- 6 hours ago
The Waldorf Secret
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Short filmTranscript
00:02shut up my billionaire father kept a secret mistress and told my mom accept it or i'll
00:08divorce you and leave you with nothing but he forgot one tiny detail my cleanless housewife
00:13mother was actually the most ruthless cpa in the state she didn't just file for divorce
00:18she froze his accounts exposed his 18 million dollar fraud and sent him straight to federal
00:23prison richard's phone buzzed on the kitchen island still plugged in to charge he shouted
00:29for me to get it i picked up the phone from the charger and glanced at the closed bathroom door
00:33hello is this the street darling he's in the shower i'm his daughter who is this this is guest services
00:39at the grand elitium resort we're just doing a routine follow-up about your stay in our family
00:43suite last night we just wanted to check in did the three-year-old boy with your party have any
00:47more allergic reactions to the peanut-free pastries we provided my stomach dropped the phone felt like
00:53a block of ice in my hand my dad is 55 my mom is 52 i am an only child
00:58i just turned 24
01:00and last weekend my dad told my mom he was flying out to san francisco for a closed door real
01:06estate
01:07summit who was on the phone my pulse hammered against my throat i shoved my trembling hands
01:14into my pockets telemarketer i hung up i forced the words past the lump in my throat he walked over
01:20to the mirror and casually smoothed some moisturizer over his face where's your mother ran to the
01:27butcher for some ribes she said you had a brutal week traveling and wanted to grill steaks tonight
01:31i stared at the back of his head she always takes good care of me three days of back-to
01:39-back meetings
01:40in san francisco really took it out of me the grand elitium resort wasn't in san francisco
01:46it was a 20 minute drive away right here in the local coastal hills dad
01:53yeah
01:56where did you stay in san francisco my company has an off-site there next month
02:01thought i'd ask for hotel reps his hand froze on his cheek for a fraction of a second
02:08just some standard business hotel the organizers booked nothing special when you go i'll book you
02:13a five-star place don't stay in those dumps he was lying i didn't push it i turned and walked
02:19out of
02:20the master bedroom back in my room i pulled up the statement for the authorized user card on my dad's
02:24account i majored in finance most of the family's electronic statements were routed to my email i
02:29opened last month's transaction history and scrolled down line by line last saturday eight thousand eight
02:34hundred dollars merchant the grand alicia resort dining and entertainment it wasn't just last week
02:39on the 14th of last month valentine's day a charge of twenty three thousand dollars
02:43merchant lumimico fine jewelry the gift my mom received that day was a twenty dollar bouquet of
02:49grocery store carnations my legs gave out and i collapsed into my desk chair
02:58richard chloe come help me with these bags
03:01come help me with these bags a second later i heard the front door unlock mom was home with
03:08groceries i took a deep breath and forced myself out of the room why'd you buy so much you're gonna
03:14throw your back out next time wait till i'm home to carry this stuff for you richard had already
03:21beaten me to it taking the heavy paper bags from her hands you had a long trip besides chloe loves
03:29grilled rib eye watching this picture perfect marriage play out bile rose in the back of my
03:34throat i had to look away the air in san francisco is so dry i picked up that limited edition
03:40fleur-de-lis
03:41skincare set you like try it tonight eleanor patted his arm and told him he shouldn't have spent so much
03:47during dinner richard kept refilling my mom's wine glass after dinner richard went to his home office to
03:53check emails using a cup of coffee as an excuse i pushed open the door to his home office i
03:58pushed open
03:58the door to his home office he was typing away at his computer dad brought you some coffee
04:10dad i saw a crazy story online today what kind of story
04:16some guy kept a mistress behind his wife's back even had a secret kid the wife found out and
04:21completely destroyed his life chloe what is your point secrets don't stay buried forever right dad
04:28i locked eyes with him richard looked up at me i didn't back down
04:34these clickate brogs love making up this kind of garbage you're fresh out of college chloe stop
04:39reading that internet trash and focus on your career but his jaw tightened enough adults handle their own
04:48business you don't get a vote are we clear you don't get a vote are we clear crystal clear
04:55i stared at him i muttered
05:03saturday morning richard claimed he had to head to the office the second his car pulled out of the
