The heavy silence following Arthur's declaration was broken only by the sound of sirens blaring in the distance, drawing closer to the Dallas estate. Victoria pressed her hand against her reddened cheek, her eyes darting frantically around the room like a trapped animal.
Victoria: You can't prove anything! That little brat is making things up, Arthur! He's traumatized!
Arthur: Traumatized because you locked him behind a drywall sheet for months!
Elena: I have the phone calls saved too, Mr. Vance. I kept quiet until I could figure out where she was hiding him.
Victoria: Shut up, you miserable maid! I'll ruin you! I'll make sure you never work in this city again!
Arthur: You won't be ruining anyone, Victoria. Look at yourself.
Arthur knelt back down next to Toby, gently sweeping the white plaster dust from the boy's dark hair. The young boy clung to his father's coat, his chest heaving with small, shaky breaths.
Arthur: Are you hurt, son? Did she hurt you?
Toby: I was so hungry, Daddy... She only gave me bread and water through a tiny slot behind the pantry cabinet.
Arthur: God forgive me... I believed her when she showed me those forged medical reports from the fake clinic.
Victoria: It was for us, Arthur! He was taking all your attention away from our marriage! You cared more about his dead mother's estate than me!
Arthur: You monster! His mother's trust fund was meant for his future, not your luxury shopping sprees!
Elena: She spent every weekend at the casino, sir. She was using the trust fund money to pay off her gambling debts.
Victoria: You snooping little pest!
Victoria lunged toward Elena, her manicured nails aimed at the maid's face, but Arthur stepped in between them, shoving Victoria back forcefully onto the marble floor.
Arthur: Don't you dare touch her! Elena saved my son's life today!
Victoria: You think the police will take the word of a maid and a child over mine? I have the top defense attorneys on retainer in Texas!
Arthur: Not with my money, you don't. Every single bank account tied to my business and estate is being frozen right now.
The front doorbell rang violently, followed by loud, authoritative knocks against the solid oak wood.
Police Officer: Police! Open up!
Arthur: It's open! In here!
Two uniformed police officers burst into the foyer, their eyes immediately taking in the destruction—the smashed wall, the weeping child, the trembling maid, and the frantic woman scrambling on the floor.
Police Officer: Nobody move! What happened here?
Arthur: Officer, arrest this woman. She kidnapped my son, faked his death, and concealed him inside the wall of my home to steal his inheritance.
Victoria: He's lying! It's a domestic dispute! My husband has gone mad!
Elena: Here is the hammer she used to trap him, Officer. And here is the flash drive the boy recorded while locked inside.
The lead officer looked at the tiny USB drive in Elena's hand, then at the gaping hole in the wall. He motioned to his partner.
Police Officer: Cuff her. We're taking her in for child endangerment, kidnapping, and fraud.
Victoria: Get your hands off me! Do you know who I am?! Arthur, tell them to stop!
Arthur: Take her away out of my sight forever.
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