Chapter 8 - THE TRUTH HIDDEN IN THE FOOTAGE
Nobody spoke.
The hotel screens continued playing the edited video.
My face.
My name.
My supposed crime.
It was perfect.
Too perfect.
And that scared me more than anything.
Because whoever created it understood people.
They knew what everyone would believe.
A poor woman.
A stranger.
Someone nobody would defend.
I looked at Griffin.
His expression was impossible to read.
"Tell me the truth, Fay."
The question hurt.
Not because he asked.
Because I understood why.
If I were him, I would ask the same thing.
"I already told you."
My voice shook.
"I was hired tonight. I came here to arrange flowers. I heard Celeste talking about you. That's all."
Griffin stared at me.
Then he looked at the screen.
The fake footage continued playing.
Marcus stepped forward.
"Griffin, this is not random."
He pointed at the video.
"This person wants you to believe Fay is guilty."
Celeste laughed softly.
"How noble."
Marcus ignored her.
"They're trying to make us fight each other."
Griffin looked at him.
"Then who is behind it?"
Nobody answered.
Because the truth was...
we had no idea.
Then I remembered something.
The VIP corridor.
The conversation.
The man's voice.
There was something familiar about it.
Something I couldn't place.
"What if..."
Everyone looked at me.
I closed my eyes, trying to remember.
"The man Celeste was talking to."
Griffin stepped closer.
"What about him?"
"I never saw his face clearly."
Marcus nodded.
"Because the door was closed."
"But I remember his voice."
The room became quiet.
"What did he sound like?" Griffin asked.
I searched my memory.
"Older."
A pause.
"Calm."
Another pause.
"And he said something."
"What?"
I looked at Griffin.
"He called you something."
Griffin's face changed.
"What did he call me?"
I swallowed.
"Little brother."
The reaction was immediate.
Marcus went completely still.
Celeste's expression changed.
And Griffin noticed.
"You know who it is."
Nobody answered.
Griffin grabbed Marcus' arm.
"Who was he?"
Marcus looked away.
For the first time all night, he looked scared.
"Griffin..."
"Who?"
Marcus whispered:
"Your brother."
The hallway went silent.
Because everyone knew one thing.
Griffin Hales had no brother.
At least...
that's what the world believed.
Griffin released Marcus.
"What did you just say?"
Marcus looked at him.
"Your father had another son."
The words hit harder than any accusation.
"My father?"
Marcus nodded slowly.
"And that son has spent twenty years believing you stole everything from him."
I felt my stomach twist.
The engagement party.
The champagne.
The cameras.
The lies.
It wasn't just about money.
It was revenge.
Then Griffin's phone buzzed.
A message.
From an unknown number.
He opened it.
His face turned pale.
"What is it?" I asked.
He handed me the phone.
May you like
There was only one sentence.
Ask your friend Marcus why he helped bury the truth.