05:08driveway i called an uber and headed straight to grand elysium resort
05:17hi i need some information about richard sterling's stay here last weekend i'm his daughter
05:22he thinks he may have left something behind in the room then can you at least tell me who else
05:26was registered to the room i'm sorry miss that would violate guest privacy policy
05:34can you at least tell me what the woman with him looked like can you at least tell me what
05:39the
05:39woman with him looked like she was young late 20s maybe dressed very bogo chic like an artist type
05:48late 20s an artist type
05:53i walked out through the revolving doors and pulled out my phone pulling up the address for
05:58the luna co boutique i'd found last night i took a cab straight there and flagged down an older sale
06:04associate hi was there a necklace purchase under richard sterling on the 14th of last month
06:10yes of course mr sterling is one of our vip clients he came in that day with a very charming
06:15young woman
06:16and purchased our limited edition diamond necklace do you happen to know the woman's name
06:21do you happen to know the woman's name serena i believe he kept calling her his sweet serena
06:28they were very affectionate she kept insisting the necklace was too expensive but he absolutely
06:33refused to take no for an answer when i got home eleanor was out on the balcony watering her potted
06:39hydrangeas hey chloe what do you want for lunch i can whip something up her hair was tied back in
06:49a loose
06:56bone
06:57mom what's this you're a grown woman and you're still acting like a little kid
07:05mom have you ever thought of getting back out there getting a job a job i'm in my 50s honey
07:11besides richard won't care of it he says he makes enough to take care of us and i should just
07:15relax
07:16i stared at the green leaves on the balcony my chest felt like someone was sitting on it
07:21i couldn't just drop the bomb on her she had high blood pressure a shock like this could put her
07:25in
07:25the hospital i needed hard proof i needed to find this serena i needed hard proof i needed to find
07:32this serena i searched through hashtag after hashtag on pictogram finally i found an account called serena
07:38slash soul art her grid was a curated gallery of over filtered aesthetic lifestyle shots i started
07:45scrolling a post from the 14th of last month the photo was a tight shot of the lumina necklace against
07:50a woman's colobine the caption read he says traditional marriage's cage built for the world
07:54and i am the only safe harbor his soul has ever know i let out a harsh bark of a
07:57laugh sanctuary for
07:59his soul swiping my family's credit card for a 23 000 piece of jewelry and you're talking about a
08:05soul further down a post from last weekend location tag the grand elision resort the photo showed a
08:14small hand resting on a larger man's hand the caption a weekend escape from the city with my
08:20little guy forever grateful to the man behind the scenes who takes care of everything for us
08:25i stared at the phone screen the carpet pattern in the background was a perfect match for the family
08:31suite on the grand elision's website and in the corner of the frame strapped to the man's wrist was
08:35a chronos watch it was the same watch i bought richard for his birthday last year with my first
08:39internship paycheck i screenshot everything and dumped it into an encrypted folder most of her
08:44location tags hovered around oak roll estates houses there started at 10 million dollars
08:51richard was just a partner at a real estate firm where was he getting that kind of cash
08:58how's the job hunt going chloe if nothing's biting i can set you up with a junior analyst position at
09:03the
09:03firm that night richard came home and immediately slipped back into his good husband good father
09:09routine no thanks dad i want to figure it out on my own stubborn just like your mother looking at
09:18him my stomach turned hey dad i drove past oak book states today those mansions look incredible
09:29what were you doing over there
09:34just driving through heard a lot of indie artists live there must be nice richard slammed his fork down
09:41the metal scraped against the ceramic with a harsh grating sound chloe why are you so fixated on this
09:48shallow crap all of a sudden always obsessing about how much money other people have what about your own
09:53life i just made a comment why are you snapping at me
10:01i'm trying to teach you some values keep your feet on the ground and don't start acting like some
10:08money-hungry gold digger
10:12all right all right richard she just made an observation why are you getting so worked up
10:18drink this cool off eleanor quickly stepped in richard picked up the glass his hand was shaking
10:25slightly the next day the next day i blew off my afternoon plans and drove straight to oak brook
10:29estates security was posted at the front gate and there was no way i was getting past it so i
