Ethan: Don't you ever dare touch my daughter again! Get out!
Victoria: You cannot speak to me like that in my father's house! I am a co-owner of this estate trust!
Ethan: Your father's estate trust is about to be seized by the federal courts for embezzlement, Victoria!
Victoria stumbled backward against the mahogany wall, her eyes wide with sudden, genuine panic as my words sank into her mind. She tried to maintain her haughty exterior, but the trembling of her jaw betrayed the absolute terror of a cornered animal. I stood tall before her, keeping Clara safely tucked behind my shoulder while the ambient sounds of the mansion faded into total stillness. Every single luxury asset, sports car, and designer gown she wore was funded by the very company she had just tried to sabotage through family betrayal. How could someone who shared my last name become so completely devoid of basic human empathy over mere money? I reached into my coat pocket with my free hand, my fingers wrapping around my smartphone where the emergency speed dial was already primed for action. Will the police arrive before she manages to invent another elaborate excuse to twist the narrative in her favor?
Victoria: You are bluffing, Ethan! You would never risk our social standing or our divorce settlement over a minor accident!
Ethan: A minor accident? You literally shoved a child off a second-story balcony in 4K resolution!
Cl