Genius Kids' Scheme: Claiming Daddy's Billionaire Empire Chapter 121: Digital Witness

"Irene, why?" Anna gasped theatrically, her body already in mid-fall as Mike and Jenny emerged from the stairwell. Their sudden appearance was perfect timing for her plan - reliable witnesses arriving at the exact moment needed.

"You okay, sweetie?" Jenny cradled Anna protectively while Mike whipped around to face Irene.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he shouted, voice bouncing off the walls. "She just got out of the ICU because of you, and now you're shoving her around? Who does that?"

Jenny jumped in, voice sharp enough to cut glass. "After everything we did for you! She barely survived, and you're still going after her? No wonder nobody wants you in their life!"

The words stung. Irene's back hit the wall as she took an instinctive step back. Twenty years with these people, and this was what it had come to. 

Her fingers curled into fists as she bit the inside of her cheek. She'd be damned if she'd let them see they could still hurt her.

Anna pressed a trembling hand to her chest, breathing like she'd just run stairs. "I—I'm sure she didn't mean it," she whispered, perfectly audible to everyone nearby. Her eyes darted around, checking if the nurses were buying her act.

*Nailed it*, Anna thought behind her mask of distress. *The fake suicide attempt didn't work, but this will. Let's see how she likes being the bad guy for once.*

She rubbed her arm with a dramatic wince. "Just caught me off guard when I fell," she murmured, playing the bigger person while making sure everyone clocked her "injury."

Still foggy from the medication they'd pumped into her system, Anna wasn't thinking as clearly as usual. Her plan lacked her typical calculation—this was raw emotion taking over, a desperate grab for sympathy while her guard was down.

The commotion pulled in a crowd. Doors opened as patients and staff peered out, with Nathan and Richard appearing among them.

"She pushed Anna and won't even say sorry!" Jenny announced to their expanding audience. "This heartless, ungrateful girl—I don't know where we went wrong with her!"

Mike planted himself in front of Anna like a human shield. "We sure as hell didn't teach you to be this cold. No kid of ours would pull this crap!"

Nathan stepped closer, frowning as he tried to piece together what he was seeing. "What's going on here?" His eyes bounced between Anna on the floor and Irene against the wall.

Anna looked up with her best wounded-deer impression. "Irene probably didn't mean anything by it," she said, voice wobbling just right. "She's just upset about... you know." The implication hung in the air—Irene was jealous and lashing out.

Richard couldn't resist piling on. "What exactly are you trying to prove?" he asked, eyes narrowed. "You shut me down completely, then turn around and attack Anna? What game are you playing?"

Nathan watched Irene carefully. She stood straight as a steel rod, face calm despite being surrounded by accusers. Brandon's fierce defense of her flashed through his mind, seeding a kernel of doubt.

"Let's dial it back," he said carefully. "If there's been a mix-up, we should probably take this somewhere private instead of creating a scene."

He wasn't exactly jumping to her defense, but he wasn't joining the lynch mob either. Something about this setup didn't sit right with him.

Irene scanned the circle of angry faces, disgust washing over her. She stood alone against the wall, outnumbered as usual. That familiar feeling of isolation hit her hard. But this time, something different bubbled beneath the surface. Not helplessness, but anger.

She'd rolled over before. Not today.

Irene slowly brought her hands together—three sharp, mocking claps that cut through the hallway noise like a knife.

"Really?" she said, voice icy. "You think you can just make up whatever crap pops into your head and everyone will buy it? That reality changes based on whatever comes out of your mouth?"

She took a deliberate step toward Anna, who flinched. "Or did you forget hospitals have cameras everywhere?"

Anna's eyes widened, her body going rigid. The cameras. In her rush to humiliate Irene, she'd completely blanked on the security system.

*She's bluffing*, Anna thought desperately. *Nobody gets security footage that easily.* 

Her brain felt sluggish, the remnants of stomach pumping drugs still clouding her judgment. If she'd been thinking straight, she might have abandoned the plan. Instead, the fear and anger pushed her deeper into her own trap.

She watched warily as Irene pulled out her phone.

Without breaking eye contact, Irene dialed and lifted the phone to her ear. The call connected almost instantly.

In his office across the building, the hospital director glanced at his ringing phone. The screen displayed "Dr. Joy" - a name that commanded immediate attention.

"Doctor," he answered promptly. "What can I do for you?"

Irene's voice carried in the suddenly quiet hallway. "Director, I need the security footage from the east wing corridor. Can you help me out right now?"

"Of course," he replied without hesitation. "I'll be right there."

Anna's face went white. "Wait," she blurted, panic obvious in her voice. "I think I got confused. I felt dizzy and lost my balance. Irene, don't take this the wrong way!"

Her victim act vanished, replaced by desperate damage control. She shot pleading looks at Mike and Jenny.

Irene ended the call, slipping her phone away with deliberate calm. She simply raised an eyebrow at Anna's sudden change of story, saying nothing as she waited for the director to arrive.

Anna dropped all pretense, shoving away from Mike and Jenny to stand on her own.

"I really did get dizzy," she insisted, words tumbling out in a rush. "They just got the wrong idea! They thought you pushed me because they walked in at exactly the wrong second."

Her eyes darted between Mike and Jenny, silently begging them to play along. The Claires looked lost, caught between their loyalty to Anna and the dawning realization they might've jumped the gun.

Irene just watched, silent and cold. Her stare said everything words couldn't.

Nobody spoke. The hallway had gone cemetery-quiet as everyone waited for what would happen next.

The hospital director appeared, walking briskly toward them. His eyes widened slightly in recognition before he nodded respectfully to Irene. "Security office is ready," he said simply. "This way, please."

Mike and Jenny exchanged confused looks, clearly thrown by how the director was treating Irene. Hospital bigwigs didn't typically bow and scrape to random visitors.

"Let's go," Irene said, gesturing for Anna and the others to follow.

The small group headed to security in tense silence. By the time they reached the office, Anna looked like she might throw up.

Inside, the footage told the whole story—Anna deliberately blocking Irene's path, then falling backward without Irene ever touching her. There was no misreading what had happened.

Richard's expression morphed from righteous anger to embarrassment. Nathan's eyes narrowed as he processed the evidence, mentally rewriting what he thought he knew about the family drama.

The footage continued, showing the Claires' accusations while Anna played victim. Anna seemed to shrink before their eyes, hatred barely hidden behind her humiliation.

Irene watched the reactions around her with cool detachment. When the video ended, she turned to face the group, her expression giving nothing away.

"Well," she said softly, "now that we've established what really happened, who exactly should be apologizing?"