Julian turned his eyes back toward Victoria, glaring at her with fierce, intense rage and total disgust. The silence in the foyer grew so heavy that only the sound of the falling rain outside could be heard. Victoria backed away a single step, her face growing pale as she realized she could no longer deny the physical evidence sitting right in front of them.
Julian: You monster. You touched my son. You laid a hand on my innocent child while I was away supporting this family.
Victoria: Julian, listen to me! It's not what it looks like! He fell on the stairs yesterday! He's clumsy, you know that! I was only trying to discipline him so he grows up proper!
Elena: That is a lie, Mr. Sterling. She has been hurting him for months.
Elena stood up slowly from the marble floor, placing a hand against her reddened cheek where Victoria had slapped her. She pulled her smartphone out from her apron pocket with steady hands and stepped forward toward Julian, ignoring Victoria's furious glares.
Elena: I have taken photos of every bruise and mark she left on Leo over the last four months. I kept a detailed journal with dates and times of every incident. I was terrified she would fire me if I spoke up without proof, but I cannot stay silent anymore.
Victoria lunged forward toward Elena, her hands clawing at the air in a sudden panic to grab the phone out of the maid's hands.
Victoria: Give me that phone, you lying bitch! You're fired! Get out of my house this second!
Julian stepped into Victoria's path with an imposing stance, extending his free arm to block her completely from reaching Elena. His jaw was set like stone, his voice cold and sharp enough to cut through glass.
Julian: You don't fire anyone in this house ever again, Victoria. You are the one who is leaving.
Victoria: You can't throw me out! This is my home! I have rights under our prenup, and my divorce lawyer will take every single cent you own! You will lose the real estate business, the estate, and full custody of Leo!
Julian: Try me. I will hire every top custody lawyer and criminal prosecutor in this state. You will not get a single dime from the family trust fund, and you will never lay eyes on my son ever again. In fact, the police are on their way right now for child abuse and assault.
At the mention of the police, Victoria's eyes filled with genuine panic. Her high-society reputation, her luxury lifestyle, and her carefully crafted social image were about to be utterly destroyed in a public courtroom. She looked at Julian's cold, unforgiving expression and realized that no amount of smooth talking or fake tears would save her this time.
Within twenty minutes, two city police cruisers pulled up the long circular driveway of the Sterling estate, their red and blue lights flashing against the wet marble pillars of the front porch. Two officers stepped into the foyer, taking formal statements from Julian and Elena while reviewing the clear photographic evidence stored on Elena's phone.
Victoria was escorted out of the grand mansion in handcuffs, her expensive blue satin dress wrinkled and her blonde hair disheveled as she was led down the stone steps into the back of a police car. She spat bitter words at the officers, but nobody listened to her excuses anymore. The truth had finally come out into the light, and her reign of terror over the house was officially over.