Evelyn marched down the grand marble corridor, her leather heels clicking with sharp authority. Victoria followed close behind, her white silk robe trailing over the floor[cite: 1]. They reached the heavy mahogany doors of the master study and threw them open without knocking.
Marcus sat behind the heavy oak desk, wearing a dark navy suit. He jumped slightly in his leather chair, quickly slamming his laptop lid shut.
Marcus: Evelyn? Victoria? What is the meaning of this intrusion?
Victoria: Marcus, what were you doing in the kitchen twenty minutes ago?
Marcus: What are you talking about? I was getting a glass of water before my morning conference call.
Evelyn: Don't play dumb with us, Marcus. The baby's bottle was knocked onto the floor[cite: 1]. The milk was fizzing with chemical residue[cite: 1].
Marcus swallowed hard, his eyes darting toward the open window near his desk.
Marcus: Chemical residue? You ladies are being paranoid! The maid probably used a dirty soap dispenser!
Evelyn: We brought the estate security chief to test the liquid, Marcus. It's concentrated arsenic.
Victoria: Arsenic?! Marcus, you tried to give our son arsenic?!
Marcus: Victoria, listen to me! That maid is framing me! She's lying!
Evelyn: The maid didn't have a bottle of restricted chemical compound in her pocket, Marcus. But you do.
Evelyn stepped over to the oak desk, grabbing Marcus's briefcase from the floor and slamming it onto the polished wood.
Marcus: Hey! You have no right to touch my personal briefcase!
Evelyn: This briefcase belongs to the Sterling estate, Marcus. Open it right now, or I'll have security break the lock.
Victoria: Open it, Marcus! Show me what's inside!
Marcus stood up, his face twisted in desperate rage. He reached for his jacket pocket, but Evelyn was faster. She pushed him back into his leather chair, while Chief Security Officer Vance stepped through the doorway with two armed guards.
Chief Vance: Stand down, Mr. Marcus. Don't make this any worse than it already is.
Marcus: Chief Vance! These women are delusional! They are accusing me of trying to harm my own child!
Chief Vance: We pulled the high-definition security footage from the kitchen hallway ten minutes ago, sir. The camera mounted under the American flag clearly caught you pouring a liquid from a small glass vial into the warmer bottle[cite: 1].
Victoria gasped, dropping onto the leather sofa near the wall, her hands covering her face as fresh tears overflowed her eyes[cite: 1].
Victoria: My God... you really did it... You tried to kill our baby for the trust fund!
Marcus: You don't understand, Victoria! The offshore creditors were going to ruin me! They threatened to take my corporate shares!
Evelyn: So you decided to murder an innocent infant to liquidate his inheritance early?!
Marcus: The child wouldn't have suffered! It was supposed to look like a natural pediatric heart failure!
Victoria stood up from the sofa, her face pale, her voice turning as cold as ice.
Victoria: You are a monster, Marcus.