Richard set his leather briefcase down near the heavy wooden entrance door.
He walked slowly toward the central staircase, his face grim and stern.
Richard: Veronica, did you ask Sarah to carry that box down here?
Veronica: Yes, but she was careless and bumped into me on purpose!
Sarah: That is simply not true, Mr. Sterling, I was on the fourth step.
Sarah: She called my name and tilted her hands before I reached her.
Veronica glared at Sarah with pure hatred visible in her bright blue eyes.
Veronica: How dare you call me a liar in my own husband's house!
Richard: Be quiet for a moment, Veronica, and let me look at this.
Richard walked over to Sarah and carefully checked the precious crystal box.
There was not a single crack on the glass, thanks to Sarah's quick catch.
He noticed the fresh red marks and grey dust smudges on Sarah's knees.
It was clear she had dove hard across the floor to protect his property.
Richard: You hurt yourself to save my grandmother's heirloom box, Sarah?
Sarah: I knew how much this trust box meant to your child's future.
Veronica: She is just playing the victim to save her low-paying job, Richard!
Richard: I installed new security cameras in the foyer three days ago, Veronica.
Veronica instantly froze on the fifth step, all color draining from her face.
She had completely forgotten about the small cameras mounted near the flag high above.
Veronica: You put cameras in our home without telling me first?
Richard: A home built on secrets always needs a eye on the truth.
He pulled his modern smartphone from his suit jacket pocket without saying more.
With a few quick taps on the screen, he opened the high-definition security feed.
The video clearly showed Veronica standing near the top railing all by herself.
It captured her looking down, waiting, and intentionally opening her hands over air.
It also showed Sarah's heroic slide across the stone to save the box.
Richard's jaw tightened as he watched the short clip three times in a row.
His face twisted with intense disappointment and cold, burning anger at his wife.
Richard: You could have shattered our family's history just to hurt Sarah.
Veronica: Richard, please listen, I was just trying to test her loyalty!
Richard: You risked something sacred out of spite and petty personal jealousy.