Richard: Release him, Mary, or I will call the police and have you arrested for trespassing and assault!
Mary: Call them! Let the police come! Let the whole court see the fake adoption papers you forced me to sign!
Margaret: Fake adoption papers? Richard, what is she talking about?
Richard: She is a lying, unstable woman! Security, where is security?!
Mary: Five years ago, my husband was dying in your hospital, Richard! You offered to pay his medical bills only if I surrendered my newborn son to your infertile wife!
The room went so quiet that the faint hum of the air conditioner was the only sound left. Mary stood up slowly, keeping Leo safely behind her back. She reached into her apron pocket and pulled out a folded, worn piece of paper, holding it up high for the wealthy crowd to see. It was yellowed at the edges, signed and sealed with a corporate stamp.
Mary: You promised me I could stay near him as a nanny! But as soon as your wife passed away last year, you turned me into a house servant and tried to erase my existence!
Richard: That contract gave me full legal custody! You have zero legal rights to this boy!
Mary: A contract signed under illegal coercion and extortion is null and void under state law!
Victoria: Good heavens... Richard, is this true? Did you buy this child from his mother?
Richard: Mind your own business, Victoria! This is a private family matter!
Leo: She didn't sell me! She saved Daddy's life! She told me everything last night!
Richard’s face tightened with rage. He took two aggressive steps toward Mary, his fist clenched tight at his side. He reached out to grab the paper from her hand, but a tall man stepped out from the crowd and blocked his path. It was Arthur Vance, one of the top custody attorneys in the state.
Arthur: Hold on a minute, Richard. Let me take a look at that document.
Richard: Get out of my way, Arthur! You are a guest in my home, not a judge!
Arthur: As a lawyer, I am obligated to intervene if a crime is being committed right in front of me. Hand me the paper, ma'am.
Mary handed the document to the attorney without hesitation. Arthur unfolded it, his sharp eyes scanning the fine print quickly under the bright chandelier lights. The crowd leaned in, waiting for his reaction while Richard stood frozen, sweat glistening on his forehead.
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