The heavy conference doors slammed backward against the wall, rattling the glass panes.
Arthur stormed into the room wearing his tailored navy suit, accompanied by a stiff lawyer clutching a leather briefcase.
Arthur: Clara! Grab your coat. You took Lily out of kindergarten this morning without my permission.
Clara: Lily is with my mother in a secure location, Arthur. She’s not going anywhere near you today.
Arthur turned his furious gaze toward Marcus Sterling, his sneer deepening.
Arthur: Sterling. I should have known my wife was running to a third-rate ambulance chaser. Step aside before I file a lawsuit that ruins your practice.
Marcus: Take a seat, Arthur. Your threats don’t work in this office.
Arthur's Lawyer: We are here to serve Mrs. Vance with immediate divorce papers and an emergency custody order based on breach of antenuptial agreement.
Clara took the printout of the forged prenup and tossed it directly across the glass table, landing right in front of Arthur's designer cufflinks.
Clara: You mean this agreement, Arthur? The one you forged in your study safe?
Arthur looked down at the paper, his face momentarily losing all color before he let out a harsh, mocking laugh.
Arthur: You broke into my safe. That document is completely confidential legal work product.
Clara: You signed my name on page sixteen! Look me in the eye and tell me I signed that!
Arthur: You signed it six days before we married at city hall, Clara. Your memory has always been convenient when money is involved.
Marcus: That’s a bold statement, Arthur. Especially considering the notary listed on page twelve died eight months before this date was stamped.
Arthur’s lawyer froze, snapping his head toward Arthur with wide, panicked eyes.
Arthur's Lawyer: Arthur... is what he’s saying true?
Arthur: Shut up, Donald! Let me handle this!
Arthur leaned over the table, his knuckles pressing into the polished glass until they turned stark white.
Arthur: Listen to me, Clara. You think you’re smart? You think a judge is going to believe a stay-at-home mother over a managing partner of Vance Capital?
Clara: You tried to steal my daughter, Arthur. You wrote that I was mentally unstable to steal full custody.
Arthur: Because you are! You have nothing! No income, no real estate, no corporate shares! Without me, you are nobody!
The boardroom fell dead silent, the words echoing off the plate glass windows overlooking the city streets below.
Marcus: Thank you for stating that on the record, Arthur. The audio recording in this conference room has been running since you pushed open the door.
Arthur spun toward the corner of the ceiling, spotting the red blinking light above the television screen.
Arthur: Turn that off right now! Turn it off!
Clara: You made one terrible mistake, Arthur. You thought I stayed with you because of your wealth.
She pulled off her diamond engagement ring and placed it directly on top of the forged contract.
Clara: I stayed because I loved the man I thought you were. But that man never existed.
Arthur grabbed the papers, his hands trembling with unvarnished rage.
Arthur: You will leave this marriage with dirt, Clara! Dirt and the clothes on your back!
Marcus: Actually, Arthur, you might want to look at what I just filed with the probate judge twenty minutes ago.
Marcus slid a red-stamped court filing across the table toward Arthur’s pale, trembling hands.