The metal handcuffs clicked loudly as the officers secured Julian’s wrists. Julian glared at Vanessa with pure hatred as he was led toward the front door.
Julian: You promised me we were going to leave the country together, Vanessa! You lied to me!
Vanessa: Shut up! Get him out of here!
Marcus: Now, Vanessa. It's your turn.
Vanessa: Marcus, sweetie... please. Think about Lily! She needs her mother!
Marcus: Lily was the one who warned me about you. A seven-year-old child had more loyalty to this family than you ever did.
Vanessa: I was lonely, Marcus! You were always working at the firm!
Marcus: I was working to build a future for our daughter! While you were spending fifty thousand dollars a month on clothes and plotting with my business partner.
David Sterling, Marcus's attorney, stepped forward and set a sleek black tablet on the dining table.
David: Mrs. Sterling, I have emergency custody papers right here. Signed by a judge two hours ago. Sole legal and physical custody of Lily has been awarded to Mr. Sterling immediately.
Vanessa: What?! You can't take my child away from me!
David: Given the criminal investigation regarding your offshore accounts and endangerment of a minor's estate, the court ruled you a flight risk.
Vanessa: Flight risk?! I'm her mother!
David: You have one hour to pack your personal belongings. Security guards will escort you to the gate. If you refuse to leave, the officers outside will arrest you as a trespasser.
Vanessa sank to her knees among the scattered divorce papers on the cold white marble floor, her head buried in her hands as she sobbed hysterically. The glamour, the status, and the wealth she had spent years chasing had completely vanished in a single afternoon.