Arthur: "Evelyn! Oh God, Evelyn, you're alive!"
Evelyn: "Arthur... I tried to scream... I tried every single day..."
Arthur: "Hold onto me! Maya, help me lift her up!"
Maya: "I've got her feet, Mr. Vance! Easy, easy!"
Maya and Arthur carefully pulled the frail young woman out of the narrow space, resting her gently on the light marble floor[cite: 1].
Her once-white wedding dress was stained with dust and dark grease, the hem frayed from months of desperate scratching against the wooden hatch[cite: 1].
Young Leo rushed forward, his small hands shaking as he touched his mother's torn dress sleeve[cite: 1].
Leo: "Mommy? Mommy, is that really you?!"
Evelyn: "Leo! My sweet baby boy... look at how big you've grown!"
Leo: "Grandma told me you went away on an airplane and forgot about us!"
Evelyn: "I would never leave you, my love! I was right under your feet!"
Across the room, Victoria took two steps back, her hands trembling against her satin gown as her face lost all color[cite: 1].
Victoria: "This is absurd! Someone put her down there today! She's framing us!"
Arthur: "Shut up, Mother! Just shut up!"
Victoria: "Arthur! Don't you dare speak to your mother in that tone in front of the servants!"
Arthur: "She's been trapped under our floorboards for three whole months, Mother! Three months!"
Maya: "Sir, there are water bottles and empty bread wrappers down in that compartment."
Arthur: "What?!"
Maya pointed a flashlight into the dark hatch, revealing a stack of canned goods, plastic bottles, and a small battery blanket[cite: 1].
Maya: "Someone was keeping her alive down there on purpose, Mr. Vance."
Arthur: "Mother... what did you do?"
Victoria: "I didn't do anything! That girl was unstable! She threatened to take your estate and ruin our family name!"
Evelyn: "That's a lie! I found the offshore bank records, Arthur!"
Arthur: "What bank records?"
Evelyn: "She was draining your trust fund into a Swiss shell company before our wedding day!"
Arthur turned his head slowly, glaring at his mother with cold, terrifying fury.
Arthur: "You locked my bride underground to cover up financial theft?!"
Victoria: "She was going to call the federal authorities on me! I had to protect our family legacy!"
Arthur: "Protecting our legacy by turning our home into a prison?!"
Victoria turned sharply toward the two security guards standing by the grand foyer entrance[cite: 1].
Victoria: "Guards! Grab that girl and put her back in the cellar before she speaks to anyone else!"
Security Guard: "Ma'am... we take our orders from Mr. Vance now."
Victoria: "I pay your salaries! I signed your security contracts!"
Arthur: "I took over the family firm six weeks ago, Victoria. You don't own a single contract in this building."