Julian: Security! Stop her from leaving!
Mara: Don't you dare lay a hand on me, Julian.
Julian: You just assaulted my mother in front of the entire board of directors!
Mara: And you just shoved your pregnant wife onto a marble floor in front of fifty witnesses.
Victoria: You crazy, ungrateful girl! After everything this family has done for you!
Victoria stood up from her velvet armchair, her hand still pressed against her swollen, red cheek. Her champagne dress was slightly disheveled, and her polished composure was completely gone.
Victoria: You were nobody before my son married you! A schoolteacher with a mountain of debt!
Mara: I was a woman with dignity, Victoria. Something you and your pathetic son know nothing about.
Chloe: Julian, honey... my stomach hurts. I think the shock is too much for our baby.
Chloe stepped forward, holding her bump with both hands and letting out a soft, dramatic whimper. Julian immediately wrapped his arm around her waist, glaring at Mara.
Julian: See what you're doing? You're stressing out Chloe! She's carrying the legitimate boy who will inherit the Vance Estate!
Mara: Legitimate? We are still legally married, Julian.
Julian: Not for long. The divorce papers are already drawn up. You won't get a single dime from the family trust fund!
Mara: Keep your blood money. I don't want a penny that comes from this house.
Mara took a step toward the tall double doors leading out to the driveway, but Victoria blocked her path, her eyes narrow and vicious.
Victoria: You don't get to walk away after hitting me, Mara. I am calling the police right now. You will spend the night in a jail cell!
Mara: Go ahead, Victoria. Call them.
Mara pulled her own phone from her purse, unlocking the screen and turning it around so the entire crowd could see.
Mara: Because while they're on their way, I'll press play on the full security video feed from the hall overhead.
Julian: What security video?
Mara: The estate cameras are synced to the main house app, Julian. The one I still have administrator access to as your legal wife.
Victoria froze, her phone stopping halfway to her ear.
Mara: The cameras caught you pushing a seven-months-pregnant woman into a table. The DA in this county loves domestic violence cases, especially high-profile ones.
Victoria: You... you wouldn't dare leak that to the press.
Mara: Try me, Victoria. Give me one reason why I shouldn't broadcast it to every news station in the state before midnight.
Guest 1: Is that true, Julian? Did you actually push her on purpose?
Guest 2: Look at the bruise forming on her hip! That's horrific!
Julian looked around the room, noticing for the first time that his wealthy business associates were whispering and shaking their heads in disgust.
Julian: Mara, let's talk about this privately in the study. There's no need to ruin the family reputation over a misunderstanding.
Mara: It's not a misunderstanding, Julian. It's the end of your free ride.
Mara turned away from Victoria, pushing open the grand oak doors and stepping out into the cool night air. The valet pulled her modest sedan around to the entrance, stepping out quickly to open the door for her.
Valet: Are you alright, Mrs. Vance?
Mara: I'm better than alright, Leo. I'm finally free.
Mara got into the driver's seat, resting her hands on the steering wheel as her body shook with residual adrenaline. She looked in the rearview mirror, watching Julian and Victoria standing under the bright entryway lights, arguing fiercely with each other as guests began rushing toward their cars to escape the drama.
Mara: They think they can push me around because I grew up poor. They have no idea what's coming tomorrow morning.