Victoria: Eleanor... I didn't realize you were arriving through the gallery entrance.
Eleanor: Clearly. Otherwise, you might have bothered to hide your true colors before the board meeting.
Eleanor descended the marble staircase with slow, measured steps, her white suit gleaming under the crystal chandeliers. Her silver hair was pulled back into a tight, flawless knot, and her eyes were fixed entirely on Victoria with freezing hostility. Elena slowly pushed herself up onto her elbows, watching her mother-in-law approach like a saving grace.
Julian: Mother, you shouldn't have to see this. Elena is having a hysterical episode.
Eleanor: Is a hysterical episode what you call having your pregnant wife shoved onto a marble floor, Julian?
Julian: She stole museum records! She's trying to sabotage the corporate merger!
Eleanor: I gave those records to Elena myself, Julian. They belong to her father's estate.
Victoria lowered her hand slowly, a nervous twitch appearing at the corner of her mouth as she realized the sheer scale of her miscalculation. She took a half-step backward, clutching the brown packet tightly to her chest as if physical possession could somehow override the law.
Victoria: She forged the signatures, Eleanor! We caught her red-handed!
Eleanor: Do not lie to me in my own museum, Victoria.
Elena: Mom... please look at the packet. It has all the offshore bank transfers.
Eleanor reached the bottom of the staircase, her gaze never leaving Victoria's pale face. Julian stepped forward, trying to block his mother's path with a frantic, desperate energy that gave away his guilt entirely.
Julian: Mother, listen to me. If those papers get out, the entire family trust will be frozen by the federal investigators.
Eleanor: That is precisely why I asked for them to be audited, Julian.
Julian: You're destroying us! You're choosing an outsider over your own son!
Eleanor: An outsider? Elena is carrying my grandchild, and she is the sole legal heir to the Mercer fortune. You are the one who tried to steal her birthright.
Victoria: We didn't steal anything! She signed those papers willingly months ago!
Eleanor: Under duress, while recovering from major surgery. My legal team documented every single threat you made.
Elena finally managed to stand up, leaning heavily against a marble pillar while clutching her stomach. The security guards shifted uncomfortably, realizing the power dynamic in the room had shifted permanently away from Julian.
Elena: They wanted the entire estate liquidated before the quarterly audit.
Eleanor: I know, my dear. And now they are going to pay for every single injury they caused you.
Julian: Mother, please! We can settle this in private! Don't involve the authorities!
Eleanor: Privacy is for honest people, Julian. Criminals get a public trial.
Victoria's face twisted into an expression of pure panic. She spun around on her heel, making a desperate dash toward the glass exit doors before she could be cornered by the approaching security team.
Victoria: I'm getting out of here!
Eleanor: Stop her right now.
Before Victoria could take three steps toward the doors, Eleanor moved with startling speed for her age. Her hand lashed out and grabbed Victoria firmly by the wrist, halting her escape with an iron grip that left no room for argument.