Marcus: You will not speak to her!
The deep voice boomed through the quiet hospital room like a sudden crack of thunder. Evelyn spun around quickly, her dark maroon blazer whipping through the air.
Standing near the framed painting of the American flag was Marcus Miller. Marcus was Chloe's older brother, a hardworking thirty-year-old man dressed in a sharp dark suit.
Marcus had spent the last three years fighting Evelyn in court over their father's disputed estate and the family mortgage. He breathed heavily, his eyes burning with intense anger as he marched inside.
Evelyn: Mind your own business, Marcus. This is a private conversation between family.
Marcus: You are not our family, Evelyn! Get away from my sister right now!
Evelyn: I am still the legal guardian of this estate until next week, whether you like it or not.
Marcus: You belong in a prison cell, not in a hospital room threatening a injured teenager.
Marcus stepped between Evelyn and the bed, placing his large body as a barrier to shield his young sister. His hands clenched into tight fists at his sides.
Chloe felt a rush of relief wash over her warm chest. Ever since their father died, Marcus had been her only true shield against Evelyn's constant cruelty.
Chloe: Marcus, she brought paper forms for me to sign away the trust fund.
Marcus: She can throw those papers in the trash where she belongs.
Evelyn: You two think you are so brave, don't you? You have no money left for expensive divorce lawyers or lawsuits.
Marcus: We don't need millions of dollars to prove what kind of person you really are.
Evelyn: Without my signature, the bank will foreclose on your father's house by tomorrow afternoon.
Marcus: Then let them try! We will fight you in every courtroom in this city!
Evelyn laughed out loud, a harsh sound that filled the high-key daylight room. She straightened her dark maroon blazer and smoothed down her graying hair with practiced elegance.
Evelyn: You are foolish, Marcus. Just like your soft-hearted father was before he took his final breath.
Marcus: Don't you dare speak his name with your lying mouth!
Evelyn: He was weak, and so are both of you. You cannot stop me from taking what is mine.
Marcus took a step closer to Evelyn, his dark suit jacket straining against his shoulders. The tension in the room was so thick that even the hospital monitor seemed to beep louder.
Marcus: He trusted you, Evelyn. He gave you a home, a luxury car, and a life of comfort.
Evelyn: He gave me scraps while leaving the real fortune to this girl!
Chloe: Because he knew you only loved his money, Evelyn!
Evelyn: Be quiet! Children should be seen and not heard!
Marcus: Touch her again and see what happens, Evelyn.
Evelyn glared at Marcus with utter contempt, refusing to back down an inch. She held the legal envelope tightly, her knuckles turning bright white under her skin.
Evelyn: I gave you both a chance to walk away with a small settlement check. Now you will get nothing at all.
Marcus: We don't want your stolen dirty money!
Evelyn: Then you will lose the house, the land, and every single memory of your father!
Chloe watched the argument from her bed, but her face did not show fear anymore. Instead, a strange, calm expression settled over her freckled face as she looked at the bedside table.