The room became completely silent as every guest waited to hear Richard's response. Richard stepped forward, his eyes darting quickly toward the security guards near the heavy front doors.
Richard: Security, remove her now! She's mentally unstable!
Victoria: I said leave her alone! Richard, let her speak right now!
Lily: I brought my birth certificate and our parents' legal adoption papers to your office. You paid me five thousand dollars to sign a non-disclosure agreement and told me if I ever contacted Victoria, you would have me thrown in jail for harassment.
Victoria: Richard... tell me she's making this up. Tell me right now!
Richard: Darling, she's a scam artist! She probably looked up your family history online!
Lily: Then why did you transfer five thousand dollars from your private account to a woman named Lily Miller three years ago? Check your bank statements, Victoria.
Victoria felt cold fear spread across her chest as she looked at her husband's sweat-covered forehead. She reached into her handbag on the side table and pulled out her smartphone. Her fingers shook violently as she opened her mobile banking application. She logged into her joint family trust fund account and typed in the date range from three years prior. A long list of past transactions filled the glass screen instantly.
Victoria: There's a wire transfer... five thousand dollars... to Lily Miller...
Richard: Victoria, let me explain! It wasn't what it looks like!
Victoria: You knew? You knew my sister was alive this whole time?!
Richard: I was trying to protect our estate! Do you have any idea what would happen to our inheritance if another heir showed up?
Victoria: You monster! She is my sister!
Richard: She's a nobody! A catering waitress! If she claimed her share of the estate, our real estate holdings would be split in half!
Whispers broke out among the wealthy crowd as guests shook their heads in utter disbelief.
Guest 3: Unbelievable... he hid her sister just to keep the money?
Guest 4: That's sick. Absolute greed.
Lily: I never wanted the money, Mr. Vance. I just wanted my family back.
Richard: Shut up! You ruined everything by showing up here tonight!
Victoria: Don't you dare speak to her like that again! You lied to me for seven years of marriage!
Richard: I did it for us, Victoria! For our lifestyle! For this mansion, for the galas, for your reputation!
Victoria: You did it for yourself! You wanted full control of my family's trust fund!
Victoria looked down at her sister's cheap, plain uniform, then at the bright red slap mark on Lily's soft cheek. Deep shame tore through Victoria's soul like a sharp blade. She had lived in absolute luxury, spending thousands on dresses, while her biological sister worked low-wage service jobs just to pay rent.
Victoria: Come with me, Lily. We're leaving right now.
Richard: You can't leave your own birthday party, Victoria! The press is outside!
Victoria: Watch me.
Victoria reached down and grabbed Lily's warm hand tightly. She led her sister away from the main floor, ignoring the murmuring crowd as they walked toward a quiet back suite.