Chapter 24: The Unforeseen Protector
The air in the makeshift evidence tent was thick with tension and the smell of wet earth. Aarav's cold, demanding voice had cut through the chaos, silencing every whisper. He stood directly opposite the Inspector, his composure unnervingly solid against the man's sudden authority.
"Inspector," Aarav repeated, his eyes never leaving the officer. "I understand the gravity of the evidence you have found. However, I must insist you check the CCTV footage immediately before taking any further action against Miss Ayushi."
Ayushi, still kneeling near her bag and trembling with residual shock, looked up at Aarav. Her mind struggled to process his intervention. She had expected to face this crisis alone, to be abandoned the moment the accusation of corporate espionage arose. Yet, here was Aarav, staking his own reputation on her innocence. A profound, almost disorienting warmth spread through the ice of her fear. She knew this stand could tarnish his career prospects, his excellent reputation—everything he had worked for.
The Inspector hesitated, but Aarav pressed on with unyielding certainty. "Sir, this is a mandatory field trip. For liability and security, I know the resort management has installed cameras everywhere: on the forest trails, near the river, and certainly covering the common tent area. We must examine the footage around the time this bag was unattended."
Aarav's relentless logic and the sheer force of his demand had the intended effect. The Inspector, seeing the seriousness in his eyes, eventually signaled his deputy. "Get the security chief. Start the review now."
A small, tense crowd gathered around a laptop as the resort security staff played back the footage. Aarav stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the police, his hand subtly resting near Ayushi's shoulder as a silent assurance.
The screen flickered. It showed the tent area at the time everyone was at the campfire. And then, there he was—a shadowy figure, dressed in dark clothing, moving with unnerving stealth. The man crept up to the row of backpacks. He paused briefly, seeming to check the tags or distinguishing features.
A collective gasp went through the onlookers as the figure reached down, unzipped one of the bags, and quickly placed the small, infamous hard disk—the 'Kryptos Leak' USB drive—inside.
But then, the twist that changed everything.
The police officer rewound the video and paused it. The deputy pointed a finger at the screen, his face a mask of realization.
"Wait. Look at the backpack. It's an identical model, sir. But the initial file—the accusation—it was targeted at a student named Aarav. This bag…" He squinted at a barely visible nametag. "This is Miss Ayushi's."
The Inspector slowly straightened, his gaze shifting between Aarav and Ayushi. The truth snapped into place. The plot was undeniably directed at Aarav, the rising star of the B-Plan competition, but a catastrophic error in execution—perhaps due to the identical, common backpacks—had led to the evidence being mistakenly planted in Ayushi's belongings.
"The evidence is clear," the Inspector announced, his voice carrying an official weight that everyone understood. "Miss Ayushi, you are innocent. The evidence was planted in your bag by a third party, likely intended for a different target."
He continued, however, with a tone of caution. "We will, of course, need to retain the USB drive and this footage for further investigation. For the record, Miss Ayushi, do you recall recently offending or challenging anyone who might want to see you framed or hurt?"
Ayushi swallowed hard, her voice still shaky but clear. "No, Inspector. I… I haven't made any personal enemies."
Aarav listened, his heart pounding a slow, deliberate rhythm of rage. He knew the mastermind wasn't the man on the screen—that was a hired saboteur. He knew the real criminal was Rajat, but without a direct link, without solid proof connecting the rich boy to the hired hand, he had to keep his knowledge a secret. Premature accusation would only let Rajat slip away.
'Not yet,' Aarav thought, his jaw clenched tight. 'You want a war, Rajat? You'll get one. And I will not stop until I've taken a thousand times what you tried to steal from us.'
The police officers eventually packed up and left, taking the USB and the footage with them. The official declaration of Ayushi's innocence had diffused the immediate danger, but a heavy, uneasy silence settled over the camp. Most students, relieved the drama was over, began hastily packing their luggage to leave before darkness fully set in.
The day's events had fractured Ayushi's composure. She walked away from the commotion, seeking the quiet sanctuary of the riverbank. She stood alone, watching the flowing water catch the dying light of the setting sun. The scene was breathtakingly beautiful, yet she could only think of the terror she had just faced—and Aarav's face, cold and resolute, stepping into the line of fire for her.
It was in that moment, as the sky bled from orange to deep violet, that Aarav found her. He didn't speak, simply walking up and standing a few feet behind her.
Ayushi turned, her eyes wet but clear. The question she had been holding onto all day finally spilled out, her voice a fragile whisper.
"Aarav… why?" she asked, taking a step toward him. "Why are you protecting me? You know what they were talking about, right? This is corporate espionage. If you had involved yourself in this case, your reputation, your career, your entire future would have been damaged."
Tears finally overflowed, tracing clean paths down her cheeks. "You know the risks, you know what's at stake… why are you protecting me?"
Her emotions overwhelmed her logic. In an instinct she didn't know she possessed, she closed the distance between them and hugged Aarav, burying her face against his chest. It was a desperate embrace, a silent plea for safety, and an unspoken expression of gratitude.
Aarav's body was momentarily stiff with surprise, but he quickly relaxed. He didn't reply; he didn't speak a single word. He simply raised his arms and wrapped them around her, holding her tightly as she sobbed into his shirt. He was a silent, unmoving anchor in her storm.
In his heart, however, a promise was being forged—a deadly vow whispered only to himself:
'Rajat,' he thought, holding the girl who was the entire purpose of his second life. 'I will make you pay a thousand-fold for what you have done. This ends now.'
The sun finally dipped below the horizon, painting the river a deep, reflective crimson as the current flowed endlessly onward, carrying the events of the day toward a future Aarav was now fiercely determined to rewrite.