The sound of footsteps echoed down the grand hallway as two uniformed estate security guards stepped into the dining room.
Security Guard: You called for us, Mr. Vance?
Arthur: Yes, Marcus. Please escort my mother to her private suite and ensure she remains there until the police arrive.
Evelyn: Keep your hands off me! Do not lay a finger on my dress!
Security Guard: Ma'am, please make this easy and step this way.
Evelyn: Arthur! Tell these men to stand down this instant!
Arthur: Marcus, also ensure that her personal phone and laptop are secured. She is not to contact anyone on the board of directors before the meeting.
Security Guard: Understood, sir. We will secure her quarters immediately.
Evelyn: You think you can lock me away in my own family home? I built this estate!
Arthur: My father built this estate with his own hard work. You just spent his money while looking down on everyone else.
Evelyn: I gave you everything! I sent you to the best Ivy League schools! I placed you in that CEO chair!
Arthur: You placed me there so you could control me from behind the scenes! But that ends today!
Evelyn: You are making the biggest mistake of your life, Arthur! Without me, the board will tear you apart!
Arthur: The board already knows about the missing five million dollars, Evelyn. I sent the audit report to every major shareholder an hour ago.
Evelyn froze in place, her mouth opening slightly in disbelief as she realized her entire plan had already collapsed before she even walked into the room.
Evelyn: You... you sent the report before the meeting?
Arthur: I gave you dozens of chances to come clean about the missing funds. I wanted to handle it quietly within the family. But when you involved my son and put something dangerous in my food, you proved that you have no limits.
Evelyn: It was a mistake... Arthur, listen to me! We can handle this internally! We can tell the board it was an accounting error!
Arthur: An accounting error doesn't explain five million dollars transferred to a private bank account in the Cayman Islands under your maiden name.
Evelyn: I was securing my future! Your father left me nothing but a stipend!
Arthur: A stipend of two hundred thousand dollars a month, Mother! Most families can't make that in five years!
Evelyn: It wasn't enough to maintain my position in this city's elite society!
Arthur: Then your position in society was built on a lie. And today, the truth comes out.
Evelyn: Arthur, please... don't call the police. Think about what this will do to Jamie's reputation at his private school!
Arthur: Don't you dare use my son's name to save yourself. You threatened to send him away because he caught you doing something evil.
Evelyn: I was panicked! I didn't mean it!
Arthur: You meant every single word. Marcus, take her upstairs.
Security Guard: Right this way, Mrs. Vance.
Evelyn tried to pull away, but the guard firmly guided her toward the hallway. She turned her head back one last time, her voice shrill and desperate as her expensive heels clicked rapidly against the marble floor.
Evelyn: You will regret this, Arthur! You will crawl back to me when the shareholders vote you out!
Arthur: The shareholders are here to support me, Mother. You are the only one who is losing everything today.
The heavy mahogany doors closed behind her, leaving the luxury dining room completely silent once again.