Ten minutes later, I pulled my SUV up to the rain-soaked bus stop. Elena was sitting on the cold metal bench, clutching her thin coat around her shoulders, shivering violently. I opened the passenger door and stepped out into the rain.
Mark: Get in the car, Elena.
Elena: Mr. Vance, I don't want any trouble... I just need the medicine for my mother’s heart condition...
Mark: I know what happened, Elena. I watched the backup security camera footage. I saw you dive across that floor. I saw you save my daughter’s life.
Elena froze, her eyes widening as fresh tears welled up in them.
Elena: You... you saw it? You know I didn't drop her?
Mark: You didn't drop her. My wife dropped her because she was careless, and then she tried to ruin your life to protect her own reputation. Get in the car. We are going back home to fix this right now.
When we arrived back at the mansion, I walked through the front doors with Elena right behind me. Victoria was standing at the top of the grand staircase, holding a fresh glass of wine. When she saw Elena walking into the foyer, her face turned bright red with fury.
Victoria: Are you out of your mind, Mark?! Why did you bring that criminal back into my house?! I told you to get rid of her!
Mark: Step down here, Victoria. Now.
Victoria: Don't you use that tone with me! I am your wife! I want this trash out of my home immediately, or I’m calling the police department to report a trespass!
Mark: Go ahead, call them! Call Sheriff Miller right now! Because when they get here, I’ll hand them the 4K cloud video of you dropping our six-month-old daughter over the balcony railing while screaming into your phone!
Victoria stopped dead in her tracks on the staircase. The wine glass in her hand wobbled dangerously as the color drained completely from her face.
Victoria: What... what are you talking about? I deleted that video...
Mark: You deleted the local file on the home server. You forgot that our security company keeps an off-site mirror backup. I have the entire video saved on my phone, my laptop, and forwarded to my family lawyer.
Victoria: Mark... listen to me... it was an accident! I was on the phone with my real estate broker about the penthouse purchase... I lost my balance! I was terrified you would leave me if you knew I slipped!
Mark: You slipped, and instead of taking responsibility, you blamed an innocent woman who risked her own body to save our child! You threw her out into the rain like garbage!
Leave a Comment