CCTV.

010

"No, Mr. Stanley, it's not what you're thinking!" I stuttered. "Candy's lying! She told me you asked for your room to be cleaned by me, and that's what I did. I only cleaned your room—nothing else!"

"Lies! All you do is lie!" Candy spat as she stormed toward me. Just as she raised her hand to slap me, another hand caught hers mid-air.

I turned toward the source of the interruption and froze. My eyes widened in shock. Charles.

Why would he help me?

He cast me a quick glance before flinging Candy’s hand away. Then, turning to Stanley, he said firmly, "She didn’t do it."

Stanley, who had been seething moments ago, hesitated. His gaze darkened as he asked, "How do you know she’s not the one who took it?"

Charles smirked. "Because I’m a people person."

"Really?" Candy scoffed, folding her arms. "That’s your excuse for defending a thief?"

Charles ignored her, but Stanley shot Candy a sharp glare, silencing her. She huffed and stepped back into place.

"Also," Charles continued, "I have evidence."

Gasps echoed around the room. The maids exchanged nervous glances, whispering among themselves. I turned to Candy, whose face had gone pale. Beads of sweat glistened on her forehead.

"You have evidence?" Stanley asked, his tone shifting slightly.

Charles nodded. "I do."

"Show me."

Candy’s composure shattered. "Wh-what evidence do you need?" she stammered. "The culprit is right in front of you! We all know the last person who visited Mr. Stanley’s room was that filthy girl, Alora, and—"

"Silence!" Stanley's voice sliced through the room like a blade. "I don’t want to hear another word from you, Candy."

Candy’s lips clamped shut, but the tremble in her body betrayed her. From the looks of it, she had stolen the wristwatch and tried to pin the blame on me.

My heart pounded as Charles turned on his heels and strode out of the room. The air was thick with tension, the weight of accusing stares pressing against me.

Candy wasted no time taking advantage of Charles’ absence. She stepped forward, her voice laced with feigned sincerity. "Mr. Stanley, you can’t honestly believe that Alora didn’t steal your wristwatch. We all saw her enter your room!"

Murmurs of agreement rippled through the gathered maids. A tall, thin woman named Clara stepped up. "Candy’s right," she said confidently. "Alora was the last one in there. Why else would she go inside if not to steal?"

Another maid, Lucia, folded her arms and sneered. "It’s not the first time a lowly maid has been caught stealing from her employer. Some people just can’t resist wealth." She cast me a disdainful glance.

I clenched my fists. It was maddening how easily they twisted the truth to fit their narrative.

Stanley remained unreadable, leaning against his desk. His silence emboldened Candy further.

"Think about it, Mr. Stanley," she pressed. "A gold wristwatch worth millions? Of course, she’d steal it! She probably planned to sell it and disappear!"

"That’s not true!" I burst out, but Candy ignored me.

"Why else would she be so nervous?" she continued, gesturing toward me. "Look at her—she’s shaking! A guilty conscience, no doubt."

The whispers grew louder, feeding off each other like wildfire.

Then Stanley raised a hand.

"Enough." His voice cut through the noise, instantly restoring silence. He exhaled slowly before speaking again. "I don’t make accusations without proof. And I certainly don’t make judgments based on baseless rumors."

Relief surged through me, though I kept my expression neutral.

Candy, on the other hand, looked furious. She opened her mouth to argue but faltered when she saw Stanley’s hardened gaze. Her jaw tightened as she swallowed her words.

Minutes stretched in silence, the tension thick and suffocating. Then—

we heard footsteps

All heads turned as Charles walked in with, a sleek black briefcase in his hand. He walked with purpose, his expression unreadable as he placed the case on Stanley’s desk.

Unclasping the lid, he revealed a laptop inside. He pressed a button, and the screen flickered to life.

"If we want the truth," Charles said, his voice calm yet firm, "this is the only way. The CCTV footage will expose the real culprit."

The moment those words left his lips, Candy visibly stiffened. Her confident stance faltered, her face draining of color.

Her eyes darted toward the laptop—wide, wild, and filled with barely concealed panic.

For the first time since this ordeal began, she looked truly afraid.