The heavy double doors of the banquet hall flew open, and four uniformed police officers marched inside, led by Detective Miller.
Detective Miller: Nobody move! Who called in an attempted homicide report?
Ethan: I did, Detective. My name is Ethan Vance.
Detective Miller: Mr. Vance, what happened here? We received a call from your attorney.
Ethan: My fiancée and my stepbrother tried to poison my champagne glass with a toxic compound during our engagement toast.
Detective Miller: Do you have physical evidence of this toxic compound?
Ethan pointed down at the white marble floor, where the green chemical residue had eaten a small hole through the polished stone surface.
Ethan: The shattered glass is right there, detective. The chemical compound is strong enough to dissolve marble polish.
Detective Miller knelt down carefully, inspecting the bubbling liquid on the floor with a small flashlight.
Detective Miller: Good lord... Officer Davis, get the crime scene evidence kit from the squad car immediately!
Officer Davis: Right away, Detective!
Detective Miller: Who witnessed the liquid being poured into the glass?
Maya: I did, Detective. And I recorded clear video footage of the entire act on my phone.
Maya stepped forward, handing her smartphone to Detective Miller so he could watch the close-up video clip.
Detective Miller: The resolution on this video is crystal clear. You can clearly see the suspect's face and ring as she pours the liquid.
Victoria: Detective, please! It was Julian who gave me the bottle! He forced me to do it!
Julian: Don't listen to her, officer! She's a delusional gold digger trying to frame my family!
Arthur: Detective Miller, I am the estate attorney. I have verified text messages on the suspect's phone showing explicit instructions sent from Julian's corporate line outlining the entire poison plot.
Detective Miller took Victoria's phone from Arthur, reading through the text thread with a cold, stern expression.
Detective Miller: "Make sure he drinks the entire glass... the compound works within ten minutes." This is a clear conspiracy to commit premeditated murder.
Julian: That phone could have been hacked! Anyone could have sent those messages using a spoofing app!
Maya: Detective, I also have a video clip of Julian handing her the glass vial in the back hallway fifteen minutes before the banquet started.
Julian's eyes bulged in complete panic as the room went dead silent.
Julian: What?! You have a video of that too?!
Maya: The kitchen security camera records twenty-four hours a day, sir. I saved the clip to my phone before coming out to the floor.
Maya swiped her screen and played a second video showing Julian handing a small clear vial to Victoria near the catering supply racks.
Detective Miller: That settles it. Officers, place both of these individuals under arrest immediately!
Victoria: No! Get your hands off me! I'm a high-society board member!
Officer Davis: You have the right to remain silent, ma'am. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.
The officers pulled Victoria's arms behind her back, snapping heavy steel handcuffs around her manicured wrists.
Julian: Ethan, tell them to stop! I'm your father's son!
Ethan: My father was an honest man, Julian. You are a disgrace to his name and his memory.
The second officer grabbed Julian, forcing his arms behind his dark tuxedo jacket and clicking handcuffs onto his wrists as well.