10:35parked
10:35outside a coffee shop across the street grabbed a seat by the window and watched for three straight
10:39hours at 2 p.m a white stallion v8 suv pulled out of the gates and parked next to a
10:44florist on the corner
10:45the door opened a woman stepped out wearing a linen maxi dress she was very thin with long hair
10:50down to her waist she definitely had that airy artistic vibe it was serena no question she went
10:56into the shop and came out holding a massive bouquet of white roses i tossed some cash onto the table
11:00walked out of the coffee shop and followed her from half a block behind she didn't go back to the
11:05suv instead she carried the flowers half a block further and walked into elite montessori academy
11:1010 minutes later 10 minutes later she walked out holding the hand of a little blonde boy
11:15maybe three years old he was dressed in a tailored prep school uniform clutching a toy fire truck
11:23mommy is daddy coming to see me today
11:28daddy's busy making lots of money to buy leo more toys
11:31the boy asked looking up at her serena ruffled his blonde hair i stepped right into the middle of
11:39the sidewalk blocking her path serena stopped a slight frown forming
11:45excuse me can i help you you're serena right i'm richard sterling's daughter excuse me can i help you
11:52you're serena right i'm richard sterling's daughter i don't know any richard
11:58bullshit want me to post the receipts from the grand elysium all over pingram
12:01or the purchase receipt for the lumina diamond necklace you're wearing around your neck right now
12:04what do you want a chat
12:14crack me down i'll play it straight your dad and i it's true love true love maxing out my family's
12:19credit cards and living in a multi-million dollar mansion that's your definition of love
12:22little girl what do you know about love to your mother richard is just a walking atm
12:27a tool but with me he actually feels alive i'm his soulmate the only one who truly gets it
12:32you're disgusting fucking pathetic disgusting richard buys me houses he buys me cars he begs
12:38to spend his money on me you know why because i make him feel like a king while your mother
12:43she's just a desperate housewife smelling of cheap vanilla extract and cleaner her words twisted
12:50and this homewrecker had the nerve to reduce her to a punchline the oakmore house richard bought it
12:57the oakmore house richard bought it yep my name is on the deed paid in full cash i stood frozen
13:04every muscle in my body shook
13:08that evening richard walked through the front door right at 7 00 p.m a rarity
13:14you went to see serena today yes
13:22richard are you insane ask her what she did showing up at an elite private school to cause a scene
13:28like
13:28some street trash you completely humiliated me caused a scene caused a scene i just wanted to see what
13:35kind of soulmate you stash in a 20 million dollar cash house chloe what are you talking about shut
13:40the hell up chloe one more word out of your mouth and you can pack your bags and get the
13:44fuck out of
13:44my house i'm not the one who should get out you are you're the one keeping a mistress behind our
13:49backs you even have a fucking three-year-old bastard child fine since it's out in the open i won't
13:55bother
13:56hiding it yes leo is my son serena is my woman eleanor i plan to handle this after chloe got
14:04married and
14:05moved out so she blew the lid off let's set the rules i'm not filing for divorce you'll still be
14:11mrs stoey status quo remains i'll keep paying your credit card limits and household expenses but moving
14:17forward i'll be spending three nights a week at oak throw don't interfere don't cause a scene let's handle
14:21this like adults and if i refuse refuse then go get a lawyer and file for divorce but i promise
14:29you
14:29you won't get a dime you'll walk away with absolutely nothing you're in your 50s with health issues
14:35without me how exactly are you going to survive you sick fuck you sick fuck oh he dropped the knife
14:43mom he doesn't get to treat us like this are you done with the hysterics i'm sleeping at oak work
14:50tonight call me when you're ready to be reasonable
14:55mom i'm sorry i'm useless i don't know how to help you
14:59silly girl why are you calling
15:07mom why do you have did you think that follow-up call from the concierge was actually random
15:13i paid the concierge to make that call it was time you saw exactly what kind of piece of shit
15:18you've
15:18been calling dad chloe richard really thought i spent the last 30 years as some brainless housewife
15:23who only knows how to bake cookies he forgot one detail 30 years ago i was the youngest senior cpa
15:30in the state did you really think his shell companies and offshore trusts could slip past me
15:35mom you've known this whole time six months before you did i knew the exact day he made his first
