Third Person's POV
Wan State Army Barracks
The atmosphere inside the monitoring room felt heavy.
Elder Asher Jade Maple sat quietly near the front of the room with both hands resting on the polished head of his walking stick. His face remained stern while several military personnel stood nearby at attention, their expressions serious.
The door opened moments later and a man in a military uniform entered carrying a laptop case.
The moment he spotted Elder Asher, he immediately stopped and offered a respectful salute.
"Sir."
Asher nodded.
The man's face softened slightly.
"I still haven't forgotten everything you've done for my family."
A faint smile touched the old man's lips.
"Then repay me by finding the truth."
The forensic expert straightened immediately.
"Yes, sir."
Without wasting another second, he moved toward the computer system connected to Birch Mansion's surveillance network.
The room fell silent except for the rapid clicking of keys.
Collins stood nearby with his arms folded tightly across his chest while Hazel remained seated beside her grandfather.
Minutes passed.
Then, all of a sudden, the forensic expert froze.
Everyone noticed as his eyes narrowed at the screen.
"What is it?" Asher asked.
The expert slowly turned around.
"The footage wasn't deleted."
Collins immediately stepped forward.
"What?"
The expert pointed toward the monitor.
"It wasn't corrupted either."
A frown appeared on Asher's face.
"Explain."
The expert exhaled slowly.
"Someone replaced the original recordings with blank footage."
The room became silent.
Asher's grip tightened around his walking stick. The muscles in his jaw flexed.
"So it was deliberate."
"Yes, sir."
Collins felt his stomach sink. For the first time, genuine fear began creeping into his chest.
The expert quickly continued.
"But the original files are still buried inside the system."
Hope flickered across Hazel's face.
Asher leaned forward slightly.
"Can you recover them?"
The expert nodded.
"Yes", he paused, "but It'll take some time."
"Do it."
The expert immediately returned to work.
The room once again filled with the sound of frantic typing.
Hours passed, and throughout the entire process, Collins paced continuously across the room. Every few minutes he would glance toward the screen before lowering his head again.
Silently, he prayed. He prayed that Hazel was mistaken, that Seraphina was innocent and that everything would somehow return to normal.
Nearby, Hazel sat quietly while Elder Asher remained beside her like an unmovable mountain.
Finally, the forensic expert's eyes brightened, "I got it."
The words shattered the silence and everyone rushed toward the monitor.
The recovered footage began playing.
The recording showed the third floor of Birch Mansion during the engagement party.
Hazel walked along the corridor slowly. After a few seconds, another figure entered the frame.
It was Seraphina.
Collins felt his heartbeat quicken.
The footage continued.
Seraphina wasn't alone. She was locked in an intimate embrace with another woman near the balcony.
Collins stumbled backward. His face grew pale and his mouth parted open slowly.
But nobody paid attention. Everyone remained focused on the screen.
Asher's eyes narrowed.
On the footage, Hazel froze for a moment, then confronted them.
Although there was no audio, the tension between the three women was obvious.
Then suddenly, Seraphina lunged forward and Hazel disappeared from the camera's view.
The footage ended.
There was silence. Nobody moved or spoke. The truth had revealed itself.
Collins stared blankly at the dark monitor. His legs suddenly gave out beneath him and he collapsed heavily onto the floor.
Several soldiers immediately rushed toward him.
"Sir!"
"Call the medic."
The room erupted into chaos.
Yet Elder Asher remained seated. His attention never shifted from his granddaughter.
Slowly, he reached over and took Hazel's trembling hand into his own.
Tears filled her eyes.
Asher squeezed her fingers gently.
"Justice will be served."
Hazel lowered her head and cried quietly.
The old man remained beside her until her breathing steadied.
Then he pulled out his phone and dialed quickly. The call connected after only two rings.
"Alexander."
A familiar voice answered.
"Elder Asher."
The old man's eyes drifted toward the dark screen.
"We recovered the footage."
A pause followed.
Then he spoke the words plainly.
"Seraphina pushed Hazel."
There was no response and no questions. Just silence.
Slowly, Asher lowered the phone from his ear and stared at the screen one final time.
The truth had finally come out.
But somehow, It felt like this was only the beginning.