The room was silent.
Everyone staring at the locked screen.
"They blocked us," Aarav said.
Reyaan shook his head.
"No… they noticed us."
Meher stepped forward.
"Good."
All three looked at her.
"If they're watching…" she said,
"then we make them react."
Rishan understood instantly.
"A trap."
Meher nodded.
"We leak something fake."
Aarav frowned.
"Fake?"
Reyaan smiled slightly.
"A controlled leak… to pull them out."
Meher continued—
"We release a file saying we found the 'Director's identity.'"
Silence.
"And when they panic…" Aarav added,
"They'll try to stop us."
Rishan finished—
"And that's when we trace them."
Plan set.
Within minutes—
A new file was uploaded.
A bold claim:
"Director Identified – Full Reveal Coming Soon."
Across networks—
The message spread.
Back in the room—
They waited.
Seconds.
Minutes.
Nothing.
Then—
Reyaan's screen blinked.
"Got something," he said quickly.
A hidden signal.
Trying to access their system.
"They took the bait," Aarav said.
Reyaan tracked fast.
"Tracing…"
Location jumping.
Server to server.
"Come on…" he muttered.
Suddenly—
The screen stopped.
A single location locked.
All eyes widened.
"We got him…" Meher whispered.
But before anyone could react—
The lights went out.
Darkness.
Complete silence.
Then—
A slow clap echoed in the room.
From the shadows—
A voice.
Calm. Cold.
"Impressive."
Meher's heart stopped.
"You found me."