Julian slowly pulled himself up from his knees, wiping the wet tears from his face with the back of his velvet sleeve. He turned around to face Victoria, who was now standing up clumsily while trying to fix her ruined yellow dress. Her mouth opened to speak, to offer some quick fake apology or explanation, but Julian held up a single hand to cut her off completely. His face was no longer filled with panic, but with a cold, firm anger that she had never seen on him before. He realized that marrying a woman who treated poor people with cruelty would ruin his life forever. The veil had been lifted from his eyes, showing him the dark reality behind Victoria's beautiful smile.
Julian: Do not say another word to my mother or to me.
Victoria: Julian, baby, I did not know she was your mother!
Julian: That makes what you did even worse!
Victoria: We can still have the wedding right now!
Julian: There is no wedding coming, Victoria. It is over.
Julian reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a heavy gold ring setting that held a massive diamond engagement ring. Without hesitation, he tossed it onto the cold marble floor, where it bounced and rolled until it stopped near Victoria's high heels. Victoria gasped loudly, reaching down to grab the ring as if she could still save the rich lifestyle she desperately wanted. But Julian was already moving away from her, walking toward the large wooden podium at the side of the room where his family lawyer was sitting silently with a leather briefcase. The guests leaned forward, eager to see what was going to happen next in this crazy turn of events.
The lawyer stood up, opened his black leather briefcase, and pulled out a stack of thick legal papers bound with a blue ribbon. This was the final will and testament of Julian's late father, along with the current living trust document for the entire estate. The lawyer stepped over to Eleanor, placing the document gently in her lap so she could review her signature on the last page. Eleanor looked up at the room full of rich people, her hands steady now as the truth began to take control of the grand ballroom. The property, the luxury vehicles, the bank accounts, and the mansion itself did not belong to Julian yet. They were held entirely under Eleanor's name until her death.
Julian had been acting as the manager of the estate, but Eleanor held full legal authority to revoke his access at any given moment. If Eleanor decided to sign the amendment papers resting in her lap, Julian would be left with nothing but his own personal savings. Victoria stared at the papers in absolute panic, realizing that her dream of living in a mansion was evaporating into thin air right before her eyes. She had treated an old woman like trash, only to find out that the old woman held the entire key to the fortune she wanted to join. She took a step toward Eleanor, trying to form a sweet, fake smile on her face to beg for mercy.