Victoria's face turned completely ghost-white. She staggered back against the entryway wall, her hand flying to her mouth as she stared at Elena. The confident, arrogant facade she had worn just moments ago completely collapsed into sheer horror.
Victoria: No... no, there are no cameras up there! David told me the system was only on the outer perimeter!
David: I upgraded the internal sensors last week to keep Lily safe while I was away on business trips. Every corner of the main atrium and the tenth-floor walkway is recorded on cloud servers twenty-four hours a day.
Arthur: That means the entire incident—from the moment you lifted the child over the railing to the moment you let her drop—is captured in full crystal-clear video.
Victoria: David, please! Listen to me! I was overwhelmed! I haven't been in my right mind lately! I need help!
David: Save your breath for the judge. You aren't getting a single dime, and you are going to spend the rest of your life in a state penitentiary.
Outside, the loud, wailing sounds of police sirens began echoing down the long suburban driveway. Red and blue lights flashed through the tall glass windows of the grand entrance, casting moving shadows across the marble foyer.
Elena: The police are here, Mr. David.
David: Thank you, Elena. Stay right there with Lily.
Two armed police officers rushed through the front doors with their handguns unholstered, their eyes scanning the dramatic scene inside the mansion.
Officer 1: Police! Nobody move! Put your hands where we can see them!
David: Officers, I am David Sterling, the homeowner. I called 911. The suspect is standing right there by the door.
Officer 2: Ma'am, step away from the door and put your hands behind your back immediately!
Victoria: You don't understand! This is a domestic misunderstanding! My husband is trying to frame me!
Arthur: Officer, I am Mr. Sterling's attorney. We have full HD cloud surveillance footage of this woman intentionally throwing a one-year-old child from the tenth-floor interior balcony.
Officer 1: Turn around, ma'am! Right now!
Officer 1 moved in quickly, grabbing Victoria's arms and pinning them behind her back. The sharp click of heavy steel handcuffs rang through the foyer. Victoria began squirming and screaming hysterically as the reality of her total defeat set in.
Victoria: Get your hands off me! Do you know who I am?! I am Victoria Sterling!
David: Not anymore. As of this moment, you are nothing to this family.
Victoria: David! Please! Don't let them take me! I'll leave! I'll sign the divorce papers! I'll surrender all rights!
David: You'll surrender your freedom. That's what you'll surrender.
The officers dragged the kicking and screaming woman out through the grand double doors, leading her straight into the back of a black-and-white police cruiser. The front door closed, leaving the foyer in a profound, peaceful silence for the first time in hours.
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