The cold click of steel handcuffs echoed loudly across the grand hall.
Victoria: AHH! Get your hands off me! You're hurting my arms!
Officer Davis: Keep your feet moving, ma'am. You have the right to remain silent.
Victoria: Brandon! Look at me! Tell them to stop! I'll give back the money! I'll give back every single cent!
Brandon: You'll give it back through the court settlement, Victoria. Take her away.
Victoria: You monster! You tricked me! You both tricked me!
Margarethe: Nobody tricked you, my dear. You simply revealed who you truly were when you thought nobody important was watching.
The officers dragged Victoria across the white marble floor, her torn blue satin dress trailing behind her as she kicked and screamed in total embarrassment.
The crowd of high-society guests began to applaud softly, nodding in approval as the arrogant manager was led out into the bright daylight in handcuffs.
Guest 1: Absolutely incredible. Mrs. Sterling handled that with such grace.
Guest 2: To think she was stealing from a children's charity... despicable woman!
Brandon turned to his mother, taking a clean silk handkerchief from his tuxedo pocket and gently wiping a stray drop of water from her forehead.
Brandon: Mother, I am so sorry. I should have listened to you months ago.
Margarethe: You have a good heart, Brandon. You wanted to believe the best in the woman you loved. That is not a crime.
Brandon: But I let her disrespect you in your own building...
Margarethe: Water dries, my son. But a bad character stains forever.
Brandon: What are we going to do about the general manager position now?
Margarethe smiled warmly, looking toward a young woman standing near the catering table holding a tray of clean glasses.