Chapter 118: Clarification

Abigail returned to Luna's room with a gloomy expression, finding Luna sitting on the couch, lost in thought. Hearing the door close, Luna snapped out of her reverie and immediately asked, "What did he say?"

"He said we should make Joan apologize and continue as planned, but I don't want to let it go so easily," Abigail replied, sitting beside Luna with a cold look in her clear eyes.

Luna's gaze turned icy. "Do you wish to confront Joan? Won't Sean blame us?"

"Luna, don't you think Sean and Joan have been able to manipulate us because we've been afraid? Being patient hasn't solved the problem," Abigail said calmly.

Luna gradually calmed down. "You're right," she replied in a low voice.

Abigail continued, "Let's wait for the production team's results first. Once they're in, we can plan our next move, but be prepared for the possibility of losing both money and reputation."

Luna's breath caught at the mention of losing everything. "It was Joan who pushed us to join the show, and she's the one causing us trouble now."

"Luck doesn't always favor one person," Abigail said coldly.

Returning to her room, Abigail retrieved the phone Luna had slipped into her bag and saw the latest message. She unlocked it and her eyes widened in astonishment as she read the text.

At 10:00 PM, Cameron returned with the original video footage, while Kevin was also secretly investigating.

Cameron handed the original video to Sean, saying respectfully, "When Halopedia Entertainment received this video, it had already been edited."

"How did they receive it?" Sean asked, his voice devoid of emotion as he stared at the video on his phone.

Cameron pursed his lips. "Someone sent it via email, but the sender's email was deleted the same day. Experts say it's untraceable."

"They covered their tracks well," Sean said with a cold smile. He then called Kevin, who quickly answered. "How's your investigation progressing?" Sean asked coldly.

Kevin replied hurriedly, "The prime suspects are Nina and Damian. He claims he couldn't sleep three nights ago due to work and sat in the garden all night. He encountered Nina sneaking back from the garden at 4:00 AM."

Sean frowned. "Damian again?"

"Damian told me he arranged with Luna to create a competitive atmosphere to eliminate Nina in the first round, as Luna believed Nina's design and character were subpar," Kevin said in a lowered voice.

"Where are you? Speak up," Sean said impatiently.

Kevin cleared his throat. "I'm creating an atmosphere."

"Go on," Sean said, restraining his impatience.

"Nina claimed she couldn't sleep, but hidden cameras show she had a specific target that night. She left the hotel and went straight to the northeast corner of the garden," Kevin reported; a rustling sound was heard.

"You went to the northeast corner?" Sean immediately noticed.

"Yes. The garden is watered daily; there would be footprints," Kevin replied with a grin.

Sean made a noncommittal sound.

"Damian really spent the entire night in the garden. He left the hotel aimlessly after 10:00 PM and sat in the garden pavilion all night."

Sean nodded, his thoughts wandering. Had Abigail ever suffered from insomnia when struggling with a design? After three years of marriage, he rarely paid attention to her. Now he wanted to know her better, but didn't know where to start.

Kevin's voice suddenly grew louder. "There are footprints near the iron railing!"

"What's next?" Sean asked coldly.

Kevin chuckled. "You can trust me, Sean. I'll clear Abigail's name."

Sean ended the call and told Cameron, "As soon as we get the video analysis results, have the PR team post a statement on Instagram to clear Alana's name."

"Yes," Cameron replied quickly.

Near midnight, Sean received the restored video footage from Cameron. The video had been AI-synthesized; through professional techniques, the AI portion was separated and spliced with the original before creating a new video.

The program's official account released a clarification video at midnight, including a comparison video and mentioning the analysis team.

Even so, some netizens remained skeptical:

"What does this prove? It shows the audio was synthesized, but what about the video? Miss Quinn brought unfinished clothes to her room, and the next day, they were completed!"

"How do you explain the audio proximity? Miss Quinn operated the sewing machine, so isn't it impossible for Alana not to know how to use one?"