Clara: You staged this entire scene, didn't you?
Victor: That is an outrageous lie! I am a respected scientist and CEO!
Clara: You are a CEO whose company is facing a fifty-million-dollar lawsuit for fake clinical trials.
Victor: Those allegations were dismissed by the board last week!
Clara: They were dismissed because you claimed the primary test samples were stolen from your laboratory.
Maya pulled on Clara's sleeve, wiping her red nose with her little coat cuff.
Maya: Mommy, he had another bottle in his pocket. A blue one.
Victor: Shut up, you little brat!
Clara: Raising your voice at my daughter again will be your biggest mistake tonight, Victor.
Security Guard: Sir, maybe we should let the agent inspect the case.
Victor: Get out of my way! I'm calling my corporate attorney right now!
Victor reached into his inner suit pocket, pulling out a sleek silver smartphone, but Clara stepped directly into his path.
Clara: Put the phone down, Victor.
Victor: I have the right to contact my legal representation!
Clara: You do. But first, let's talk about the scratches on Maya's face.
Clara reached down and picked up the small glass vial off the floor using a sterile plastic sample bag.
Clara: Notice how the label on this vial says 'Batch 409'?
Victor: Yes! That's the stolen batch!
Clara: Batch 409 was reported destroyed in a facility fire six months ago. You claimed the loss on your corporate insurance policy and collected twelve million dollars.
The crowd surrounding the scene erupted into loud, shocked murmurs.
Bystander 1: Twelve million dollars? Insurance fraud?
Bystander 2: He claimed it was destroyed, but he brought it to the gala!
Victor: That... that's a misprint on the label! It's a prototype sample!
Clara: If it's a prototype sample, why is it filled with tinted saline solution?
Clara held the bag up to the bright crystal lights, showing the clear liquid inside.
Victor: You can't tell that just by looking at it!
Clara: I can tell because the real chemical compound reacts to UV light by turning bright yellow. This is water and salt, Victor.
Maya: He wanted people to think I broke it, Mommy. He dropped it on purpose.
Clara: He dropped it so he could pretend the evidence was destroyed by a child, protecting him from the federal audit tomorrow morning.
Victor: This is a setup! You used your daughter to trap me!
Clara: I brought my daughter to a charity event. You decided to assault her and frame her because you were cornered like a rat.
Victor: I will destroy your career for this! You hear me?!
Clara: My team is already searching your private jet at the local airfield, Victor. Care to guess what they found in your cargo hold?
Victor took a step backward, looking frantically toward the double glass doors at the front of the hall.
Victor: You have no search warrant!
Clara: Signed by a federal judge at four o'clock this afternoon.