Dear Reader,
Welcome to "Love in the Dark Web"—a story born from shadows, secrets, and a strange kind of love that fights its way through chaos.
This is my debut novel, and I poured my heart into creating something thrilling, emotional, and unforgettable.
As you dive into Disha’s world of hacking, betrayal, and dark romance, I invite you to hold on tight—because this journey is full of unexpected turns.
Your feedback, thoughts, and love will mean the world to me as I grow and improve as a storyteller.
Let's begin...
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A girl leans back, smirking. "Game over". She is a dangerous hacker who can hack any software. Suddenly the system is about to shut down within 10 seconds . "Oh god, the police can easily track us so Run Run" the girl looks so worried, shouts a girl beside her ,"Calm down. I have deleted all our activities from the network. So no one can find us." "How could you do that in 10 seconds?". "Seriously, leave it. Now call him and ask for our money ", she smirks back at her.
She called a guy "Sir your work is done, we have deleted all your logs and transactions from the network, when can we collect our payment". "Thank you, can we meet in the restaurant nearby. I would like to introduce you guys to someone new, bring Disha with you". "Sure sir. Thank you".
In the world of business, Mr. Azrael was a respected name—a powerful entrepreneur known for his influence and wealth. But beneath the polished image, he was a man who thrived in secrecy and deception.
To the world, he ran a chain of international import-export businesses, but behind closed doors, his empire was built on black money, hidden transactions, and carefully erased trails. That's where Disha and Sara came in.
Evening, They reached the restaurant. They greeted each other "Hello, Disha and Sara. I would like to introduce my son Vimal, who has completed his masters of Business Administration from London university. He is going to take over my kingdom". He invited them for an underground party on Sunday. "Hey girls, if you have the guts to face the dark world. Meet you at the grand mansion, under way", he smirks at them while getting into his sports car.
While he was entering the car, Disha noticed a man sitting beside him was the man she saw yesterday in one of the videos she had to delete. It was blurry, but she saw men—tied to chairs, beaten, begging for their lives. And in the corner of the screen stood a man she had only ever spoken to through phone calls. She never told Sara about what she saw. Because deep down, she knew... if she ever tried to find out more, she wouldn't live long enough to regret it.
Disha glared at him, "Shall we clean his bank account". "Seriously, we could have done this long back, but we wouldn't be able to live in peace. Hope you understand. It's safe knowing nothing, but today he will learn a lesson", she smirks. "What did you do ?",asks in excitement. "He will never get the chance to use his bank account today, it's blocked, by the time he realises the problem the account is activated". "You're quite good at revenge. Not bad. He has to pay for what he did".
The morning at Café SADA was like any other—warm sunlight streaming through the glass windows, the aroma of freshly ground coffee filling the air, and the soft hum of conversations blending with the occasional clatter of cups. Disha and Sara, the co-owners, moved effortlessly through the cozy space, serving customers with practiced ease.
Sara, ever the cheerful one, greeted every regular by name. "Same as always, Mr. Omar?" she asked, setting down a steaming cup before an old journalist who had been visiting their café for years.
Disha, on the other hand, preferred the background, working the register, watching, listening. Her sharp eyes scanned the room not just for customers, but for potential information.
Disha sat alone in the back office of Café SADA, the dim light flickering above her. The air smelled of roasted coffee beans, but the taste in her mouth was bitter—fear, regret, and something far worse... realization.
She had always known Vimal's father ,Azrael , was involved in illegal activities. Black money laundering, secret transactions, deleted records—it was all part of the job. But what she saw today, was a Cold-blooded murder. And she had been helping a man like that... for years. Her fingers hovered over the keyboard, but for the first time, she hesitated.
Disha knew she couldn't tell Sara—not yet. If Sara found out, she would panic, and panic led to mistakes. Mistakes that could get them both killed. Instead, she started working on a silent exit strategy.
Sunday evening, "Hey Vimal. Do you think the girls will come, chances are low". "We will miss the fun". "Oh come I have arranged many things, drinks, DJ."
