The police cars drove away down the long gated driveway, their flashing sirens slowly fading into the quiet Dallas afternoon. Inside the mansion, paramedics finished examining Chloe, wrapping a soft bandage around her sprained wrist while Arthur signed the medical release forms.
Chloe: "Arthur... what are we going to do now? Your mother isn't going to give up."
Arthur: "She doesn't have a choice anymore, Chloe. She's in police custody."
Chloe: "But why was she so desperate today? She's been living in the guest suite for three months without saying a word about the estate."
Arthur: "Because yesterday my corporate lawyer notified her that the probate court approved father's final will."
Chloe looked up at Arthur, her eyes wide with curiosity as she rubbed her injured wrist.
Chloe: "What did the will say?"
Arthur: "It transferred total ownership of the Vance Financial Group, this luxury mansion, and all offshore accounts directly to you and me. Victoria was explicitly cut out."
Chloe: "She must have known that if I died or disappeared before the final signatures were filed, the estate would revert back to the primary family bloodline..."
Arthur: "Which would mean she could step in as legal guardian of the trust fund. She was planning this for weeks."
Arthur walked over to the grand white columns in the foyer, kneeling down near the base of the staircase. He pointed toward a small, hidden brass panel built into the wall near the marble floor.
Arthur: "Do you see this, Chloe?"
Chloe: "What is that? A wall safe?"
Arthur: "Father installed motion-activated security cameras in every corner of this foyer three years ago when he was managing the company. He never told my mother."
Chloe: "So the entire fall... the push... it's all on video?"
Arthur: "Every single second of it. In ultra HD 4K resolution."
Arthur pulled out his tablet device, connecting it to the mansion's internal server. Within seconds, the screen illuminated, showing crisp digital footage of the balcony. On the screen, Victoria could be seen creeping up behind Chloe in her burgundy gown, reaching out with both hands, and violently shoving Chloe over the white railings.
Chloe: "Oh, my God... seeing it again makes my skin crawl."
Arthur: "This video is absolute proof. Her defense lawyers won't be able to claim it was an accident or a slip."
Chloe: "What about the legal documents she was trying to steal from our room?"
Arthur: "I'm going upstairs to check the master suite right now. Stay here with the security team."
Arthur walked up the grand staircase, his heavy footsteps sounding firm against the marble. He entered the master suite on the second floor, where the mahogany desk had been tossed aside, papers scattered across the carpet. Inside Victoria's unzipped leather handbag, resting on the bed, Arthur found a small glass vial with a printed prescription label alongside a forged power-of-attorney document.
Arthur: "Synthetic sedatives... she wasn't just trying to push her... she was trying to drug her first."
Arthur picked up his phone, dialing his chief security investigator instantly.
Arthur: "Marcus? Get over to the estate right now. I have additional physical evidence for the police forensics team. We are filing grand larceny, attempted poisoning, and attempted murder charges."