Julian: Lily, come sit on this chair with your grandmother.
Lily: Daddy, I'm scared...
Julian: You don't need to be scared, sweetie. You saved my life tonight.
Julian’s mother, Eleanor, rushed forward in her gold gown, pulling little Lily into her arms on the front row velvet couch.
Eleanor: I've got her, Julian. Tell me what is happening!
Julian: Victoria tried to poison the cake, Mom.
Victoria: That is an absolute fabrication, Eleanor! Your son has lost his mind!
Eleanor: Shut your mouth, Victoria! If my granddaughter says she saw you, I believe her!
Victoria: The child was in the play area all evening! Ask her nanny!
Julian walked straight up to Lily, kneeling in front of her again while the guests watched in total silence.
Julian: Lily, tell me everything you saw. Take your time.
Lily: I went to get my juice box from the side room, Daddy.
Julian: The side kitchen pantry?
Lily: Yes. The door was open a little bit. I saw Victoria holding a clear plastic tube with a long needle.
Victoria: She’s making it up! I was fixing my veil!
Julian: Let her finish speaking, Victoria!
Lily: She pushed the needle into the middle of the big cake. She pushed it all the way inside until it was hidden.
Julian: Did she see you watching her?
Lily: No. She dropped a small glass bottle on the shelf and pushed it behind the napkins.
Julian: Marcus, go check the pantry shelves right now!
Marcus: On my way, sir!
Victoria’s face turned completely white. She took two steps backward, clutching her lace gown with trembling hands.
Victoria: Marcus has no right to search private venue property!
Julian: I rented this entire hotel for the weekend, Victoria. I own everything inside it right now.
Victoria: Julian, please! Think about our corporate reputation! The board members are standing right there!
Board Member Miller: Don't look at us, Victoria. If there is a needle in that cake, we want answers too.
Victoria: Miller, you know me! I’ve been on the charity committee with your wife for three years!
Board Member Miller: And three years ago, Arthur Sterling died under very strange circumstances right after signing his estate trust!
A loud gasp ran through the crowd of high-society guests.
Julian: What did you say about my father, Miller?
Board Member Miller: Arthur’s toxicology report was sealed by Victoria’s family doctor, Julian. We all thought it was suspicious at the time.
Victoria: Arthur died of natural heart failure! The coroner signed the paper!
Julian: The coroner who received a two-hundred-thousand-dollar donation from your family foundation two weeks later?
Victoria: That was a legitimate medical research grant!
Julian: You didn't just target me tonight, did you? You’ve been doing this for years.
Victoria: I loved your father, and I loved you!
Julian: You loved the Sterling estate trust fund, Victoria.
Marcus came running back into the ballroom through the side service door, holding a small glass bottle inside a clear plastic bag.
Marcus: Mr. Sterling! I found it hidden behind the linen napkins on shelf three!
Julian: Read the label, Marcus.
Marcus: It’s concentrated digitalis, sir. A cardiac paralyzing toxin.
The entire ballroom erupted into chaos as guests backed away from stage in sheer horror.