A secret underworld gathering where the richest criminals, cybercriminals, and mafia leaders meet. They entered the hall, Vimal was stunned to see her arrival. A stunning black dress, sleek high heels. He approaches. "Didn't think you had the guts to come, Disha." She raises an eyebrow, sipping her drink. "I go where the fun is." Vimal chuckles. "Then you'll love this."
The DJ announces, "Time to heat up the floor, people! "The music drops—a mix of deep house and electronic beats. The crowd moves to the rhythm, bodies swaying under strobe lights. Disha sighs, smirks, and steps onto the floor. The beat drops hard. Disha moves effortlessly, lost in the rhythm. Eyes turn to her. She's dangerous, beautiful, untouchable. Vimal watches her from a distance, intrigued. "Well, well... interesting."
"Who is she?" he asks one of his men. "Vimal's guest. No one is important."
Disha and Sara laugh, having fun until the DJ changes the song. A hacker from the other side of the room starts boasting. "Tonight, we play a game," announces a heavily tattooed man. A hacker in a leather jacket smirks. "We break into any bank's security system. The first one to transfer a million dollars wins. The losers?" ."Let's just say they don't leave in one piece."
Disha and Sara were not interested in any of them, just enjoying the dance floor. Vimal grins, looking at Disha, who wants her to prove him wrong. Sara nudges her. "Disha, don't. This is dangerous. "But then, a rival hacker laughs. "Look at these girls out of their league." Disha smirks. "Let's see who's out of their league." She takes a seat, fingers cracking. The game begins. "The game is to get information of all customers from the bank, we are not taking any money. So no worries, if caught. Then the consequences are at your risk. Are you ready !".
The screens flicker, codes fill the air, and the battle starts. Disha's fingers fly across the keyboard. In 60 seconds, firewalls break. In 90 seconds, encryption keys collapse. In 120 seconds, she's inside the central bank's mainframe. The crowd leans forward. "Who the hell is this girl?" someone murmurs. Vimal watches in shock—he never knew Disha was this skilled. Sara, beside her, whispers. "Disha, stop. Something feels off." But Disha is in the zone. Just one more step.
But suddenly the "SECURITY BREACH DETECTED. TRACE ACTIVATED." Security cameras flick on. "FBI is tracking the signal!" a man shouts. Vimal curses. "Who the hell triggered the alarm?!" Disha's heart pounds. This was a setup. "I wounded you Disha, you have ended everything". "Shut up".
Guards pull out weapons. Chaos erupts. People start running. Disha grabs Sara's hand. "RUN!". Outside, a row of luxury sports cars wait. Sara fumbles with the keys. "Which one?!" Disha spots a sleek black Lamborghini. "That one." They jump in. The engine roars. The car flies down the Moroccan streets. Police cars race behind them. Disha doesn't stop. She swerves through incoming traffic, dodging cars by inches. Gunshots ring out. "They're shooting at us!" Sara screams. Disha smirks. "Let's see them keep up." She drifts around a sharp turn, the tires screeching. A police car crashes into a wall. Then she spots an alleyway Narrow. Dark. No escape... unless she's crazy enough to try. Disha accelerates. "Sara, hold tight." "Disha, no" BOOM! She drives straight into the alley, squeezing past, leaving the police stuck behind. The car skids onto an open highway. Silence. They made it. Sara exhales shakily. "What the hell just happened?" Disha leans back, smirking. "We just became legends".
"Hell with you!, you scared me". "Come on girl, the game has just begun". The road stretched into the night silent, empty, and deceptively peaceful. The adrenaline from the chase had started to fade, replaced by the weight of what they had just done. Sara, gripping the edge of her seat, finally found her voice. "What ?"Sara was completely confused.
"Disha...what now?" she asked, her breath still uneven. Disha kept her eyes on the road. "We disappear, Sara. We leave all of this behind. Azrael , Vimal, the cops—everyone will think we're dead." Sara turned to her, confused. "How?"
