CHAPTER 5: THE FOOTAGE THAT WAS NEVER SUPPOSED TO EXIST
Marcus stared at the flash drive sitting between his fingers.
A tiny piece of plastic.
That was all it was.
But somehow, it felt heavier than anything he had ever held.
Because inside that small device was the answer to a question that had haunted his family for months.
What really happened the night Leo disappeared?
And why had someone tried to erase the truth?
The hallway remained completely silent.
Victoria watched Marcus carefully.
She expected anger.
She expected suspicion.
She expected him to turn toward Elena.
But she saw something else.
Doubt.
Not toward Elena.
Toward her.
And that terrified her.
“Marcus,” Victoria said softly, changing her tone. “You’re making this more complicated than it needs to be.”
He looked at her.
“Am I?”
“Yes.”
She stepped closer.
“This is a family matter. We shouldn’t be letting employees create problems between us.”
Elena’s expression tightened.
“Employees?”
Victoria ignored her.
“You know how much stress we’ve been under. Leo’s safety. The company. Everything.”
Marcus looked at the flash drive.
“Where did you get this?”
Victoria paused.
“I told you. Someone sent it.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know.”
Marcus looked at her.
“You don’t know who sent you evidence against someone in my house?”
Victoria’s silence lasted only a second.
But it was enough.
Marcus noticed.
He always noticed.
Elena stood quietly, holding Leo.
She didn’t want to be the reason for another fight.
But she also knew something important.
Victoria wasn’t trying to expose the truth.
She was trying to control it.
“Mr. Vance,” Elena said carefully.
Marcus looked at her.
“What?”
“That footage needs to be checked properly.”
Victoria immediately turned.
“Why?”
Elena looked at her.
“Because if someone edited it, you could be showing him a lie.”
Victoria laughed.
“You think I’m stupid?”
“No.”
Elena shook her head.
“I think someone may have used you.”
That sentence hit Victoria harder than Elena expected.
Her face changed.
Only slightly.
But Marcus saw it.
“What does that mean?”
Elena looked at the flash drive.
“It means whoever gave this to you knew exactly what you would do with it.”
Victoria’s eyes narrowed.
“You’re accusing me now?”
“I’m saying someone wanted us fighting.”
Marcus stayed silent.
Because the more he listened, the more one thing became clear.
Someone had planned this.
The question was who.
Ten minutes later, Marcus walked into the private security room beneath the estate.
The room was filled with monitors covering every corner of the property.
The Vance estate was not just a mansion.
It was a fortress.
Every hallway.
Every entrance.
Every garden path.
Everything was recorded.
Or at least, it was supposed to be.
Marcus inserted the flash drive into the system.
Victoria stood behind him.
Elena remained near the door with Leo.
She didn’t want to enter.
Not because she was afraid.
Because she remembered that night.
The fear.
The accusations.
The way she had cried in this same room while everyone searched for Leo.
The screen loaded.
A folder appeared.
WEST WING SECURITY — 11:42 PM
Marcus clicked.
The video began.
The hallway appeared.
Empty.
Then the timestamp moved.
11:43.
11:44.
11:45.
Marcus leaned forward.
“Where is Leo?”
Nobody answered.
The footage showed Elena walking toward the playroom.
She was carrying laundry.
Then she disappeared from the camera.
Victoria smiled slightly.
“There.”
Marcus didn’t react.
A few seconds later, the playroom door opened.
Empty.
Then suddenly—
A small shadow appeared.
Leo.
Walking alone.
Elena gasped.
“That’s not possible.”
Marcus looked back.
“What?”
Elena stepped closer.
“Leo couldn’t open that door by himself. The handle was too high.”
Marcus looked at the screen.
She was right.
The little boy reached the door easily.
Too easily.
Something was wrong.
The video continued.
Leo walked down the hallway.
Then the screen flickered.
Once.
Twice.
The image became distorted.
Marcus frowned.
“What happened?”
Victoria stayed silent.
The video jumped forward.
Five minutes disappeared.
Five minutes where nobody knew where Leo went.
Marcus looked at the timestamp.
“Someone cut this.”
Victoria immediately spoke.
“No.”
Marcus turned.
“What did you say?”
She recovered quickly.
“I mean… maybe the system malfunctioned.”
Marcus looked back at the screen.
“No.”
His voice was cold.
“This wasn’t a malfunction.”
He pointed at the monitor.
“The footage was removed.”
The room became silent.
Then Elena noticed something.
“Wait.”
Everyone looked at her.
She pointed at the screen.
“Go back.”
Marcus rewound.
The footage played again.
Leo walked down the hallway.
The screen glitched.
Then—
For less than one second…
A person appeared.
Standing behind Leo.
Watching him.
Marcus froze.
Victoria’s face went pale.
Elena whispered:
“That’s the person who took him.”
Marcus paused the video.
The figure was blurry.
But one thing was clear.
It was not Elena.
It was not a stranger.
It was someone who knew the house.
Someone who belonged there.
Marcus zoomed in.
The image became clearer.
And then he saw something that made his blood run cold.
A ring.
A very specific ring.
A ring he recognized.
Because he had bought it himself.
Years ago.
For someone in his family.
Marcus slowly turned away from the screen.
His face changed.
“Victoria…”
She looked at him.
“What?”
Marcus stared at her hand.
At the diamond ring on her finger.
And suddenly, every piece of the puzzle started falling into place.
Because the person behind Leo that night…
May you like
was wearing the same ring.
TO BE CONTINUED...
