Grandmother Rose: Please let me pass, Victoria. I am going inside to call my son.
Victoria: You are not going anywhere until we finish our little conversation about the estate papers.
Grandmother Rose: I have nothing more to say to you. Move aside right now.
Victoria: You think you have power here because of your bloodline, but you are just an obstacle in my way.
Without another word of warning, Victoria raised both hands and slammed them hard against Rose’s frail shoulders. The sudden, violent force knocked the elderly woman backward off the slippery pool deck. Rose gasped in sheer shock, her cane flying from her hand and clattering across the patio tiles as her body fell backward through the air. A massive splash shattered the quiet morning as Rose plunged deep into the ice-cold water of the pool's nine-foot section.
Heavy grey fabric soaked up gallons of water instantly, dragging Rose down toward the blue tiled bottom. Her lungs burned as she struggled against the sudden cold weight of her wet dress. Panicking, she kicked her legs and thrashed her arms wildly, fighting her way back toward the bright surface. When her head finally broke through the water, she coughed and gasped for air, her silver hair plastered across her wet face. She reached out with trembling fingers and grabbed the smooth plastic coping at the edge of the concrete deck.
Grandmother Rose: Help me! Please, Victoria, help me up! I can't swim well!
Victoria: Look at you, soaking wet and powerless. You really thought that man would choose you over me?
Grandmother Rose: Help me! I am losing my grip!
Victoria: The house, the money, the entire estate belongs to whoever stands by David when he makes his final decisions.
Rose’s wrinkled fingers slipped on the wet tile as her heavy clothes pulled her down into the water again. Victoria did not reach out a hand or offer a towel. Instead, she took a calm step forward and placed the sharp point of her designer high-heeled shoe directly above Rose’s knuckles, pressing down just enough to prevent her from gaining a solid grip on the edge. Victoria’s face was twisted into a cold, vicious smile as she watched her mother-in-law struggle against the deep water.
Grandmother Rose: You are a monster, Victoria... David will never forgive this!
Victoria: David will think you slipped and fell because of your failing knees and terrible eyesight.
Grandmother Rose: Please... I can't hold on much longer!
Victoria: That is entirely the point, dear Rose. Keep splashing, old woman. Nobody can hear you out here.
Rose’s arms shook violently with exhaustion as water lapped over her chin and mouth. She tried to raise her voice to scream for the gardener, but her throat was filled with swallowed pool water and panic. Victoria leaned down lower, her purple satin dress rustling softly in the warm wind, her eyes dark with pure hatred and greed. She enjoyed watching the helpless terror in the old woman’s eyes, convinced that her cruel plan was unfolding without a single witness to stop her.
Victoria: Once you are out of the picture, David will rely on me completely to manage his grief and his fortune.
Grandmother Rose: He knows... he knows I would never go near the deep end alone!
Victoria: A tragic accident is so easy to explain to the police when the witness is a grieving, loving wife.
Rose felt her strength fading rapidly as her feet kicked uselessly in the deep water. Her fingers were numb, slipping millimeter by millimeter off the smooth pool rim. She closed her eyes for a brief moment, praying that someone would walk through the side gate before her arms gave out entirely. Victoria reached down slowly, preparing to push Rose’s hand off the ledge completely to end the struggle once and for all.