The room was still dark.
Only the faint glow of the monitor remained.
And between that dim light—
Two minds stood face to face.
Arman didn't move.
Didn't panic.
Didn't even look surprised anymore.
Instead… he slowly leaned back in his chair.
A faint smile appeared.
"Backup?" he repeated softly.
The CEO of Rahman Group watched him carefully.
Something felt… off.
This wasn't the reaction he expected.
"You're calmer than you should be," the CEO said.
Arman finally turned his head slightly.
His eyes… steady.
Cold.
Calculated.
"You're later than you should be."
Silence.
For the first time—
The CEO stopped.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
Arman didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he tapped a key on his keyboard.
The screen flickered again.
Not broken.
Not stopped.
Just… paused.
"Did you really think," Arman said quietly,
"I would come here with only one plan?"
The CEO's expression tightened.
On the screen—
A hidden terminal opened.
Black background.
Green text.
Running silently.
PROCESS ACTIVE: SHADOW NODE
STATUS: UNDETECTED
The CEO's eyes narrowed.
"That's not possible…"
Arman smiled.
"Exactly what I said… three years ago."
Flashback — The Beginning of the Fall
A small office.
Late night.
Rain tapping against the window.
Arif, Santu… and Araman.
"We're being watched," Araman said suddenly.
Arif looked confused.
"By who?"
Araman didn't answer directly.
Instead, he pointed at the screen.
"Data doesn't just disappear.
Someone takes it."
Santu frowned.
"You think someone inside is leaking?"
Araman's eyes turned sharp.
"Not someone…"
A pause.
"Something bigger."
Back then—
No one understood.
Back then—
No one listened.
Present
The CEO took a step forward.
"You're bluffing."
Arman shook his head slowly.
"No…"
Another click.
The screen changed.
UPLOAD FAILED…
replaced by—
REDIRECTING…
"What is this?" the CEO demanded.
Arman finally stood up.
Turning fully toward him now.
"You stopped the upload…" Arman said.
A small pause.
"On the surface."
The CEO's heartbeat slowed.
Not from calm—
From realization.
"You're not exposing us…" he said slowly.
Arman's smile deepened.
"I never was."
Silence.
Heavy.
Dangerous.
"I was mapping you."
The words hit harder than any attack.
"Every firewall…"
"Every backup…"
"Every hidden node…"
Arman stepped closer.
"I wanted to see how deep your system goes."
The CEO's voice dropped.
"You're lying."
Arman leaned in slightly.
Almost whispering—
"Then why is your internal server… still communicating?"
The CEO froze.
Arman turned back to the screen.
Typed one command.
ENTER.
A new window opened.
LIVE CONNECTION — CORE NETWORK
ACCESS: GRANTED
"That's impossible…" the CEO muttered.
Arman's voice became colder.
Sharper.
"Not if someone opened the door from inside."
Silence.
The CEO slowly looked at him.
Eyes filled with suspicion now.
"…Who?"
Arman didn't answer.
Instead—
He picked up his phone.
The same one that had been ringing before.
Unknown Caller.
Now—
He called back.
The line connected instantly.
"…It's done," Arman said calmly.
A voice replied from the other side.
Calm.
Familiar.
Dangerous.
"I told you… he would react exactly like this."
The CEO's eyes widened.
That voice—
"No…" he whispered.
Arman's lips curved slightly.
"You should've listened… three years ago."
The voice continued—
"This is only phase one."
A pause.
Then—
"Let him see the rest."
The call ended.
The room felt colder.
Heavier.
The CEO stepped back slightly.
For the first time—
Control was slipping.
"…Who was that?" he asked.
Arman looked at him.
Straight into his eyes.
Then said quietly—
"You already know."
Silence.
Outside—
Thunder echoed across the city.
And somewhere…
Hidden in the shadows of the system—
A name resurfaced.
Araman.
This wasn't a hack.
This wasn't revenge.
This was a setup.
Three years in the making.
And now—
The real game…
Had finally begun.