Evelyn turned her attention back to Chloe, her cold expression softening into a chilling smile.
Evelyn: Hand over the ring, Chloe.
Chloe: What?! No! This is my engagement ring! He gave it to me!
Evelyn: He gave it to you with stolen money from the Sterling Foundation trust account.
Julian: Chloe, just give her the ring! Don't make this any worse than it already is!
Chloe: You coward! You stood there and hit me in front of all these people!
Julian: Because you almost ruined my entire future in thirty seconds!
Chloe: You promised me I would be the mistress of this penthouse! You promised me a three-million-dollar wedding!
Evelyn: My son promised you things he never owned in the first place.
Evelyn extended her hand, holding out her palm in front of Chloe.
Evelyn: The ring. Right now. Or I call the district attorney regarding corporate embezzlement before midnight.
Chloe's fingers trembled as she pulled the sparkling diamond ring off her finger.
She tossed it onto the marble floor at Evelyn's feet with a bitter sneer.
Chloe: Keep your stupid ring! You're both crazy!
Evelyn didn't even bend down to pick up the ring. She simply looked at the head guard.
Evelyn: Place that in an evidence envelope for the auditing team, Thomas.
Head Guard: Right away, Mrs. Sterling.
Chloe: I'm leaving! I'm calling my father right now!
Evelyn: Tell your father that his catering contract with the Sterling Hotel chain is terminated effective immediately.
Chloe gasped, clutching her chest as if she had been hit in the stomach.
Chloe: You can't do that! That contract keeps his company afloat!
Evelyn: He should have taught his daughter basic manners before sending her into my ballroom.
Chloe turned around and ran toward the main exit doors, her white silk gown trailing behind her as guests moved out of her way, whispering and snickering.
Julian stepped toward his mother, his hands shaking as he adjusted his blue tuxedo jacket.
Julian: Mother... please forgive me. I was foolish. I let her manipulate me.
Evelyn: You didn't let her manipulate you, Julian. You were greedy. You wanted her father's political connections.
Julian: I was doing it for the business! I wanted to expand our hotel holdings into the west coast market!
Evelyn: You don't build an empire by stealing from your family's foundation, Julian.
A tall man in a dark grey suit walked out from the executive elevator, holding a leather folder under his arm.
Arthur: Good evening, Mrs. Sterling. The legal papers are prepared as requested.
Evelyn: Thank you, Arthur. Did you check the offshore accounts in the Cayman Islands?
Arthur: We did. We found three unauthorized wire transfers totaling four hundred thousand dollars.
Julian's face turned completely ghostly white as he stared at the lawyer.
Julian: Arthur... you promised me those accounts were private!
Arthur: I work for the Sterling Family Trust, Julian. Not for you.
Evelyn took the legal folder from Arthur's hands and opened it slowly under the warm light of the chandelier.
Evelyn: It seems my son has been very busy over the last six months.