Victoria: Julian, please! Turn off the water! Let's talk about this in your private office!
Julian: The time for talking ended when you held my daughter's head underwater, Victoria.
Victoria: I didn't hold her underwater! I was washing soap out of her hair!
Julian: The video shows you pushing her face down for nine consecutive seconds while she screamed for air.
Victoria: I lost my temper! Every parent loses their temper sometimes!
Julian: You are not a parent! You are a sociopath who married me for a trust fund you couldn't touch!
The heavy front doors of the estate banged open, and four uniformed police officers strode into the kitchen.
Leading them was Detective Marcus Vance, Victoria's own estranged cousin from the Major Crimes Division.
Detective Vance: Julian Sterling? We received the live alert and verified the video feed.
Julian: Over here, Marcus. The suspect is standing by the counter.
Victoria: Marcus! Oh God, Marcus, thank goodness it's you! Tell these officers to stand down!
Detective Vance looked at Victoria with cold, unyielding disgust, pulling a pair of steel handcuffs from his belt.
Detective Vance: Keep your hands where I can see them, Victoria. I am not here as your cousin today.
Victoria: Marcus, we share the same grandfather! You can't arrest your own family!
Detective Vance: Our grandfather was an honest shipyard worker, Victoria. He didn't torture children for money.
Victoria: I didn't torture anyone! This is a domestic dispute between a husband and wife!
Detective Vance: The district attorney reviewed the footage three minutes ago. The charge is attempted capital murder of a minor.
Victoria let out a sharp shriek, stumbling backward toward the pantry door.
Victoria: Capital murder?! That's insane! Nobody died! The brat is upstairs drinking hot chocolate!
Detective Vance: In the state of Texas, attempting to drown a child under fourteen carries the same penalty as aggravated homicide.
Victoria: Julian! Tell him to stop! I'll give back the twelve million dollars! I'll transfer it right now from my phone!
Julian: Those accounts have already been frozen by the Department of Justice, Victoria.
Victoria: What about my personal jewelry? My diamond bracelets in the master bedroom safe?!
Julian: Every piece of jewelry you bought over the last two years was purchased with stolen trust fund money.
Victoria: You can't take everything from me! I am a Vance!
Julian: The Vance name means nothing anymore. Your father's firm will be liquidated by the end of the month.
Two uniformed officers stepped forward, grabbing Victoria's arms with firm, practiced authority.
Officer Davis: Hands behind your back, ma'am. Stop resisting.
Victoria: Don't you dare touch my designer dress! Do you know how much this French fabric costs?!
The steel handcuffs clicked shut around her wrists with a sharp, heavy double-snap that echoed through the kitchen.
Victoria: Ah! You're pinching my skin! Julian, you coward! You weak, pathetic coward!
Julian: The only coward in this room is the woman who attacked a defenseless six-year-old girl.
Detective Vance: Officer Davis, escort her to the patrol cruiser. Take the back exit to avoid disturbing the child upstairs.
Victoria: I will sue you, Julian! I will drag your name through every tabloid in America!
Julian: Save your breath for the judge, Victoria. You're going to need it for the next twenty years.
The officers marched Victoria through the service hallway, her sparkly maroon dress dragging across the floor as she screamed curses into the air.
Outside, the flashing red and blue lights illuminated the grand driveway, casting long shadows across the manicured lawns.
Julian walked over to the kitchen sink, turning off the rushing faucet with a firm, deliberate twist.
The sudden silence in the kitchen was overwhelming, broken only by the hum of the refrigerator and the ticking of the wall clock.