"How convenient," Matthew said, eyes narrowing. "All the footage from that time just happened to disappear?"
The manager bowed slightly. "We apologize, sir. There appears to have been a system malfunction. We’re working with our technical team to recover as much as possible. I assure you, we’re doing everything possible."
He glanced at Frank. "We hope Mr. Keller can understand the situation as well."
Frank stood, brushing invisible dust from his sleeve. "I’ve stayed in dozens of high-end hotels, and I’ve never seen one this careless."
Without waiting for a response, he turned and left the room.
Matthew watched him go, hiding the satisfaction that curled at the edge of his lips. Frank had played his part perfectly.
No one would suspect that it was Frank who wiped the videos. Or that it was Frank who arranged everything behind the scenes. The man was a good actor, Matthew thought inwardly.
"Since the hotel can’t provide any surveillance footage, I suggest you investigate thoroughly," Matthew said, his hands in his pockets. "The matter is already with the police. There’s not much I can do now."
The manager nodded quickly.
Matthew continued, "You’re lucky none of the involved parties are minors. But this is still a blow to your reputation as a prestigious hotel. I hope next time, your management is more careful."
Without waiting for a response, Matthew walked out of the conference room. He found Lenox and Adam standing in the hallway.
Adam stepped forward immediately. "What did they say?"
Matthew glanced at him. "Apparently, the cameras glitched. So no one knows what happened."
Adam’s jaw clenched. He glared at Matthew. "Did you do this?"
Matthew lifted an eyebrow. "Do what?"
"Stop acting." Adam stepped closer. "It’s just the three of us now."
Matthew looked around. Lenox stood silently to the side. No one else was nearby.
Then the ghost girl floated beside him. "The police are interviewing everyone else," she whispered. "They separated them one by one. It’s all very dramatic. Do you want me to tell you the details?"
"I still don’t know what you’re accusing me of," Matthew said. "But I do know someone tried to harm me tonight. And I also know, I’m not letting that slide."
He turned away, then added over his shoulder, "I hope Dean and Marc recover quickly. It must’ve been a rough night for them."
"You—" Adam’s eyes were so wide. "I know you did it. There’s no way that—"
"That what?" Matthew smirked. "There’s no way that what... Adam?"
Seeing the flustered Adam, Matthew smiled. "Since there’s nothing else, I will now take my leave." Matthew gave Adam one last look before he finally walked away.
Seeing Matthew stroll away so casually, Adam’s jaw tightened. "This shouldn’t have happened," he muttered, turning in the opposite direction. It was clear now. Matthew had planned this from the beginning. There was no way this was a coincidence. But Adam didn’t have the luxury of sitting around to figure out the how.
Dean and Marc were both in the hospital.
The police hadn’t made any arrests, but that was only because the women involved refused to file charges. Still, enough students witnessed the aftermath. The gossip was spreading fast, and Adam had to act quickly before it reached the wrong ears.
Especially Dean’s parents.
He flagged a cab and headed straight to the hospital. When he arrived, he walked directly to their room. A nurse at the station gave him a quick nod but didn’t stop him.
"I heard the drug didn’t affect you much," Adam said as he stepped inside.
Dean was sitting upright on the hospital bed, frowning. Adam had heard the same thing from the doctor—Dean’s vitals had stabilized almost immediately, which shouldn’t have been possible. Meanwhile, Marc was still sedated, the nurses was trying to flush out the remnants of whatever had been used on him.
Dean looked at him calmly. "What’s going on?"
"You don’t remember?"
Dean didn’t answer right away. Then he asked, "How did I end up in that room?" There was something sharper behind his gaze, as if he wasn’t actually trying to get some answers but only confirming what he already knew. "Was it Matthew?"
Adam paused, then said, "I can’t confirm that. There’s no hard proof yet. But... it looks like it."
"How did you shake off the drug so fast? They said Marc’s system is still full of it, but you were standing on your own in less than an hour. Are you sure you’re fine?"
Adam watched him, suspicion creeping in. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but Dean had always been a little too composed during the chaos. People didn’t recover from those types of drugs so easily—unless...
No. Now wasn’t the time.
"I need to ask you something," Adam said. "Did you tell Matthew about the plan?"
Dean looked at him, frowning. "What the heck are you talking about?"
Adam studied his face for any flicker of a lie, but Dean gave nothing away.
"Never mind. It wasn’t you. Why would you put yourself at risk like that?" Adam muttered. "No one should’ve known. Not even Catherine. She just followed the script I gave her. I didn’t tell her anything specific. Just enough to get her to act."
He ran a hand through his hair. The plan had been rushed, yes, but it should have worked. Matthew should’ve walked right into it.
"So, you’re saying someone tipped Matthew off?" Dean asked.
Adam nodded. "It’s the only explanation. There’s no way he could’ve countered the plan so precisely unless he knew ahead of time." It was as if Matthew had been prepared for everything.
It was as if he’d known their plan from the start. The only plausible explanation was that someone had warned him. And aside from Adam, only Dean and Marc knew about the specifics of their plan.
Dean didn’t respond, but his expression hardened.
"Forget it. There’s no point dwelling on it now. The videos are gone. Without evidence, no one can prove what really happened."
He leaned back in the chair and crossed his arms. "I’ve already spoken with the student council. The story won’t spread. And I paid off the hotel manager to keep things under wraps. Whatever rumors float around, they’ll fade once nothing concrete surfaces."
His gaze shifted to Dean. "I’ll make sure your name stays clean. You won’t get dragged into this any further—I’ll handle everything."
However, before he could even tell Dean what his plans were, his phone started vibrating. He answered the call and frowned.