The accusations spread like wildfire. Kapoor Industries was drowning in scandal.
Anaya sat in her office, surrounded by reports, legal documents, and financial statements. She had spent hours going through every transaction.
Nothing made sense.
She had expected an attack from Vikram. But this was something bigger. Someone had planted false evidence meticulously—almost too perfectly.
Her thoughts were interrupted when her assistant walked in.
"Ma'am, the Enforcement Directorate has arrived."
Anaya took a deep breath. Time to face the storm.
---
The conference room was tense. Two senior ED officers sat across from Anaya. Their questions were sharp, relentless.
"Ms. Kapoor, can you explain these transactions linked to offshore accounts?"
Anaya met their gaze. "I can't, because I never authorized them."
One officer slid a document across the table. Her signature was on it.
But she had never signed it.
A forged signature.
The realization sent a chill through her.
This wasn't just an attempt to defame her. Someone wanted to destroy her completely.
---
Meanwhile, Aryan wasn't sitting idle.
He had learned long ago that money always leaves a trail.
Sitting in his private office, he connected with his most trusted hacker.
"I need to trace every offshore transfer linked to Kapoor Industries," Aryan ordered.
His hacker smirked. "Already on it."
Minutes later, something shocking appeared on the screen.
The shell companies weren't just random. They had ties to Udaipur.
Aryan's breath hitched. His own family's city.
Someone from his world was involved in this.
But who? And why?
His jaw clenched. If his family was behind this, then this was no longer just Anaya's war. It was his too.
---
Avni sat in a luxurious penthouse, her fingers tapping against the wine glass.
The mysterious figure who had helped her frame Anaya leaned against the window.
"She's panicking," Avni murmured, satisfied. "Just like I wanted."
The figure smirked. "Don't get too comfortable. Anaya is dangerous when cornered."
Avni's smile faltered.
"What do you really want from this?" she asked.
The person turned to her, their expression unreadable.
"To take away everything that belongs to Aryan Rathore."
Avni frowned. What did Aryan have to do with this?
But before she could question further, the person stood. "Play your part, and you'll get what you want."
As the door clicked shut behind them, Avni's hands trembled slightly.
Had she just made a deal with the devil?
---
Anaya stood by the window of her office, staring at the city lights. The scandal had shaken Kapoor Industries, but she wasn't going down without a fight.
Someone had forged her signature. Someone had framed her.
And she would find them.
She turned to her assistant. "Get me a list of everyone who had access to my authorization documents in the last three months. I don't care how small the access was—I want every detail."
Her assistant nodded and rushed out.
Anaya picked up her phone and dialed Sameer Khanna, her CFO.
"Sameer, I need you to check the financial servers. Look for any unauthorized logins, especially from the accounts department. Someone planted those offshore transactions. We need to find out who."
Sameer hesitated. "Anaya, whoever did this covered their tracks well. It'll take time."
"We don't have time." Her voice was sharp. "If we don't prove my innocence before the board meeting tomorrow, I'll be forced to step down."
Sameer exhaled. "I'll do my best."
The First Breakthrough
Two hours later, her assistant rushed in with a file. "Ma'am, I found something."
Anaya flipped through the papers. Her eyes narrowed.
A junior accounts officer had accessed the financial server two days before the offshore transactions were leaked. It wasn't part of his job.
"Where is he now?" she asked.
Her assistant hesitated. "He… he resigned this morning."
Anaya's blood ran cold. Someone had paid him off.
"Find out where he went," she ordered. "I don't care how. Just do it."
As her assistant rushed out, Anaya clenched her fists.
Whoever had done this thought they had won.
But they had just made their first mistake.
---
Anaya paced in her office, her mind racing. She had found the first thread in this conspiracy—now, she needed to unravel the entire scheme.
Just then, her phone buzzed. It was Aryan.
"I found something," he said, his voice sharp. "The offshore accounts? The money trail leads back to Udaipur."
Anaya's breath caught. "Your family?"
"Possibly," Aryan admitted. "But there's something more. The person who leaked the documents—the accounts officer who resigned? He boarded a flight to Udaipur this morning."
Anaya's eyes darkened. Someone was tying all these threads back to Aryan's world.
"We need to get to him before they make him disappear," Aryan said. "Jet is ready. Let's go."
---
Hours later, Aryan and Anaya arrived in Udaipur. The city was stunning under the moonlight, but neither of them was here for sightseeing.
Aryan's contacts had tracked the ex-accounts officer to a five-star hotel.
"He's scared," Aryan muttered as they approached the suite. "He knows something."
Anaya knocked. No response.
Aryan didn't wait. With a swift kick, he broke the lock, and they stormed inside.
The room was empty—except for a man tied to a chair, his face covered in bruises.
Anaya's stomach twisted. Someone had gotten to him first.
The man looked up, eyes widening in fear. "Please… I didn't mean to do it. They made me—"
"Who?" Anaya demanded. "Who paid you to forge my signature?"
The man coughed, his breathing shallow. "A woman… she… she worked for Kapoor Industries…"
Anaya and Aryan exchanged a sharp glance.
"Who?" Aryan asked coldly.
The man shuddered. "Avni Kapoor."
Anaya's nails dug into her palms. Avni.
But there was more. She could see the terror in his eyes. Avni wasn't acting alone.
"Who else?" Anaya pressed.
The man hesitated. Then, in a whisper, he said, "Someone powerful. Someone from the Rathore family."
Aryan froze.
The enemy wasn't just Anaya's step-sister. It was someone from his own bloodline.
And this war was far from over.
---