Jonathan: Are you out of your absolute mind, Eleanor? You tried to kill my daughter!
Eleanor stood stunned on the upper landing, her posture rigid in her turquoise silk blouse, though a look of absolute panic now marred her arrogant facade. A sharp gasp escaped her lips as she stared at the man she had tried to intimidate for years.
Eleanor: She is an intruder! A little street rat who has no business stepping foot inside my ancestral estate!
Jonathan: She is my legal daughter and the sole heir to this entire empire, you delusional old witch!
The word heir seemed to strike Eleanor like a physical blow, dismantling the ironclad control she had maintained over the Vance family trust fund for decades. She looked past Jonathan's shoulder at little Lily, who peeked out from her father's chest with wide, tear-filled eyes. The realization that her own bloodline had been standing right beneath her roof—and that she had nearly thrown it over the railing—began to sink into her foggy, arrogant mind.
Eleanor: That brat cannot be your daughter! You married into this family, Jonathan, you don't own the bloodline!
Jonathan: My marriage to Sarah may have ended in tragedy, but Lily carries my exact DNA and my exact name!
Eleanor: Sarah was a disappointment, and her spawn is no different!
Jonathan: You attempted to destroy Sarah years ago with your greedy lawsuits, and now you tried to finish the job with her child!
A sharp musical sting rang out as Jonathan stepped closer, glaring at her with blazing, uncontrollable fury and pointing his finger forward. The raw menace in his tone made the older woman step back another pace, her expensive heels clicking nervously against the polished wood floor. She opened her mouth to argue, but the sheer authority radiating from Jonathan choked the words in her throat.
Jonathan: Don't you ever dare touch my daughter again! Get out!
Eleanor: You cannot order me out of my own home, Jonathan! I built this corporation from the ground up!
Jonathan: You built nothing! My mother and I rescued your failing enterprise from bankruptcy ten years ago, and every single deed is in my name!