Julian: Get away from her right now, Mother!
Julian dropped to his knees on the marble floor, wrapping his heavy wool suit coat around Elena's shaking shoulders[cite: 1]. He pulled her close against his chest, shielding her from Victoria's glare[cite: 1].
Elena: Julian... she cut me... she tried to cut my hair[cite: 1, 1]...
Julian: Shh, I've got you, sweetheart. You're safe now. I'm right here.
Victoria: Julian, what are you saying?! Wife?! What kind of sick joke is this?!
Julian: It's not a joke, Mother. Elena and I were legally married seven months ago in Boston.
Victoria took a step back, her high heels clicking nervously against the white tile floor. Her face turned completely pale as she pointed a shaking finger at Elena.
Victoria: You married a maid?! A girl who scrubs our toilets for minimum wage?!
Julian: She isn't just a maid! She's a graduate student who worked for our family to pay for her father's medical bills!
Victoria: She tricked you! She knew you were the heir to the Vance corporate fortune!
Julian: She didn't even know my last name when we started dating, Victoria! She loved me when I had nothing!
Julian reached up with his thumb, gently wiping a streak of blood and tears from Elena's cut forehead[cite: 1]. His jaw was set tight, his eyes burning with protective anger.
Julian: You put your hands on my pregnant wife. You cut her face with scissors[cite: 1, 1].
Victoria: I... I didn't mean to cut her skin! She jerked her head away! It was an accident!
Elena: It wasn't an accident, Julian. She called me trash. She said she was going to shave my head so I would be humiliated in front of the estate staff[cite: 1, 1].
Julian: Is that true, Mother?
Victoria: She was being insolent! She refused to hand over her cell phone when I demanded to inspect her private messages!
Julian: She doesn't answer to you! She is the mistress of this estate, just as much as I am the master!
Victoria: Mistress of this estate?! Over my dead body! I am the head of this family!
Julian: Not anymore, you aren't.
Julian stood up slowly, lifting Elena gently in his arms. She leaned her head against his shoulder, her hands clutching his shirt tightly as she tried to stop shaking.
Victoria: Where do you think you're taking her?!
Julian: I'm taking my wife up to the master suite. And when I come back down, I want you to have your bags packed.
Victoria: You can't kick me out of my own home! My name is on the family trust fund!
Julian: The estate deed was transferred to my name when I turned thirty last month, Mother. You are a guest in this house. And your invitation has just been revoked.