Twenty-four hours later, the afternoon sun streamed through the wide windows of the hospital's executive suite. Maria sat propped up against soft feather pillows, her color returning as she sipped warm tea. Daniel sat beside her on the edge of the mattress, reviewing legal papers on his tablet.
Suddenly, the heavy oak doors of the private floor burst open. Arthur Sterling, dressed in a wrinkled business suit with dark circles under his eyes, pushed past the security guards, his hands raised in desperation.
Arthur: Daniel! Please, you have to talk to me! The guards won't let me into the legal building!
Daniel: Stand back, Arthur. You are six inches away from having my security team throw you down those stairs.
Arthur: I am begging you! Victoria is breaking down in that jail cell! She can't survive in a county facility!
Daniel: She should have thought about that before she pinned a pregnant woman against a mirror and tried to kill my unborn child[cite: 1].
Arthur: She didn't know Maria was your wife! She thought she was just a hired maid who broke a vase!
Maria: So it's acceptable to assault someone as long as they work for you, Arthur?
Arthur turned toward Maria, his eyes wide with a mixture of shame and panic as he recognized the young woman sitting in the luxury hospital bed.
Arthur: Maria... please... speak to him. We took you into our home when your father passed away! We gave you employment!
Maria: You gave me employment as a servant in the very mansion my father built, Arthur! You forced me to clean up after your daughter while you hid my father's true last will and testament!
Arthur: I did what I had to do to save the company! Your father wanted to liquidate everything!
Daniel: Your lies are over, Arthur. Marcus filed the federal fraud charges this morning. The Department of Justice has officially seized the Sterling Global headquarters.
Arthur: You can't do this to my family! I spent forty years building that company's reputation!
Daniel: You built a house of cards on stolen money and physical abuse. And yesterday, your daughter knocked the whole thing down when she put her hands on my wife[cite: 1].
Arthur: What do you want from me, Daniel?! Tell me what you want to drop the criminal charges against Victoria!
Daniel: I want complete justice, Arthur. Victoria will serve her full prison sentence for felony assault. And you will sign over the remaining deeds to the Dallas estate by five o'clock today.
Arthur: The Dallas estate is our family legacy! If I sign that over, my wife and I will have nowhere to live!
Daniel: Then I suggest you start looking for an affordable apartment on the outer edge of town. Because by sunset, my security team is changing the locks on the front gates.
Arthur stood frozen in the center of the room, his shoulders slumping as he realized he had lost every ounce of power, wealth, and status he had spent his life clinging to. Tears of defeat ran down his wrinkled face as he slowly pulled a gold pen from his coat pocket.
Arthur: Give me the paperwork, Marcus... I'll sign it...
Marcus: Sign on page four and page eight, Mr. Sterling. And remember, any attempt to contact Mrs. Vance or enter the estate grounds will result in your immediate arrest for harassment.
Arthur signed his name with trembling hands, dropping the pen onto the side table before turning around and walking slowly out of the hospital suite, a broken man with nothing left to his name.