<h4>Chapter 275: Chapter 275 Security Footage</h4>


    Cecilia’s pov


    "I’ming with you."


    I took a deep breath as Sebastian’s words settled between us. It felt like a million tiny ants were crawling all over my skin.


    Years of training kept my face calm, but my heart was pounding.


    "Alpha, it’s really not a big deal," I said, feigning confusion. "Tang and I can handle it just fine. No need toe along."


    Sebastian’s smile was unreadable.


    "Even small tasks deserve proper attention."


    I could feel the cracks forming in my carefully controlled mask.


    He cradled Muffin in one arm and gently steered me back inside with the other. My thoughts were spinning.


    What now? What the hell do I do?


    Come clean? Seriously?


    That thought stopped me cold.


    I hadn’t done anything wrong. I was just trying to avoid unnecessary chaos.


    If Sebastian found out I was the one his mother had been searching for, he’d lose his mind. He’d probably drag me to the ck family estate for brunch tomorrow morning.


    One "coincidental" run-in at the charity ball. Now another at the mall?


    It didn’t look random. It looked calcted.


    Sebastian ced Muffin in his bed, then grabbed his car keys. We headed out together.


    By the time the elevator doors closed, I was sweating bullets.


    Suddenly, I clutched my stomach. "Ahh!"


    Sebastian steadied me, eyes narrowing as they dropped to my abdomen.


    "Stomach cramps?"


    I nodded, twisting my face into a pained grimace.


    "Came on all of a sudden. You go ahead, Alpha. I’ll catch up. I probably just need the bathroom."


    Without hesitation, Sebastian hit the button for the 13th floor. My ce.


    "Forget it. Tang can wait. You’re more important."


    He pulled me closer, letting me lean into the solid warmth of his chest. His hand pressed gently against my stomach.


    "What did you eat today?"


    I forced a chuckle. "Barbecue."


    Then it hit me: Harper’s ce was fifteen minutes closer to the mall than mine.


    The footage had to be from that high-end jewelry store. If Harper could get there first and somehow erase the security footage before Sebastian or Tang arrived, maybe I still had a shot.


    The elevator chimed at the 13th floor.


    Sebastian helped me toward the bathroom.


    I put on my best miserable face and gently pushed him away.


    "I’ll be fine. Just go."


    He touched my cheek.


    "What if you pass out in there? I’ll have Liam bring something for the pain."


    He stepped out.


    I whipped out my phone and fired off a message to Harper.


    I’d barely typed two words when the door creaked open again.


    Sebastian was back.


    I jumped, frantically deleting the message.


    "Texting while you’re in so much pain?" he said, plucking the phone out of my hand.


    "Really?"


    I reached for it. "Give it back."


    Sebastian pocketed the phone and guided me to sit.


    "Focus on getting better. And let’s work on breaking that bathroom-phone addiction while we’re at it."


    I stared at him, speechless.


    He finally left again. When I came out, he was leaning against the wall, waiting.


    As soon as he saw me, he stepped forward to support me.


    "Still feeling weak? Liam brought down some meds."


    "Actually, I’m good now. No need for medicine," I said quickly. "Where’s my phone?"


    He didn’t answer. "You should rest. The mall can wait. Tang’s got it."


    "Let’s just go," I insisted.


    Sebastian looked at me, concern flickering in his eyes. "You sure? Don’t push yourself."


    I nodded, firm."I can handle it. Really."


    He smiled, a glint of amusement in his eyes. "If you say so."


    We headed back downstairs.


    In the car, I reached for my phone again.


    "I need to call Tang. He might already be there."


    Sebastian leaned over to buckle my seatbelt and pinched my cheek lightly.


    "Rx. I’ll call him. You, just breathe."


    I was out of options.


    During the drive to the mall, I ran through every possible scenario where I could delete the video without Sebastian noticing. Unless he suddenly went blind. Or Tang did too.


    Yeah, not happening. It was hopeless.


    There were five minutes left before we got there. Was it smarter to get ahead of this? Tell him before the footage did.


    We pulled into the mall.


    Earlier on the phone, I’d told Tang to meet us in the underground garage.


    My original n was simple: get upstairs first, delete the footage any way I could, bribe someone if that’s what it took, then call Tang.


    But with Sebastian tagging along, that n was officially dead.


    In the garage, Tang leaned against his car, scrolling through his phone like this was just another Tuesday.


    He lookedpletely at ease, like he wasn’t about to potentially erase something that could change everything.


    The moment he saw us, he tucked his phone away.


    "Alpha. Cecilia."


    I snapped out of my panic spiral and made onest, desperate attempt.


    "Maybe we should split up to cover more ground," I said, trying to sound helpful.


    "This ce is massive. Who even knows where the security office is?"


    Tang shrugged. "I do. Got the floor n earlier."


    And then, like it was no big deal, he added, "The footage we’re after is from the jewelry store on the fifth floor, right?"


    Fantastic. Did he have to be so on top of everything?


    Sebastian nced at me, eyes narrowing again.


    "Cece, something’s off. You sure there’s nothing you want to tell me?"


    I froze.


    Still not ready to confess, I deflected.


    "Aren’t we here to delete footage? Let’s just do that."


    He’d figure it out soon enough.


    Sebastian frowned, but didn’t press.


    Tang looked like he was trying to catch up to whatever weird tension was happening between us.


    Since I wouldn’t talk, Sebastian didn’t push it. The three of us headed upstairs.


    Sebastian didn’t go into the store. Instead, he sent Tang in.


    Zaria had called ahead to set things up. Since it was a VIP request, they agreed without asking any questions.


    The staff weed Tang without hesitation.


    Sebastian ordered him to copy all footage from 6 PM onward, then delete it.


    If anyone asked, they’d say it was a system error and offerpensation.


    Tang returned a few minutester, holding up a sh drive.


    "All done."


    Sebastian took it and plugged it into his phone, scrubbing through the clips.


    I leaned in, trying to catch a glimpse.


    He noticed and tilted the screen toward me.


    "Here. Let’s watch together."


    My heart mmed against my ribs.


    He was about to see everything.


    I stopped resisting the inevitable.


    No matter how he reacted, I’d handle it.


    The footage skipped forward. We were almost at the moment.


    And then... wait.


    What?