Richard: Don't speak about custody in this house, Evelyn. Leo is my biological son.
Evelyn: And I am the legal executor of your late father's estate, which gives me authority over this entire property.
Richard: My father passed away eight months ago. This mansion belongs to the family trust fund.
Evelyn: A trust fund that I control until you fulfill the terms of the revised inheritance agreement.
Hannah stepped into the archway, wiping her tear-stained eyes with the cuffs of her uniform apron.
Hannah: She's lying, Mr. Vance! I would never drop that baby. I love Leo like my own family!
Evelyn: Silence! You are a domestic worker hired through a temporary agency. You have no voice here.
Richard: Hannah has been here since the week Leo was born. She has been more of a mother to him than anyone else.
Evelyn: Is that supposed to be an insult? I am not his mother, nor did I ever claim to be.
Richard: You don't have to remind me. My late wife Sarah chose Hannah specifically because she trusted her.
Evelyn: Sarah made many poor choices before she died, Richard. Marrying you without a proper prenup was one of them.
Richard took a deep breath, pressing Leo's cheek softly against his shoulder as the baby's sobbing slowed to quiet hiccups.
Richard: Leave Sarah out of this. Why did Hannah say you hurt him?
Evelyn: Because she is trying to cover up her own gross negligence before you fire her.
Hannah: That is not true! You came into the nursery at two o'clock while he was sleeping.
Evelyn: I came in to inspect the room, as is my right as mistress of this residence.
Hannah: You grabbed his arm to wake him up! You said he needed to be crying so the social worker could hear him!
Richard froze, his eyes narrowing with dangerous intensity.
Richard: What social worker, Evelyn?
Evelyn's lips tightened into a thin, calculating line as she picked up a silver envelope from the side table.
Evelyn: Child protective services received an anonymous report this morning regarding neglect inside this home.
Richard: An anonymous report? You called them?
Evelyn: Don't be absurd. A concerned neighbor saw the nanny leaving Leo unattended on the terrace yesterday.
Hannah: Leo has never been left alone on the terrace! It was raining all day yesterday!
Evelyn: See how defensive she gets? Richard, look at her hands. They are shaking. She is unstable.
Richard: Her hands are shaking because she is terrified of you, Evelyn.
Evelyn: If you refuse to believe your own family, you can explain it to the state caseworkers when they arrive in twenty minutes.
Richard stepped closer to the sofa, his shadow falling across his stepmother's composed face.
Richard: If you brought state investigators into my home under false pretenses, I will have you removed by the sheriff.
Evelyn: You cannot remove me. Clause four of your father’s last will guarantees my residence here until the final estate distribution.
Richard: We'll see what the probate court says about child endangerment.
Evelyn: Child endangerment requires proof, Richard. All you have is the word of an uninsured maid against a respected philanthropist.
Hannah reached into her uniform apron pocket, her breathing shallow and ragged.
Hannah: I have proof, Mr. Vance.
Evelyn turned sharply, her perfect posture faltering for a split second.
Evelyn: What did you say, girl?
Hannah: I said I have proof. And it’s not just my word anymore.