Evelyn sat in the plush leather backseat of the black sedan, pressing a cold ice pack against her swollen cheek. The driver, Arthur, kept his eyes on the rear-view mirror, his knuckles white against the steering wheel.
Arthur: Ma'am, please let me call the police. He assaulted you in a public ballroom.
Evelyn: Not yet, Arthur. A simple police report is much too merciful for what Marcus did today.
Arthur: Your cheek is terribly bruised, Mrs. Vance.
Evelyn: Physical pain fades quickly, Arthur. The pain of betrayal stays until justice is delivered.
The car door opened, and Thomas Sterling stepped inside, pulling his silver-framed glasses off to clean them with a silk handkerchief. He looked at Evelyn's face and gasped.
Thomas: Good lord, Evelyn! Did Marcus do that to you?
Evelyn: He struck me in front of two hundred guests, Thomas. And Victoria bragged about seizing the valley property.
Thomas: That arrogant foolish boy. Does he have any idea who actually owns the deed to that valley land?
Evelyn: He believes the forged signature Victoria obtained through her uncle's title company is legally binding.
Thomas: I have the original master land grant right here in my briefcase, signed by your father forty years ago. Her title company filed a fraudulent claim.
Evelyn: What about the wedding venue itself, Thomas? The grand ballroom?
Thomas: The entire estate, including the country club and the golf course, is owned by Vance Commercial Holdings.
Evelyn: And who holds ninety percent of the voting shares in Vance Commercial Holdings?
Thomas: You do, Evelyn. You have held those shares since your brother passed away three years ago.
Evelyn removed the ice pack from her cheek, her cold blue eyes fixing on the lawyer with absolute clarity.
Evelyn: Marcus thinks his father left him the family empire in his will.
Thomas: His father left him a conditional five percent allowance, contingent entirely upon your personal approval and good character standards.
Evelyn: He slapped me across the face and told me I had no power here.
Thomas: I can execute the immediate revocation of his trust allowance within ten minutes, Evelyn. All it takes is your voice authorization to the board.
Evelyn: What about Victoria's family business? Her father's construction firm?
Thomas: Her father's firm carries a twelve million dollar credit line with Vance Private Bank. They defaulted on their interest payment last Tuesday.
Evelyn: Call the bank president immediately. Terminate the credit line and demand full repayment of the principal by five o'clock today.
Thomas: That will force her father's construction company into total bankruptcy before the weekend, Evelyn.
Evelyn: Good. Let her family understand what it feels like to lose their property in an instant.
Thomas: And what about the wedding reception happening inside right now?
Evelyn: Is the building manager waiting for my instructions?
Thomas: Mr. Harrison is standing by at the main office terminal. He has not processed the caterer's card yet.
Evelyn: Tell Mr. Harrison to shut down the main power grid to the ballroom in twenty minutes.
Thomas: Shut down the power? During their wedding toast?
Evelyn: I want the music to stop, the lights to go dark, and the air conditioning to fail. Let them celebrate in the heat while we freeze their assets.
Thomas: It will be my absolute pleasure to make those phone calls, Evelyn.
Thomas pulled his mobile phone from his coat pocket and began dialing the private board numbers, his voice crisp and authoritative as he delivered his client's commands.
Evelyn leaned back against the leather headrest, watching the bright sunshine reflect off the ballroom's high glass windows. A faint, cold smile appeared on her lips despite the throbbing pain on her cheek.
Evelyn: They wanted a grand spectacle today, Arthur. We are going to give them a performance they will never forget for the rest of their lives.