Independence

Bryan’s eyes flickered, and he hesitated to say anything

Seeing everyone backing Miranda, Elizabeth was livid. However, she had to keep a neutral expression and struggled to control her rage.

She said, “You never really know someone’s true nature. What if it’s all an act? I checked the data on my computer yesterday morning, and it was all there. But today, it’s gone.

“I remember Sandy and Dr. Quinton were the first to leave yesterday afternoon, and Bryan and I left soon after. So, that leaves just Miranda and Dr. Jefferson. He has no reason to do this, so it must be her.”

Her accusation sounded logical at first, but Miranda caught the Inconsistency. She turned to Elizabeth.” You said you checked the data yesterday morning. Did you recheck it before you left?”This content © Nôv/elDr(a)m/a.Org.

“Of course! The data was still there.”

Miranda asked, “Are you sure?”

Elizabeth snapped, “Y m sure. Why are you asking? Do you think I’m framing you?”

Miranda stayed calm. “Okay. If I understand you correctly, the data should have gone missing sometime between when you left yesterday and when you arrived today, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then, let’s check the surveillance footage during that time,” Miranda suggested.

Sandy nodded. “Right, we almost forgot about the cameras. The laboratory is under 24–hour surveillance,” Elizabeth nodded and sneered. “Fine. Let’s check the footage first so no one can accuse me of targeting

anyone.

In the control room, Silas requested the security staff to retrieve the footage from the last two days. Unfortunately, the footage was missing.

Sandy asked, “What’s going on? How could the footage be gone?”

The security staff was confused as well. “We have recordings from the last month, but yesterday and the day before are missing. It’s strange.

t it obvious? Someone deliberately erased the footage. No wonder they suggested checking the cameras. It’s clear they were prepared for this.” Elizabeth crossed her arms, hinting that Miranda was the culprit.

Paul arrived at the lab after his class and found no one there. He asked the security guard and headed to the control room.

His calm, dark eyes swept over everyone. “What’s going on? Why is everyone here?”

Elizabeth was the first to speak, and she looked aggrieved. “Dr. Jefferson, someone deleted my experimental data. I spent a week collecting it, and just when I was ready to upload it, it was gone. Her voice grew more emotional. “Miranda has been the last one to leave the laboratory these past two days. With the footage missing, she’s the prime suspect. I have reason to believe she deliberately deleted

nd Silas were worried Paul might believe Elizabeth’s accusations, so they quickly spoke up.

efferson, we don’t have all the details yet.”

don’t think Miranda would do something like this.”

Bryan was unusually quiet. He frowned and said nothing. They left the lab on time for the past few days, going out shopping and eating meals together. Elizabeth had barely had time to work on that data set.

He glanced up and looked at her. For the first time, he felt a sense of unfamiliarity about her.

Paul asked detailed questions about when the data was lost, where it was stored, and if there were any backups.

Elizabeth answered each question precisely. But this made Miranda seem even more suspicious.

Sandy and Silas wanted to speak up for Miranda but didn’t know how to make their case, and it frustrated

them.

Miranda slowly raised her gaze and scanned everyone before settling on Elizabeth. “It’s not hard to find out who deleted the data.”