Chapter 3 - The Broken Alibi
Lily didn't cower. She forced herself to look straight into those terrifying, ice-blue eyes, refusing to blink under the oppressive weight of his gaze.
"Because your fiancée is a liar," Lily said, her voice ringing clear through the cavernous foyer. "And because I have something she didn't count on you finding."
Serena’s face drained of all color, her lips parting in silent panic. "Victor, don't listen to her! She's delirious! She's making up stories to save her skin!"
"I said, shut up," Victor repeated, not even glancing at Serena. His eyes remained fixed on Lily, analytical and razor-sharp. The mind of a criminal mastermind was turning gears behind those cold eyes, weighing every micro-expression, every tremor in Lily’s voice, and every drop of sweat on Serena’s brow.
"Continue," Victor ordered.
"She didn't find me hurting Ethan," Lily explained, wincing as she shifted her weight. "She walked in while she was twisting his arm to force him to stop crying because he ruined her dress with his teething drool. When I threw myself between them to save him, she kicked me in the stomach—right there, look at the bruising—and threatened to make me disappear."
Serena jumped to her feet, hysteria lacing her high-pitched voice. "This is absurd! Are you really going to take the word of a hired peasant over your future wife? Look at me! She tore my clothes!"
"You tore your own blouse, Serena," Lily countered instantly, her gaze shifting to the jagged, clean-looking rips in the silk. "You did it in a panic when you heard the front door open. But what you didn't realize," Lily’s eyes flashed with fierce triumph, "is that the Blackwood mansion is covered by state-of-the-art security cameras in every single hallway and foyer—except the private quarters."
Silence fell over the room like a falling anvil.
Serena stumbled backward, her heel catching on the edge of the Persian rug. The color vanished entirely from her face, leaving her looking like a ghost in a designer dress. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water.
"Marcus," Victor said, his voice dropping an octave into dangerous territory. "Pull the foyer camera logs from the last fifteen minutes. Now."
"Right away, Boss," Marcus replied, already pulling a secure tablet from his inner pocket and tapping rapidly against the screen.
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Serena lunged forward, her nails clawing at Victor’s arm in desperation. "Victor, no! Don't look at them! They're... they're edited! She hacked the system! You know how enemies try to sabotage us!"
Victor slowly raised his hand and pushed Serena away with casual, insulting disgust, as if she were nothing more than an annoying insect. He didn't say a word as Marcus turned the tablet screen toward him.
