Chapter 0265
Bryanโs eyes flickered, and he hesitated to say anything.
Seeing everyone backing Miranda, Elizabeth was livid. However, she kept a neutral expression and struggled to control her rage.
She said, โYou never really know someoneโs true nature. What if itโs all an act? I checked the data on my computer yesterday morning, and it was all there. But today, itโs gone. I remember Sandy and Dr. Quinton were the first to leave yesterday afternoon, and Bryan and I left soon after. So, that leaves just Miranda and Dr. Jefferson. He has no reason to do this, so it must be her.โ
Her accusation sounded logical at first, but Miranda caught the inconsistency. She turned to Elizabeth. โYou said you checked the data yesterday morning. Did you recheck it before you left?โ
โOf course! The data was still there.โ
Miranda asked, โAre you sure?โ
Elizabeth snapped, โYes, Iโm sure. Why are you asking? Do you think Iโm framing you?โ
Miranda stayed calm. โOkay. If I understand you correctly, the data should have gone missing sometime between when you left yesterday and when you arrived today, right?โ
โYes.โ
โThen, letโs check the surveillance footage during that time,โ Miranda suggested.
Sandy nodded. โRight, we almost forgot about the cameras. The laboratory is under 24-hour surveillance.โ
Elizabeth nodded and sneered. โFine. Letโs check the footage first, so no one can accuse me of targeting anyone.โ
In the control room, Silas requested the security staff to retrieve the footage from the last two days. Unfortunately, the footage was missing.
Sandy asked, โWhatโs going on? How could the footage be gone?โ
The security staff was confused as well. โWe have recordings from the last month, but yesterday and the day before are missing. Itโs strange.โ
โIsnโt it obvious? Someone deliberately erased the footage. No wonder they suggested checking the cameras. Itโs clear they were prepared for this.โ Elizabeth crossed her arms, hinting that Miranda was the culprit.
Paul arrived at the lab after his class and, finding no one there, asked the security guard and headed to the control room.
His calm, dark eyes swept over everyone. โWhatโs going on? Why is everyone here?โ
Elizabeth was the first to speak, looking aggrieved. โDr. Jefferson, someone deleted my experimental data. I spent a week collecting it, and just when I was ready to upload it, it was gone.โ Her voice grew more emotional. โMiranda was the last one to leave the laboratory these past two days. With the footage missing, sheโs the prime suspect. I have reason to believe she deliberately deleted it.โ
Sandy and Silas were worried Paul might believe Elizabethโs accusations, so they quickly spoke up.
โDr. Jefferson, we donโt have all the details yet.โ
โI donโt think Miranda would do something like this.โ
Bryan was unusually quiet. He frowned and said nothing. They had left the lab on time for the past few days, going out shopping and eating meals together. Elizabeth had barely had time to work on that data set.
He glanced up and looked at her. For the first time, he felt a sense of unfamiliarity about her.
Paul asked detailed questions about when the data was lost, where it was stored, and if there were any backups.
Elizabeth answered each question precisely. But this made Miranda seem even more suspicious.
Sandy and Silas wanted to speak up for Miranda but didnโt know how to make their case, and it frustrated them.
Miranda slowly raised her gaze and scanned everyone before settling on Elizabeth. โItโs not hard to find out who deleted the data.โ
Chapter 0266