Page 126 of Malicious Claim

Chapter Forty Eight

The Control Room.

The moment they stepped into the restaurant's security room, one of the three guards, noticeably the fattest of the bunch, immediately recognized Makros and Stefanos.

Surprised, he muttered their identities to his colleagues before turning to address them.

"What brings the Cretes all the way back here?" he asked with forced ease. "Away from the fine food and wine? I certainly hope there's no trouble."

Makros stepped closer, towering nearly three feet above the man. "Pete, surely you don't think I'd bring my kind of troubles to you. I just need to check your security footage."

Pete nodded without hesitation. "Of course,SignorMakros. Right this way."

Makros shot Leila and Stefanos a sharp look, a silent command for them to stay put, before following Pete into the control room.

It was a modest space, with three chairs and five monitors displaying different sections of the restaurant. Each monitor was divided into four smaller screens.

"Which one covers the bathroom?" Makros asked.

"That would be cameras six and seven, on monitor five. What exactly are you looking for, Signor?"

"Play the footage from two days ago." Makros settled into a chair.

Pete entered the date of two days back, typed in a password, and Makros took over from there.

But instead of finding footage, the screen flashed black, with stark white letters across it that read: NO DATA FOUND.

Makros stared, his expression unreadable. He was not someone who was easily surprised, yet here was a blatant puzzle staring him in the face threatening to unsettle his composure.

Pete squinted at the screen, as if he had somehow misread it the first time. "That's... not supposed to happen."

"Oh?" Makros murmured, standing up. "Then you need better security."

Pete's face flushed with embarrassment and worry. "That would imply I'm not doing my job properly."

"You're clearly not," Makros replied, gesturing with his hand towards the black screen.

"Signor Makros, what exactly were you looking for?" Pete asked, staring at the screen with confusion still etched on his face.

Makros ignored him, his sharp eyes scanning the other monitors that seemed to breathe life in moving pictures unlike monitor five. He didn't need to ask which one covered the dining area, he could see it right there on monitors three and four.

"Pull up the restaurant footage from two days ago," Makros ordered.

Pete repeated the process holding his breath. He breathed with relief when the video popped up.

After a few fast-forwards, Makros hit the pause button, pausing the video. There, on the screen, were Leila and Stefanos entering the restaurant.

He hit the same button to play and watched the voiceless footage, eyes locked on every detail. His blood boiled with anger at the way Leila and Stefanos were enjoying their time.

Then, after a while Leila stood up with her handbag. He rewound the video and paused. Right before she stood up, a man had walked in heading for the bathroom halls. Makros leaned in slightly, as if he could push through the screen and follow Leila who disappeared into the hallway after the man.

The bathroom footage had been deleted, yet this one remained untouched. Why?

"What are you up to, Leila?" he muttered under his breath.

A few minutes later, the same man emerged from the hallway and approached Stefano's table.

Makros observed their exchange, but the interaction lacked context without audio. The man stood to leave as Leila returned to the table. Makros' gaze sharpened, catching the briefest eye contact they exchanged. He pulled out his phone hurriedly and snapped a picture of the man's face.

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