The ballroom side doors swung open, revealing two detectives in dark suits accompanied by a woman in navy blue scrubs.
Clara froze on the threshold, her jaw trembling violently.
Clara: Evelyn? What are you doing here?
Nurse Evelyn: Doing what Richard asked me to do six months ago, Clara.
Clara: You signed a non-disclosure agreement! I paid you ten thousand dollars in cash!
Nurse Evelyn: You paid me hush money, Clara. And I handed every single marked bill over to Detective Miller the following morning.
Detective Miller stepped forward, pulling a pair of handcuffs from his belt.
Detective Miller: Clara Evans, you are under arrest for grand larceny, prescription fraud, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Clara: Julian set this up! He forced me to sign those transfer orders!
Julian: That is slander! Detective, I have never seen those pill bottles in my life!
Nurse Evelyn: Really, Julian? Because your signature is on the pharmacy delivery slip from two weeks ago.
Nurse Evelyn pulled a yellow receipt from her folder and held it up toward the crowd.
Julian: That was for my own insomnia medication!
Nurse Evelyn: It was for high-dose digoxin. Richard's personal cardiologist never prescribed digoxin.
A heavy murmur of horror broke out among the guests.
Guest One: Digoxin? That can trigger a fatal heart attack in someone with Richard's condition!
Guest Three: They were trying to kill him before he could update his will.
Mia walked calmly to Nurse Evelyn's side, slipping her small hand into the nurse's palm.
Mia: Thank you for coming, Evelyn.
Nurse Evelyn: Your father told me you were brave, Mia. He wasn't wrong.
Julian: Mia, please. Think about what will happen to this family if I get arrested tonight.
Mia: This family ended the day you let dad suffer alone in that bedroom.
Julian: I was trying to protect your future! Who will be your guardian? You have nobody else!
Mia: Dad already took care of that too.
Mr. Harris tapped the microphone again, his voice firm and steady.
Board Member Harris: Per Richard Vance's sealed testament executed with my firm, legal guardianship of Mia Vance transfers to her maternal aunt, Sarah Jenkins, along with sole executorship of the Vance family estate.
From the rear of the banquet hall, a tall woman with dark hair stepped through the double doors.
She wore a simple gray wool coat, her eyes fixed directly on Julian.
Aunt Sarah: Hello, Julian. Did you think I wouldn't find out about the court filing?
Julian: Sarah... you moved to Seattle four years ago. You hate this city.
Aunt Sarah: I hate you, Julian. But I love my sister's daughter.
Julian backed into the center of the stage, his hands shaking at his sides.
Julian: Sarah, listen to reason. The board will collapse if the founder's brother is indicted.
Aunt Sarah: The board had an emergency vote two hours ago, Julian. You've already been removed as CEO.
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