Detective Vance: Mrs. Sterling, I need you to step away from the stage and hand over your bridal clutch purse.
Victoria: You don't have a warrant to search my personal belongings!
Detective Vance: This is an active felony crime scene involving an attempted murder. Hand it over or my officer will take it.
Victoria clutched her small white beaded purse tightly against her ribs, her knuckles white.
Julian: Give him the bag, Victoria. Or do you want us to open it for you?
Officer Davis stepped forward and firmly pulled the purse from Victoria’s hands, unzipping the top compartment on the head table.
Officer Davis: Detective, take a look at what’s inside here.
The officer dumped the contents onto the white tablecloth. Out rolled an empty plastic syringe cap matching the needle on the floor, along with a folded document stamped with an official state legal seal.
Julian: The syringe cap... It was in her purse the whole time.
Guest C: My God! She had the cap right in her bag!
Detective Vance: What is this document, Officer Davis?
Officer Davis: It’s a prenuptial agreement addendum, sir. Signed yesterday morning.
Julian stepped over to the table, reading the highlighted clause on the first page.
Julian: "In the event of Julian Sterling’s death within thirty days of marriage, full legal control of the Sterling Enterprises trust fund reverts directly to Victoria Vance."
Eleanor: You monster! You drafted a death clause before the wedding even happened!
Victoria: That’s standard estate planning! My lawyer recommended it for tax protection!
Julian: Tax protection? You planned to poison me on our wedding night so you could take sixty percent of my family’s company!
Victoria: Julian, please! Listen to me!
Julian: You married my father three years ago, and he died of a sudden heart attack two weeks later!
Victoria: That was a coincidence!
Julian: And then you targeted me the moment I took over as CEO!
Victoria: I loved you! I wanted us to run the empire together!
Julian: You wanted the empire for yourself, Victoria. You’ve been hunting my family for five years.
Officer Vance pulled out a pair of heavy steel handcuffs from his belt, the metal clicking loudly in the quiet room.
Detective Vance: Victoria Vance, you are under arrest for attempted murder, possession of a controlled toxic substance, and evidence tampering.
Victoria: Don't touch me! Do you know who my family is? My father is on the city council!
Detective Vance: Your father is currently being investigated by federal prosecutors for tax fraud, ma'am. He won't be helping you tonight.
Victoria: Julian! Tell them to stop! We can fix this! I'll sign a waiver giving up all claims to the trust fund!
Julian: You’re not signing anything, Victoria. You’re going to spend the rest of your life in a state penitentiary.
The officers grabbed Victoria’s arms, pulling them behind her back as the handcuffs clicked tightly around her wrists.
Victoria: Get your hands off me! Julian! Help me!
Julian: Get her out of my sight.
The officers turned her around, escorting her down the center aisle past two hundred staring guests who held up their smartphones, recording every second of her downfall.