Victoria: What do you mean he updated the testamentary trust?
Julian: My grandfather held Toby in his arms before he died, Victoria.
Victoria: Your grandfather was eighty-nine years old and bedridden in hospice!
Julian: He had full mental competency, verified by three independent neurologists from Baylor Medical.
Victoria: He would never change a sixty-year-old family covenant for an outsider's baby!
Julian: He loved Toby more than any corporate balance sheet, Victoria.
Julian pulled a folded legal document from his inner suit coat pocket, holding it open before her eyes.
Julian: 'Codicil Seven: Any legally adopted child of Julian Sterling shall hold identical inheritance rights to a biological descendant.'
Victoria snatched the paper with shaking fingers, her eyes darting across the signatures at the bottom.
Victoria: 'Judge Marcus Miller... Notary Public... State of Texas'...
Julian: My grandfather closed the loophole twelve months ago. Toby is the sole, untouchable heir to eighty million dollars.
Victoria: No... No! My father promised me this estate would merge into our family firm!
Julian: Your father lied to you, just like you lied to me about loving this child.
Victoria: I gave you six months of my life! I attended boring corporate galas and smiled at your dry business partners!
Julian: You attended galas to scout which assets you could siphon into offshore accounts, Victoria.
Guard Davis: Ma'am, do you want us to secure the perimeter or wait by the car?
Victoria: Shut up, Davis! Stand right here until I get my jewelry from the master suite!
Julian: You aren't stepping foot across this threshold, Victoria. Your personal belongings have already been packed into cardboard boxes.
Victoria: You cannot confiscate my custom gowns and diamond necklaces!
Julian: Every piece of jewelry in that safe was purchased with funds from the Sterling corporate operating reserve.
Victoria: Those were gifts! You signed the credit receipts at Cartier!
Julian: I signed corporate expense vouchers because you claimed they were promotional gifts for foreign dignitaries.
A sleek silver medical van pulled up the circular driveway, stopping right behind Victoria's limousine.
Dr. Reynolds jumped out of the driver's side carrying a black trauma bag, hurrying toward the front steps.
Dr. Reynolds: Julian! Where is the baby? Let me through, please!
Victoria: Dr. Reynolds, you don't need to treat that child! It was a minor domestic scrape!
Dr. Reynolds pushed past Victoria without glancing at her, his jaw set in cold professional anger.
Dr. Reynolds: Move out of my way, Victoria. I took an oath to treat patients, not cover up child abuse.
The front doors opened, and Dr. Reynolds hurried inside to the kitchen where Toby was resting.
Victoria's hands began to shake violently, her gold phone vibrating non-stop in her designer clutch.
Victoria: Julian, please... Let's talk about this inside. We can renegotiate the merger terms!
Julian: Look at your phone, Victoria. Your father is calling you for a very specific reason.
Victoria: My father is in Austin meeting with the state commerce board!
Julian: Your father was arrested at the private airfield thirty minutes ago by federal marshals.
Victoria's clutch slipped from her hand, hitting the stone steps and spilling lipsticks and gold cards across the floor.
Victoria: Arrested?! That's impossible! Arthur Vance is a senior state trustee!
Julian: He was a senior trustee until the FBI traced fifteen million dollars of embezzled pension funds to his personal accounts in Panama.
Victoria dropped to her knees on the stone, frantically grabbing her phone and pressing the speaker button.
Voice on Phone: Victoria! Where are you?! Federal agents are raiding our headquarters on Main Street!
Victoria: Dad?! What are you talking about?! Julian says you've been arrested!
Voice on Phone: They have search warrants for every bank token and server! Get out of that mansion right now before they connect you to the wire transfers!
The call cut off with a harsh click, followed by the distant wail of multiple approaching sirens.
Julian towered over the trembling woman, his expression entirely devoid of mercy.
Julian: Did you honestly think my family's legacy was something you could steal with a hot spatula and a forged will?