Chapter 2: The Hidden Cameras Twenty minutes later, the private theater inside the mansion was filled with silence. The largest screen slowly illuminated. The stepmother folded her arms, pretending confidence. "There won't be anything." The butler remained expressionless. "I apologize, Madam." "The recordings were recovered." Her smile disappeared. Frame after frame played across the screen. Ethan cleaning the dining room. Ethan serving tea. Ethan eating leftovers alone after midnight. Then... The slap. Crystal clear. Not once. Three times. Another recording appeared. She shoved him down the staircase. Another. She locked him outside during a winter storm. Another. She threw away birthday letters addressed to him. Every servant watched in horror. No one spoke. The man never blinked. When the final recording ended, he quietly asked, "How long?" No one answered. Finally, the elderly housekeeper stepped forward with tears in her eyes. "Five years, sir." "I wanted to stop her." "But she threatened to have my family fired." The man nodded once. Then looked at the stepmother. "You told everyone I died." She swallowed. "You forged my signature." Silence. "You stole my company." Her breathing became uneven. "You abused my son." The last sentence landed like a verdict. For the first time in years... The powerful woman realized she no longer controlled the room. She controlled nothing.

5 chapters