Outside the tall iron gates of the Vance estate, red and blue lights began to flash against the green trees along the driveway. Sirens wailed softly in the distance, growing louder every second as two police cruisers accelerated up the long asphalt path. Inside the house, Victoria was pacing back and forth like a trapped animal in a cage. She ran to her private office near the foyer, pulling open drawers and grabbing stacks of financial papers, trying to throw them into the stone fireplace near the wall. But Maya followed her into the hallway, standing firmly between Victoria and the matching brass lighter on the desk.
Maya: You won't destroy the evidence, Victoria.
Victoria: Get out of my way, Maya, or I swear I will make you regret it!
Maya: Step away from the fireplace right now.
Victoria: This is my home! I bought these furniture sets with my own money!
Maya: You bought them with my mother's life insurance payout.
Victoria lunged forward, her long nails reaching out toward Maya's arm, but Maya stepped swiftly to the side. Victoria stumbled into the edge of the mahogany desk, knocking over a heavy bronze lamp that crashed loudly onto the hardwood floor. The loud crash echoed through the foyer just as the front doors were thrown wide open. David Vance rushed into the grand entrance, his face red with anxiety and anger, followed closely by two armed police officers and a pair of emergency medical technicians carrying first-aid kits.
David: Maya! Oh God, your neck!
Maya: I'm okay, Dad. The cut is shallow, but she threw the glass at me.
Officer Miller: Ma'am, do not move! Keep your hands where we can see them!
Victoria: This is a family dispute! You have no right to enter my house!
Officer Miller: Step away from the desk, ma'am, or we will detain you immediately.
The two officers moved quickly across the polished floor, grabbing Victoria's arms before she could reach for the lighter again. Victoria screamed in frustration, kicking her feet against the rug as the metal handcuffs clicked tightly around her wrists. David wrapped his heavy arms around Maya, holding his daughter tightly while the paramedics gently wiped the blood from her neck and applied a clean white bandage over the cut. David looked at the scattered Manila folder on the floor, his eyes filling with tears of sorrow and regret.
David: I am so sorry, Maya. I should have listened to you years ago.
Maya: You didn't know, Dad. She tricked all of us.
David: She will never step foot in this house ever again.