Julian: What... what are you talking about?! What live video?!
Clara: The hidden micro-camera pin on my velvet collar, Julian. The one linked directly to my smartwatch and the state prosecutor's cloud server.
Julian's face drained of all color[cite: 1]. He thrashed against the broken glass on the floor, ignoring the sharp pain in his hands as he looked up at her in pure, unadulterated terror[cite: 1].
Julian: Who did you just message?![cite: 1]
Clara: You're going to prison forever![cite: 1]
Margaret: You can't send police to this mansion! This is the Sterling estate! My father built the city courthouse!
Clara: Your father died twenty years ago, Margaret, and his legal immunity didn't transfer to your corrupt son!
Julian: Clara, wait! Delete the file! We can talk about the inheritance! We can give you twenty percent of the trust fund!
Clara: You offered me twenty percent while you were shoving me to the stone floor thirty seconds ago[cite: 1]! Now I'm taking one hundred percent of what belongs to my son!
Distant police sirens began to wail through the long estate driveway outside, their shrill cries growing louder by the second, bouncing off the high glass windows of the grand ballroom[cite: 1]. High society guests pulled out their smartphones, recording video of the bleeding billionaire sitting among broken food and champagne flutes[cite: 1].
Board Member Miller: Is this true, Julian? Did the police receive a live video feed of you assaulting her?
Julian: Board Member Miller, please! It was a domestic dispute! She tripped on her gown!
Clara: The live stream caught your mother saying 'She never knows her place' right before you shoved me, Julian[cite: 1]! The prosecutor has the full audio file[cite: 1]!
Margaret: Shut up! Shut your mouth, you filthy girl!
Clara: Scream all you want, Margaret. The entire city is watching your family fall apart on the afternoon news feed.
Heavy double doors at the main entrance chimed as Detective Vance marched into the bright ballroom, flanked by four uniformed police officers[cite: 1]. Their tactical boots clicked firmly on the light marble floor as they cleared a path through the shocked crowd[cite: 1].
Detective Vance: Police! Nobody move!
Margaret: Detective Vance! Thank God you're here! This woman snuck into our private gala, broke our property, and assaulted my son!
Detective Vance: We didn't respond to a property damage call, Mrs. Sterling. We received an emergency SOS dispatch for active child endangerment and felony physical assault.
Detective Vance held up a digital patrol tablet, displaying the live, crystal-clear high-definition video that Clara's smartwatch had transmitted to the police server five minutes earlier[cite: 1].