Victoria: I didn't know anything about his accounting! I handle our charity galas[cite: 5]!
Julian: Your signature is on thirty-two offshore wire authorizations, Victoria[cite: 5].
Victoria: He told me I was signing routine tax deduction paperwork for the state board[cite: 5]!
Julian: You signed to move twelve million dollars from Emma's trust fund to the Cayman Islands[cite: 5].
Victoria's hands began to shake violently against her denim jeans[cite: 5].
Victoria: That trust fund belongs to the surviving spouse under Texas inheritance laws[cite: 5]!
Julian: You aren't my spouse, Victoria. And that trust fund was never mine to give away[cite: 5].
Julian unbuttoned his suit jacket, pulling a heavy manila folder from his inner pocket[cite: 5].
The thick parchment was stamped with the raised gold seal of the Texas Probate Court[cite: 5].
Victoria: What is that paperwork? Why are you waving old legal files at me[cite: 5]?
Julian: This is the irrevocable testamentary trust established by Clara before she passed away[cite: 5].
Victoria: I know what that trust is! It names you as the sole executive trustee[cite: 5]!
Julian: Read clause eight, Victoria. Read what happens if I ever remarry[cite: 5].
Julian held the document right in front of her eyes so she couldn't look away[cite: 5].
Victoria: 'In the event of the surviving spouse's remarriage, full voting equity transfers to Emma Sterling'[cite: 5]...
Julian: Which means the moment I married you, I lost every single dime of control[cite: 5].
Victoria swallowed hard, her breath catching in her throat as the realization hit her[cite: 5].
Victoria: The girl... The girl owns sixty percent of Sterling Global[cite: 5]?!
Julian: Emma owns this mansion. She owns the cargo terminals, and she owns the bank accounts[cite: 5].
Emma: Daddy, is that why she told me I was taking up too much room in the house[cite: 5]?
Julian: Yes, Emma. That's why she wanted you gone[cite: 5].
Victoria: I never wanted her gone! I was trying to discipline a spoiled child[cite: 5]!
Julian: You calculated the conservatorship ratios before you pushed her over that rail[cite: 5].
Victoria: That's a deranged accusation! No court in Texas will believe that fantasy[cite: 5]!
Julian: Read clause nine of Clara's trust, Victoria. Read the survivorship clause[cite: 5].
Victoria: 'If the minor heir suffers a fatal accident, conservatorship reverts to the legal stepmother'[cite: 5]...
Julian: You knew that clause was in there because you paid my family notary two hundred thousand dollars to insert it[cite: 5].
Victoria's jaw dropped open, all the color draining from her cheeks until she looked like chalk[cite: 5].
Victoria: That's impossible... Thomas promised me those draft notes were shredded[cite: 5]!
Julian: Thomas confessed to federal prosecutors three hours ago in exchange for a lighter sentence[cite: 5].
Victoria: That cowardly little worm... He swore on his children's lives that the records were destroyed[cite: 5]!
Julian: Criminals always turn on each other when the prison doors start closing, Victoria[cite: 5].
Victoria stepped back against the brass balustrade, looking around frantically for an exit[cite: 5].
Victoria: You can't prove I pushed her today! It's your word and a six-year-old's word against mine[cite: 5]!
Julian looked up toward the high carved wooden beam directly above the gallery ceiling[cite: 5].
Julian: Did you honestly think I didn't have cameras watching this balcony, Victoria[cite: 5]?
Victoria's eyes darted upward toward the white plaster crown molding, freezing in absolute terror[cite: 5].
Victoria: That camera... The electrical contractor told me the balcony wiring was dead[cite: 5]!
Julian: The commercial lines were shut off. The private satellite backup feeds record twenty-four hours a day[cite: 5].
Victoria: You... You put a hidden camera above our private terrace[cite: 5]?!
Julian: It captures forty-eight frames per second in 4K resolution with directional audio[cite: 5].
Victoria gasped, clapping both hands over her mouth as a cold sweat broke out across her forehead[cite: 5].
Victoria: Directional audio[cite: 5]?!
Julian: It recorded you telling my daughter, 'Your father cares about our corporate merger, not a messy little orphan'[cite: 5].
Victoria: That was just an angry remark! I was frustrated because she wouldn't listen to me[cite: 5]!
Julian: And then the video shows you lifting her by both wrists and letting go over the drop[cite: 5].
Victoria's breath seized in her throat, her knees trembling so hard that she stumbled against the stone[cite: 5].
Victoria: That recording was taken without my written consent! It violates Texas privacy laws[cite: 5]!
Julian: Under Texas Penal Code Section 16.02, a homeowner has every legal right to record to protect human life[cite: 5].
Victoria dropped her hands to her sides, the cold marble wind cutting through her clothes as she realized she was trapped[cite: 5].
Victoria: Julian, please! Think about our reputation in high society[cite: 5]!
Julian: Your reputation died the second you let go of my child's wrists[cite: 5].
Emma held onto Julian's fingers, watching the trembling woman with quiet courage[cite: 5].
Emma: Daddy, the sirens are coming down the road[cite: 5].
Julian looked down at his daughter, placing a protective hand on her head[cite: 5].
Julian: Yes, sweetheart. Justice is finally here[cite: 5].