Victoria: Marcus, get out of my way! I pay your security firm through Vance Enterprises[cite: 1]!
Marcus: My contract is with Sterling Holdings, Miss Vance. Stand back from the door[cite: 1].
Victoria: Ethan! Call off the guards! We can settle this privately without involving the authorities[cite: 1]!
Ethan: You tried to burn my flesh and blood for insurance money, Victoria. You are leaving this house in handcuffs[cite: 1].
Victoria: Think about your late wife, Ethan! Think about Clara! Do you want her name dragged through court[cite: 1]?
Maria: Speaking of Clara, Mr. Sterling... look at the second document in that folder[cite: 1].
Ethan shifted Toby in his arms, his eyes scanning the certified medical records attached to the back of the policy[cite: 1].
The letterhead belonged to St. Jude Memorial Hospital, where Clara had supposedly died of postpartum complications[cite: 1].
Ethan: What is this, Maria? This is Clara's private toxicology screen[cite: 1].
Maria: Miss Vance visited Clara in the recovery wing two nights before she passed away, sir[cite: 1].
Ethan: Victoria... you told me you were in Paris attending fashion week when Clara went into labor[cite: 1].
Victoria: I took an early flight back to surprise you! I went to the hospital as a supportive family friend[cite: 1]!
Maria: She brought Clara a thermos of herbal tea from her private wellness clinic[cite: 1].
Ethan: What was in that tea, Victoria[cite: 1]?
Victoria: It was organic chamomile! It was meant to help her rest after the delivery[cite: 1]!
Ethan: Clara's toxicology report shows traces of high-dose digitalis toxicity[cite: 1].
Victoria's hands began to tremble violently, her fingers catching against the gold sequins of her gown[cite: 1].
Victoria: Digitalis? I don't even know what that is! That is a prescription heart medication[cite: 1]!
Maria: Your father has a severe heart condition, Miss Vance. He takes digitalis every single day[cite: 1].
Ethan's breath caught in his chest as the pieces of the puzzle slammed together with sickening clarity[cite: 1].
Ethan: Clara didn't die of natural postpartum failure... You poisoned my wife[cite: 1].
Victoria: No! That is complete madness! You cannot prove any of this[cite: 1]!
Ethan: Clara was thirty-two years old and in perfect health! Her heart suddenly stopped forty-eight hours after giving birth[cite: 1]!
Victoria: People die from childbirth complications every day, Ethan! You can't blame me for a medical tragedy[cite: 1]!
Maria: The hospital visitor log shows your signature under an assumed name, Miss Vance[cite: 1].
Victoria: I used a pseudonym to avoid paparazzi! That is standard practice for socialites[cite: 1]!
Ethan: You murdered the mother of my child so you could step into her shoes and take over the Sterling estate[cite: 1]!
Victoria: I loved you, Ethan! I have loved you since we were in college together[cite: 1]!
Ethan: You didn't love me! You loved my family's five-billion-dollar maritime shipping trust[cite: 1]!
Victoria: Clara was a simple schoolteacher's daughter! She was never worthy of being a billionaire's wife[cite: 1]!
Ethan: Clara was an angel, and you are a venomous monster who preyed on my grief[cite: 1]!
The sound of heavy boots echoed down the long hallway, followed by the clanking of tactical belts and radios[cite: 1].
Four uniformed sheriff deputies stepped into the living room, led by Sheriff Thomas in a brown uniform[cite: 1].
Sheriff Thomas: Mr. Sterling, we received an emergency call regarding an assault and child endangerment[cite: 1].
Ethan: Over here, Sheriff. The suspect is standing right in front of you[cite: 1].
Victoria straightened her spine, attempting to summon every ounce of high-society arrogance she possessed[cite: 1].
Victoria: Sheriff Thomas, thank goodness you arrived. These employees have fabricated a horrific story to extort my family[cite: 1].
Sheriff Thomas: Miss Vance, step away from the doorway and keep your hands visible[cite: 1].
Victoria: Do you know who my father is? He sits on the judicial oversight committee that funds your department[cite: 1]!
Sheriff Thomas: Your father's committee doesn't give you the right to harm an infant, ma'am[cite: 1].
Ethan walked toward the sheriff, holding up his smartphone with the live cloud footage paused on the screen[cite: 1].
Ethan: Look at this recording, Sheriff. You will see her holding a hot iron over my son's chest[cite: 1].
Sheriff Thomas looked down at the video, his expression hardening into cold, professional disgust within seconds[cite: 1].
Sheriff Thomas: Cuff her immediately[cite: 1].