A Lie Spoken First
Chapter 02 - A Lie Spoken First
An ambulance carried Claire to St. Catherine’s Hospital while Adrian followed in a car driven by his security chief, Martin Hale—Vanessa’s uncle. Claire spent the ride listening to the fetal monitor and silently begging her baby to keep moving.
The doctors found bruising along her hip and early contractions caused by the fall. The baby was stable, but Claire would need observation. Adrian sat beside her bed, holding her hand so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
“I believe you,” he said.
Claire searched his face. “Then why do you sound like you’re trying to convince yourself?”
Before Adrian could answer, Vanessa entered with Martin and the family attorney. Her eyes were red, and a faint mark had appeared on her cheek. Claire knew it had not been there before the ambulance arrived.
Vanessa placed Adrian’s phone on the bed. “The penthouse footage was downloaded automatically. You need to see it.”
The clip began with Claire holding the trust document. Vanessa entered the frame. There was no sound. Claire appeared to step forward sharply, and then the video jumped. In the next moment, Claire was already falling while Vanessa’s hands were raised.
“It’s missing something,” Claire whispered.
Martin shook his head. “The system records continuously.”
“No. Look at the clock.”
The timestamp skipped from 8:41:12 to 8:41:22—ten missing seconds.
Vanessa covered her mouth as if shocked. “Maybe Claire deleted it before she confronted me.”
Claire stared at Adrian. “I didn’t even know how to access that camera.”
The attorney cleared his throat. “Until this is resolved, the board may ask Adrian to take a temporary leave. Any scandal involving violence, paternity claims, and the family trust could affect tomorrow’s merger vote.”
That was when Claire understood. The shove had never been only about jealousy. Vanessa wanted Adrian distracted, discredited, and removed before the board meeting.
Adrian ordered Martin to preserve every device in the penthouse. Martin agreed too quickly.
Vanessa’s version was already moving faster than the truth. Two directors had called Adrian before midnight, and an anonymous account had posted that a senior Cross executive had been assaulted inside the family residence. No names appeared, but everyone in their world knew exactly whom the rumor described.
After they left, Claire reached for Adrian’s sleeve. “Vanessa knew the footage would be missing before she told you to check it.”
Adrian looked toward the closed door.
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For the first time, he did not look confused.
He looked betrayed.
