Chapter 55: Evidence

"What? What camera?" Sierra was the first to speak. Her face tensed, her eyes still holding a fading smile.

Ronald came downstairs, teddy bear in hand, and said in a deep voice, "I've searched all the rooms and found nothing related to the draft. However, I found this toy in Maggie's room, and it has a hidden camera." Sierra turned to Maggie, instinctively asking, "You put a camera in your room?"

Maggie was stunned, her expression blank.

Master Cameron, ignoring their conversation, asked Ronald directly, "Is it on? Can it be used?" After all, the Herschire Cultural Park project was paramount.

"Maggie?" Ronald looked at her.

Maggie stepped forward, taking the toy from him. A look of realization dawned on her face. "This is a gift from Lucas a while ago. He sent it, so I just put it in my room after opening it a few days ago."

"I remember he said it recorded video and audio. It could even connect to the internet to sing and chat It seemed very advanced" Maggie feigned incomprehension. Since Olivia didn't know the truth, she quickly added, "Lucas is always interested in computer codes, so whatever he sends is usually useful."

Maggie played with the brown, fluffy teddy bear. "But even if it monitors and records, there's a switch, right? When I got it, I pressed it several times and couldn't figure it out, so I just left it on my desk."

Sierra's heart pounded; she felt like she was standing on a precipice. One step forward, disaster; one step back, victory.

Don't turn it on! she thought. Don't turn it on!

Hopefully, Maggie didn't know how to activate it, and it hadn't started recording. As long as it hadn't, no one would know she did it, and Maggie would face the consequences. However if the camera caught her…

Sierra didn't dare contemplate the consequences. Also, why would Lucas send this to Maggie? They were cousins, but he'd always been closer to Maggie. He wasn't close to her and Joseph. Even now, abroad, he sent Maggie gifts.

Sierra was consumed by jealousy. She felt Maggie had taken everything that should have been hers.

Madam Cameron, clearly impatient, frowned. "Why don't we contact Lucas and ask him if he knows how to use this?"

Just then, Maggie, playing with the toy, exclaimed, "I think it's working!"

"Is it?" Master Cameron quickly took the toy.

"I looked at it; the blue light is always on. There's a memory card. If we connect it to a computer, we should see if it recorded anything," Maggie explained excitedly. "Quick, get the computer."

A servant brought a laptop, and Maggie inserted the memory card. Everyone gathered around, and Maggie projected the screen onto the large living room TV.

Sierra stood at the edge of the crowd, her throat tight, her fingers trembling. They won't find anything. They won't find anything! she prayed fervently. Unfortunately, her prayers went unanswered.

The screen showed Maggie's first day back, unpacking. The footage showed her arranging her things, occasionally moving out of view. "Fast forward," Master Cameron urged.

Sierra's heart pounded, her face pale. She unconsciously took a few steps back. Except for Maggie, everyone was focused on the screen, so no one noticed.

Olivia pretended to notice Sierra. "What's wrong, Sierra? You look pale," she asked softly, sensing something was wrong.

"Oh, nothing. I was just thinking about the draft," Sierra forced a stiff smile.

Olivia sensed something was amiss, but couldn't ask with everyone present. "Are you sure you're okay?" she asked again, worried.

The screen showed Sierra sneaking into the room. When Sierra saw this, she met Olivia's gaze, her eyes welling up. Olivia's heart sank. It was Sierra!

The living room fell silent. Soon, everyone saw Sierra go to Maggie's desk, quickly flipping through something before finding Maggie's draft. The camera's proximity clearly showed her actions, even though only half her body was visible.

Everyone held their breath. Then they saw Sierra tear the drafts to shreds. The sound echoed through the room. After destroying the drafts, she laughed coldly, then went to the bathroom.

Although the bathroom wasn't shown, the flushing toilet was audible for a long time. Sierra returned empty-handed, her gaze fixing on Maggie's computer. She grabbed Maggie's mug, poured the water onto the computer. The screen wasn't visible, but her triumphant expression showed the damage was done.