Laurent dropped to one knee on the marble floor, his hands trembling against his stomach as he glared up at Claire.
Laurent: What... what did you do to me, you crazy woman?!
Claire: I did nothing, Laurent. Your own fear is making you sick.
Laurent: You hit me! You had someone hit me!
Claire: Nobody touched you. You're losing your mind because you know your little game is over.
Sophie held onto the skirt of her mother's green dress, still crying softly as she looked at her uncle on the floor.
Sophie: Mommy, he said he was going to call the police and send me away to jail.
Claire: Nobody is sending you to jail, sweetheart. Uncle Laurent is just throwing a temper tantrum because he's a coward.
Laurent: A coward?! My watch is worth fifty thousand dollars! It was a gift from my father!
Claire: Your father gave that watch to my husband, Thomas! Not to you!
Laurent: Thomas is dead! And as CEO of the family estate, everything he owned belongs to the trust!
Claire: Thomas left his personal property to his daughter, Sophie. You have no legal claim to anything in this building.
Laurent: I run the company now, Claire! You and your brat are just living off my generosity!
Claire: Generosity? You took six hundred thousand dollars out of Sophie's inheritance fund last month!
Laurent's eyes widened slightly, though he quickly tried to regain his composure as he stood up, smoothing his pinstriped suit.
Laurent: That was a corporate loan for the new hotel expansion! It was approved by the board!
Claire: The board consists of your two cronies and a retired attorney you pay off every month!
Laurent: Watch your tongue, Claire! You're a guest in this family business!
Claire: I am the legal guardian of the majority shareholder. That makes me your boss, Laurent.
Laurent: A majority shareholder who is eight years old and steals jewelry from her relatives!
Sophie: I didn't steal it! I was putting the napkin boxes away like the caterer asked!
Claire: I know, baby. Don't explain yourself to him.
Laurent: Then why did the valet see her standing near my coat rack ten minutes ago?!
Claire: Because you told her to bring your reading glasses, Laurent! You set her up!
Laurent: That is a ridiculous accusation! Why would I set up a little girl?!
Claire: Because the board meets at noon today to review the trust fund audit. And if Sophie is implicated in a criminal theft, you can petition the court to strip her of her inheritance rights!