Ethan: Shut up, Isabella!
Isabella stumbled back against the white wall, her manicured fingers clutching her reddening cheek. She stared at Ethan in utter disbelief as he stepped over her, his tall frame looming over her with cold, shaking rage.
Isabella: Ethan! You... you struck me in front of the staff?!
Ethan: Why was my son sealed behind that wall?!
Isabella: It... it was a game! He was playing hide-and-seek and got himself stuck!
Hannah: That is a lie, Mr. Vance! The socket bolt was latched from the outside!
Boy: She pushed me in, Daddy! She locked it with the tool from her purse!
Isabella: Don't listen to him! The boy is confused! He's making up stories because he hates me!
Ethan dropped to his knees, taking Leo into his arms. His body trembled as he felt the boy's cold skin and rapid breathing.
Ethan: Are you hurt, Leo? Look at me, son. Did she hurt you?
Boy: My arm aches, Daddy. She squeezed me real hard before she shoved me in.
Hannah: I heard him crying from the end of the corridor, sir. If I hadn't brought the socket wrench from the maintenance closet, he would have suffocated in another hour.
Ethan slowly stood up, turning his face toward Isabella. His jaw was clenched so hard the muscles jumped in his cheek.
Ethan: You will answer for this!
Isabella: Ethan, please! You have to understand the pressure I've been under!
Ethan: The pressure? You trapped a seven-year-old child in a hidden maintenance duct!
Isabella: The board meeting is tomorrow! If the trust fund auditors see that he holds sixty percent of his mother's estate, my authority as CEO proxy vanishes!
Ethan: So you tried to hide my son so you could sign the estate papers without his legal guardian present?!
Isabella: I did it for us! For our family business!
Hannah: She didn't do it for the business, Mr. Vance. She had a bag packed in the west guest room.
Isabella's face drained of all color as Hannah pointed toward the far doorway.
Isabella: You quiet little snake! I will make sure you are blacklisted from every estate in this city!
Ethan: You aren't blacklisting anyone, Isabella. In fact, you aren't leaving this hallway until the police arrive.
Isabella: Police? Ethan, think about our social standing! Think about the headlines tomorrow morning!
Ethan: My son's life is worth more than every dime in the Vance trust fund!
Ethan pulled his phone from his tuxedo jacket, his thumb pressing the emergency dial as he glared down at his wife.
Ethan: Operator, get the precinct commander. I have an active child endangerment and kidnapping attempt at the Vance estate.
Isabella: Ethan, no! Cancel that call right now!
Ethan: Stay right where you are, Isabella. Because if you move one step toward that door, I won't wait for the officers.