Eleanor: "What is the meaning of this?! Victoria, touch my daughter again and I will have you locked up!"
Victoria: "You're welcome to try, Eleanor. But you might want to read this first."
Victoria tossed the black folder onto a nearby glass table. It slid across the smooth surface, stopping right in front of the family's lead estate lawyer, Arthur Vance, who was standing in the front row of spectators.
Eleanor: "Don't touch that, Arthur! She has no authority here!"
Arthur: "Eleanor, stay back. As the court-appointed trustee, I am legally required to inspect any official documents presented."
Arthur adjusted his glasses, opening the folder with trembling hands. The crowd pushed forward slightly, desperate to hear what was written inside. Chloe was still on the floor, struggling to sit up in her ruined yellow gown, her hands shaking as she looked between her mother and Victoria.
Chloe: "Mom... she threw me! Look at my dress!"
Eleanor: "Be quiet, Chloe! Arthur, tell security to throw her out!"
Arthur: "My God..."
Arthur's voice was barely a whisper, but in the dead silence of the ballroom, everyone heard it. He looked up from the papers, his face completely drained of color as he looked at Victoria with newfound respect—and fear.
Arthur: "This is the original trust codicil signed by Harrison Vance three weeks before his death."
Eleanor: "That's a fake! The original will gave me sixty percent of the holding company and Chloe thirty percent!"
Arthur: "This codicil supersedes the will, Eleanor. It was notarized in Switzerland. It states that if any attempt is made to hide assets or alter the company board without unanimous consent, all corporate holdings, the estate mansion, and the family trust immediately transfer to Victoria."
Victoria: "Which you did last month, Eleanor. You transferred forty million dollars from the charitable trust into an off-shore account in the Cayman Islands."
Eleanor: "That... that was an investment!"
Victoria: "That was grand larceny."
A wave of loud whispers broke out among the guests. Two high-profile bank executives immediately stepped away from Eleanor, severing their visual connection to her. Eleanor looked around the room, realizing her power was evaporating in real time.
Chloe: "Mom? What is she talking about? What off-shore account?"
Eleanor: "Shut up, Chloe!"
Victoria: "She didn't tell you, did she, Chloe? Your mother planned to liquidate the estate and leave you with a minor stipend while she moved to Europe."
Chloe: "Is that true?! Mom?!"
Eleanor: "She's lying! She's trying to turn us against each other!"
Victoria took two steps toward Eleanor. Her posture was completely straight, her gaze sharp enough to pierce through Eleanor's frantic defenses. She reached into her suit pocket and pulled out her smartphone, tapping the screen once before holding it up.
Victoria: "I have the wire transfer signatures right here, Eleanor. Do you want me to project them onto the main gala screen?"
Eleanor opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out. She backed away slowly, bumping into a waiter holding a tray of champagne glasses, sending them crashing to the floor.