Evelyn: That chandelier camera has been disconnected for three years, you lying little tramp[cite: 1]!
Maya: It was disconnected until the IT technician repaired the wireless bridge on Tuesday, Evelyn[cite: 1].
Richard: The IT technician? Maya, you hired an outside tech company to inspect the mansion network[cite: 1]?
Maya: I had to, Richard! Ever since Lily told me Grandma was making her sleep on the cellar rug, I knew something was wrong[cite: 1]!
Richard: On the cellar rug?! Mother, did you lock Lily in the basement while I was in London[cite: 1]?!
Evelyn: She had an accident in her bed! I was teaching her that wet sheets belong downstairs with the laundry[cite: 1]!
Richard: She is four years old! You locked a four-year-old child in an unheated basement[cite: 1]?!
Richard rose to his feet, his fists clenching so hard his knuckles turned white against his palms[cite: 1].
Evelyn: Lower your voice, Richard! Your father never spoke to me with such insolence[cite: 1]!
Richard: My father drank himself into an early grave because he couldn't stand being married to a demon like you[cite: 1]!
Evelyn’s hand flashed through the air, but Richard caught her wrist mid-swing, stopping her cold[cite: 1].
Richard: You will never strike anyone in this house again, Mother[cite: 1].
Evelyn: Let go of my arm! You ungrateful little brat! I built Sterling Maritime with my own bare hands[cite: 1]!
Maya: You didn't build anything, Evelyn. You stole forty percent of the company shares from Richard's older sister before she passed away[cite: 1].
Richard’s head snapped toward his wife, his eyes widening in total disbelief[cite: 1].
Richard: What did you say about Clara? Clara died of an accidental drug overdose in college[cite: 1]!
Maya: Clara didn't overdose, Richard. Look at the second video on my phone[cite: 1].
Maya tapped the glass screen again, pulling up a scanned medical document with a bright red federal evidence stamp[cite: 1].
Maya: This is Clara's real toxicology report from the Boston Medical Examiner's office, dated eight years ago[cite: 1].
Richard: What... what is this chemical compound? Digoxin toxicity[cite: 1]?
Maya: Heart medication. The exact prescription medication your mother takes for her arrhythmia[cite: 1].
Evelyn ripped her arm out of Richard's grip, backing away toward the grand fireplace with wide, panicked eyes[cite: 1].
Evelyn: That is a forged document! Clara was a reckless addict who couldn't handle the pressure of the Sterling name[cite: 1]!
Maya: Clara was the majority beneficiary of your husband's personal trust fund, Evelyn! She was going to remove you as trustee on her twenty-fifth birthday[cite: 1]!
Richard: Mother... tell me this is a lie. Tell me you didn't poison my sister[cite: 1]!
Evelyn: Clara was going to give half the maritime fleet to a marine wildlife sanctuary in Maine, Richard! She was going to bankrupt us[cite: 1]!
Richard: So you killed her?! You murdered my sister over cargo ships[cite: 1]?!
Evelyn: I protected our dynasty! Without those ships, you wouldn't have your luxury cars, your private club memberships, or your penthouse in Manhattan[cite: 1]!
Richard let out a dry, choked sob, staggering backward until his spine hit the marble pillar[cite: 1].
Richard: My God... I lived in this house with a murderer for eight years[cite: 1].
Lily: Daddy, don't cry... Mommy is holding me now[cite: 1].
Lily reached out with her small hand, her fingertips touching Richard's sleeve through the tears streaming down her cheeks[cite: 1].
Richard fell to his knees beside his daughter, pulling both Maya and Lily into his arms as he wept openly on the marble[cite: 1].
Richard: I'm sorry... I'm so sorry, Maya. I should have listened to you when you told me she was cruel to Lily[cite: 1].
Maya: You were blind because you wanted her approval, Richard. But her approval comes with poison and chains[cite: 1].
The wailing sirens were right outside the main gates now, their tires screeching violently against the loose gravel driveway[cite: 1].
Evelyn lunged toward the grand staircase, her sparkling heels clattering against the marble steps[cite: 1].
Evelyn: You will never take me alive! I am Evelyn Sterling! I own this city[cite: 1]!
Before she could reach the third landing, the double mahogany doors blew inward with a thunderous bang, and armed federal agents flooded the grand foyer[cite: 1].