Short Cut Fiasco

The leaves of myriad trees ruffled as if they had been privy to the message sent by the wind. An occasional chirp of birds tried to be a panacea for the people of Nagpur who were always entangled in their busy lives. Ronitha's mother, Savitri, battled between life and death inside a hospital. Ronitha had to arrange a staggering ten lakhs for her mother's treatment. She was the only daughter of her mother. She had lost her father in her childhood only. Arranging a huge amount was a herculean task for her because of financial setback. She went to the book and corner of the city, begging people to bear the expenses, but to no avail. She even was ready to work for them, but nobody showed even an iota of compassion further, compounding her problems. By the time she returned to the hospital, her mother was dead, which left a scar in her soul. Losing her mother broke her heart and made her alone. She cursed God for not being there with her during a tough phase. She realized she would be treated worse than a beggar if she was not rich. She understood the fact that money rules this world and all runs behind it. Since her mother had given her education, she thought of going to Mumbai to see if she could make quick money so that she didn't have to live a beggar's life. 

The metropolitan city Mumbai, laden with rich people living a luxurious life, intensified her desire to become rich.

By hook or by crok, she decided to become a millionaire so that she could afford whatever she desired. She happened to meet a person named Anuj to find a job in his company. He hardly went through her profile. 

"I will offer you 100 crores if you meet my demands," Anuj said. 

Astonished by his statement, Ronitha's mouth opened. 

"What do you want me to do?" she asked in curiosity. 

"I will train you for a week, which would be sufficient to clear the cyber security interview in my opponent's company."

She looked perplexed, unable to wrap her head around his statement.

"Why do you need me to clear the interview of your opponents? After all, I am here to find a job in your company."

"You need to steal their project and share it with me. If you do that, I could get a contract worth 1000 crores. You can make 100 crores. I will also gift you a villa worth 50 crores. What do you say?"

Ronitha's eyes widened in awe. She could make crores of money in an instant without having to go through a grind for years. She imagined herself living in an opulent mansion, living a posh life. She couldn't refrain from saying yes. 

"Yes, I am ready to take the risk."

"Great! We shall train you for a week and then you apply for a security post to infiltrate into my opponent's landscape."

Ronitha underwent a training for a week to get accustomed to the cyber security knowledge needed to clear cyber security interview. 

Ronitha had prepped enough for the interview. With colossal confidence, she attended an interview and cleared it to gain access to "Strike Play" organization as a cyber security employee. She had passed the first hurdle, which was to infiltrate into the enemy territory. Now, the next job is to understand the working pattern of the company so that she could find a way to steal the project through hacking methods. Saketh, a cyber security engineer, gave her the necessary training to be able to work in the company. She went through the training process with no hassles and earned their trust. Anuj was on cloud nine, as he knew he had stirred the right pot. His opponent company had always been an impediment on his way to growth. They always came up with better projects and won contracts, which had irked him to the core. Now, he had a golden opportunity to steal their project and win a contract worth 1000 crores that would not only put his company on the global map but also increase his market value. Ronitha worked day and night to ensure she remained in the good books of the company. She slowly understood the pattern of the work over there and also understood about the significant project worth crores. Ronitha used to meet Anuj regularly to brief him about the project and he used to give her proper plans to ensure the project they were looking for could be hacked so that they would gain access to the confidential files. Ronitha was now mentally ready to take the plunge. She used her wits to block the CCTV camera to ensure she didn't get caught red-handed. She used tricks to hack the project so that all files would no longer be opened. She had safely shared all confidential files to Anuj so that he had all the ideas to execute the project towards completion. 

The chief operating officer of "Strike Play" couldn't believe when he learnt about the hacking that had consumed the project that was on the verge of completion. All confidential files and codes were no longer accessible, which frustrated them to the core. His fury had no bounds since they had invested considerable time and money in this project. They considered the project a milestone in their organization, but now everything went up to the smoke. He couldn't grapple with this sudden twist that not only resulted in loss but also a chance to win a golden contract. He fired all engineers for not being extra careful, which led to the hacking of a significant project. 

Anuj demonstrated the project to the customers and won a contract worth 1000 crores. He was certainly on cloud nine. As promised, he awarded her 100 crores and also a lavish villa in Dubai. Ronitha, who had always been a victim of financial strain, was now basking in the rays of money. She had betrayed an organization that had given her a job. She had no remorse whatsoever as he got consumed by the posh life the money offered. Now, there was no necessity to work to eke out a livelihood. She had crores in her bank account. Her daily routine changed. She started going to pubs and bars to live a blissful life she couldn't have imagined had she not listened to Anuj. Drinking liquor, smoking cigarettes, dancing in bars became her daily routine. 

One day, Saketh, her ex colleague, called her and asked her to meet him in a deserted location at night time. She sensed something amiss. She conveyed this information to Anuj, who gave her the number of his henchmen so that she could take their support in case he tries to harm her. Both of them met in a deserted location. 

"How is life going on?" he asked. 

"Losing a job added further financial strain in my life. I have not come out of the grim-hold yet," she acted. 

"Then, how are you making ends meet in Mumbai?" he asked, as if curiosity sparked him. 

"I am living with my relatives at the moment. I am also trying to bag a job by attending interviews."

"Is Anuj your relative?" he questioned. 

Ronitha was taken aback. "Who is Anuj?"

"Don't you know Anuj? He is the one who won a contract worth 1000 crores."

