Elena held little Leo tighter against her shoulder as the infant settled down, resting his small head against her collarbone. The air in the grand hall was thick with tension as Marcus brought light to the secret moves his wife had made behind his back.
Victoria: I didn't alter anything! I was just reviewing our financial inheritance structure with the estate planner!
Marcus: My estate planner called me thirty minutes ago, Victoria. He told me you tried to add an emergency liquidation clause in case of my sudden death.
Elena: Sudden death?! Mr. Vance, what is she planning?!
Marcus: She wanted complete control over the fifty-million-dollar trust fund if anything happened to me or Leo.
Victoria: That is standard estate planning for any high-net-worth family! My father's lawyers recommended it!
Marcus: Your father's company went bankrupt two weeks ago, Victoria. Don't lie to me anymore.
Victoria: That's a lie! My father is a successful real estate mogul in New York!
Marcus: His assets were seized by the federal government this morning for mortgage fraud and bank embezzlement.
Victoria's jaw dropped open. Her cheeks flushed a dark red as fury and humiliation flared in her eyes at the same time.
Victoria: You... you searched my family's financial records?!
Marcus: I hired a private investigator the moment you started asking for full access to Leo's bank accounts.
Victoria: I needed that money to save my father's business! We are married, Marcus! Your wealth is my wealth!
Marcus: My money belongs to my son! You married me for a payout, and when you realized you couldn't access the trust fund, you took your anger out on a baby!
Victoria: He's not even your real son! You adopted him after your first wife died!
Marcus: He carries my name, he lives in my home, and he has my heart! That makes him my real son more than you will ever understand!
Victoria: He is a helpless orphan who doesn't deserve a single cent of the Vance fortune!
Marcus: How dare you say that in my house!
Victoria: I will say whatever I want! You can't touch me! If you divorce me, I will take half of this estate in court!
Marcus: You won't take a single dollar from me, Victoria.
Victoria: Try and stop me! My lawyers will drag your name through the mud for months!
Marcus: Your lawyers won't even accept your phone calls once they see the police report I am filing today.
Victoria spat on the polished floor, her eyes wide with rage. She raised her right hand, her sharp, manicured nails aiming straight for Marcus's cheek as she lunged forward with everything she had.