Julian took a slow step back, his eyes widening slightly as he stared at the blood dripping down Clara's temple onto her collar.
Julian: You... how did you get out of the locked study downstairs?
Clara: Your lock was old, Julian. Just like your fraudulent accounting methods.
Ethan: Uncle Julian, look at your watch right now. Look at the video clip sent to the main network.
Julian pulled up his left sleeve, staring down at his smartwatch display for a brief second before his expression collapsed into pure shock. His hand trembled so violently that the heavy glass slipped from his fingers, crashing hard against the white marble floor near his feet. Dark scotch splashed across the polished stone, soaking into the bottom hem of Victoria's bright red gown as shattered crystal scattered everywhere.
Julian: Where did you get this recording?! Who gave you access to the pantry feeds?!
Clara: The pantry feed was automatically backed up to the main cloud server you forgot to password-protect.
Victoria: Julian, you told me those cameras were completely disconnected weeks ago!
Julian: They were disconnected! I personally cut the wiring on the primary recorder inside the control room!
Clara: You cut the wire on the dummy recorder, Julian. The secondary system was installed by my father back in 2021.
Ethan: You two really did it... You actually tried to poison her tonight!
Julian: Ethan, stay out of this! You don't understand how high the stakes are for our family empire!
Ethan: The stakes?! You tried to murder my girlfriend in our own home!
Victoria: She was going to destroy our reputation, Ethan! She was going to send us to federal prison!
Ethan: If you committed wire fraud and murder, you belong in prison!
Julian: Mind your tone, boy! Everything I built, everything your mother preserved, was done for your future!
Clara: You didn't build anything, Julian. You stole my father's patents, liquidated his assets, and forced me into hiding.
Victoria: You were a broke college student! We gave you a job out of pure charity!
Clara: You gave me a job so you could keep me under constant surveillance!
Ethan: Clara, did you know about all of this when you started dating me six months ago?
Clara: I knew who you were, Ethan. But I didn't know you were innocent until I got close to you.
Ethan: You thought I was part of their conspiracy?
Clara: I didn't know who to trust. But tonight proved you had no idea what your family was doing behind closed doors.
Julian: This emotional display is ridiculous! Security, take both of them into the private office right now!
Guard: Sir, I cannot execute an order that involves hiding potential criminal evidence from federal officers.
Julian: I pay your salary, you fool! Do what I tell you or you are fired on the spot!
Guard: Then I guess I am fired, Mr. Vance.