Julian: Clara, I lost my temper... you know how much pressure I've been under with the merger!
Clara: You hit me, Julian. In front of three hundred people. In front of our child.
Julian: I didn't mean to! I swear to God I didn't mean to! Just tell the guards to stand down!
Clara: Look at your daughter's face, Julian. Look at how she's shaking because of you.
Lily buried her small face deeper into Clara's emerald green silk dress, her tiny hands clutching her mother's waist. Her crying was muffled, but every person in the front row heard her shuddering breaths. Surrounding guests began whispering loudly, their faces filled with disgust as they stared at Julian kneeling on the floor.
Guest 1: Did Julian Vance just strike his wife at his own charity gala?
Guest 2: In front of the little girl! Look at him begging now! What a monster!
Julian: Clara, please... if the board sees this, the stock price will plummet tomorrow morning! Think about our family business!
Clara: You never cared about this family, Julian. You only cared about the Vance name and the money tied to it.
Julian: I built this empire for you and Lily! Everything I did was for this family!
Clara: You didn't build anything, Julian. My father built Vance Logistics. You just inherited my father's shares when he passed away.
Julian tried to reach for the hem of Clara's dress, his hands shaking violently as he looked up at her cold, unyielding face. The man who had entered the ballroom as the undisputed king of the city looked small, pathetic, and completely broken.
Julian: Clara, we can talk about this in the car! Let's go to the private suite upstairs! We can fix this!
Clara: There is nothing to fix. We are done.
Julian: You can't just leave me! You signed the prenuptial agreement six years ago! If you leave, you walk away with nothing!
Clara: Is that what you think, Julian? You think I'm worried about your prenuptial agreement?
Clara shifted Lily gently to her side, keeping one arm firmly around the little girl's shoulders. With her free hand, she reached into her small evening clutch and pulled out a folded white envelope stamped with a red legal seal.
Julian: What... what is that?
Clara: This is the emergency injunction signed by the probate judge at four o'clock this afternoon.
Julian: An injunction for what?! I am the CEO of Vance Logistics!
Clara: You were the CEO until two hours ago, Julian. Until the forensic audit proved you've been draining the trust fund.
Julian's mouth opened, but no words came out. His face turned pale white, matching the marble floor beneath his knees. He looked around the room frantically, searching for his legal team, but his corporate lawyers were stepping backward into the crowd, avoiding his gaze entirely.
Julian: You... you audited the trust fund?
Clara: My father set up that trust fund specifically for Lily's ninth birthday. You transferred twelve million dollars out of her account last Tuesday to cover your illegal offshore stock margins.
Julian: It was a temporary loan! I was going to pay it back after the merger finalized!
Clara: Stealing from your own daughter isn't a loan, Julian. It's grand larceny.