The Missing Camera
900 Words
Even though Ethan hadn't fallen for the trap, if he discovered she had been responsible for setting it up, he definitely wouldn't let her off easily.
It seemed the overall plot hadn't changed much after all.
Sophia sat upright in bed.
"Does he have any evidence?"
"I don't think so."
Dylan hesitated.
"My people are clean."
"Right now, he's probably just suspicious."
Sophia finally breathed a small sigh of relief.
But before she could fully relax, a detail suddenly flashed through her mind.
Her expression changed.
"Oh no."
"What?"
Dylan immediately became nervous.
Without answering, Sophia threw off her blanket and jumped out of bed.
The camera.
In the original plot, the hidden camera had never been recovered.
If someone found it...
Everything would be over.
---
The housekeeper watched in confusion as Sophia rushed downstairs as though her life depended on it.
The cook smiled warmly.
"Good morning, young master."
"You haven't been in a good mood lately."
The Reed family treated their employees exceptionally well.
Many servants had worked there for more than a decade and had watched Sophia grow up.
Everyone was accustomed to speaking to her affectionately.
Sophia hurried past.
"Morning, Auntie. Thanks!"
Moments later, she was racing toward the Marriott Hotel.
Standing once again outside Room 1608, memories of the previous night flooded back into her mind.
She swallowed nervously.
The experience still left her shaken.
When a cleaning attendant briefly stepped away to dispose of some trash, Sophia slipped into the room like a thief.
The heavy scent that had filled the suite the previous night was gone.
The curtains had been opened.
Bright sunlight streamed through the windows and spilled across the sofa.
The room had already been thoroughly cleaned.
The decorative cushions were neatly arranged.
Everything looked perfectly normal.
Almost.
Sophia's gaze landed on the velvet sofa.
Beneath the neat appearance were obvious signs that something had happened there.
The fabric bore numerous creases and impressions.
Deep marks crossed over shallow ones in every direction.
There were even several visible scratches etched into the velvet surface.
Sophia stared at them.
Then a terrible thought slowly surfaced in her mind.
"...What exactly happened here after I left?"
Those marks had been left behind when Sophia instinctively grabbed at the sofa the previous night after Gabriel tightened his grip around her ankle.
Her face heated instantly.
She quickly looked away, refusing to think about it any further.
Crossing the room, she stopped in front of the television.
She clearly remembered that the original Sophia had hidden the camera inside a gap behind the TV cabinet.
Kneeling down, Sophia reached into the narrow space.
At the same time, she kept glancing nervously toward the door.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
She searched every corner of the cabinet from top to bottom.
Nothing.
Her expression froze.
How is that possible?
Sophia crouched there in a daze.
A chill spread upward from her feet.
It climbed through her body inch by inch until it felt as though every drop of blood in her veins had frozen.
Where is it?
---
The monthly executive meeting at Hart Group Headquarters had originally been scheduled for nine o'clock in the morning.
For reasons unknown to everyone present, it had been postponed until two in the afternoon.
During the meeting, the managers of every department were required to personally present their monthly performance reports.
The conference room was brightly lit.
Dozens of executives sat around the long table, each of them tense and focused.
No one dared to be careless.
Slide after slide flashed across the massive screen as presentations continued.
At the head of the table, Gabriel sat perfectly composed in a tailored suit.
His posture was relaxed, his hands loosely folded in his lap.
When the Sales Department manager finished speaking, silence filled the room.
One second passed.
Then two.
Gabriel said nothing.
The manager immediately broke into a nervous sweat.
Had he made a mistake somewhere?
His hands trembled slightly.
Only Gabriel's special assistant, Ethan Gao, knew what was happening.
Everyone within the company knew that Gabriel was exceptionally disciplined.
During meetings, he never overlooked a single detail.
Yet today, something was clearly different.
Not only had the meeting been delayed for the first time in company history, but Gabriel had also seemed distracted throughout the entire session.
Ethan quietly cleared his throat.
The sound pulled Gabriel back to reality.
Lowering his gaze, Gabriel rubbed his brow.
"I reviewed the report this morning."
"The Sales Department's performance this month was excellent."
"Continue."
The atmosphere in the room instantly relaxed.
Gabriel continued calmly,
"In addition, Human Resources will establish a new department dedicated to product empowerment and strategic development."
"I want the personnel allocation proposal on my desk before Friday."
"Understood, President Hart."
The meeting proceeded without further interruption.
---
After the meeting ended, Gabriel headed toward the private executive elevator.
Ethan followed closely behind.
Once they were alone, he lowered his voice.
"President Hart, the item you instructed us to locate has been found."
Gabriel's footsteps paused slightly.
Ethan continued,
"You were in the meeting this morning, so I had it placed in your office drawer."
A faint look crossed Gabriel's eyes.
"Good."
The elevator doors slid open.
Without another word, he stepped inside.
Meanwhile, inside the top drawer of his desk sat a small black hidden camera.
The very same camera Sophia had desperately searched for all morning.
- Writer