Disha inhaled deeply. "I've been planning this. I hacked into an underground database and made us new identities—clean records, new lives. Last night, I erased every trace of our crimes. I have two one-way tickets to Spain. Three days from now, we start over."
Sara exhaled shakily. "You did all this? Without telling me?"
Disha shot her a look. "I wanted to keep you safe. But we have no choice. Malhotra isn't just laundering money. He's killed people, Sara. If we stay, we either work for him until we die, or we vanish."
Sara nodded, realization dawning. "Then we vanish."
The sharp sound cut through the quiet night. Sara jerked suddenly, her body stiffening. A faint gasp left her lips before her head lolled to the side. Disha barely had time to register the dark red pooling from the fresh hole in Sara's forehead before another bullet came flying aimed at her.
Sara's last words "It's not your fault. It's my fate. God wishes to meet me". She slammed the brakes, the car screeching to a halt. No. No. No. "Sara?" Disha's voice was barely a whisper.
"Disha, I swear, one day we'll run a cute little bakery instead of this shady café. No hacking, no fear—just cinnamon rolls and overpriced coffee." Disha laughed. "Sara, you burn toast. Who's going to trust you with a bakery?" Sara had pouted, crossing her arms. "Then you'll bake, and I'll flirt with the customers. Perfect teamwork."
A shaky exhale escaped Disha's lips. "You hear that, Sara?" her voice cracked, barely above a whisper. "We were supposed to leave. We were supposed to be free."
More memories flooded in late-night coding marathons. Her best friend—her partner in crime, in survival—was gone.
A notorious crime lord feared across continents. Built like a beast tall, broad, and scarred from past battles. His ice-gray eyes are void of emotion. A deep scar slashes across his cheek, a reminder of the bodies he's buried .He wears a black trench coat, steel-toed boots, and gloves that have strangled lives out of people.
Before Disha can react, strong arms grab her from behind. She kicks, thrashes, elbows the man in the ribs—but he barely flinches. A cloth covers her mouth—a faint chemical scent filling her senses. Azrael watches with an amused smirk. "Fiery. I like that. But I don't have time for games." He nods, and his men force her onto her knees, arms pinned behind her.
Disha's wrists are bound, the cold metal of the cuffs biting into her skin. The dimly lit warehouse smells of rust, sweat, and something darker—blood. The only source of light is a single overhead bulb, flickering like it's struggling to stay alive. Just like her. Across from her, sitting in a leather chair like a king on his throne, Azrael Khan watches her with deadly amusement.
"You've made a mess, little hacker," Azrael says, his voice smooth but razor-sharp. "You brought down a company, exposed my secrets... But now, I have a better job for you." Disha glares at him, her jaw tight. She won't beg. She won't break. Azrael smirks, enjoying her defiance. He leans forward, tossing a tablet onto the table between them. A map of India, with one name highlighted: KD Corporation. "You will hack into their dark web," Azrael orders, his eyes glinting with cruelty. "Give me every illegal deal, every transaction, every dirty secret. And to keep their eyes off us—leak just enough to create chaos." Disha's blood runs cold. He was suprised to see her attitude at the last breath. "It's simple, hacker. Work for me and live. Or... well, let's just say, no one will even find your body." Disha clenches her fists. There's no escape. No help. No way out. Or so she thinks.
Disha swallowed the lump in her throat, her heartbeat steadying. She had no intention of dying here. Not before she made them pay.
She would play along, let them think they'd broken her. But inside, her mind was a battlefield, already weaving a plan. A perfect revenge.
As Azrael stood to leave, the door creaked slightly. It was subtle, almost unnoticeable—but Disha didn't miss it.
Someone was here. Someone was watching.
For the first time since Sara's death, a flicker of hope ignited in her chest. Maybe—just maybe—she wouldn't have to do this alone.
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Thank you so much for reading the first chapter!
If you've made it here, it means something in Disha’s world kept you hooked—and that means everything to me.
This story is just beginning, and I promise the ride gets even more intense, emotional, and surprising.
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