David Wilmoth strode through the entrance foyer in a charcoal business suit, flanked by two armed police officers[cite: 1].
David: What the hell is going on here[cite: 1]?!
Victoria: David! Oh, thank God you brought the police[cite: 1]!
Victoria threw herself toward him, her hands trembling as she pointed an accusing finger at Clara[cite: 1].
Victoria: This crazy maid attacked me! Look at my face, David! She slapped me twice in front of the entire household[cite: 1]!
Clara: She threw your child down thirty marble steps, Mr. Wilmoth[cite: 1]!
Victoria: That is an outrageous lie! Emma tripped on her own shoelaces!
Emma: Daddy, she pushed me down the stairs[cite: 1]!
Emma ran across the foyer in tears, throwing her arms around David's knees and sobbing into his trousers[cite: 1].
David knelt down instantly, his face pale as his hands swept over Emma's trembling arms and bruised knees[cite: 1].
David: Emma, baby, look at Daddy. Are you hurt anywhere else[cite: 1]?
Emma: My back hit the railing, Daddy! She told me I belong in an orphanage and then she pushed me hard[cite: 1]!
Victoria: David, don't listen to a confused five-year-old child! She fell, and I was merely trying to catch her!
Clara: Check the staircase security cameras right now, Mr. Wilmoth[cite: 1]!
Victoria's eyes darted upward toward the decorative crown molding beneath the American flag[cite: 1].
Victoria: The cameras are turned off for the charity ball preparation! You know the technician unplugged them yesterday!
Clara: The internal security cameras run on a closed-circuit backup battery, Victoria! You cannot unplug them from the breaker box!
David pulled his smartphone from his inner pocket, his fingers moving rapidly across the encrypted security application[cite: 1].
His jaw locked tight, a blue vein pulsing at his temple as the high-definition video feed loaded on his screen[cite: 1].
On the screen, Victoria clearly reached out with both hands and shove the little girl downward with malicious force[cite: 1].
Then it showed Clara diving across the floor, catching the child an inch before Emma's skull struck the floor[cite: 1].
David slowly rose to his feet, his phone shaking in his hand as he looked at the woman in the white gown[cite: 1].
David: You told me you loved my daughter[cite: 1].
Victoria: David, wait! The pressure of the upcoming wedding... I was stressed!
David: You monster! How could you do this[cite: 1]?!
David lunged forward and struck Victoria across the face with consecutive hard slaps, the force spinning her around[cite: 1].
Victoria shrieked, reeling backward right into the arms of the two police officers waiting by the entryway[cite: 1].
Officer Miller: Stand down, Mr. Wilmoth! We have her[cite: 1]!
Victoria: Let go of me! David, you cannot do this to me! We are signing our marriage certificate this Friday!
David: Get her out of my house[cite: 1]!
The officers pinned Victoria's arms behind her white dress, the steel handcuffs snapping shut with a sharp click[cite: 1].
Victoria: You will regret this, David! My family holds twenty million dollars of your corporate debt!
David: Take that debt to prison with you, Victoria[cite: 1].
The front doors slammed shut behind the screaming woman, but Clara stepped forward with a folder that would unravel the entire conspiracy[cite: 1].