Chapter 4 Tampered surveillance

TEMPERED SURVEILLANCE

The police officer stood in front of the door, his confusion deepening as he turned to hiscolleague. "Did you notice something? The girl in the surveillance footage from the bar isn't thisone. The woman who beat Michael doesn't match this young lady's description." Thefluorescent lights overhead cast a harsh glow on their faces, highlighting their furrowed brows.They stepped away from the door, discussing the discrepancy in hushed tones.

The other police officer nodded in agreement, his eyes squinting slightly as he processed theinformation. "I noticed that too. But Michael insisted that he was beaten by this young lady. Let'sinvestigate her movements from the time she arrived in the country until now." The sound oftheir footsteps echoed through the hallway as they headed to the reception area.

The reception area was a hive of activity, with the sound of keyboards clacking and phonesringing in the background. The police officers requested the surveillance footage for the day, butthe receptionist asked for a warrant, which they didn't have on hand. The police officers had torely on their arrest warrant for Kosi, using it to persuade the receptionist.

The police officers explained to the receptionist, "We have a warrant for Kosi's arrest, but webelieve she might not be the person we're looking for. Can you please provide us with thefootage?" The receptionist, noticing the respect and caution with which the officers spoke aboutKosi, inferred that she was a person of importance. She decided to cooperate and called thesecurity team to relay the police's request. The sound of her voice was calm and professional,but her eyes betrayed a hint of curiosity.

Meanwhile, in the hospital, Michael had been awake for a while, his anger and pain simmering.

The antiseptic smell of the hospital filled the air, and the sound of beeping machinespunctuated the silence. Despite the doctor's efforts to administer pain relief, Michael wasfurious, yelling at everyone in sight. His voice was like thunder, shaking the very foundations ofthe hospital room.

He demanded his phone and snatched it from his wife's hand, dialing Victor's number. Thesound of the phone ringing was like a countdown to a explosion.

Victor, busy with his mistress at the bar, answered the call with a mixture of respect and caution,noticing it was his powerful business partner, Michael.

The music and laughter in the background were a stark contrast to Michael's anger. "Mr. Brown,how am I this important to receive your call at this hour?" Before Victor could continue, Michaelcut him off, his voice raised in anger. "Your bastard stepdaughter is back. She's beaten me to ahospital bed, and it's all because of you. You're responsible for my hospital bills. Find her andbring her to me. I've never been humiliated like this. She said she's here for revenge, to takeback her father's business. Find her right away. I've lost my collaboration with the Millers

because of this. Mr. Miller knows about our deal regarding that bastard child. She even played arecording for him." Michael's voice was like a whip, lashing out at Victor.

Michael didn't wait for Victor's response, hanging up the call and continuing to yell at everyonearound him. His anger was palpable, and even looking at him seemed to be an insult. The airwas thick with tension, and the hospital staff exchanged nervous glances.

Victor slumped into the couch in the private room, feeling like he'd been hit by a ton of bricks.

The soft cushions enveloped him, but offered no comfort. Michael's anger and Mr. Miller'spotential betrayal weighed heavily on his mind.

He knew his business empire was on the brink of collapse, as his biggest deals relied onMichael and Mr. Miller. The whiskey bottle on the table seemed to mock him, its amber liquid areminder of his failed attempts to drown his worries. Victor raised his hand, calling his assistant."Find Kosi now. She's around. She messed with the wrong person.

Find her and deliver her to me right away. I want her alive." His voice was low and menacing, astark contrast to the smooth jazz music playing softly in the background.

He hung up the call and grabbed the bottle of whiskey from the table, drinking directly from it.

The liquid burned his throat, but offered little solace.

His mistress tried to comfort him, wrapping her hand around his arm and speaking in a sweetvoice. "What's wrong, darling? Talk to me. Let's have some fun to release your anger." But Victorpushed her away, his anger boiling over. "Get out of here, slut! I have enough problems withoutyou. You're just a gold-digger, always thinking about spending my money. You don't even havethe brains to help me."

The woman's expression changed, and she started crying as she yelled back, "You're a pervert!

You've been using me, making me sleep with other men for business collaborations. Now you'resaying I'm useless? I spent that money, I worked for it. My beauty is what got you ahead. You'rethe one who's useless!" The mistress stormed out of the room, leaving Victor alone. The doorslammed shut behind her, and the silence was oppressive.

Suddenly, he remembered his wife, Kosi's mother. She might know where her daughter was.

Victor's anger and determination resurfaced, and he stormed out of the room, got into his car,and sped away. The tires screeched as he pulled out of the parking lot, and the engine roaredlike a beast unleashed.

Meanwhile, police arrived at the hospital, and one of the officers approached Michael's bedside.

"Mr. Brown, we've obtained the surveillance footage from the hotel and the bar. We'd like toshow it to you to see if you can identify the woman who attacked you." Michael's eyes narrowedas he watched the footage. The screen glowed with an otherworldly light, casting an eerie glowon his face.

The first video showed Kosi's replicate, who looked exactly like Kosi, in the Northern hotel. Shedid everything she had done during the day and even spoke with one of Victor's men's son, John.

They shared some pleasantries with John, their smiles and laughter a stark contrast to theviolence that followed. Michael was now confused.

He was sure this was the real Kosi, but the woman who beat him claimed to be Kosi. Maybethey were related. Kosi had worn makeup to look like a different, unknown woman when shebeat Michael, while Nosy looked like Kosi at the Northern hotel. She still looked like Kosi whenshe reached the bathroom.

When she came out of the bathroom at the mall, she was exactly the woman who had beatenMichael. They exchanged identities in the bathroom at the mall, but the police didn't notice thatcoincidence. The officer's eyes met Michael's, searching for answers that seemed elusive