Julian: Vanessa, what is she talking about?! Whose baby is that girl holding?!
Vanessa: I don't know, Julian! She's lying! She's a street lunatic who wants to ruin our wedding day!
Maya: I am not lying. I found this baby wrapped in a plastic shopping bag behind the municipal hospital three days ago[cite: 1].
Grandmother Beatrice: Guards! Why are you still standing there?! Escort this beggar out of our private palace immediately!
Maya: Touch me and I'll drop the birth certificate I took from her coat pocket!
The head security guard stopped in his tracks, his hand hovering near his radio as he looked at Grandmother Beatrice, then back at the little girl holding the folded yellow paper in her free hand[cite: 1].
Julian: What birth certificate? Maya, give that paper to me right now[cite: 1].
Maya: I'm not giving it to you, mister. I'm giving it to the police officers who are waiting outside in the driveway[cite: 1].
Vanessa: Police?! You called the police to my wedding reception?!
Maya: You abandoned a three-day-old infant in the freezing cold behind a dumpster[cite: 1]. My mother taught me that abandoning a baby is a crime[cite: 1].
Grandmother Beatrice: Vanessa, look at me right now! Is there any truth to what this girl is saying?!
Vanessa: Grandmother, please! You know me! I've been planning this merger and wedding with Julian for two years!
Julian: Then why did you disappear to that private clinic in Switzerland for four months last fall, Vanessa?
Vanessa: I was resting my health! I had severe fatigue and exhaustion from planning our charity gala!
Maya: She wasn't resting[cite: 1]. She was hiding her stomach because she was pregnant[cite: 1].
The entire crowd of two hundred high-society guests broke into frantic, horrified chatter[cite: 1]. Women covered their mouths with gloved hands, while corporate executives leaned in close to whisper behind their programs[cite: 1].
Julian: Vanessa... look me in the eyes[cite: 1]. Were you pregnant during your trip to Europe?
Vanessa: Julian, darling, don't let a homeless street child tear our families apart! Our prenuptial agreement is signed! The merger goes through today!
Julian: Answer the question, Vanessa!
Vanessa: No! Of course not! This girl was paid by my rival family to stage a scene and embarrass our corporate name!
Maya: Nobody paid me a single penny[cite: 1]. I collect plastic bottles behind the hospital every night to buy bread for my little brother[cite: 1].
Julian: Then how did you get inside this gated palace estate, little girl?
Maya: The front gate guard saw the baby crying in my arms and listened to my story[cite: 1]. He let me walk right up the front driveway[cite: 1].
Grandmother Beatrice: Fire that gate guard instantly! He will never work in this city again!
Julian: Keep your mouth shut, Grandmother! Maya, show me the birth certificate in your hand[cite: 1].
Maya held her ground, holding the thick white blanket tight around the sleeping infant as Julian stepped down from the grand altar stage[cite: 1]. He walked straight toward the child on the cold marble floor, his expensive patent leather shoes making sharp clicking sounds that echoed in the heavy silence[cite: 1].
Julian: Let me look at the baby's face, Maya[cite: 1].
Maya: Look all you want, mister[cite: 1]. He has the exact same birthmark on his left shoulder as the bride on your stage[cite: 1].
Vanessa: No! Don't look at him, Julian! Don't you touch that dirty child!
Vanessa threw her red bridal veil over her shoulder and rushed down the marble steps, her heavy gown rustling furiously as she tried to block Julian's path[cite: 1]. But Julian pushed her hands away firmly, kneeling down on one knee right in front of the barefoot girl[cite: 1].
Julian: Peel back the blanket, Maya[cite: 1].
Maya gently folded back the corner of the thick white knitted blanket, exposing the tiny, peaceful face of the sleeping newborn baby[cite: 1]. The infant let out a soft, tiny sigh, his little fist reaching out from the cloth[cite: 1]. And right beneath his collarbone was a distinct, star-shaped red birthmark[cite: 1].
Julian: My God... that's the exact birthmark on Vanessa's shoulder[cite: 1].