Jackson held up a rugged black security tablet directly in front of Ethan's face.
Jackson: The second-floor dome camera caught the entire event in 4K resolution, sir.
Victoria: That camera is disabled! The contractor disconnected the wiring for the wedding redecoration last week!
Jackson: The public security lines were disconnected, Miss Vance. The private estate server was not.
Ethan tapped the glass screen, bringing up the crystal-clear video timestamped three minutes earlier.
The footage was undeniable under the bright daylight flooding through the arched windows.
On the screen, Victoria stood at the curved railing, dangling Toby over the drop while Clara knelt below in tears[cite: 1].
Victoria's recorded voice blasted through the tablet's speakers: "Hey maid, catch! Let's see if this worthless baby can fly!"[cite: 1]
Then came the horrific, intentional throw, followed by her cackling laughter as the infant plummeted down[cite: 1].
Ethan: A clumsy slip, Victoria? You threw him like a bag of sand![cite: 1]
Victoria: That video is manipulated! Clara must have paid a hacker to fabricate digital footage!
Clara: I am a housemaid who earns twelve dollars an hour, Victoria. I don't know any hackers.
Victoria: You stole from the estate pantry! You've been plotting against me since the day I arrived!
Ethan: Clara didn't plot anything, Victoria. But my forensic accountants certainly did.
Victoria's hands dropped from her swollen face, her eyes widening in sudden panic.
Victoria: What forensic accountants? Why were accountants looking at our family assets?
Ethan: Because seventy million dollars vanished from my late wife's estate trust last Tuesday.
Victoria: That was an authorized bridge loan! My father's firm needed liquidity for the shipping terminal in Houston!
Ethan: That money was earmarked for Toby's medical foundation, locked under my biological signature.
Clara: She forged your signature using the digital scanner in your private study, Mr. Sterling.
Victoria's head snapped toward Clara, her teeth bared in pure venom.
Victoria: You went through the study drawers?! That room is locked with a biometric code!
Clara: You left the door wide open yesterday afternoon while you were screaming at your father on speakerphone.
Ethan: What did she say to her father, Clara?
Clara: She told Arthur Vance that once the baby was eliminated, you would fall apart from grief, leaving her in complete control of the Sterling empire.
Ethan stood up slowly from the marble floor, his fists clenching so tightly his knuckles turned white.
Ethan: You wanted to destroy my son so you could inherit my life's work?
Victoria: Ethan, listen to reason! Sarah is dead! You cannot spend the rest of your life mourning a ghost!
Ethan: Sarah was ten times the woman you will ever be!
Victoria: Sarah was a weak little schoolteacher who died because her heart couldn't take the pressure of your wealth!
Clara: Sarah didn't die of a weak heart, Victoria! She died because you poisoned her daily tea!
The entire grand foyer went completely silent, the air turning ice-cold beneath the American flag[cite: 1].
Ethan turned his head slowly toward Clara, his eyes wide with horrific shock.
Ethan: Clara... what did you just say about Sarah's death?