Chapter 40: In Denial

Kelvin’s POV

I had just finished signing the last document on my desk when there was a knock on my office door.

"Come in."

My secretary stepped inside. "Mr. Mercer." She hesitated for a moment before continuing. "There are three lawyers here to see you."

I looked up from the document in my hand. "Lawyers?"

"Yes, sir." She nodded. "They introduced themselves as representatives of the Hugo family."

A faint frown settled on my face. I had a fairly good idea why they were here.

Ever since that night at Mercer Technologies, they had been trying to arrange a meeting with me. My legal department had informed me about their calls and emails several times. I had simply instructed them to decline every request.

As far as I was concerned, there was nothing to discuss.

"Send them in," I instructed. Since they had already made the effort, I couldn’t turn them away.

"Yes, sir."

A minute later, three people walked into my office. Two men and a woman. All three were dressed in dark business suits.

The man in front appeared to be in his early fifties. His silver-streaked hair was neatly combed, and his expression remained composed as if very little in this world could surprise him.

The younger woman standing beside him carried a leather document case, while the last man held a tablet in one hand.

The older man offered a polite nod. "Good afternoon, Mr. Mercer."

"Good afternoon."

"My name is Wilson Graham." He gestured towards the other two. "This is Amelia Brooks and Victor Hale. We represent the Hugo family."

He paused briefly then said, "First of all, please accept our apologies for arriving without an appointment."

His tone remained courteous. "However, after attempting to reach you for several weeks through emails, telephone calls and your legal department without success, we had no alternative but to come here personally."

I leaned back comfortably in my chair. "You should have taken the hint after weeks of being ignored."

"We did, Mr. Mercer." Wilson Graham inclined his head. "Unfortunately, our client’s interests couldn’t continue waiting."

His answer carried neither sarcasm nor annoyance. It was simply a statement.

I lifted an eyebrow. "I assume this concerns Emerald."

"It does," he acknowledged.

"If the Hugo family sent three lawyers because Emerald Hugo still can’t accept reality, then you’ve wasted your trip." I folded my hands on the desk. "Mercer Technologies has already moved on."

Wilson’s expression remained unchanged. "That isn’t why we’re here."

That answer surprised me enough to make me look at him properly for the first time since they entered my office.

If they weren’t here because of Emerald’s job... then what exactly did they want?

Just then, he nodded once towards the younger woman beside him.

Without saying a word, Amelia stepped forward and placed a neatly organised file on my desk before quietly returning to her position.

Wilson returned his attention to me. "We’ve spent the last several weeks conducting an independent investigation into the allegations made against Miss Emerald Hugo."

I didn’t respond, so he continued naturally. "Our findings have raised several concerns."

I glanced at the file but made no move to open it.

Wilson looked towards the man holding the tablet. "Victor."

Victor Hale stepped forward. "Mr. Mercer," he called, placing the tablet on my desk before touching the screen a few times.

"You will recall that during Mercer Technologies’ anniversary ceremony, several photographs, text messages and CCTV footage were presented as evidence."

"I do."

"Our investigation began with the CCTV footage." He enlarged an image on the screen. "We contacted the hotel where the footage was allegedly obtained. The hotel’s management cooperated fully. They also granted us access to their surveillance archive for the relevant period."

Then Victor looked directly at me. "The recording presented during your ceremony does not exist within their archive."

I let out a short laugh. "That’s it? The Hugo family spent weeks investigating only to tell me a hotel misplaced a recording?"

I watched Victor briefly shut his eyes before stating, "The hotel has no record of that footage ever existing within its surveillance system." Then he tapped the screen again. "Our forensic examination also revealed inconsistencies within the video’s embedded metadata."

I was already losing interest. "Mr. Hale." I lifted one hand. "Spare me the technical lecture. Get to the point."

I wasn’t particularly interested in technical jargon, and this Victor seemed to realise that.

"In simpler terms, every surveillance system leaves behind its own digital fingerprint. The footage presented during your ceremony doesn’t carry the fingerprint of the hotel’s recording system."

He paused briefly before adding, "Which means it wasn’t exported directly from the hotel’s surveillance server."

I stopped smiling. Hotels deleted recordings all the time. That alone proved nothing.

Wilson calmly continued from where Victor stopped. "Our investigation didn’t end there."

Victor opened another folder. "This concerns the chat messages."

Several enlarged screenshots appeared.

"We compared the material publicly presented during your ceremony against the digital information available to us." He touched another icon. "There are inconsistencies."

"Are we finally getting somewhere?" I folded my arms. "Or is this another theory?"

"The message timestamps." He zoomed further into the screen, totally ignoring me. "Several entries appear to have been altered."

Then he calmly lifted his gaze back to me. "In our professional opinion, the conversations presented during your anniversary ceremony are not original."

The smile on my face faded. I didn’t believe him, but he sounded too certain.

I reached for the file Amelia had placed before me.

Wilson allowed me a few seconds to go through the first pages before speaking again. "Mr. Mercer. We are less interested in whether the evidence was manipulated."

I looked up.

"We’re interested in identifying who manipulated it."

Maya? I shook my head almost immediately. No. Impossible. She wouldn’t be foolish enough to fabricate evidence.

I closed the file. "And what exactly are you implying?"

"We’re implying nothing," Wilson answered without hesitation. "We’re following evidence."

He nodded towards Victor once more. And the latter opened another document.

"Our digital investigation suggests that both the CCTV footage and the chat records underwent external processing before they were publicly displayed."

I looked from one lawyer to another. "So?" I shrugged. "People edit videos every day."

Wilson looked directly at me. "They do," he agreed. "But they also leave financial trails."

Then Victor quietly opened another file. "Our next phase of investigation," he continued calmly, "is to identify the individual or organisation responsible for commissioning the fabrication."

My expression remained neutral. "You seem rather confident."

Wilson gave a slight smile. "We prefer being prepared." He reached into the file and produced another document. "We’ve already secured the necessary legal approvals to continue our investigation."

I skimmed the heading. Digital Forensic Examination. My fingers tightened almost imperceptibly around the papers.

Wilson watched me for a moment before speaking again. Mr. Mercer, today’s meeting is not an interrogation or even a formal deposition. He slowly rose to his feet. "We’re extending a professional courtesy."

My gaze followed him. I hated that phrase. Professional courtesy. It sounded less like kindness and more like confidence.

"Should our investigation conclude that fabricated evidence was intentionally used to damage Miss Hugo’s reputation..." He buttoned his suit jacket. "...we will pursue every legal remedy available."

Then he paused. "And if our investigation uncovers criminal conduct..." His expression remained perfectly composed. "...the appropriate authorities will also be notified."

I just stared at him, refusing to utter a word in response. In the end, he inclined his head politely. "Thank you for your time."

Without another word, the three of them turned and walked towards the door. The office remained silent until it closed behind them.

I stared at the closed office door before lowering my eyes to the documents they had left behind.

I still refused to believe Maya had fabricated those videos and messages. There had to be another explanation. There simply had to be.

My gaze shifted towards the phone lying on my desk. Maya’s name was only one tap away.

My thumb hovered over the screen for a brief moment before I slowly withdrew my hand. No. There was no point calling her over something so ridiculous.

If the Hugo family’s lawyers thought they could pressure me with a few reports and theories, then they had gravely underestimated Kelvin Mercer.