Three days later, the sun shone brightly over the private recovery wing of Palm Beach Memorial Hospital. Elena lay in a motorized hospital bed, her left arm secured in a thick black sling and a neck brace supporting her head. Arthur sat in an armchair beside her, holding a warm cup of coffee while reviewing legal documents on his tablet.
Elena: Dad... what did the doctors say about my shoulder scan this morning?
Arthur: The hairline fracture in your collarbone will heal completely in six weeks, sweetheart. No surgery needed. You were incredibly lucky.
Elena: I thought I was going to die when I fell backward, Dad. All I remember is seeing her eyes right before she pushed me.
Arthur: She will pay for every single second of pain she caused you, Elena. I promise you that on your mother's memory.
A soft knock sounded at the door, and Arthur's chief legal representative, David Vance, walked into the hospital room carrying a thick leather briefcase.
Arthur: David. Tell me you have good news from the arraignment hearing.
David: Better than good news, Arthur. The judge reviewed the 4K chandelier camera feed and set Clara's bail at ten million dollars, cash only.
Elena: Ten million?! Can her father post that kind of money?
David: Not anymore. Federal agents seized her father's law firm accounts yesterday afternoon after discovering he helped Clara launder two million dollars through offshore dummy corporations.
Arthur: Excellent. What about the prenuptial agreement challenge her lawyers filed last month?
David: Voided completely. Clause 14 clearly states that any act of domestic felony violence automatically terminates all spousal support rights, alimony claims, and joint property divisions.
Elena: So she gets nothing from the estate?
David: She gets a prison jumpsuit and three court-appointed public defenders, because her high-priced corporate lawyers withdrew from the case the second her bank accounts were frozen.
Arthur let out a long, heavy sigh of relief, setting his tablet down on the bedside table.
Arthur: What about the three million dollars she transferred out of Elena's trust fund?
David: The Swiss banking authorities froze the receiving account yesterday morning. The funds are being wired back to your primary estate account as we speak.
Elena: Thank goodness... Mom worked so hard to build that foundation for pediatric medical research.
Arthur: Nobody is ever going to touch your mother's legacy again, Elena. I've restructured the trust so that you are the sole trustee with complete administrative authority.
Elena: Thanks, Dad. I couldn't have done any of this without you coming home when you did.
Arthur: I should have listened to you six months ago when you first told me she couldn't be trusted. I was blind, Elena. I was so lonely after your mother passed that I let a snake into our home.
Elena: You were trying to move on, Dad. You don't have to blame yourself for her wickedness.
Arthur: Well, the snake has been removed. And our family is going to rebuild, starting right now.