The lawyer's name was Arthur Pendelton, a veteran attorney.
He stood up quickly from his high leather office chair.
Arthur: Mrs. Vance, you should not be in this private wing.
Elena: I am not Mrs. Vance, but my son is a Vance.
Leo stood tall beside his mother, refusing to cry anymore.
Arthur: We sent monthly checks to your bank account for years.
Elena: I never received a single check from your office, sir.
Arthur reached for a yellow file folder on his oak desk.
His hands trembled as he flipped through the white pages inside.
He pulled out a stack of bank receipts with signature lines.
Arthur: Look here, someone signed these forms every single month.
Elena leaned over the desk and checked the forged signature lines.
The handwriting matched the signature of campaign manager Richard Sterling.
Elena: That is not my signature on those legal forms.
Arthur: If this is true, then Richard stole over two million dollars.
Leo looked up at the bright paintings on the office wall.
Leo: Is that man with the flag my dad's friend?
He pointed to a framed photograph on Arthur's wooden shelf.
The photo showed David standing next to campaign manager Richard.
Both men were smiling at a lavish charity fundraising event.
Arthur: Richard controlled all the private accounts for the campaign.
Elena: Call David back into this office right now, Arthur.
Arthur: The senator is giving a live television interview downstairs.
Elena: Then we are going down to that news broadcast right now.
Arthur tried to step in front of the heavy door panel.
Arthur: You will ruin his career if you walk into that studio!
Elena: He ruined my child's heart when he pushed him down.
Elena pushed past the lawyer with steady and firm steps.
Sarah walked alongside them to guide them down the private elevator.
The metal doors closed, taking them down toward the main studio.
Leo squeezed his mother's fingers tightly inside the quiet elevator cabin.
Leo: Will Dad be mad at us again, Mom?
Elena: He will have to listen to the truth this time, Leo.
The elevator dinged softly as it reached the ground level floor.
Bright red lights blinked above the studio entryway down the hall.
The words On Air glowed in bright neon against the dark wall.