Mrs. Sterling: Clara, control yourself! Think of the press! Think of our family name!
Clara: Your family name is mud, Mrs. Sterling. And your son belongs in a courtroom, not at an altar.
Julian: Clara, stop! You're making a huge mistake! You can't ruin my reputation over a maid's lies!
Clara: She isn't lying, Julian. She has the court documents. She has the ring. And most importantly, she has your son's face.
I reached up and unclipped my heavy diamond tiara, the Sterling family heirloom that Mrs. Sterling had proudly placed on my head an hour ago. I held it in my hand for a brief second, feeling its fake weight, before tossing it onto the marble floor. It skittered across the tiles, stopping right at Julian's polished dress shoes.
Julian: Are you out of your mind?! That tiara is worth two hundred thousand dollars!
Clara: Keep it. Use it to pay the child support you owe Helena.
Helena: Miss Clara... I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to ruin your wedding day. I just couldn't let him do this to another woman.
Clara: You didn't ruin my day, Helena. You saved my entire life.
I turned to the priest, who was standing froze by the altar with the heavy Bible still open in his trembling hands.
Clara: Father, close the book. There's no wedding today.
Priest: May God have mercy on this house...
Julian: Clara! Don't you dare walk out those doors! If you leave, I'll make sure your family never works in this city again!
Clara: Try it, Julian. My father owns forty percent of the board that controls your real estate firm. By tomorrow morning, you won't even have a corner office.
I reached down and grabbed my long lace train, tearing the delicate tulle off my waist so I could walk freely. I stepped toward Helena, who was still holding her son close, staring at me with wide, tear-filled eyes.
Clara: Helena, get up. You're not cleaning another floor in this building.
Helena: What?
Clara: Come with me. Both of you. My family's lawyers are the best trust-and-estate attorneys in the state. We're going to make sure Julian pays every single cent of child support he's dodged for six years.
Leo: Are we going in the big car, lady?
Clara: Yes, sweetie. We're going in the very big car.
Julian: Helena, if you step out of this hall with her, you'll never see a dime of my trust fund!
Helena: I don't want your trust fund, Julian. I want what's fair for our son. And today, I finally have the courage to take it.
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