"What did you say? Sarah really was threatened?" Tessa was the first to react, her voice pitching up with sudden relief. As she questioned the cleaner, she looked at Sarah with eyes overflowing with renewed sympathy.
The hospital administrator practically glared at the cleaner who had just thrown a wrench into his defense. "Leonora, you can't just throw out baseless claims," he warned sharply. "Do you have proof? Are you absolutely certain you heard someone threatening her?"
This was a messy, high-stakes drama between elite families. The last thing the administrator wanted was for his ordinary staff to get dragged into the crossfire and create more liabilities.
Leonora hesitated for a second before nodding firmly. "A recording... does a recording count as proof? Because I have one.
"My daughter lives overseas. She works crazy hours and rarely has time to call. So, whenever she does, I record the conversation just so I can listen to her voice later.
"I was mopping the hallway outside this room this afternoon right when my daughter called. I heard people arguing inside Sarah's room. My phone should have picked up everything."
Sarah, who had just started to relax, went completely rigid. Her eyes widened in sheer terror. "Leonora, that's a private conversation between you and your daughter. There must be personal things on there. It wouldn't be appropriate to play it out loud, would it?"
"Oh, don't worry about that," Leonora said kindly. "It's horrible that a sweet young girl like you was bullied. If this helps you catch the bad guy, it's worth it. Besides, my daughter and I didn't say anything secret. Let me just get my phone."
Sarah’s forced smile completely shattered.
Leonora was phrasing everything as if she were doing Sarah a massive favor. If Sarah kept trying to stop her, it would scream guilt.
She clenched her jaw so hard her teeth ached. Her hands curled into tight fists until a sharp spike of pain reminded her of her injured wrist.
Leonora, eager to help, had already pulled out her phone and queued up the audio file.
The recording started innocently enough. It was just Leonora’s daughter asking about her day—what she had eaten, how work was going, and checking in on her health.
In the background, the rhythmic splashing of a mop in a bucket could be heard.
Gradually, a deeper, muffled voice began to bleed into the audio. Camilla instantly recognized the cadence. It was Barnard.
Oscar gave a curt nod. Understanding the assignment, Leonora cranked her phone’s volume to the absolute maximum, cutting through the static.
*"Sarah, we’re in the same boat now. You can't just leave me out to dry. It's not a good look."*
*"What exactly do you want?"*


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