Evelyn: "You think you can just throw me out like trash?! I am your legal wife!"
Julian: "You signed a contract that explicitly stated any act of cruelty toward my daughter voids your marriage rights instantly."
Evelyn: "I didn't sign anything like that!"
Julian: "Page forty-two of the prenup, Evelyn. My lawyers prepared for a monster like you three years ago."
Evelyn pushed herself up from the floor, her hair messily hanging over her bruised face. Her eyes burned with pure malice as she pointed her finger at little Clara.
Evelyn: "You ruined everything, you little brat! I would have had full control of the estate by next year if you hadn't opened your mouth!"
Julian: "Get your hand out of my daughter's face!"
Evelyn: "She's just like her pathetic mother! Weak, useless, and constantly whining!"
Julian stepped forward, stepping right into Evelyn's path, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper.
Julian: "Do not mention my late wife's name."
Evelyn: "Why not?! She's dead, Julian! She's gone! But you kept her picture on every table, kept her clothes in the closet, and forced me to live in her shadow!"
Clara: "Mommy was nice! You are evil!"
Evelyn: "Shut up! You think your father loves you?! He only keeps you around because he feels guilty that he couldn't save her!"
Julian grabbed Evelyn by her wrist, pulling her toward the center of the foyer under the main chandelier.
Julian: "Look up, Evelyn."
Evelyn: "What?!"
Julian: "Look at the corner of the ceiling."
Evelyn looked up, her eyes landing on a small, high-definition security dome camera tucked behind the crown molding, its tiny red light blinking steadily.
Evelyn: "That... that camera doesn't record audio!"
Julian: "I had the whole system upgraded last month after Clara told me her bruises were from falling down the stairs. The audio is crystal clear."
Evelyn: "You... you were recording me?"
Julian: "Every single word you just spoke was streamed directly to my cloud server, my lawyer's inbox, and the local police precinct."
Evelyn's jaw dropped as she tried to pull her wrist free from Julian's grip, but his hold was made of iron.
Evelyn: "Julian, delete it! Please! If that video gets out, I'll never be able to show my face in the city again!"
Julian: "You won't have to worry about showing your face in the city. The state prison is two hundred miles north."
Clara: "Daddy, look at the gate screen!"
Julian turned his head toward the wall-mounted security monitor near the front entrance. Three black police cruisers were pulling through the heavy iron gates, their red and blue lights flashing against the gravel driveway.
Julian: "The police are here, Evelyn."
Evelyn: "No... no! Julian, please! I'll give back the money! I'll give back every single dollar!"
Julian: "The money doesn't matter to me. What you did to Clara is what you are going to pay for."
The heavy front doors swung open again, and four armed officers stepped inside, their boots loud against the marble floor.
Officer Miller: "Mr. Vance! We received your emergency feed."
Julian: "She's right here, Officer. The footage from ten minutes ago is already saved on your chief's drive."
Officer Miller: "Evelyn Vance, put your hands behind your back."
Evelyn: "Don't touch me! I am the mistress of this estate!"
Officer Miller: "Not anymore, ma'am. Hands behind your back, now."