Avni, India's most brilliant ethical hacker, is betrayed by her closest friend, framed for treason, and shot dead-her story ending in blood and disgrace. But fate has other plans. A strange notification on her broken phone drags her back into her 14...
As she returned to her seat, the applause washing over her, a sense of fulfillment settled deep within her chest. Every sleepless night, every challenge overcome, every line of code painstakingly perfected had led to this moment.
But what Avni did not see were the two burning eyes fixed on her, brimming with envy and concealed malice. Naitik—her so-called friend—stood among the crowd, his smile polished but his heart seething with resentment. To him, her very existence was an obstacle, and tonight's victory only deepened his resolve to tear it all down.
He approached her just as the event ended. "Congratulations, Avni," he said smoothly. "Your long-awaited dream has come true... unlike mine." Avni offered him a warm smile, catching the weight in his words but trying to ease it with kindness. "Thank you, Naitik. Don't worry—you just need to trust your skills. I believe you'll get there soon."
A faint chuckle escaped his lips, edged with something she could not place. "Well, if you say so. Ah—my cab's here. I won't make it to your party tonight, I've... got work."
"It's okay," Avni replied gently, waving as he slid into the vehicle.
Sliding into the backseat, he cast one last glance at her waving figure. The door shut, and the mask slipped. His smile stretched into something darker.
"Let the world cheer for you tonight, Anvi. But soon, they'll see the cracks. I'll make sure of it. You may have won the award... but I'll write the story of your downfall."
He door closed with a thud, the cab pulling into the night. She turned away, unaware that behind his departing smile lay a simmering plan—one that would soon darken her brightest triumph.
Some Time passed –
The hall was alive with laughter and clinking glasses, the air shimmering with celebration. Avni stood radiant in her white dress laced with delicate purple designs, surrounded by friends and colleagues who raised their toasts in her honor. For once, she allowed herself to breathe, to savor the joy she had earned.
But the moment fractured when a colleague stepped forward, voice casual yet sharp. "Hey Avni, your project... it was about firewalls, right? Funny thing—Naitik just posted something almost identical in the competition. You should take a look."
He handed her a phone. Anvi's smile faltered. The description staring back at her was not just similar—it was hers, line for line. She laughed softly at first, a hollow sound. Coincidence? No... this wastheft. With trembling fingers, she pulled out her own phone. Her breath caught. Her project had been flagged, her submission blocked—labeled as copied work. Impossible. She had poured days, nights, her very soul into it.
Was he behind this?
She tried to call Naitik, but the screen blinked coldly: but he seems to have blocked her. A chill ran through her veins. Before she could process the betrayal, a ripple swept through the room. Phones buzzed, screens lit up. Heads turned, eyes darted toward her with disbelief and suspicion.
Avni looked down at her own notification—her chest constricted. The headline glared like fire: "Top Ethical Hacker of India Caught in Treason, Sharing Secrets With Enemy Nation." Whispers stirred like knives unsheathed, someone at her side inhaled sharply as if to speak—but the words died in their throat.
Avmi'spulse thundered. The walls seemed to close in. Without another thought, she turned and bolted, her heels striking the marble floor as the murmurs swelled behind her. Celebration had turned into condemnation, and the night that had crowned her triumph now bore the shadow of her ruin.
Avni burst into the night, nearly colliding with a speeding car as her phone slipped from her hand. An electric bike tore past, crushing it beneath its wheels. She snatched the broken device anyway, desperation driving her into the shadows of a crumbling building.
The elevator groaned as it carried her upward. Her breath came in shallow bursts, her fingers trembling over the fractured screen, clawing for answers. But every file, every safeguard—erased. The evidence was seamless, damning, as though she herself had orchestrated the betrayal.
By the time the doors opened onto the deserted top floor, panic had hardened into a storm inside her. Hours passed in feverish searching, but the silence of deletion echoed louder than her thoughts. News alerts stung her eyes: accusations, venomous comments, a world turned hostile. Overwhelmed, she hurled the shattered phone aside, the sound ricocheting off the empty walls. Darkness pressed closer, wrapping her in a hopelessness so complete it almost felt designed.
-Flashback end –
Her lifeless body lay crumpled on the cold pavement, the once-radiant white dress now drenched in crimson. Her glassy eyes stared blankly at the endless night sky as flashing cameras and the shuffle of officers closed in on the scene, the drones flew above her. Among the crowd, Naitik stood a step apart, his lips curved into a victorious, almost sinister smile.
Far above, inside the abandoned building, Avni's shattered phone flickered weakly. Across the fractured screen, a strange message pulsed in neon text:
Would you like to restart? If not responded to within 7 minutes, you will be automatically regressed into the past. Yes / No
The timer ticked down in eerie silence.
Seven minutes later, as the world below mourned and whispered, the phone glowed with a low hum:
Hello guys I know the chapter 1 was very long I will try to decrease the word limit if you want thank you for reading. feel free to comment how to liked it so far and yes her name is avni so if you see anvi just ignore it I will be correcting it soon \(^-^*)/.
please support by voting my story !!
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