Victoria: You... you struck me! You actually touched me!
Thomas: Consider it a receipt for the damage you did to my daughter's face.
Victoria: You are going to prison for the rest of your life! I will spend every single cent of my inheritance to ensure you never see the light of day again!
Thomas: I don't think so, Victoria. Take a look at the security camera in the corner of your own foyer.
Victoria looked up toward the high ceiling, where a small, blinking red light indicated the estate's high-definition surveillance system was fully operational, recording every second of the confrontation under the bright, even daylight.
Thomas: That footage shows you striking a young girl who was working for you on an empty stomach. My hit was defense of a minor child under imminent threat.
Victoria: That camera is private property! The footage belongs to the Davis corporation!
Thomas: My brother has the remote access codes from his legal investigation contract, lady. The feed is backed up to an external server that your lawyers can't touch.
Lily looked at her father, her heart filling with a deep sense of pride and safety. The exhaustion and hunger were still there, but the crippling fear had completely vanished from her chest.
Lily: Thank you, Papa.
Thomas: Let's go home, Lily. Your mom is making Sunday roast, and we have an apartment mortgage to figure out together, without this monster's money.
Thomas picked up his metal toolbox with one hand and wrapped his other arm tightly around Lily's shoulders, shielding her from the wealthy woman's hateful gaze as they walked toward the massive front doors.
Victoria: You won't get away with this! I will find a way to destroy you both!
Thomas: Good luck with that, Victoria. You're going to be very busy dealing with the labor board and the media by tomorrow morning.
They stepped out into the warm, bright natural daylight of the driveway, leaving the luxury mansion and its cruel owner behind in the ringing silence of her own empty foyer. Lily breathed in the fresh air, knowing that her long night of hunger and fear was finally over, and that her father's protection was the only true fortune she would ever need.