Marcus whispered:
"She knew."
"Maybe," Daniel said.
"Or maybe she didn't care."
Daniel paused.
"Either way, someone may have told her the cameras existed."
That possibility changed the investigation.
Because if Isabella knew she was being recorded, why attack Khloe anyway?
Unless she believed the footage could be manipulated.
Unless she believed someone could erase it.
Unless she believed she had protection.
Daniel began investigating the hospital.
Within twenty-four hours, he discovered that someone had attempted to access the security system remotely.
The attempt occurred at 2:43 a.m.
Less than thirty minutes after the attack.
The person had failed.
But the attempt left a digital trail.
Daniel smiled for the first time.
"Now we have something."
Marcus asked:
"Who was it?"
Daniel looked at him.
"We're close."
Then his phone rang.
He answered.
His expression changed.
"What?"
He listened.
"Are you certain?"
Another pause.
"Send everything."
He ended the call.
Khloe asked:
"What happened?"
Daniel looked at Marcus.
"Someone tried to delete the footage."
Marcus's jaw tightened.
"And?"
"They didn't succeed."
"Why?"
Daniel glanced at Khloe.
"Because the hospital's backup system automatically copied everything to an external server."
He smiled grimly.
"The person who tried to erase the evidence accidentally created another record of the attempt."
Khloe slowly understood.
The attack had been recorded.
The attempted cover-up had been recorded.
And now someone had left a digital trail.
Isabella had believed she was destroying evidence.
Instead, she was creating more of it.
Three days later, the hospital's legal team held a private meeting.
Marcus attended.
Khloe remained under observation.
Daniel brought the complete footage.
Not the edited version.
Not the version described by Isabella's lawyer.
Everything.
Every minute.
Every second.
The recording began with Khloe entering the suite.
She looked tired.
She sat down.
A few minutes later, Isabella entered.
There was no argument at first.
They spoke calmly.
Then Isabella's voice became sharper.
The accusations began.
The threats.
The first shove.
The second attack.
The kick.
Khloe falling.
Then Marcus entering.
And finally, Isabella's accusation.
"She attacked me."
Nobody in the room spoke.
The hospital attorney looked at Marcus.
"Would you like us to release this?"
Marcus looked at Daniel.
Daniel shook his head.
"Not yet."
"Why?"
"Because this isn't just about Isabella anymore."
He placed another file on the table.
"This is about whoever helped her."
The investigators had traced the number Isabella had contacted before the attack.
It belonged to a company registered under a false name.
But the bank records led somewhere.
A consulting firm.
That firm had one major client.
Thorne Industries.
Marcus stared at the document.
"That's impossible."
Daniel looked at him.
"Is it?"
Marcus stood.
"Someone inside my company helped her?"
"That's what the evidence suggests."
The next revelation was worse.
The consulting firm had been receiving confidential information from the company's internal systems.
Financial projections.
Acquisition plans.
Board meeting schedules.
Private correspondence.
Even security information.
Someone had been watching the Thorne family for months.
Khloe suddenly remembered Isabella's words.
"You were supposed to smile for the cameras..."
She had assumed Isabella meant the charity gala.
Now she wasn't sure.
Maybe she meant something larger.
Maybe Isabella had been part of a plan.
That evening, Daniel met with a federal investigator.
He presented the evidence.
The investigator watched the footage.
Then reviewed the financial records.
"You're telling me the assault may have been connected to corporate fraud?"
"That's my suspicion."
"Can you prove it?"
"Not yet."
"Then keep digging."
Daniel nodded.
Meanwhile, Marcus confronted one of his senior executives.
The man denied everything.
"I've never spoken to Isabella."
"Your phone records say otherwise."
The executive became silent.
Marcus placed photographs on the desk.
"You met her six times."
"Those meetings were business."
"Then why were none of them logged?"
"I don't know."
Marcus leaned forward.
"Who are you protecting?"
The man looked frightened.
"I'm not protecting anyone."
"Then start talking."
But before he could continue, the man's phone rang.
He looked at the screen.
His face went pale.
He stood suddenly.
"I need to go."
Marcus grabbed his arm.
"No."
The executive pulled away.
Then ran.
Security caught him outside the building.
His phone contained dozens of messages.
Most had been deleted.
But one remained.
From Isabella.
"Did you get the documents?"
The reply:
"Yes."
Then:
"Once Khloe is gone, Marcus will have no reason to resist."
Marcus read the message twice.
His expression became cold.
Khloe wasn't simply an obstacle in Isabella's romantic fantasy.
She was an obstacle in a larger operation.
Her marriage.
Her pregnancy.
Her position inside the Thorne family.
Everything made her valuable.
And vulnerable.
That night, Marcus returned to the hospital.
Khloe was asleep.
He stood beside her bed.
For the first time, he understood how close he had come to losing both of them.