Clara: Nobody will ever convict me of fraud in this town! I am a Sterling!
Richard: You won't be a Sterling for much longer. I'm calling my divorce attorney the second the paramedics arrive.
Clara: You wouldn't dare ruin our reputation over a mistake!
Richard: Pushing my daughter down a marble flight of stairs was not a mistake, Clara! It was attempted murder!
Clara slowly stood up on the grand staircase, smoothing down her green satin gown as she tried to regain her aristocratic composure. She gripped the banister firmly, glaring down at Chloe with cold disdain.
Clara: Look at her! She's fine! A few bruises don't prove anything!
Chloe: My shoulder is dislocated, Mrs. Sterling. And I can barely move my wrist.
Richard: Stay still, sweetie. I'm calling 911 right now.
Richard pulled his smartphone from his suit pocket, dialing the emergency operator while keeping his body positioned squarely between Clara and Chloe.
Clara: Hang up that phone, Richard! If police cruisers pull up to the front entrance during the charity gala, our social standing in Dallas is completely destroyed!
Richard: Yes, operator? I need an ambulance and police officers at the Sterling Manor on Grand Avenue immediately. A woman has been assault-pushed down a flight of stairs.
Clara: You fool! You're destroying everything we worked for!
Richard: The suspect is still on the premises. She is standing on the second-floor landing. Please hurry.
Richard ended the call, holding his phone tightly as he looked up at Clara with pure contempt.
Clara: You think you can just replace me with this girl and her mother? After everything I gave up for you?
Richard: You didn't give up anything, Clara. You spent my money, lived in my house, and treated everyone around you like dirt.
Chloe: Dad... the security cameras... in the foyer ceiling...
Clara: What about the cameras?
Richard: The hallway security system records twenty-four hours a day directly to a cloud server, Clara. The lens at the top of the chandelier has a direct angle of the entire staircase.
Clara's breath caught in her throat. Her eyes darted up to the crystal chandelier hanging above the foyer, where a tiny blue indicator light blinked silently.