Richard stumbled backward, crashing into a brass coat rack with a loud, metallic bang. The guests shrieked, backing away as glass shattered on the floor.
Richard: You crazy bastard! You broke my tooth!
Arthur: I should break your neck for what you did to my sister!
Lord Sterling: Guards! Restrain him right now!
Two guards grabbed Arthur's arms, pinning him against the grand mahogany pillar. Arthur struggled furiously, kicking against their grip.
Arthur: Get off me! Belle, run!
Belle: No! I'm not leaving you behind!
Richard spat blood onto the white marble floor, wiping his mouth with the back of his sleeve, his eyes full of absolute venom.
Richard: You ruined everything, Arthur. We were five minutes away from signing the final deed transfer!
Belle: I will never sign anything for you! The Montgomery trust fund stays with my family!
Richard: You don't have a choice, sweetheart. Your father's estate owes fifty million dollars to our holding company!
Arthur: That debt was fabricated! Your father bribed the estate executor after our dad passed away!
Lord Sterling: Prove it in court, boy. Until then, the legal claim stands. And without the marriage merger, the Montgomery mansion goes up for foreclosure tomorrow morning!
Belle clutched her torn satin dress, her face turning pale as the reality of their trap settled in.
Belle: Foreclosure? But... our mother lives in that house...
Richard: Then you'd better put that silver dress back on, walk down the aisle, and pretend to be a happy bride, Belle. Or your mother will be on the street by midnight.
Lady Evelyn: This is despicable... you are blackmailing a grieving family!
Lord Sterling: Evelyn, I suggest you leave if you don't have the stomach for high-level corporate negotiations.
Arthur: Let go of me, you hired thugs!
Guard 1: Stay still, kid, unless you want a broken arm.
Belle: Please... don't hurt him! I'll do whatever you want! Just let my brother go!
Arthur: Don't give in to them, Belle! Don't do it!
Richard: Smart girl. Pick up the pen, Belle. Sign the trust release form, and your brother walks out of here in one piece.
Richard pulled a thick stack of legal documents from his jacket, laying them out on a marble side table along with the silver fountain pen.
Belle: If I sign... you promise the foreclosure stops?
Richard: The moment your signature is verified, the mortgage debt is cleared completely.
Arthur: Belle, no! It's a trap! Once you sign, they won't need you anymore!
Lord Sterling: Quiet him!
The guard pulled Arthur's arm higher, making him groan in pain. Belle walked toward the table with shaking hands, her tears dripping onto the legal parchment.
Belle: I'm sorry, Arthur... I have to protect Mom...
Richard: That's it, my love. Just sign on the dotted line at the bottom of page four.
Belle lifted the pen. Her hand trembled over the paper as Richard smiled, his eyes gleefully fixed on the signature line.
Belle: Wait...
Richard: What is it now?! Just sign it!
Belle: This page... this isn't a debt relief agreement.
Richard: What are you talking about? Of course it is!
Belle: This is a power-of-attorney deed giving you complete authority over my medical decisions and personal freedom!
The room went dead silent again. Lady Evelyn stepped closer, squinting at the small text on the page.
Lady Evelyn: My God... it's an involuntary conservatorship clause!
Arthur: They were going to declare you mentally incompetent and lock you in an asylum!
Belle: You monster...
Belle slammed the silver pen down onto the marble table, her fear instantly transforming into blazing rage.
Belle: You were never going to marry me. You were going to erase me!