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Chapter 7 - Erasing the Evidence

Julian stood up and walked over to the suite’s private security terminal mounted beside the bar. He typed in a master override code, his fingers flying across the touch screen.

"When I booked the rooftop for the wedding three months ago," Julian explained, "I had my own private security firm install four high-definition, hard-wired cameras hidden within the floral arches. I didn't do it because I suspected Victoria would try to throw you off the building—I did it because my family has a history of industrial espionage, and I wanted to ensure none of our rival board members tried to bug the ceremony."

The screen flickered to life, dividing into four crystal-clear 4K video feeds.

Julian scrubbed the timeline backward to 8:12 PM.

Clara leaned forward, the blanket slipping from her shoulders. The footage was horrifically clear.

On Camera 3, positioned directly above the floral archway where Clara had been standing, they saw the maintenance door slowly swing open. Victoria appeared, checking her diamond wristwatch. She pulled a long steel pry bar from underneath a caterer’s linen hamper, wedged it into the locking mechanism of the glass panel, and forced it open. She carefully positioned a heavy decorative potted palm to conceal the open drop.

Then, she walked over to the catering station where the massive wedding cake sat on its heavy caster wheels.

The camera caught Victoria’s face in high resolution. There was no panic. No sudden impulse. Her expression was cold, methodical, and chillingly serene. She deliberately kicked away the safety wheel locks on the cart. She coated the floor behind Clara with a clear, greasy substance from a small plastic bottle—liquid silicone spray, designed to ensure Clara’s high heels would have zero traction.

"Jesus Christ," Julian muttered under his breath, his knuckles cracking as he clenched his fists. "It was an execution."

The video played out in agonizing detail: Victoria lining up the cart, taking a deep, steadying breath, and launching it with terrifying force. Then, when Clara dodged, the camera captured Victoria charging forward, planting her palms against Clara’s chest, and shoving her straight through the pre-opened gap in the glass railing.

"That’s first-degree attempted murder," Clara whispered, feeling the bile rise in her throat. "She planned every second of it."

Suddenly, the screen glitched.

A red warning prompt flashed across the monitor: **NETWORK CONNECTION COMPROMISED. EXTERNAL OVERRIDE DETECTED.**

"What's happening?" Clara asked, jumping to her feet.

"Someone is accessing the local server," Julian growled, furiously typing on the console. "They're attempting a remote wipe of the hard drives!"

The feed from Camera 3 flickered and died, replaced by static. Then Camera 4 went black.

"Victoria’s head of IT," Julian realized, grabbing his phone. "Mother must have called him the second they got into the elevator. They’re purging the hotel’s mainframe to destroy the digital footprint!"

"Can you stop them?"

"Not from this terminal," Julian said, his jaw set. "The physical hard drive array is down in the hotel’s sub-basement security hub. If they initiate a degaussing sequence, the physical drives will be wiped in less than ten minutes."

Julian grabbed his tuxedo jacket from the chair, pulling it on despite the damp fabric. He looked at Clara, his eyes blazing with an unyielding fire.

"Clara, stay here. Lock the door from the inside."

"No," Clara said firmly, grabbing a pair of flat sneakers from her overnight bag and pulling on a dark wool trench coat over her robe. "I’m not staying here like a sitting duck. If they wipe that drive, it’s my word against a billion-dollar family’s PR machine. I’m going with you."

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Julian looked at her for a split second, saw the iron in her spine, and nodded once. "Then we run."

***

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