Marcus: What did you just say, Toby?
Toby: My mom told me that ring was special, Uncle Marcus. She said nobody else in the world had one like it.
Marcus: Your mother passed away three months ago, Toby! I slid this ring onto her finger myself before they closed her casket!
Server: Sir, I don't know what you're talking about! Please let go of my arm!
Marcus pulled her hand closer to his face, his thumb tracing the custom platinum band. Every detail was identical—the small floral engraving on the inside edge, the slight notch near the mounting, the rare blue tint beneath the central stone.
Marcus: Don't lie to me! This is Sarah's heirloom ring! It was custom-made by my family's jeweler in New York!
Server: My name is Clara! I didn't steal anything from a grave!
Vanessa: Marcus, darling, calm down! You're making a scene in front of the entire board of directors!
Vanessa, Marcus's stepmother, stood up quickly from her chair, her silk dress rustling as she reached for his arm.
Vanessa: The poor girl probably bought a cheap replica at an antique shop! Release her right now before security arrives!
Marcus: A replica?! Look at this clarity, Vanessa! This is a five-carat flawless diamond worth over three hundred thousand dollars! You don't find this in a thrift store!
Clara: It was given to me! It was given to me by a woman three weeks ago!
Marcus: Three weeks ago?! My wife has been buried in the family mausoleum for ninety days!
Clara: I work two jobs to pay for my brother's medical bills! A woman came into the clinic, saw me crying, and handed me this ring to sell for his surgery!
Marcus: What woman?! Describe her!
Clara: She... she was tall, with dark brown hair and a small scar right above her left eyebrow!
Marcus felt the air leave his lungs completely. His hands started shaking so violently he almost dropped Clara's wrist.
Marcus: A scar above her left eyebrow... Sarah had that scar from a childhood riding accident.
Vanessa: Marcus, this is insane! Sarah died in that terrible car crash near the lake! We had the memorial service! We buried her!
Marcus: The body was burned beyond recognition, Vanessa! You were the one who handled the identification process with the coroner!
Vanessa: Because you were in a coma in the hospital! Someone had to make the arrangements for the estate!
Marcus: Did you actually look at her face, Vanessa? Or did you just hand the funeral home the ring and tell them to put it in the casket?!
Vanessa: How dare you accuse me of something so morbid! I was grieving too!
Toby: Aunt Vanessa told me not to look in the box at the funeral, Uncle Marcus. She said Mom looked like a monster.
Marcus turned slowly to face his stepmother, his voice dropping to a dangerous, icy whisper.
Marcus: You kept me away from the casket. You told me the doctor recommended a closed funeral because of my head trauma.
Vanessa: I was protecting you! You were weak and heartbroken!
Marcus: Or you were hiding the fact that the woman in that coffin wasn't my wife.
Clara: Please... if this ring belongs to a dead woman, take it back! Just don't get me arrested!
Marcus: You're not going anywhere, Clara. You're going to take me directly to the place where you met that woman.
Vanessa: Marcus, stop this madness right now! If you leave this gala, the trust fund board will vote to remove you as CEO!
Marcus: Let them vote. I am going to dig up that grave tonight if I have to.