15:40attempt to wire funds to a cayman islands account why didn't you just confront him because that wasn't
15:45enough why didn't you just confront him because that wasn't enough to nail him to the wall
15:50i was waiting waiting for him to cash out the largest smump and put the asset directly in that
15:55woman's name eleanor walked straight to the bookshelf she smoothly pulled out a heavy copy
16:00of principles of corporate vance tucked away in the back of the third row the center of the book
16:05was hollowed out inside lay a black encrypted flash drive she plugged the drive into a usb port
16:12the screen lit up and her fingers flew over the keyboard as she entered a long complex passcode
16:17a hidden encrypted directory popped up a hidden encrypted directory popped up it was packed with
16:23excel strep sheets bank statements and scanned pdfs of signed documents he's a control freak who trusts
16:29no one every illegal wire transfer he made he kept the master ledger himself mom with this we can
16:35absolutely destroy him in divorce court right not enough that's not what i want then what do you want
16:39i want him in a jumpsuit rotting in a cell
16:45half the money he wired to those offshore accounts was company funds he used serena's gallery as a
16:50front fake invorses cooked books and nearly 18 million dollars laundered out of the company
16:55that's corporate embezzlement and wire fraud clear-cut federal felonies
17:01there are two other senior partners at his firm those two old men barely check the ledgers they just
17:06collect their dividend checks at the end of the year but if they find out richard hollowed out
17:11their retirement funds to act as a sugar dad to his mistress what do you think they'll do
17:16the next day eleanor acted like nothing had happened she went to the butcher for steaks as usual and
17:23smiled at the neighbors across the street richard didn't set foot in the house for three straight
17:28days on the afternoon of the fourth day eleanor suddenly called me chloe elanor suddenly called me
17:34chloe drop what you're doing get to memorial downtown hospital right now
17:40i found her in the crowded hallway outside the er she stood like a statue her eyes locked on the
17:45billing counter down the hall richard was standing in line anxiously checking his watch over and over
17:50serena was clutching her stomach her face as white as a bed sheet the little boy leo was yanking on
17:56her
17:56dress and wailing loudly what happened serena's showing signs of a miscarriage richard bailed on a
18:02major board meeting and sped here to get her to the er she's pregnant again she's pregnant again yep
18:07what do you think richard's most desperate for right now he's out of cash flow he drained all
18:14the liquid assets and dumped them into the oakmore house and her gallery the firm's accounts are empty
18:19if he doesn't plug the hole by next week he can't even make payroll so how is he going to
18:24cover it
18:25he wants to take out a second mortgage on our house he texted me yesterday telling me to get the
18:30original deed ready said the firm had a minor cash flow hiccup and needed my signature
18:36you didn't sign it did you you didn't sign it did you of course not not only will i not
18:42give him
18:42the deed i'm going to hand him a generous gift arthur it's eleanor is richard at the office i can't
18:49reach him anywhere no eleanor richard said he had to meet a key developer he won't be back in the
18:53office this afternoon a developer that's strange i just bumped into him in maternity world at memorial
18:59downtown he was holding up a pregnant young woman i assumed it was one of the firm's employees
19:04having an emergency eleanor are you absolutely sure he was in the maternity womb yes i even snapped a
19:09quick photo to ask him about it later oh well maybe my eyes are tricks on me arthur please don't
19:14mention
19:14and i called you know how much he hates me prying into his business
19:22richard is our baby gonna be okay don't worry sweetheart the doctor said it's just minor
19:27cramping a few days of bed rest and you'll be fine i watched them walk toward the elevators
19:31wrapped in each other's arms and my stomach heaved for the next few days the house was quiet as a
19:37tem
19:37richard bombarded eleanor with texts every day demanding she get the deed ready eleanor brushed
19:43him off with vague excuses every time finally richard snapped friday night he stormed through
19:48the front door eleanor what the fuck is taking you so long eleanor what the fuck is taking you so
19:55long
19:56the firm is bleeding out and you can't even produce one damn piece of paper what's the rush the house
20:01is
20:01in both our names a second mortgage requires my signature in person with a notary my blood pressure
20:06has been spiking i'm not going anywhere eleanor i know you're still throwing a tantrum over serena
20:11but business is business the firm goes under we'll all end up on the street richard doesn't the firm
