Marcus placed the phone against his ear while keeping his eyes fixed on the balcony above.
Marcus: Get the police and an ambulance here immediately!
Dispatcher: Sir, what is the nature of your emergency at the mansion?
Marcus: We have an attempted assault and a severe fall at the Vance estate.
Dispatcher: Officers are already in the area and moving to your location now.
Marcus lowered the phone and stood as a solid shield between Elena and the upper stairs.
Elena leaned against the banister, tears streaming down her pale cheeks as she caught her breath.
Elena: How could my own sister try to do something so horrible to me?
Marcus: Greed turns people into monsters when big money is on the line.
Elena: She wanted the entire family trust fund and the mansion for herself.
Marcus: She will never get another dime from your father's hard-earned life savings.
Victoria reappeared at the top of the stairs, her hands shaking as she held her robe tightly.
Victoria: You have no proof of anything, Marcus! It is your word against mine!
Marcus: Look up at the corner of the ceiling, Victoria.
Victoria turned her head slowly toward the high corner of the grand entrance hallway.
A small red security camera light blinked steadily, recording every angle of the high balcony.
Marcus: I upgraded the internal surveillance system last week for estate safety.
Victoria: No... that system was supposed to be completely offline today!
Marcus: Every single second of your action was captured on high-definition video recording.
Victoria slumped back against the hallway wall, realizing her desperate plan had completely failed.
The sound of loud police sirens suddenly echoed through the quiet neighborhood outside the gate.
Red and blue emergency lights flashed brightly through the tall foyer glass windows.
Elena watched as three uniformed police officers pushed open the heavy front double doors.
Officer Miller: Stay right where you are! Is everyone okay inside here?
Marcus: The victim is safe here, but the suspect is on the upper level landing.
Officer Miller: Secure the stairs and head upstairs immediately to take custody!