Chapter 258: Elise Adjusted Her Glasses

"The data deletion is serious, but Clara has worked with us for so long. I trust her character." Elise adjusted her glasses, her tone firm. "We shouldn't accuse anyone without proof."

Celia hadn't expected the usually neutral Elise to be the first to speak up. Her nails dug into her palms, but she maintained a composed smile.

Theo immediately agreed. "Exactly. Clara is meticulous. She'd never make such a mistake."

Felix kept his head down, his gaze shifting uneasily.

"Appearances can be deceiving," Celia said softly, each word laced with venom. "Who knows what someone might hide behind a friendly face?"

She turned to the group. "The data was there yesterday morning when I checked. Now it's gone. Elise and Theo left first yesterday afternoon, followed by Felix and me. Only Clara and Professor Mercer remained."

"Professor Mercer would never do this, which leaves—"

"Are you sure you checked the data before leaving?" Clara interrupted.

Celia's expression faltered. "Of course! What are you implying?"

"Then let's review the surveillance footage," Clara met her gaze squarely. "The data disappeared after you left. The cameras will show us the truth."

Elise clapped her hands. "Good idea. The lab has 24/7 surveillance."

Celia scoffed. "Fine. Let's check. I wouldn't want anyone accusing me of false allegations."

In the security room, the guard frowned as he pulled up the recordings. "That's odd. We have footage from the past month, except for yesterday and the day before."

"See?" Celia pointed accusingly at Clara. "No wonder you suggested checking the cameras. You tampered with them!"

Professor Mercer entered just then, taking in the scene. "What's going on?"

"Professor!" Celia's eyes instantly welled up. "My experimental data was deleted—a week's worth of work. And now the surveillance footage from last night is missing. Clara was the last one here..."

Elise hurried to explain. "Professor, we don't have all the facts yet."

Theo nodded. "Clara isn't capable of this."

Felix stood in the corner, staring at Celia's profile. They'd gone shopping and dined together these past few days. When had she found time to work on that dataset...?

Professor Mercer questioned them thoroughly about the timing and storage location of the missing data. Celia answered flawlessly, every detail precise.

The tension thickened.

Clara suddenly laughed softly. "Finding the culprit is actually quite simple."