“Sister Alice, please tell us the truth. Your answer can help us locate Miss Carter,” Joyce pleaded, her voice laced with false concern, as though she were acting for the greater good.
Yet each of Joyce's words quietly pushed the blame toward Alice, going as far as twisting Lynette’s disappearance into something Alice might be responsible for.
“I’m telling the truth. It wasn’t me,” Alice said, her eyes glistening with tears. “You all know I don’t have the guts for something like that, especially anything that has to do with the third floor.”
“Then if it wasn’t you,” Joyce pressed forward innocently, a flash of wickedness slipping through her eyes, “who went to the third floor? Could it have been Miss Lynette?”
She paused, then quickly added, “No… it couldn’t be her. The person I saw was wearing a Head Maid’s uniform. That’s why I thought it was Sister Alice.”
She adjusted her tone, carefully trying to steer the suspicion back to Alice.
Joyce wouldn’t stop until her goal was achieved; otherwise, all their efforts to trap Alice would be in vain.
She couldn't let this matter close just like that.
Watching the staged drama between these servants, Butler Thomas’s gaze squinted; he would have entertained them if time were not running out.
Looking toward the living room chandelier, he recalled that his son had once helped him installed—what was it called again…
Yes! CCTV cameras.
So why indulge Joyce’s one-sided performance?
A trace of cold amusement flickered in his eyes as he wondered how she would react once she learned the truth.
He was almost looking forward to it.
“That’s enough.”
His voice cut through the living room like a blade of ice, causing the constant whispering and murmuring to cease instantly.
He pointed at a servant, giving him the keys to the resource room. “Retrieve the CCTV footage from this morning.”
“Yes.”
WHAT?!
Everyone stood frozen in place, their minds screaming the same thought.
There were CCTV cameras in the mansion.
Several servants began to tremble, their faces drained of color. Those who had been careless with their duties felt their legs go weak as fear crawled up their spines.
Today… they might lose their jobs.
Looking around the living room, they realized that all their actions were not hidden anymore.
Regret flooded their hearts; regret for every lazy shortcut, for every moment they had assumed no one was watching. Now, only one thought echoed in their minds.
It’s over.
Joyce stood rooted to the spot, dazed.
The world around her blurred , as a single phrase kept echoing relentlessly in her head.
CCTV cameras.
Then does this mean that when she had sneaked Tina into the mansion, the cameras around the mansion had captured it?
How infuriating!
Wasn't all her hard work going to be in vain?
Would her plan backfire on her?
Joyce trembled in fear, her nails kept pressing into her flesh, almost to the extent of drawing blood, but she felt no pain.
Her mind was already juggling countermeasures to save herself from losing this job.
“Mr. Butler, this is the video you requested for,” the servant said, handing over the laptop to Butler Thomas.
Everyone had a mix of emotions played across their faces when they heard this.
Joyce’s heartbeat quickened, as she had a bad feeling that the outcome wouldn’t be in her favor.
She couldn’t help feeling resentful, yet she still had to pretend to be calm on the surface in order not to give herself away.
Some servants felt their legs go weak with fear, holding onto one another for support.
They couldn’t help but expect the worst outcome.
Maid Alice sighed in relief when she heard there were CCTV cameras installed in the mansion.
She knew that with this, she would be proven innocent.
Butler Thomas played the video from that morning, fast-forwarding to twenty minutes before Lynette arrived at the mansion.
From the footage, it could be seen that a woman had sneaked into the mansion through the back door used by the servants to enter and exit.
When the Butler saw this, he turned toward Joyce with a knowing smile.
The moment Joyce noticed his gaze, her heart skipped, and the color drained from her face.
What did he mean by that look?!
Joyce wondered if she had already been exposed.
‘What is this old fool scheming?’
Joyce trembled with rage. She clenched her fists tightly, and only then did she manage to regain her composure and rein in her thoughts.
From the video, the woman tiptoed toward the third floor, stopping every second to look around to see if someone had noticed her.
On her body was the Head Maid’s uniform, worn loosely on her, as if indicating that the clothes were not hers but belonged to someone else, judging by the height difference.
In her hand was another maid’s uniform.
Upon reaching the third floor, out of fear of being caught, she leaned against the wall, looking back and forth, her hand trembling.
Yet a hint of hatred could be seen in every movement she made, as if she was determined to tarnish and destroy her enemy.
When she reached the door at the center of the third floor, she pushed it open with delight and a crazed look, as though her goal was about to be achieved.
Since the camera was not installed inside the Master’s bedroom on the third floor, one could not see what she did after entering.
After fifteen minutes, she rushed out in haste, forcing herself to act calm to avoid suspicion. Her eyes radiated triumph, having finally achieved her aim without mishap.
From this alone, one could imagine that whatever was carried out inside the room was nothing good.
On her way down the stairs, she encountered Miss Lynette, who called her to a stop.
From the video, the two were entangled in a conversation, though it seemed more like Miss Lynette was the one talking while the stranger remained mute, only responding later by pointing toward the east wing before dashing off in haste.
When the Butler saw this scene, he stood up abruptly, shock freezing him in place.
THE EAST WING!!
That place…
Shit!!