Akansha, Sneha, and Aarav practically ran through the corridors, their footsteps echoing in urgency. The moment they reached Rudra's dorm, Sneha banged on the door.
After a few seconds, Rudra opened it, his expression groggy. "This better be important."
"It is," Akansha snapped. "And you're going to want to sit down for this."
Once inside, they wasted no time explaining the entire situation—the fake voice note, Hamza's accusations, the way Shumaila's reputation had been torn apart, and now the fresh accusation at the competition.
Rudra's sleepy expression vanished, replaced with something dark. His jaw clenched. "You mean to tell me you idiots have been running around trying to solve this while I was right here?!"
Aarav sighed. "We didn't think—"
"Damn right, you didn't think!" Rudra snapped. "I could have cracked this in hours if you'd just told me!"
Sneha raised her hands defensively. "Alright, we get it! Now shut up and work your magic."
Muttering curses under his breath, Rudra cracked his knuckles and got to work.
Meanwhile, back at the auditorium, the tension was reaching a boiling point.
"She's a fraud!" a student from another university sneered. "If she could steal from Hamza, what's stopping her from stealing this project too?"
"You don't have any actual proof!" Komal shot back, stepping protectively in front of Shumaila. "You're just throwing accusations because it's easy to believe a lie when everyone is already against her!"
"Oh, please," Nisha scoffed. "I don't need proof when it's obvious. I had this idea first, and everyone knows it."
"That's a lie!" Siddarth snapped. "You just saw an opportunity and took it."
Shumaila clenched her fists, her breathing shallow. The professors weren't stepping in—they were hesitating, uncertain, watching the argument unfold like they were waiting for a confirmation. Like they were waiting for her to prove herself innocent rather than demanding proof from Nisha.
And then her eyes landed on Hamza, sitting among the students, watching everything unfold with a cold, unreadable expression.
Her anger boiled over.
Before she could stop herself, she turned to face him directly.
"Are you seriously just going to sit there and watch this?" she demanded, her voice shaking with fury. "I didn't do anything, Hamza. You know I didn't."
Hamza tilted his head, feigning thoughtfulness. "Funny. Because I know you did that and now you stole Nisha's idea like you stole mine and sold it to karan!."
A murmur rippled through the crowd.
Shumaila inhaled sharply. "You can't be serious. You're comparing this to what happened to you? I never did anything to you."
Hamza let out a low chuckle, shaking his head. "And yet, look how the tables have turned."
Her chest burned. "I didn't care about proving my innocence before," she admitted. "But now, my entire project—something I worked day and night for—is being stolen in front of my eyes!" She took a deep breath, her voice trembling. "Hamza, whatever misunderstanding you have about me, please clear it out. Just tell them the truth."
For a split second, something flickered in Hamza's gaze. Then it was gone.
His lips curled into a smirk. "You expect me to defend you?" He leaned forward. "The girl who ruined me? Who humiliated me? I think this is karma! And you? You deserve this. All of this, in fact, a stealer like you should suffer more!"
The words hit her like a slap before she even moved.
And then she actually slapped him.
A loud crack echoed through the auditorium as her palm met his cheek.
The room went deathly silent.
Hamza's head snapped to the side. Slowly, he turned back to face her, his eyes dark with pure rage. He moved as if to grab her, but before he could, a force shoved him back.
Karan.
He stood between them, his hand pressing against Hamza's chest, forcing him back. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes burned with warning. "Don't even think about it."
Hamza's jaw tightened. "Stay out of this."
"Gladly," Karan shot back. "As soon as you learn how to keep your damn mouth shut."
Hamza let out a low, humorless chuckle before sneering. "Ah, so this is what it's about? You playing hero for her now? Didn't take you long to find your next toy, huh?"
That was it.
Karan's fist connected with Hamza's face before anyone could react.
Gasps echoed as Hamza stumbled back, wiping the blood from his lip. He lunged, ready to swing back—
"STOP!" Rudra's voice cut through the chaos like a blade.
All heads turned as Rudra, Sneha, Aarav, and Akansha stormed into the auditorium. Rudra held up his phone, his expression thunderous. "This ends now."
The room fell into hushed anticipation as Rudra connected his phone to the projector screen. Within seconds, a familiar voice filled the auditorium.
It wasn't Shumaila.
It was Riya.
"I edited it just like you asked, Taniya. Hamza's gonna believe every word."
A shocked silence engulfed the room.
Taniya's smirk faltered. Riya turned ghostly pale.
"Oh?" Rudra drawled. "Nothing to say now?"
Professor Mehta stood up, her voice firm. "Explain. Now."
Sneha stepped forward. "It was them. Taniya, Riya, and their little gang. They fabricated the voice note. They set Shumaila up." She turned to Hamza. "They played you."
The weight of it settled over the entire room.
A bitter laugh escaped Shumaila as she took a slow step forward, letting the realization sink in. "So this is it, huh? The great scheme against me." Her eyes flickered toward Taniya. "You really went this far? How pathetic."
Taniya, still reeling, opened her mouth, but Shumaila didn't let her speak. She turned to Nisha instead. "You said this project was yours? Then answer me—what's the primary AI integration method used in the app?"
Nisha froze.
Shumaila tilted her head. "You don't know, do you?" She turned to the professors. "I'm disappointed in you all. You were ready to believe them, without proof, just because it was easier."
Finally, she turned to Hamza, her expression unreadable. "And you? You call yourself a tech guy, yet you believed this? You couldn't crack a simple fake voice note? Or maybe you didn't want to." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Maybe you just needed someone to blame."
Hamza's face was unreadable, but his hands curled into fists.
She exhaled and shook her head. "You're dead to me."
And with that, she turned and walked away.
As the dust settled, Komal didn't hesitate. She marched straight toward Riya and slapped her across the face.
"That's for the voice note," she spat. Then she turned to Taniya. "And you? You better pray we never cross paths again."
The room watched, stunned.
And just like that, the tides had turned.