Chapter 299

Freddy and the other orchestra members spotted Elyse. "Isn't she suspended?" someone whispered. Her unexpected return sparked immediate chatter. The previous day's events were fresh in everyone's minds. While others speculated, Freddy considered approaching her. Then Rebekah emerged from the rehearsal room.

As Freddy hesitated, he overheard snippets of conversation: "Rebekah's been acting strangely. Did you see her purse? It must have cost a fortune! Where did she get all that money?" "A loan?" another girl suggested. "And that bracelet! It's pricey. But do you think she could afford it? I bet the purse is a knockoff." They exchanged glances. "Let's check," one proposed. "We can tell if it's real."

Freddy hesitated, then retreated as the girls approached Rebekah's purse, which sat on a chair. Before they could inspect it, Rebekah returned. "Are you out of your minds?" she exclaimed angrily. "How dare you go through my belongings!" In her haste to grab her purse, she knocked it to the floor, scattering its contents.

Amid the chaos, Freddy saw a flash drive. One of the girls quickly retrieved it, apologizing, "We didn't mean any harm. We were just curious about the purse." But Rebekah's anger intensified upon seeing the flash drive. Grabbing it, she sneered, "Of course it's real! You could never afford it, you poor losers!"

The girls, stung by her rebuke, retorted briefly before walking away in frustration. Freddy watched as Rebekah dusted off her purse and carefully pocketed the flash drive. It seemed the drive was far more valuable to her than the purse.

Puzzled, Freddy wondered how a flash drive could rival a designer purse in value. Could the information on it be so valuable? His suspicions grew. He sensed something secretive and significant was stored on it.

Meanwhile, in the monitoring room, Elyse and Darren reviewed the surveillance footage. To their horror, the footage from their first performance had vanished—along with the backup copy. Darren sighed. "I spoke to security," he explained. "Only one guard was on duty that day. He wasn't in the monitoring room during his breaks, and since no orchestra members were present, he didn't see anyone enter."

Elyse's expression was grave. "The person who accessed the system must know the building's security protocols. It's likely one of our orchestra members."

Darren rubbed his temples. "Possible, but I can't say for sure."

"It's Rebekah," Elyse stated confidently.

Darren's eyes widened. "Really? Are you certain?"

Elyse nodded solemnly, recounting Rebekah's involvement in accepting six hundred thousand from Mabel.

Darren considered this. "If that's true, it's plausible. Otherwise, it's hard to know who your sister is working with."

Elyse agreed. "But I lack direct evidence that Mabel stole my sheet music with Rebekah's help. Could the money have been for something else?"

Darren pondered. "Then our best bet is to recover the surveillance footage. It's our only tangible evidence."

Determined, Elyse called Jayden. Though the video was deleted, she hoped data recovery might be possible. Jayden had assured her he could help if she needed it. Elyse decided to accept his offer.