The sunny courtyard was dead silent except for the wind in the trees.
Victoria tried to regain her composure by folding her arms tightly.
Victoria: You are letting an uneducated old man ruin our social standing.
Julian: That uneducated man founded the original firm thirty years ago.
The crowd of business partners whispered among themselves in surprise.
Many of them believed Victoria had funded the company's early growth.
Julian motioned for his lead lawyer to step forward from the crowd.
The lawyer carried a briefcase and pulled out several bank statements.
Lawyer: Mrs. Vance, we have proof of unauthorized bank transfers.
Victoria: That is private family business! Put those away right now!
Julian: You took fifty thousand dollars meant for my father's medical care.
Arthur looked up at Victoria in shock, finally understanding the missing funds.
He had missed his heart medication checkups because the account was empty.
Victoria had told him the insurance had declined his claims.
Tears of betrayal filled Arthur's eyes as he looked at his daughter-in-law.
Arthur: I trusted you when you said the bank held the funds.
Victoria: You do not need expensive treatments at your age anyway!
The crowd gasped at the cruel words coming from Victoria's mouth.
Her polished public image crumbled in a single second.
Julian stepped between Victoria and his father, his eyes burning.
Julian: You will return every single cent you stole from him.
Victoria: Or what? You will call the police on your own family?
Julian: You are not my family anymore. Pack your bags today.
Victoria reached out to slap Julian's arm in a moment of panic.
Julian caught her wrist instantly in mid-air with a firm grip.
He held her arm away, preventing any physical harm on his patio.
He let go gently, forcing her to step back onto the ruined cake.
The blue silk of her dress was now stained with dark blackberry juice.
She looked down at her ruined dress in deep humiliation.
The same mess she created for Arthur was now all over her own outfit.
Julian turned his back on her to focus on what truly mattered.