CHAPTER 3: THE FOOTAGE THAT DOESN’T LIE
CHAPTER 3: THE FOOTAGE THAT DOESN’T LIE
The hotel manager finally appeared near the side of the room.
He looked at Sophie.
Then at the blood on my dress.
Then at the blinking camera.
“Ma’am,” he said carefully, “we should get medical help immediately.”
“No one is leaving,” Preston snapped instantly.
The manager hesitated.
But this wasn’t Preston’s hotel.
It wasn’t his company.
It wasn’t his authority.
And for the first time, that fact mattered.
I shifted slightly, holding Sophie tighter.
“Pull the CCTV,” I said quietly.
A murmur moved through the guests.
My mother scoffed.
“This is ridiculous—”
“Pull it,” I repeated, louder now.
The manager swallowed.
“I… I can access the main feed from the security room,” he said.
Preston laughed again, but it was thinner this time.
“Go ahead,” he said, spreading his arms. “Show everyone how your daughter stole my phone.”
That smile tried to come back.
May you like
It didn’t fully form.
Because somewhere in his eyes, something had already begun to crack.
