Marcus: Can you stand up, Victoria? Tell me if anything feels broken.
Victoria: My ankle... it hurts, but I think I can stand. Marcus, she tried to kill me!
Marcus: Stay right here against the wall. Do not move an inch.
Marcus stood up slowly, his jaw clenched tight as he looked at the dozens of white pearls rolling across the floor. He kicked one aside, his black leather jacket rustling as he turned to face the grand staircase leading to the second floor.
Evelyn: You shouldn't have caught her, Marcus. She was clumsy, as always.
Marcus: Clumsy? You cut her necklace with scissors and pushed her over the balcony railing!
Evelyn: She tripped over her own long dress. I was merely trying to remove an expensive necklace before she ruined it.
Victoria: That's a lie! You leaned forward and shoved my chest!
Evelyn: Keep your mouth shut, girl! You are in my house, living on my son's money!
Marcus began walking up the wooden stairs, taking two steps at a time. His heavy boots echoed loudly throughout the massive Dallas mansion.
Marcus: This isn't your house anymore, Evelyn. And Victoria is my wife, not your servant.
Evelyn: I built this estate with your late father! I have every right to decide who walks these halls!
Marcus: My father left the entire estate and the family business to me in his final will. You only have a life estate allowance, which I control.
Evelyn's face twitched slightly, her hands clutching the balcony rail tighter as Marcus reached the top of the stairs.
Evelyn: You dare speak to your mother like that over a woman you met three years ago?
Marcus: I speak to you like that because you just committed attempted murder in front of my eyes!
Evelyn: It was an accident! Nobody will believe a word she says anyway!
Marcus: They won't have to take her word for it. Look up at the ceiling lights, Evelyn.
Evelyn blinked, turning her head upward toward the chandelier. Tucked neatly near the central crown molding was a tiny blue light flickering on a newly installed security camera.
Evelyn: What... what is that?
Marcus: High-definition security cameras with audio recording. I had them installed yesterday after Victoria told me her jewelry kept disappearing from the safe.
Victoria: You recorded the whole thing?
Marcus: Every single frame. From the moment she grabbed the scissors to the moment she pushed you off the edge.
Evelyn's face drained of all color. The cold arrogance she had maintained for years vanished instantly, replaced by a desperate, panicked quiver in her lower lip.
Evelyn: Marcus... you wouldn't use a recording against your own mother.
Marcus: You almost killed my pregnant wife today, Evelyn. You crossed a line you can never cross back over.