Ashes Of Betrayal

Vikram

It took me six years, three months, and forty days to build an empire out of nothing.

Six years since everything I had built collapsed in front of me.

Six years since the day Anika Sharma smiled at me across a boardroom table—eyes soft, almost loving—while her stepmother orchestrated my downfall behind closed doors.

Six years since I lost everything.

But now, I’m taking it all back.

My smile.

My ambition.

My power.

Everything they took from me.

“Mr. Singh?” my assistant’s voice sliced through my thoughts. “The Sharma Communications board meeting starts in ten minutes. Your presentation is ready.”

I adjusted my tie and looked out at Delhi’s towering skyline through the floor-to-ceiling windows of my corner office. She was somewhere in this city. Preparing for the same meeting. Breathing the same air.

Did she still style her hair the way I remembered?

Did she still wear the bangles I once gave her?

Did she ever think about me… even once… in all these years?

Stop.

Not today. I couldn’t afford sentiment. I couldn’t afford weakness.

Today, I would present a proposal she would have no choice but to accept—one so solid that the board couldn’t refuse it even if they tried.

And with it, I would gain controlling interest in the one project that could rot Sharma Communications from the inside.

My phone vibrated, pulling me back from my thoughts.

A message from Rohan:

“Bhai… are you sure about this? Once you do this, there is no going back.”

I didn’t reply.

There was no going back.

Six years ago, I watched my company collapse—helpless—while she stood by and did nothing.

Some betrayals don’t deserve forgiveness.

They deserve revenge.

And ruin.

Six Years Ago

“Rohan, Vikram—get in here!” Aditi’s voice cracked with excitement.

I rushed in to find her staring at her laptop, hands trembling above the keyboard.

Rohan let out a whoop. “That’s the third telecom deal this quarter! If we maintain this pace—”

“If we maintain this,” I cut him off, “we’ll hit fifty crore revenue by year-end. That puts us in the top fifty telecom infrastructure companies nationally.”

Aditi’s grin widened. “Tier-2 cities are desperate for bandwidth upgrades. If we undercut Airtel and Jio installation costs by even ten percent—”

“We’ll own the market in two years!” Rohan jumped up, circling the office like he’d already become Elon Musk.

Aditi smacked him lightly on the head.

“And if that happens, Mr. Rohan, you’ll be kicked out of this company, because we don’t have a position for monkeys who celebrate too soon.”

Their bickering made me laugh.

Ring… Ring… Ring…

An incoming call. No name. Probably spam.

“Hello?”

A distorted voice answered, “If you want to grow your company to greater heights, come to Crystal Banquet. You will meet Anika there. And I think you know what to do.”

“You are… who are you? Hello?”

Click.

They hung up.

Who the hell was that?

And how was I supposed to go there? I didn’t even have an invitation.

Definitely some crackhead.

Buzz.

Notification:

You are invited to the announcement of the next heir of Sharma Group.

What…?

Who was that person?

I didn’t know.

But I got invited.

Fine.

The only thing that mattered was this: I got invited.

And now, I had a chance to meet the heir of Sharma Group—the largest manufacturer of cables in the country.

If I managed to close a deal with them…

our company would rise to the next level.

I wasn’t going to let this opportunity slip.

No matter what.

Crystal Banquet wait for me……

Anika

Delhi never stays still.

Tall buildings, crowded roads, lights everywhere—everyone here is trying to climb higher. Some succeed. Some break. But no one stops.

“Welcome to the banquet, ma’am. May I guide you to your seat?”

The hotel staff’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

I nodded and walked inside.

The hall was bright and beautiful—crystal lights, music, people chatting politely. But I could feel the fakeness behind every smile.

To them, I am not Anika Sharma.

I am the daughter of Niraj Sharma.

Nothing more.

Selfish.

Dependent.

Arrogant.

Someone who got lucky because of her father.

That’s what the media says.

They don’t talk about the real story.

They don’t see the long nights, the failures, the stress.

They don’t see how hard it is to carry a name that the world either worships or hates.

MIT top scores.

Building Sharma Communications from scratch.

Developing a new communication system at twenty-six.

None of it seems to matter.

“Anika what are you doing here come with me on the stage” Dad snapped me back to reality

“She…My daughter Anika Sharma… is now the next heiress of Sharma Group who will now lead whole Sharma Group from now on” Dad announced in front of the guests

When applause filled the banquet hall as I walked in, it didn’t feel like appreciation.

It felt like judgement.

I quietly stepped away to the balcony.

Delhi looked calmer from up here. The breeze was cool, and the city lights made everything look softer. For the first time tonight, I felt like I could breathe.

Until someone spoke behind me.

"Good evening, ma'am,"

A deep voice.

Familiar. Unexpected.

I turned-and froze