Julian: "Mother, did you go to the clinic behind my back?"
Beatrice: "I did what any mother of a billionaire family would do! I verified the bloodline!"
Victoria: "She didn't verify anything, Julian! She paid fifty thousand dollars to swap the cotton swabs!"
Beatrice: "Silence, girl! You have no proof of any payment!"
Victoria: "The bank statement is attached to page three of that report, Beatrice! Your personal assistant signed the wire transfer!"
Julian tore the top edge of the manila envelope open with a loud paper rustle. He pulled out three thick sheets of legal paper stamped with gold official seals and bold state headers. He scanned the first few lines, his face growing paler with every passing second.
Julian: "Negative familial relation... verified by state lab..."
Beatrice: "See?! I told you! The baby is not a Vance!"
Victoria: "Keep reading, Julian! Read the names at the top of page two!"
Julian turned the page, his eyes darting across the medical terminology and the clear black text printed at the bottom of the form. His breath caught in his throat, and his head snapped up toward the balcony.
Julian: "This isn't a test for Leo... this is a test between you and Dad, Mother!"
Beatrice: "What?! Give me that paper!"
Victoria: "She thought she was hiding a test about my baby, but I swapped the files from her safe last night!"
Julian: "Mother... this document says you have zero biological relation to the original Vance estate trust!"
Beatrice: "That's impossible! I am the widow of Arthur Vance!"
Victoria: "You were his second wife, Beatrice! And you forged the adoption papers thirty-five years ago so you could claim sole control of his real estate empire!"
Beatrice gripped the balcony railing so hard her rings dug into her skin. Her confident, cold face suddenly broke. Her eyes bulged wide open, and her jaw dropped as she stared down at the paper in her son's hand.
Beatrice: "Where... where did you get that document?!"
Victoria: "From your private vault in the library! The vault you thought nobody knew the combination to!"
Julian: "Mother... is this true? Is the entire estate built on a forged inheritance decree?"
Beatrice: "Julian, don't listen to her! She's confusing you with fake documents!"
Victoria: "THINK YOU CAN STOP ME?! YOUR LIES END RIGHT HERE TODAY!"
Victoria didn't wait for another word. She turned away from Julian, grabbed the marble handrail of the grand staircase, and ran frantically up the steps toward the second-story balcony. Her silk pajama pants rustled with every fast stride as her feet slapped hard against the stone stairs.
Julian: "Victoria, wait! Don't go up there!"
Beatrice: "Stay away from me, you crazy girl!"
Victoria reached the top landing in seconds, storming right up to Beatrice directly in front of the framed American flag hanging on the pristine white wall. The two women stood face-to-face, the silence in the foyer growing terrifyingly loud.