Chapter 7 - The Blind Spot
Mia was on top of the world. She decided to host a massive "Victory Livestream" the following evening, sponsored by a rival watch company. She rented a penthouse at the Waldorf Astoria, invited fifty other influencers, and hyped it up as the biggest internet event of the year.
"I took down a corrupt billionaire!" Mia posted on her Instagram. "Tune in tonight at 8 PM for the full, uncut story of how I saved Atelier Vancour!"
While Mia was popping champagne, Clara’s digital forensics team was working flawlessly.
"Mrs. Sterling, we found it," the head of cyber security announced, projecting a video onto the war room screen.
The boutique's standard cameras had missed the sleight of hand. But Clara’s team hadn't just pulled the standard footage. Because Clara now owned the building, they pulled the footage from the hidden, ultra-high-definition 8K thermal security cameras concealed in the ceiling fixtures—a security measure installed to monitor the temperature of the rare timepieces.
The screen showed the boutique from a top-down bird's-eye view.
The video played in 4K resolution. They watched Jax spill the drink. They watched the manager turn. And then, clear as day, they watched Mia Kensington’s hand dart onto the tray, palm the celestial watch, and drop it directly into Clara’s bag.
"Look at her face," Clara noted, pointing a manicured finger at the screen. The high-def camera caught the malicious, desperate smile on Mia’s lips as she framed Clara.
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"Do we take this to the police, Clara?" Marcus asked. "We can have her arrested right now."
Clara smiled. It was a terrifying, beautiful smile. "No. The police will issue a quiet warrant. She humiliated me in front of ten million people. We are going to execute her reputation in exactly the same way. What time is her little victory livestream?"
