Clara reached inside her apron pocket and pulled out a worn, folded envelope. Her hands were shaking, but her eyes burned with fierce determination.
Clara: Seven years ago, I gave birth to Toby in a rural clinic in Ohio. I was young, poor, and working as a server. Richard's late wife couldn't have children, so they used their money to buy a corrupt lawyer to forge relinquishment papers while I was unconscious in ICU!
Richard: That document is fake! She's trying to extort money from the Vance estate!
Clara: Is it fake, Richard? Then explain why Toby's DNA matches the records from St. Jude Children's Hospital! Explain why I took a job as a housemaid in your mansion three years ago just to be close enough to protect my son!
Victoria: My God... Richard, is this true? Did you buy a child?
Richard: Of course not! My legal team handled the adoption through a certified agency! We paid three hundred thousand dollars in legal fees!
Clara: You paid a bribe to a disgraced attorney who is currently serving ten years in federal prison for child trafficking! You knew the adoption was illegal, but you used your late wife's multi-million dollar trust fund to hide it!
Toby looked up at Clara, his small face streaked with tears, hugging her neck with every ounce of strength in his arms.
Toby: She sings the bedtime song to me every night when you're away on business trips, Dad! She's my real mommy!
Richard: Quiet, Toby! You don't understand how the real world works!
Clara: He understands love, Richard, something your cold money could never buy him. You treated him like a trophy to showcase at your corporate galas!
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