Evelyn: No... no, that camera hasn't worked in years[cite: 1]! Your father turned off the security network before he passed away[cite: 1]!
Marcus: I rewired the entire estate security system three weeks ago, Evelyn[cite: 1]. I installed high-definition cameras in every main room[cite: 1].
Evelyn: You... you put a camera in the private parlor[cite: 1]?!
A high-pitched screech tore from Evelyn's throat as she scrambled toward the wall control panel, her red dress catching on a piece of broken furniture[cite: 1]. She pounded her fists against the touch screen, trying desperately to shut down the feed[cite: 1].
Evelyn: Turn it off! Turn it off right now[cite: 1]!
Marcus: It's not connected to that wall panel, Evelyn[cite: 1]. The feed streams directly to my private server and my personal phone[cite: 1].
Marcus pulled his phone from his tuxedo jacket with one hand, holding Sarah tight against his chest with the other[cite: 1]. He tapped the screen twice and held it out so Evelyn could see the bright display[cite: 1].
On the high-definition screen, the live footage played back crystal clear[cite: 1]. It showed Evelyn grabbing Sarah by the throat, shoving her violently into the glass table, and snatching the financial audit folder while Sarah lay bleeding on the floor[cite: 1].
Marcus: It caught every single second[cite: 1]. It caught you telling my pregnant wife to know her place[cite: 1]. It caught you ripping your own dress to fake an attack[cite: 1].
Evelyn: Marcus... please... listen to me, darling[cite: 1]. I was just stressed! She was threatening me[cite: 1]!
Marcus: She wasn't threatening you, Evelyn[cite: 1]. She was exposing you[cite: 1].
Evelyn: I did it for the family name[cite: 1]! If those audit papers get out, the board members will pull their investments from the company[cite: 1]!
Sarah: Marcus... the baby... please... it hurts[cite: 1]...
Marcus: I'm right here, Sarah[cite: 1]. Hold onto my neck. The paramedics are walking through the front door right now[cite: 1].
Heavy boots thudded against the marble as two uniformed paramedics rushed into the room carrying a medical bag and a folding gurney[cite: 1]. Right behind them were three city police officers with their leather holsters unclipped[cite: 1].
Officer Davis: We received a priority 911 call for an assault in progress. Who is the property owner here[cite: 1]?
Marcus: I am, Officer[cite: 1]. My wife is seven months pregnant and was just brutally assaulted[cite: 1]. Get the paramedics over here right now[cite: 1]!
Paramedic: Ma'am, stay still. We're going to lift you gently onto the gurney. Check her vitals and check the baby's heart rate immediately[cite: 1].
Evelyn backed up against the marble wall, her face slick with cold sweat as she backed toward the patio doors[cite: 1].
Evelyn: Officers, this is a private family dispute! My stepson is trying to frame me over a corporate trust fund dispute[cite: 1]!
Marcus: Officer, the entire assault was captured on my cloud server five minutes ago[cite: 1]. I am pressing full criminal charges for aggravated assault on a pregnant woman, attempted murder, and corporate fraud[cite: 1].
Officer Davis: Ma'am, do not move[cite: 1]. Put your hands behind your back right now[cite: 1].
Evelyn: Get your filthy hands off me[cite: 1]! Do you have any idea who I am?! I am Evelyn Vance Sterling[cite: 1]!
Officer Davis: I don't care if you're the queen of England, lady[cite: 1]. Hands behind your back[cite: 1].
Steel handcuffs clicked loudly over Evelyn's manicured wrists, pinning her arms behind her torn red dress[cite: 1]. She thrashed against the officers, screaming at the top of her lungs as they dragged her across the checkered marble floor toward the police cruiser waiting in the driveway[cite: 1].