Evelyn stood motionless near the altar, her eyes darting between her trembling stepdaughter and her husband, whose face was growing darker by the second. The truth was unraveling faster than Richard could control, and his frantic composure was rapidly turning into blind rage.
Evelyn: You forged a death certificate for your own living child?
Richard: I had no choice! The bank was going to initiate a foreclosure on our mansion on Monday!
Evelyn: You were going to let them bury her alive?!
Richard: No! I was going to move her to the private estate in Mexico once the insurance payout cleared!
Maya: He was going to lock me in a private facility overseas, stepmom! He told me last night I would never see Texas again!
Leo reached down into the casket with his small pocketknife, quickly slicing through the thick yellow ropes bound tightly around Maya's wrists. Maya rubbed her sore, red skin, gasping as she swung her legs over the splintered edge of the broken casket onto the floor.
Leo: Can you stand, Maya?
Maya: My legs are numb, but I can walk.
Richard: Nobody is walking out of this chapel!
Richard stepped forward aggressively, reaching inside his brown suit jacket to pull out a heavy leather folder packed with official legal documents. His fingers shook with desperation as he held the thick folder out like a shield against the rising tide of truth.
Richard: I have the legal power of attorney documents right here! As her father, I have full medical custody over her!
Leo: You lost custody the second you put a gag on her mouth!
Richard: I am the head of this family, and what I say goes!
Evelyn walked slowly over toward the altar, her heels clicking sharp against the tile floor as she reached out and snatched the folder. She grabbed the leather binder straight out of Richard's hands before he could even react or pull it away from her grasp.
Richard: Evelyn! Give that back!
Evelyn: Let's see what else you've been hiding from me, Richard.
Evelyn flipped open the folder, her eyes scanning the official papers stamped with notary seals and signatures that looked freshly signed. Her hand began to shake as she read the legal terms written across the white paper in bold black ink.
Evelyn: This isn't just power of attorney... this is a total transfer of trust assets directly into your personal offshore account!
Maya: He forged my grandfather's mark on those papers last week while Grandpa was in the hospital!
Leo: And when Maya found out about the forgery, he trapped her in her room so she couldn't call the police!
Richard: That money belongs to the company! I built that company with my own sweat and blood for ten years!
Evelyn: My father built that company, Richard! You were just the CEO who almost ran it straight into bankruptcy!
Richard took another step back, his eyes darting toward the heavy double doors at the end of the long center aisle. He realized that the security guards were no longer listening to his commands, standing quietly near the walls with their heads down.
Richard: Evelyn, listen to me logically. If this gets out, the company stock will drop to zero overnight! We will lose everything!
Evelyn: You lost your humanity, Richard. That is worth far more than any stock price.
Leo: Maya, come on. Let's get out of this place right now.
Leo wrapped his arm around Maya's shoulders, supporting her weight as she took her first weak steps away from the wooden pedestal. But before they could reach the aisle, Richard pulled a small brass key from his vest pocket and held it high above his head.
Richard: You want the original copy of the real will? It's locked in the chapel safe behind that altar painting!
Maya: He's trying to stall us, Leo!
Richard: Without this key, you'll be fighting in probate court for the next ten years, Maya! You won't get a single penny!
Evelyn looked at her husband with pure disgust, taking a step toward him as she pulled her smartphone out from her coat pocket. The bright screen reflected off her eyes as she dialed three familiar numbers into the key pad without hesitation.
Evelyn: He won't need that key where he's going.
Richard: Evelyn... who are you calling?
Evelyn: I'm calling the police chief, Richard. And then I'm calling our board of directors to remove you immediately.