Evelyn: "I never left this house... Julian, I never left you!"
Julian: "Evelyn... my God, your hands are freezing! How is this possible?!"
Maya: "Hold on, ma'am! Take my hand, I've got you!"
Evelyn: "Water... please, I need water..."
Julian scooped Evelyn into his arms, lifting her frail, shivering body out of the cramped wooden trench. Her tattered wedding dress was coated in dust, and her bare arms were covered in dark bruises and faint scratches. Maya quickly ran to the side table, grabbing a crystal pitcher and pouring a glass of water.
Julian: "Drink this slowly, sweetheart. You're safe now. I have you."
Evelyn: "She put me down there, Julian... she locked me in the dark..."
Eleanor: "Don't listen to her delirium, Julian! She's out of her mind!"
Julian turned his head slowly, his eyes burning with heartbreak and blinding, intense rage. Standing near the grand archway was his grandmother, Eleanor Vance. She wore an elegant golden gown, her hands clasped calmly in front of her, though a nervous twitch betrayed her guilty expression.
Julian: "You told me she packed her bags and fled to Europe two years ago!"
Eleanor: "She did! She must have snuck back into the mansion while the staff was away!"
Julian: "Snuck back in?! She was locked inside a hidden floor compartment under a heavy Persian rug!"
Eleanor: "Julian, darling, control yourself. Think about the family name! Think about the estate!"
Julian: "YOU LOCKED MY WIFE IN A HOLE UNDER THE FLOOR?!"
Eleanor: "She was a penniless nobody trying to steal your inheritance! I did what was necessary to protect the Vance legacy!"
Julian stood up swiftly from the floor, his frame shaking with unbearable fury. He strode across the polished wooden floor, stepping past the United States flag, and delivered a heavy, powerful slap directly across Eleanor's face. The loud impact echoed through the vast living room as Eleanor gasped, clutching her bruised cheek in sheer shock.
Julian: "Get out of my sight before I kill you with my bare hands."
Eleanor: "You hit your own grandmother?! Over a low-class orphan?!"
Julian: "Security! Hold her right where she stands!"
Security Guard: "Yes, Mr. Vance!"
The two private security guards immediately stepped forward, blocking Eleanor's path to the front doors. She glared at them with cold contempt, holding her chin high despite the bright red mark blossoming across her face.
Eleanor: "You wouldn't dare call the police on me, Julian. The scandal would ruin our stock prices by morning!"
Julian: "I don't give a damn about stock prices! Maya, hand me my phone!"
Maya: "Here it is, Mr. Vance! Please hurry!"
Julian dialed three digits, pulling Evelyn closer against his side as she wept softly against his chest. Her weak fingers clutched the fabric of his shirt as if afraid she would slip back into the dark trench beneath the floorboards.
Julian: "911... I need emergency medical services and the police at the Vance Estate immediately. My wife has been held captive inside a secret room beneath my house."
Eleanor: "You fool... you're destroying everything we built!"
Julian: "You destroyed yourself the day you touched my wife, Eleanor."