Marcus pulled his arm away from Evelyn and rubbed his temples in deep frustration.
He looked at the red scratch on Chloe's arm, but Evelyn spoke before he could ask.
Evelyn: She probably scratched herself on the wall while stumbling over her own feet.
Chloe: I got scratched because I threw myself under the carriage to stop the fall!
Evelyn: Marcus, are you really going to take the word of a clumsy maid over mine?
Marcus looked torn between the woman he planned to marry and the maid he trusted.
He had spent months building a life with Evelyn, believing she truly cared for his home.
Yet Chloe had always been honest, polite, and deeply respectful toward his entire family.
Before Marcus could speak another word, a soft pair of footsteps sounded on the stairs.
Little seven-year-old Lily walked slowly down the marble steps holding her small silver phone.
Her wide brown eyes were calm, but her small hands held the phone very tightly.
She had been sitting behind the decorative wooden pillars recording a video for her school project.
Her tablet had been propped up on a small trip tripod angle near the balcony rail.
Lily walked straight past Evelyn and stopped right in front of her tall father.
Lily: Daddy, Chloe is telling the truth about what happened up there.
Marcus: Lily sweetheart, go back up to your room while we handle this.
Lily: No, Daddy, you need to see this clip right now on my phone.
Evelyn: Lily dear, child secrets should not interfere with adult conversations today.
Lily: I am not lying, Miss Evelyn, because my camera was running the whole time.
Evelyn's face suddenly lost all its bright color as she stared at the girl's phone.
Her hands began to tremble slightly against the side of her expensive gold dress.
Chloe stayed on her knees, holding her breath as Marcus took the phone from Lily.
The screen showed a crystal clear high-definition video recording of the upper hallway scene.
Marcus pressed the play button, and the video began to play with perfectly clear audio.
The footage showed Chloe dusting the wooden railing several feet away from the stand.
It showed Evelyn looking toward Marcus's study door to make sure no one was looking.
Then it clearly showed Evelyn reaching out her right hand and pushing the heavy carriage.
She gave it a hard shove straight toward the edge of the steep marble stairs.
The video captured Evelyn smiling briefly right before she screamed her loud dramatic lie.
Marcus stared at the small screen while a low rumble of anger built in his chest.
The sound of Evelyn's fake scream played clearly through the phone's small clear speaker.
Marcus watched the clip a second time just to make sure his eyes were not tricking him.
Every single frame of the video proved that Chloe was entirely innocent of the crime.
It showed Chloe diving bravely across the floor to catch the rolling silver carriage frame.
Marcus's face turned completely red with pure shock and deep, rising indignation.