"Oh, is it? I didn't know about that," she tried to hide the reality. 

"He sent you to our organization so that you could act as a spy and steal the project."

Ronitha had her heart jump to her mouth upon listening to his words laced with reality. 

"After hacking took place, your behaviour was weird. I kept an eye on you and stealthily followed you as well. Now, I have the evidence to prove that you are the primary culprit in this scam."

"Oh, is it?" she snapped her fingers. 

Anuj's henchmen materialized at the spot with a jeep. She gestured them to kidnap him. They dragged him into the jeep and he was taken to a deserted house. Ronitha broke into a laughter.

"Nobody can snatch my peace. I will continue to wallow in the richness of my money."

Ronitha visited the deserted house to see her ex colleague Saketh, who was seated on a chair with his limbs wrapped with ropes. She took a seat opposite him. She picked up a cigar from her pocket and then lit a fire to take a drag out of it. 

"You must be ashamed to be a woman," he said. 

"Why? If a man can smoke, can't a woman smoke? Why do you differentiate between a man and a woman? As long as you are alive, it is going to be hard for me to live. So, I have decided to kill you so that I can live in peace."

"Shame on you."

She slapped him hard as he broke into a laughter. 

"What makes you laugh?" she asked. 

"All your naughtiness will get evaporated into oblivion in an instant."

"What do you mean?" 

"Your karma will bite you back, but this time it will be so hard that it will teach you a lesson you won't forget."

"I can't understand your statements shrouded in mystery," she slapped him again, but he continued to laugh. 

"Do you think killing me will save you from the police?"

"Of course!" she took a puff of a cigarette and the blanket of smoke covered him. 

"Only hard earned money will give you peace and joy. The money that you make at the expense of someone else's pain will make you squirm in pain."

"Enough! It's time to erase your existence from this world," she picked up a knife. 

"You can kill me, but the evidence against you is already going viral in media."

Ronitha asked Anuj's henchmen to see if her news is doing rounds in the media. She freaked out when they confirmed. Her body was peppered with sweat beads. 

"You can't live in peace anymore. Short cuts may give you temporary pleasure but will make you suffer in the long run," Saketh laughed at her grave situation. 

To add insult to injury, one of the Anuj's henchman got a phone call Anuj had flown to London. 

"Anuj is in London. There is no use keeping him hostage. We will no longer be associated with you, madam," one of them said, which further related Saketh. 

"Now, the one who asked you to spy on us had run away from this country, leaving you vulnerable. What will you do now?" 

She ran away from the place as she realized the situation would spiral out of control. 

Ronitha's clips with Anuj and the posh lifestyle she started to live following her exit from the organization went viral everywhere, suffocating her. Subsequently, she donned a burqa to evade people's eyes. She phoned Anuj, but to no avail. Realising that she would not get any support from him, she rented a home on the outskirts of Mumbai, since she had to wait for a week to travel to Dubai. How would she even go through customs to fly to Dubai? She knew it would be a big task. She had to somehow live with a burqa for a week so that at least she didn't get caught here. She had not revealed her face to the owner of the apartment too. Every single minute seemed like a day as she looked tensed. At any moment, she can get caught owing to her betrayal of the company. What she had done was illegal and had no escape from the eyes of the law. But somehow, she thought she could escape to Dubai, where Anuj had booked her a luxurious villa. 

The morning sunshine sprawled across the streets of Mumbai to continue its hegemony over the world. A pigeon perched on a windowsill pecking on a rice seed. Ronitha woke up as soon as the Sun rays scourged her visage. Even sleeping had become a herculean task for her fearing arrest. She lurched forward, tugged at the window grills and peered outside to see if any police had come for patrolling. She was just a day away from flying to Dubai. Every second interspersed with fear created havoc within herself. It even bore her groggy face that seemed to lose its sheen owing to excessive mental stress. After having a shower, she heard a knock on her door, which intensified her anxiety.

"Who is that?" she asked with her tone laced with fear.

"I am your owner."

She heaved a sigh of relief as she opened the door, only to find the police.

"There is someone called Ronitha who is absconding. We are in pursuit of her. Have you seen this girl anywhere?" a tall police officer asked.

Ronitha had shivers surge through her spine and tremors clouding her mind. But she did not let her guard down.

"I have not seen her," she said.

"What is your name?"

"Tasleem."

"Can you show your face once?" the police asked.

Ronitha couldn't believe her ears. She racked her brain for a while and said. "We are sacred muslims. Revealing our face is a sin, as per Muhammad's prophecy."

"Oh, you are a sacred woman! But as per the law, you are a culprit who deserves to be locked behind bars. How can a sacred burqa grip an offender like you?"

"Please do not talk aggressively like that. We muslims do not endorse it."

"Shut up your mouth. You are only staying here on the pretext of a Muslim woman," he snapped a finger, beckoning a lady constable to come.

Her face was revealed as she got caught red-handed. The owner's wife had seen her face through a window the previous day. She had immediately alerted the police in the morning. Ronitha's Dubai dream came crashing down as she found a place behind bars. She sobbed behind the bars, glancing at Buddha's teachings on the wall 

'The greatest prayer is patience. Don't rush anything. When the time is right, it will happen.'

Had she waited with patience, perhaps she had a great chance to attain success, but she chose wrong ways to become rich, which not only made her a prisoner but also borrowed peace from her, leaving her to repent for the rest of her life.