Three weeks into his job, Aarav had become a familiar name at City Hub. His work on Bharat Naturals continued to show strong results—sales were up 140%, online engagement had doubled, and Neelam Joshi now called him her "digital son."
But while everything seemed smooth on the surface, the system kept flickering warnings at odd intervals.
Caution: Behavioral anomaly detected in Kunal VermaProximity Threat Level: RisingSuggested Action: Maintain low profile and monitor developments silently
Aarav didn't fully understand why the system was wary of Kunal. Sure, the guy was overly confident, a little too smooth, and clearly trying to climb fast—but that wasn't unusual in startup spaces. Still, the system had never been wrong before. So Aarav kept a mental note of every interaction, every whispered conversation he overheard, and every file Kunal printed near the common copier.
Then, one afternoon, the dots began to connect.
Aarav had taken a call outside the coworking space when he spotted Kunal huddled with two men in business suits near the café. Curious, he let his call linger longer than needed and listened.
"…I told you, sir. The local brands are scaling because of him—Aarav Mehta. He's got some weird… streak. Everything he touches just works. Joshi's brand? That was nothing a month ago."
A pause. One of the suited men said, "Can we replicate what he's doing?"
Kunal chuckled. "I'm already on it. I've downloaded most of his campaign blueprints. I just need a few more details from his client files."
Aarav froze.
His hands clenched unconsciously.
Kunal's trying to steal my strategies?
The system chimed almost instantly.
Threat Level Updated: HIGHMission Triggered: Protect proprietary ideas and client dataSuggested Action: Backup all work. Confrontation not recommended yet. Activate "Stealth Protocol."
That night, Aarav stayed late, copying all his marketing materials, analytics, and strategies for Bharat Naturals onto a secure, personal backup drive. He also flagged the unusual file access logs in Ramesh's project dashboard—but didn't raise a complaint. Not yet.
Two days later, Aarav sat across from Neelam Joshi, discussing expansion ideas.
"What if we did bundled gift sets for the festive season?" Aarav suggested. "You'd sell more per customer, and we could target Diwali traffic early."
Neelam nodded, intrigued. "I like it. I can start preparing extra inventory."
They were wrapping up when she said something odd.
"By the way, that Kunal boy messaged me on WhatsApp last night. Said he could offer cheaper marketing services and 'take over everything Aarav's doing at half the rate.' I didn't understand—aren't you both from the same place?"
Aarav smiled, but his jaw tightened.
"Don't worry," he said gently. "He's not part of this project. You should block him. He's not authorized to represent your brand."
Neelam's face darkened. "I'll do that right away. Cheap tricks. I don't like people who sneak behind others' backs."
That evening, Aarav requested a private meeting with Ramesh.
"Sir," he began, keeping his voice even, "I wanted to let you know that I've noticed some of my client files were accessed without authorization. I've also heard that Kunal's been approaching my clients directly."
Ramesh's expression shifted from confusion to understanding… then to quiet anger.
"I had my suspicions. You're not the first one he's done this to. But this time, he's gone too far."
"Should I file a formal report?" Aarav asked.
Ramesh shook his head. "You don't need to. I'll handle it. He'll be gone by next week. But… Aarav," he paused. "You've done more than I expected in such a short time. You've got the spark. If you ever want to start something of your own… I'd invest."
Aarav blinked. "Wait, really?"
Ramesh smiled. "Not a huge amount. But I believe in betting early on the right people."
The system lit up like a festival lamp.
Milestone Achieved: First Investment Interest SecuredRelationship Unlocked: Potential Angel Mentor – Ramesh GuptaUpdated Goal: Begin MVP design for Project RootlinkFunding Path Progress: 10%
That night, Aarav sat on the roof again, this time with Aanya beside him, sketchbook in hand.
"What are you drawing now?" he asked.
"Packaging designs," she said. "For your business. You'll need them, won't you?"
He chuckled. "You're getting ahead of me."
"No," she said firmly, "you're just moving faster than you think."
He looked out into the quiet city. Jaipur felt different now—not just as a place, but as a playing field. Kunal's betrayal didn't shake him. It sharpened him.
Because now he understood something vital:
Success wasn't just about doing the right things.
It was also about protecting what you built—quietly, fiercely, and with full certainty.
And Aarav was just getting started.
4o