The villa was silent after the press conference ended.
Aria slowly lowered the remote, still processing what she had just watched.
"You set a trap for him," she said.
Rohan nodded calmly.
"I knew Dev would try to expose something."
Aria stared at him.
"So you leaked a fake contract photo on purpose?"
"Yes."
Aria shook her head in disbelief.
"You're either a genius… or terrifying."
Rohan gave a small smile.
"Maybe both."
But Aria's expression quickly became serious again.
"Still… Dev had that photo somehow."
Rohan's smile disappeared.
"You're right."
Aria crossed her arms.
"That means someone really did betray you."
Rohan walked toward the window, looking out at the dark ocean.
Kabir called again.
Rohan answered immediately.
"Kabir."
Kabir sounded relieved.
"That was impressive. Dev's press conference completely backfired."
Aria leaned closer to listen.
Kabir continued,
"But we still have a problem."
Rohan frowned.
"What problem?"
Kabir lowered his voice.
"The person who leaked the contract is still out there."
Aria nodded quietly.
"That's what I was thinking too."
Kabir sighed.
"I checked security reports and hotel staff records from the night you signed the contract."
Rohan turned around.
"And?"
Kabir paused for a moment.
"Someone accessed the conference room after you left."
Aria felt a chill run down her spine.
"Who?"
Kabir answered slowly.
"That's the strange part."
"What?" Rohan asked.
Kabir took a breath.
"The security camera footage was deleted."
The room went silent.
Aria whispered,
"So whoever did it knew exactly where the contract was… and how to hide their tracks."
Rohan's expression darkened.
"That's not something a random person could do."
Kabir agreed.
"It has to be someone with connections."
Aria suddenly thought of something.
"Dev."
Rohan shook his head.
"No."
Aria frowned.
"Why not?"
Rohan looked serious.
"Because Dev doesn't work that carefully."
Aria blinked.
"So you're saying…"
Rohan finished her sentence quietly.
"There's someone else behind this."
Kabir's voice came through the phone again.
"And whoever it is… they're still watching."
Aria felt uneasy.
The fake contract had saved them tonight.
But the real enemy was still hiding somewhere.
Someone smart enough to steal information…
smart enough to erase evidence…
and patient enough to wait for the perfect moment to destroy them.
Aria slowly looked down at the ring on her finger.
A simple ring.
A simple contract.
But now it felt like the beginning of something much more dangerous.
She looked at Rohan.
"So what do we do now?"
Rohan's voice was calm but firm.
"We find the person who betrayed us."
Outside, the waves crashed against the shore.
And somewhere far away…
someone was watching the news replay of Dev's failed press conference.
A shadowy figure closed the laptop slowly.
Then they smiled.
Because the real game…
had only just begun.
End of Chapter 20
Next Chapter: A Suspicious Friend