Chapter 201

In the dark, quiet confines of a holding cell, Nitish Reddy sat alone, his mind racing as he grappled with the rapidly unraveling threads of his life. The cold, hard surface of the metal bench was a harsh reminder of his current reality—an illustrious career paused, a reputation in jeopardy, and personal liberty snatched away under the weight of accusations that he struggled to comprehend fully.

As Nitish sat there, the digital manifestation of a system, akin to those seen in Korean manhwas, flickered before his eyes. This system, which had occasionally offered him insights and advantages in his career, appeared now as a mocking reminder of paths not taken. In his journey through cricket and life, Nitish had always favored hard work over shortcuts, believing that reliance on the system's luck could dull his skills and resolve. He had feared that using it might make him complacent, a mere spectator of his destiny rather than its architect. Now, in the irony of his current predicament, he wondered if his dismissal of the system had been wise.

Outside, the world he knew was turning against him. The fans who had once cheered for every run he scored, for every wicket he took, were now swayed by the storm of media and public sentiment against him. Social media was ablaze, not with praise but with condemnation, as a video released by Ayesha went viral. In it, she detailed her account of the night, her words painting Nitish not as the hero he had been on the field but as a villain in her story.

In the video, Ayesha tearfully narrated her ordeal, claiming that Nitish had assaulted her when she had only sought to rekindle their past affection. She spoke of a slap, twisting the context to suggest aggression on his part, her narrative supported by strategically cropped clips that showed her recoiling from his raised hand. More damaging were her claims that Nitish had spoken disparagingly about actresses and others in the cinema industry, alleging that he had crudely suggested they sold themselves in films and should be willing to do the same outside their professional sphere.

Further stoking the fire, Ayesha accused Nitish of trying to buy her affections with an offer of one crore rupees for a night, an accusation that painted him not only as a brute but as morally bankrupt. The cinema community rallied around her, their outrage loud and their condemnation swift, standing in solidarity against what they perceived as an attack on their own.

Amidst this storm, Nitish tried to defend his integrity. During the initial police investigations, he explained his side, showing the officers the text messages between him and Ayesha leading up to their meeting. The texts painted a picture of Ayesha as the initiator, often sending flirty and suggestive messages, with Nitish responding politely, maintaining a professional distance. However, these messages did little to clarify the events that transpired in her apartment, detailing only what led up to the meeting and not what occurred within.

Due to the severity of the accusations and the high-profile nature of the case, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took over. Nitish was subjected to intense interrogations, where he consistently recounted the same story, his account unwavering but lacking physical evidence to corroborate his version of the events in the room.

The legal proceedings were swift and public. As he was transported to court, Nitish faced the wrath of a betrayed public. Eggs were hurled, insults thrown, his passage marked by vitriol and scorn. Outside his family home, crowds gathered, some in protest and some in support, leading to clashes and chaos. His father, attempting to defend his son to the gathered media and agitators, was struck by a stone, his injury a stark testament to the fury and frenzy that had gripped their world.

In court, the atmosphere was charged with tension. The prosecution presented Ayesha's video, her tearful testimony, and her allegations, which were bolstered by her portrayal as a victim of a powerful man's unwanted advances. Nitish's defense argued the lack of concrete evidence in the room, relying heavily on character witnesses and his previously unblemished record.

As the trial unfolded, Nitish felt the weight of every glance, every whispered conjecture, the courtroom a theater where his fate would be decided not just on facts, but on perceptions shaped by public sentiment and media portrayal. His career, his legacy, his very freedom hung in the balance, contingent on the ability of his legal team to dismantle the narrative crafted by Ayesha—a narrative that had turned a once-beloved cricket star into a pariah, fighting for his reputation and his right to walk free.