Upon hearing what Bernard just the said everyone couldn’t help but gaze at him curiously.
Then Bernard clenched his fists, his swollen face twitching as he spoke.
"I couldn’t even defend myself," he admitted, his voice carrying both humiliation and disbelief. "The slap... it wasn’t normal." His eyes darted around the room, as if expecting soone to understand what he was saying. "It was so strong—so precise—I couldn’t believe it."
At that mont his chest heaved as he took a sharp breath. Then, as if to prove his words, he opened his mouth wide and pointed at the two empty spaces where his teeth used to be.
"Look at this!" he shouted. "Look!" His voice cracked.
"I lost two damn teeth because of that slap!"
The room fell silent again.
Maria’s smirk wavered. Liam, who had been observing the conversation with casual disinterest, now sat up a little straighter.
Bernard’s hands trembled slightly as he continued.
"And let say this, if you think that holess man we all saw that day is the sa man standing next to Valentina now—then you’re wrong." He swallowed hard, as if struggling to process it himself. "The man I saw today... he looked completely different."
At that mont Mr. Callum’s brows furrowed.
Bernard ran a hand through his hair, his frustration evident.
"The long hair is gone. The ragged look? Gone. He looked like a damn model, like soone who could walk into any high-society event and fit right in." His eyes darted between them.
"I’m telling you, sothing isn’t right."
For the first ti, unease flickered across Maria’s face.
However Liam, still silent, exchanged a glance with Mr. Callum.
Still Maria, wasn’t convinced. She let out an exaggerated sigh before standing up. With slow, deliberate steps, she walked toward Bernard, stopping just inches from him.
She stared at him for a long mont, her expression unreadable. Then—without warning—she leaned in and took a deep sniff.
The entire room watched in stunned silence.
Bernard flinched.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
Then Maria straightened, her expression calculating.
"You’re not drunk." Her voice was quiet, but firm.
The realization made the air in the room shift.
Since Maria just confird Bernard wasn’t under the influence of an alcohol, it only ant one thing—Bernard might actually be telling the truth.
At that mont the atmosphere in the room had shifted.
The laughter had died. The smugness had faded.
Now, unease lingered in the air like an unspoken truth no one wanted to acknowledge.
Liam, who had been sitting quietly until now, finally moved.
Then he stood up. Slowly. Purposefully.
His expression was unreadable, but his posture spoke volus. He wasn’t the type to waste ti on aningless conversations—but he also wasn’t the type to take risks. And this? This wasn’t sothing he was willing to ignore.
"We need to confirm this," Liam said, his voice steady but firm.
Imdiately Maria shot him a bewildered look. "Are you seriously entertaining this nonsense?"
However Liam didn’t answer her. Instead, he turned to Bernard, his sharp gaze locked onto him. "Which shopping mall?"
Bernard, who had been expecting more ridicule, blinked in surprise. "Everything Luxury," he said quickly. "I saw them inside. They were buying clothes."
Liam nodded, already pulling out his phone.
"I have a friend who works there," he said. "We’ll go check it out."
Seeing Liam showing interest Maria frowned, crossing her arms.
"This is ridiculous. Even if Bernard is telling the truth—what difference does it make?"
Liam glanced at her, his expression cold.
"If Valentina’s scars are really gone, don’t you think that’s worth looking into?"
At that mont Maria hesitated.
Maria, who had been skeptical before, now seed thoughtful. Even Mr. Callum, who had been monts away from throwing Bernard out, looked deep in contemplation.
Liam didn’t wait for further debate.
He wasted no ti. He pulled out his phone, his fingers moving swiftly over the screen as he made the call. The mont the line connected, his voice was firm, direct.
"I need you to check the CCTV footage from earlier today," Liam instructed.
"A man and a woman—both well-dressed. The woman was wearing a scarf, but she might have removed it at so point."
However there was a brief pause on the other end before Liam nodded. "Good. We’re on our way."
He ended the call and turned back to the others.
"Let’s go."
However Maria still looked skeptical, but she wasn’t arguing anymore. her arms crossed tightly, wore a deep frown.
Mr. Callum had remained silent since his earlier outburst, but the tension in his posture spoke volus.
At that mont Bernard, despite his injuries, straightened with a grim look of satisfaction. He wasn’t crazy. He wasn’t making things up. And soon, they would see it for themselves.
Without wasting another mont, they all moved.
The drive to Everything Luxury was silent, filled only with the hum of the car engine.
But curiosity burned within each of them, they needed to see it with their own eyes if truly Bernard has gone crazy.
And not long after, they arrived.
The mont they arrived at Everything Luxury, they wasted no ti.
Liam led the way, his steps brisk and unwavering as they entered the security departnt. His friend, a sharp-looking man dressed in a tailored suit, greeted them with a nod.
"You need the footage?" the man asked, already moving toward the control panel.
"Yes," Liam confird.
"Pull up the cara feed from about two hours ago, specifically in the clothing departnt."
At that, all eyes turned to Bernard.
The weight of their stares pressed down on him, expectant and unrelenting.
Bernard, swallowing hard, took a step forward. His voice was firr now, less defensive.
"It was exactly two hours ago," he repeated. "Clothing departnt."
Liam’s friend nodded, fingers flying over the keyboard as he rewound the footage.
The screen flickered, images blurring backward until it finally settled at the tistamp Bernard had ntioned.
The grainy footage sharpened.
And there it was.
To everyone’s surprise, the very first thing they saw—was Bernard.
Standing in the middle of the clothing departnt, his is hand tightly gripping Valentina’s wrist.
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