Julian: Are you out of your mind?! You just assaulted me in my own house!
Karen: This isn't your house, Julian! And touching my daughter is a crime you won't walk away from!
Julian: I didn't touch her! She was having a panic attack because she's unstable, just like her mother!
Karen: Do not lie to me! Look at her wrist, Julian! Look at the red marks where your girlfriend grabbed her!
Vanessa: I was just trying to keep her in the room! She was trying to run out the front door!
Karen: She was trying to leave because you locked her in this mansion against court orders!
Maya: Mom, she pulled my arm real hard! She said you weren't ever coming back for me!
Karen pulled Maya behind her grey suit jacket, holding her close while keeping her eyes fixed on Julian. The red slap mark on Julian's cheek had turned a deep, burning crimson. He touched his cheek with trembling fingers, his arrogant composure cracking into visible shock. He looked around the room as if searching for someone to defend him, but Vanessa was trembling behind the sofa.
Julian: You're going to jail for this, Karen. I'm calling my custody lawyer right now!
Karen: Go ahead! Call him! Call the police too, while you're at it!
Julian: Where is my phone?! Vanessa, find my phone!
Vanessa: It flew under the coffee table when she hit you!
Karen: Don't bother reaching for it. You won't like what's on that screen anyway.
Julian: What are you talking about?
Karen: I heard what you were saying to your lawyer before I walked through those double doors, Julian.
Julian: You didn't hear anything! You barged in here like a lunatic!
Karen: I heard every single word about the family trust fund and the offshore estate accounts.
Julian's eyes widened in sudden, absolute panic. The smug smirk he had carried for months vanished completely, replaced by a cold, pale terror. He looked down at the glass coffee table, searching frantically for the device resting on the marble floor beneath it. His breathing grew shallow as he realized how much he had lost in a single moment.
Julian: You have no idea what you're talking about. That trust fund belongs to the company!
Karen: That trust fund belongs to Maya. My father set it up before he died, and you've been draining it for two years.
Vanessa: Julian, what is she talking about? You said the money was yours!
Julian: Shut up, Vanessa!
Karen: Tell her the truth, Julian. Tell her how you used my daughter as collateral to keep your corporate loans from defaulting.
Maya: Mom, he said if I told you about the money, he would make sure I never saw you again.
Karen: He can't touch us anymore, sweetie. His little game ends today.
Karen dropped to her knee once more, keeping one firm hand on Maya's shoulder while her other hand reached smoothly under the glass coffee table. Her fingers wrapped around the sleek smartphone that had slid across the polished marble. She held it tightly, knowing it contained the key to ending this nightmare forever.