Zane's hand froze in midair.
The big screen came to life, the date stamped in the corner reading April 25th of last year.
There was Zane, in his office, stripped to the waist, with Lorraine draped against his chest.
The massive speakers carried their voices across the entire campground.
"We just did something this thrilling in your office. So when are you finally divorcing that worn-out housewife of yours?"
"Soon. Her patent licensing deal is almost up. Next month I'll trick her into signing the transfer agreement."
Zane's hand slid the fabric off Lorraine's shoulder.
"You're amazing, baby. Once the patent dividends come in, we'll buy that mansion on the south side." Lorraine's laughter echoed through the night air.
"No problem. And you need to clean up the company books a little better."
"Relax. The five million, I broke it all into small transactions."
At that point the footage flickered, and a financial statement stamped with a red official seal appeared in the center of the screen, several figures circled in red — circles I had drawn myself.
The faces around them were a sight to behold.
The parents who had been crowding around Zane fawning over him a moment ago all stopped what they were doing, backing away, putting distance between themselves and the two of them.
Zane spun around.
"Turn it off! Cut the power, now!"
He lunged at the sound equipment beside him, grabbing the cable to yank it loose, but no matter how hard he pulled, it wouldn't budge.
On the screen, Lorraine stuffed several documents bearing the company seal into her Hermès Birkin bag, glanced left and right, then strode out of the office.
Lorraine's hand, which had been cradling her belly, dropped. She took two steps back, ducking behind Zane.
The video kept playing.
I let one corner of my mouth curve up. I had known all along that Zane would do everything he could to kill the power, then flip the blame and pin it all on me.
Sure enough, he took two big strides forward and jabbed a finger at my face.
"Sally! You wanted revenge so badly you actually hired someone to fake this video with AI!"
He turned to the parents around him, raising his voice.
"Everyone, she synthesized this video! Don't believe a word of it!"
A low murmur rippled through the crowd.
"AI face-swapping? The tech really can pass for real these days."
"No wonder. I kept saying, I've known Mr. Whitney and his wife for so long. There's no way they'd have that kind of relationship."
Teacher Finch stepped forward, looking at me.
"Ms. Swanson, what you've done is defamation. Mr. Whitney has every right to call the police and have you arrested." She pulled out her phone.
Lorraine snapped out of her shock. She quickly hooked her arm through Zane's.
"Cousin, I know you're jealous that I get to be with Zane. But you can't just make up lies like this to frame us because you want to take my place!" Lorraine pressed a hand to her belly, her eyes going red.
I watched the two of them perform, cold.
I was about to speak when a calm, steady voice cut in:
"I'd like to see who dares lay a hand today on the most important core technology partner of my Group."
