The police officers turned Victoria around to face the crowded lobby. Her expensive grey suit was rumpled, her face pale and streak-marked with sweat. For the first time in her life, she looked completely defeated.
Victoria: Clara... please. Think about your father’s memory. Do you really want to drag our family name through the news like this?
Clara: You dragged my father’s name through the dirt the day you tried to steal everything he built!
Lucas: Show her the final report, Clara. Let her know exactly what she’s facing.
I stepped closer to Victoria, looking her straight in the eyes. I pulled a second set of stapled papers from the envelope.
Clara: This is a sworn affidavit from Dr. Reynolds at the city hospital. He confessed two hours ago.
Victoria: Confessed to what? I don't know any Dr. Reynolds!
Clara: He admitted you paid him two hundred thousand dollars to slip heavy sedatives into my father’s IV line during his final week so he couldn't speak to his attorneys.
A loud collective gasp ran through the crowd. Board members exchanged horrified looks, and several guests pulled out their phones to record my statement.
Board Member Miller: My God... Arthur didn't die of a natural heart condition?
Clara: He was slowly poisoned, Miller. And when the toxicology report comes back tomorrow, murder charges will be added to her indictment.
Victoria: That doctor is a liar! He was operating on his own!
Lucas: We have the text messages from your secret phone, Victoria. We recovered them from the cloud server you forgot to erase.
Victoria: You... you hacked my private accounts?
Lucas: It wasn't hacking. Your maid Sarah gave us access to your laptop last night because she couldn't live with the guilt anymore.
Victoria: Sarah! You miserable little snake! I gave you a home! I gave you a job!
Sarah: You forced me to lie for you, Victoria! You threatened to fire my mother from the estate kitchen if I didn't help you hide Mr. Sterling’s real testament!
Clara: Where is the original will, Sarah?
Sarah: It's inside the wall safe in the study at the main house. The combination is his birth date. He left ninety percent of the estate and all voting shares in Sterling Global to you, Clara.
Victoria: Shut up! Shut your mouth, Sarah!
Officer Vance: That's enough out of you, ma'am. Let's go.
Victoria: Clara! Listen to me! We can settle this privately! I'll give you half the company! Half of everything!
Clara: You don't have half of anything to offer me, Victoria. Everything you own was bought with stolen money.
Victoria: I'm your mother!
Clara: My mother died twelve years ago. You were just a nightmare that my father unfortunately brought into our lives.
The officers grabbed Victoria by the arms and began escorting her toward the front entrance of the hotel. As they walked her past the crowd, guests stepped aside, shaking their heads in utter disgust.
Guest C: Monster. To think we actually attended her dinner parties.
Guest D: She belongs in a maximum security prison for life.
Victoria: You'll regret this, Clara! You won't last a month running this company without me!
Clara: Watch me.