Victoria stood up so fast that her chair slid back and slammed into the wall behind her. She glared at Richard, her face twisted with a mixture of intense shock and deep hatred. She could not believe that her life of luxury, high-end shopping trips, and credit cards was ending so suddenly over a single evening incident. But as she looked closer at Richard’s firm face, she realized there was more to his anger than just last night's event. Richard stepped closer to the table, pulling out another sheet of paper from the lawyer’s thick folder. It was an official police report from four years ago, stamped by the local precinct in a neighboring county. Victoria’s eyes widened in sheer terror when she recognized the case number printed at the top of the white page.
Richard: Did you really think I would never find out about your past, Victoria?
Victoria: I... I do not know what you are talking about. That paper means nothing!
Richard: It means everything. It explains why you could never stand to look at Leo with any actual warmth.
Arthur: Three years ago, before meeting Mr. Sterling, you surrendered all legal parental rights to a child in another state after failing basic care duties.
Victoria: That was a mistake from my youth! It has nothing to do with this marriage or your rich family!
The room went dead quiet as the ugly truth hung heavy in the air. Richard looked at Victoria not with anger anymore, but with complete disgust. He had hired a private investigator two weeks prior after noticing how distant and cold Victoria always acted whenever little Leo tried to talk to her. The investigation had uncovered that Victoria had abandoned her own biological child years ago just to pursue a high-life social lifestyle in the city. She had hidden her past completely when she met Richard, portraying herself as a loving, sweet woman who wanted nothing more than to be a good stepmother to his motherless son. Her entire identity was a fake performance designed purely to secure access to the massive Sterling estate and financial fortune.
Richard: You never wanted to be a mother to Leo. You just wanted my money and my house.
Victoria: Richard, please! I can change! We can go to counseling! Think about what people in the city will say if we divorce so quickly!
Richard: I do not care what anyone in this city thinks anymore. My son’s safety and happiness are the only things that matter to me.
Victoria: You are making the biggest mistake of your life! You will regret this!
Richard did not reply to her loud threats. He turned his back on his wife and walked out of the formal dining room without looking back even once. Victoria sank down onto the floor, her expensive robe pooling around her as she began to cry tears of bitter frustration and shame. She realized that no amount of screaming or begging would change Richard’s mind. The lawyer remained standing near the table, keeping his eyes on her while placing the legal paperwork back inside his dark leather briefcase. Within two days, Victoria’s name would be removed from the estate accounts, her car keys would be returned, and her access to the grand mansion would be terminated forever.