Victoria: What is that folder? Why are you waving legal files in my face?
Marcus: This is the unsealed forensic probate audit from Clara's estate.
Victoria: Clara died two years ago, Marcus! Her money belongs to the surviving household!
Marcus: Clara's money belongs to Toby, Victoria. Not to me, and certainly not to you.
Victoria: I am your legal wife the second we sign that marriage registry!
Marcus: We are never signing that registry, Victoria.
Victoria: We signed our prenuptial agreement on Friday! You guaranteed me twenty million dollars!
Marcus: Did you actually read clause fourteen of that agreement, Victoria?
Victoria: My father's corporate legal team drafted every single line! I know the contract by heart!
Marcus: Then you know what happens in cases of criminal felony violence against an immediate heir.
Victoria's arrogant expression began to crack, her lips parting in sudden, suffocating dread.
Victoria: You cannot prove violence in court! It is your word and an ignorant maid's word against mine!
Marcus: Read clause eight of Clara's original irrevocable trust agreement, Victoria.
Marcus opened the folder, thrusting the heavy parchment right before her eyes.
Marcus: Read the section regarding permanent physical trauma to the primary heir.
Victoria stared at the black ink, her hands trembling so hard the paper fluttered in the air.
Victoria: 'In the event of the minor heir suffering severe brain injury or death, sixty percent voting control reverts to the legal stepmother'...
Marcus: You knew that clause was in there because you paid my family notary fifty thousand dollars to forge it.
Victoria: That is a disgusting slander! I never touched your notary!
Marcus: Thomas Miller confessed to the Dallas district attorney two hours ago, Victoria.
Victoria: Thomas Miller is a lying scoundrel who was stealing from your company escrow accounts!
Marcus: He handed over your text messages, Victoria. And the bank wire slips from your account in Nassau.
Victoria took two fast steps back, her high heels clicking loudly against the stone pavers.
Victoria: Those wire transfers were consulting retainers for estate planning advice!
Marcus: You asked him in writing how long an infant could stay underwater before suffering permanent brain damage.
The quiet pool area went completely still, the only sound being the soft splash of the filter jets.
Victoria: That... That was research for a charity novel! I was helping a colleague write a medical thriller!
Marcus: A medical thriller?! You threw my four-month-old child into eight feet of water ten minutes ago!
Victoria: It slipped! I swear on my life my fingers just gave out!
Marcus: Your fingers didn't give out, Victoria. You looked right at him and said, 'Get out of my life!'
Victoria's eyes darted toward the patio awning, her face turning as pale as bleached bone.
Victoria: Elena is making up stories to get revenge on me because I reprimanded her!
Marcus: Look up at the stucco wall right above that patio awning, Victoria.
Victoria slowly tilted her head back, her gaze landing on a white outdoor security dome mounted beneath the roofline.
A small red light pulsed steadily from the center of the dark glass lens.
Marcus: That 4K security lens uploads sixty frames per second directly to our secure cloud server.
Victoria gasped, clapping both hands over her throat as cold panic seized her chest.