Marcus stepped closer to Victoria, his voice dangerously quiet as the hallway grandfather clock ticked softly in the background. The mask of sophistication that Victoria had worn for years was beginning to crack, revealing the sheer desperation underneath.
Victoria: Doctors lie all the time to protect themselves from lawsuits! You can't believe a word he said!
Marcus: He told me you visited his office exactly twice. Once to confirm the pregnancy, and once to pick up the medical records for your father's estate lawsuit!
Victoria: That was private medical documentation! It had nothing to do with us!
Marcus: It had everything to do with us! You used the pregnancy to force your way into my family's inheritance clause!
Victoria: I am your legal wife! My father's company deserved that investment capital after the merger!
Marcus: Your father's company is bankrupt, Victoria! The merger was a fraud, and you knew it before we even walked down the aisle!
Victoria took a slow step backward, her high heels clicking sharply against the oak floor. She adjusted her grey suit jacket, trying desperately to regain her broken composure.
Victoria: You can't prove any of that. The contract was signed six months ago. The money is already in the corporate account.
Marcus: The money is frozen. My legal team filed an emergency injunction with the state court at eight o'clock this morning.
Victoria: You... you froze the accounts?! That was four million dollars in liquid capital!
Marcus: It was my family's capital. Capital that you attempted to transfer into your father's offshore holding accounts yesterday afternoon.
Victoria: Marcus, please... you're making a huge mistake. We can talk about this in the study. Let's sit down and discuss the settlement.
Marcus: There is no settlement to discuss. There is only a divorce attorney and a criminal investigation.
Victoria: Criminal investigation?! For what?! I didn't steal anything!
Marcus: Fraud, embezzlement, and child endangerment. Did you really think I wouldn't check the security cameras in the hallway after what happened last week?
Victoria: What happened last week was an accident! I tripped on the rug!
Marcus: You pushed Elena down three stairs while she was carrying the baby's formula bottles!
Victoria: She was in my way! She moves so slow, it drives me insane!
Marcus: She was carrying food for my son while you were screaming into your phone about a wire transfer!
Victoria's hands began to shake slightly. She reached out toward Marcus, her voice dropping into a desperate, hushed tone as her arrogant defense slowly turned into panic.
Victoria: Marcus, think about our public image. The press will destroy the Vance family name if this gets out to the news outlets!
Marcus: My family name was built on integrity. Yours was built on unpaid mortgages and shell corporations.
Victoria: I loved you, Marcus! I really did!
Marcus: You loved the mortgage payments I cleared for your father's luxury car dealership. That's all I ever was to you—a bank account with a wedding ring.