Chapter 11: The Digital Truth**
Julian walked straight to the DJ booth, unplugging the audio console and plugging in the silver thumb drive provided by Mrs. Gable.
Within seconds, the three massive projector screens hanging above the dance floor flickered to life.
The high-definition footage showed the ballroom foyer from an elevated angle, forty-five minutes before the wedding began. The screen clearly displayed Vanessa, the bride, walking behind Clara near the champagne tower. Vanessa surreptitiously slipped her grandmother's six-carat diamond ring into the unzipped side pocket of Clara’s purse. A moment later, Vanessa bumped roughly into Clara, feigning an accident, before walking away to alert Eleanor.
A collective gasp swept through the two hundred elite guests.
"Turn that off!" Vanessa screamed, her face turning pale as chalk. "That’s fabricated! That’s AI footage!"
"It’s timestamped and cryptographically signed by the estate’s internal security protocol," District Attorney Miller spoke up, stepping forward with two state troopers behind her. "Furthermore, we have the audio recordings from Richard’s phone tap, initiated three days ago regarding his illegal financial laundering."
Richard turned white, taking an instinctive step toward the service exit, but two state troopers immediately blocked his path, hands resting firmly on their holsters.
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"It’s over, Richard," Julian said softly. "The lies stop tonight."
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