Shadows Of The Stumps

Chapter - 68

As the team left, Meera and Arya found themselves in the company of the players' wives, who lingered with concern etched on their faces.

"Don’t you think Singh seemed a little too happy about you not being the head of security?" Arya murmured quietly to Meera, eyeing her with a knowing look.

Meera nodded, though she kept her voice low. "Yeah, I noticed. But without any proof, we can’t just throw around accusations."

Anushka leaned in, lowering her voice as well. "Athiya was telling us about something she overheard. Apparently, someone was on the phone, talking about how the hate is spreading more each day. With these recent attacks, they said it’s getting easier to 'reach their goal.'" She turned to Athiya, prompting her to share.

Athiya nodded and recounted her experience, the tension in the room heightening with each word. "I heard someone talking about how each attack was feeding this… plan of theirs. They sounded so sure that it was only going to get worse."

Ritika frowned, worry clouding her expression. "And we have the Australia tour coming up soon. How are we supposed to ensure everyone’s safety with this kind of threat hanging over us?"

Meera took a deep breath, determination flashing in her eyes. "Whatever this is," she said firmly, "it ends today. We’re not letting them mess with us or with our team’s morale any longer."

A sense of resolve settled over the group, knowing they would need to face whatever lay ahead together.

In a determined hush, Arya and Meera worked relentlessly, knowing they had to unravel the truth in a single day. They couldn't afford to let any staff or officials catch even the slightest hint of their investigation. Their movements were subtle, and their conversations were kept to soft whispers, creating an invisible web of inquiry as they delved into files, traced online trolls, and sifted through IP addresses. Hours passed in intense silence, both of them feeling the weight of their discovery growing with each new piece of evidence.

At last, they found the connecting threads that led them to the truth: Mr. Singh was behind the orchestrated hate campaigns, fueling paid trolls to destabilize the team. It had all started with Rahul; Singh had targeted him, launching a wave of online vitriol, and when Rahul was eventually dropped from the playing eleven, Singh saw an opportunity. This was a way to manipulate the lineup, replacing key players with those who would follow his every command—paving the way for his underhanded schemes in betting and match-fixing.

As they followed the trail further, Arya and Meera found themselves in Singh’s cabin, poring over the damning evidence they had managed to gather. They exchanged tense glances, knowing they had finally uncovered the truth. But before they could leave, a low chuckle echoed from the doorway.

“So, you two really think you can outsmart me?” Singh’s voice dripped with malice as he stepped into the room, flanked by two menacing-looking guards. "It’s almost cute.”

Arya’s jaw clenched, the tension coiling in her body like a tightly wound spring. Meera’s eyes burned with fury, but they stood their ground, prepared to fight for their lives if necessary. Singh chuckled, clearly relishing their defiance as he circled them like a predator sizing up its prey.

“You don’t know half of what I’ve done,” he said, his voice dripping with contempt. “Rahul’s attack? That wasn’t just some random incident. I arranged it, paid the right people to make it happen. He was getting too comfortable, too indispensable. A little was all it took to keep him out.”

Meera’s fists clenched tightly, rage boiling beneath the surface. “You endangered your own team. You were behind yesterday's attack, too, weren’t you?” Her voice quivered with anger, a raw edge cutting through her usually calm demeanor.