared daggers at Sidharth. “Are you suggesting that I am an immoral man?”

“No, of course not. I’m just analyzing what you just said.”
Sidharth smiled. His slender fingers curled into a fist, and he withdrew his hand from the table with deliberate slowness. It was a show of dominance.

Kartik gave a small nod. “I had no idea General Shukla was a man capable of logical analysis. How unexpected.”

“Why does it surprise you? Have you been investigating me?” Sidharth sat up straight. “You must be a very powerful man indeed, Professor Sen, if you have agents within the India’s military.”

“I know you’re trying to bait me. Don’t bother.” Kartik shook his head. “Yes, I did some research on you, but only because I wanted to understand Sana better. I wanted to see what kind of environment she was raised in.”