Third Person's POV
"Yes, Alpha Cliff," Elliot replied.
Melinda's heart was pounding. She never expected things to escalate so much.
Vanya was about to leave with Wilmot when Cliff's voice rang out behind them, "What? Are you two planning to collude outside now?"
Vanya felt a surge of anger but found the accusation absurdly funny.
She released Wilmot's arm and turned to Cliff, saying, "Fine, then we'll just stand here and wait for the police. That way, you won't think we're scheming outside and wronging your precious Melinda."
"Us?" Cliff's tone turned mocking. Great, she and Wilmot were now a "we" in his eyes.
"Ignore him!" Wilmot glanced coldly at Cliff, then pulled Vanya's wrist and sat down on a nearby chair.
Cliff's eyes darkened as he watched Wilmot's hand on Vanya's arm.
"Alpha Cliff... I'm scared..." Melinda bit her lip, looking at Cliff pitifully.
Cliff's expression softened slightly as he sat beside Melinda, but his gaze remained fixed on Vanya and Wilmot in the corner.
Soon, the police arrived.
Vanya recounted the entire incident to the officers.
After the police had a basic understanding of the situation, Vanya turned to Cliff and said, "Alpha Cliff, is there anything wrong with what I said?"
Cliff remained silent, which Vanya took as an acknowledgment that she hadn't missed anything.
She glanced at the nervous Melinda and smiled, asking, "Miss Coleman, do you have any further questions?"
Melinda snapped back to reality, feeling a wave of panic internally but maintaining a calm facade. "No... no, I don't."
"Then I'll leave it to you all to investigate. The hotel's surveillance is at your disposal," Vanya said, her eyes briefly flickering toward Melinda, who was hiding in Cliff's embrace.
Melinda's eyes shifted nervously, confirming Vanya's suspicion that something was amiss.
The police quickly retrieved the hotel's surveillance footage.
The footage first showed Elliot escorting Melinda into the room to change clothes, then closing the door and leaving.
Vanya paused the footage and asked, "Elliot, you brought Miss Coleman in to change clothes and then left, right?"
Elliot nodded. "Alpha Cliff said Miss Coleman's dress wasn't suitable, so she was asked to change."
As soon as Elliot finished speaking, Cliff seemed to want to say something but held back.
Vanya frowned, glancing at Cliff.
So her dress was that inappropriate? It seemed Cliff didn't want any trace of Vanya on Melinda.
Vanya resumed the footage, which showed Cliff ascending the stairs but stopping halfway up to the second floor before heading back down via the elevator.
Shortly after, Wilmot appeared in the hallway, holding his phone.
Vanya asked, "Mr. Hammond, what were you doing wandering around upstairs with your phone?"
"I saw Cliff and Melinda sneaking upstairs one after the other, so I wanted to see what they were up to. I thought I'd catch them in the act..."
Vanya said sarcastically, "You thought you'd catch them red-handed, right? Your mind works fast."
Wilmot knew Vanya was mocking him and kept quiet.
In hindsight, his actions in a fit of anger were indeed childish.
The footage then showed the scene everyone was already familiar with—Wilmot pushed open the slightly ajar door, Melinda screamed, and everyone rushed in.
Vanya turned to Cliff and said, "Wilmot followed you and Melinda upstairs because he thought you were up to something. So, what was your reason for going upstairs?"
Cliff frowned, glancing subconsciously at Melinda on the bed.
Melinda bit her lip, looking embarrassed.
Seeing this, Vanya found it amusing. "Could it be that Miss Coleman asked you to come upstairs, maybe because her dress got stuck or something, and she needed your help?"
Vanya made a wild guess, but Melinda's face turned pale instantly.
Even Cliff's brow furrowed deeper.
Vanya hadn't expected Melinda to use such a cliché excuse, and she was even more surprised that Cliff seemed to buy it.
"It seems it's true. You went upstairs but felt it was inappropriate, so you went back down. Wilmot, who followed you upstairs, saw the slightly open door and decided to take some 'catching-them-red-handed' photos, only to be falsely accused by Miss Coleman..."
"Vanya!"
Cliff's low rebuke stopped Vanya from continuing.
Wilmot sneered, "Cliff, you really treat this woman like a treasure."
Vanya said, "Since everything is clear now, Miss Coleman, shouldn't we handle your defamation of Wilmot according to the law?"
"I... I didn't..."
Melinda looked to Cliff for help, saying, "I was just so scared at the time! I didn't expect it to be Mr. Hammond..."
"So you didn't expect it to be Wilmot, but you thought it might be Cliff, right?"
Vanya's words left Melinda's face flushed.
Cliff pursed his lips and said, "This whole thing was just a misunderstanding."