"Behind the mask of innocence lies a hunger for revenge, where power reigns supreme and secrets dictate the game."
•••
Ananya's light conceals dark shadows.
Secrets fester.
Revenge fuels.
Betrayal lingers.
Obsession rules.
What will Trayaksh do whe...
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Ananya's shoes thudded against the quiet hallway floor, her phone pressed firmly to her ear.
When no response came from the other side, she frowned. "Did you find it?"
After a bit more silence, Rishab's voice finally came through the line.
"No, I couldn't."
Her steps faltered. "What do you mean you couldn't?"
"You heard me," he replied evenly. "No matter how much I searched, there was nothing to find."
The words hit her like a blow. She stopped completely, her pulse quickening.
"Nothing?" she repeated, incredulous. "Rishab, nothing isn't a word in your vocabulary. If it exists, you find it. That's how this works."
"I know," he said, a trace of frustration creeping into his tone. "But this time... I couldn't. There's no digital trace of anything."
Her breath hitched as a wave of restlessness took over. "That's not possible," she muttered, beginning to spiral. "There has to be something. There has to be. I don't believe there isn't—"
"Relax," Rishab cut in, his voice calm and measured. "I didn't mean there's nothing at all. I just meant it's not where we're looking."
Ananya paused, her brows furrowing as his words sank in. "You mean to say...?"
"It's in hardcopy," Rishab confirmed. "Could be a pendrive, a CD, hell, even an old-school file. But it's definitely offline."
A defeated sigh escaped her lips as she leaned back against the wall, her fingers pinching the bridge of her nose. "Shit. Now what?"
"Now?" Rishab said. "We don't have a choice. The only way to find it is in person. I'd suggest planting a spy, but we both know that won't work. That area is strictly off-limits to outsiders—only his inner circle goes in and out."
Silence hung heavy between them for a moment, and Rishab didn't need to see her to know she was doing it again. It wasn't new. Every time things got complicated, the doubts crept in—ones she'd been carrying since the moment she made this choice.
"Stop doubting," He said gently, shedding the usual persona of her go-to hacker or the sharp mind she leaned on for solutions, and becoming one of the very few people in her world who knew the layers beneath the ice. Her friend. "You know Uncle Brutus wouldn't steer you wrong. If he's suggesting this, it's because it's the better option."