20:16have over 10 million in cash sitting in the operating account how could you possibly not make next week's
20:20payroll how do you know that that money's been tied up in a new development project for months i can't
20:24just pull it out oh is that so i thought you pulled that cash out to buy that mansion in
20:29oakwood you've
20:30been investigating me you've been investigating me you left a trail a mile wide don't push your fucking
20:34luck eleanor you won't sign let the firm burn to the ground we'll all go down together
20:39those debts are in your name they have nothing to do with my mom nothing to do with her go
20:43look up
20:43marital debt chloe you think you're so smart the two of you combined couldn't outplay me if you try
20:48mom is he telling the truth calm down chloe i don't start a war unless i know i've already won
20:54saturday morning eleanor drove us out to oakwood estates we didn't try to get past the gates she
20:59parked across the street in the lot of an exclusive private golf club mom what are we doing here
21:03we're waiting for someone a few minutes later a black mercedes s-class pulled into the lot and
21:08parked next to us eleanor you said on the phone yesterday you have hard proof that richard has
21:13been sifling corporate assets arthur let's talk in the car it's all in there every wire transfer
21:18and forged invoice richard routed through serena's gallery over the last six months
21:21it totals 18 million dollars that son of a bitch i treated him like a partner for years and he
21:25treated
21:26me like his fucking atm no wonder he swore up and down the accounts were dry when the contractors
21:30demanded payment last month arthur he's currently trying to take out a second mortgage on my house
21:34to plug this exact hole if he gets that mortgage the books will balance come the year-end audit you
21:39won't find a single trace of this over my dead body eleanor what's your play over my dead body
21:43eleanor what's your play i want him ruined i want him to spit out every cent he swallowed with interest
21:48but i need your board authority to launch an internal audit and call the feds consider it done eleanor
21:54there is nothing i despise more than a fool who burns down a company for a mistress
21:58monday morning at nine light a.m right after richard left two black suvs holding to our driveway
22:08mrs eleanor stirring we're court officers acting on behalf of the state supreme court
22:12this is an asset freezing order we need your signature
22:17arthur moved faster than i anticipated mrs sterling we now need to confiscate all deeds and title documents
22:23related to this property please cooperate
22:30mom didn't you say we were gonna wait how is this happening so fast
22:37if i waited any longer this mortgage this house to cover the hole he created
22:41my legal team secured an emergency asset freezing order right now every bank account trust fund and
22:48property in his name including that house in oak rook is frozen
22:56just how massive was the net my mother had woven over the last six months
23:07chloe has your mother lost her fucking mind she had the court freeze my corporate accounts where is
23:13she put her on the phone eleanor what the fuck are you doing do you realize the firm's entire
23:19operating capital is frozen every project has ground to a halt if the developers sue me for breach of
23:25contract i'll be ruined that's the point richard i filed against you for infidelity marital dissipation
23:33of assets corporate embezzlement and wire fraud the court has officially accepted the filings
23:39what did you say i said i want a divorce but not your let's handle this like adults version
23:48you are going to walk away with zero you're crazy on what grounds do you think you can take
23:54everything on the grounds that you illegally transferred 23 million dollars in marital assets
24:00on the grounds that you embezzled 18 million dollars from the company
24:07and on the strength of every piece of evidence in my possession eleanor you think you can beat me
24:12let me tell you chloe listen to me from this second forward do not believe a single word out of
24:19richard's mouth the day after the assets were frozen serena showed up at our house chloe tell
24:30your mother to drop the lawsuit why the hell should i if richard goes to federal prison what good does
24:35that do you two he is your flesh and blood are you just going to stand by and watch his
24:38life get
24:39destroyed my dad he's a serial liar not my father don't you understand the baby inside me can't grow
24:46up without a father please just beg your mother to drop it serena let me ask you a question
24:54is leo actually richard's biological son of course he is what kind of bullshit are you talking about
24:59oh really then let's just wait for oh really then let's just wait for the court order dna paternity
25:04test it'll all be there in black and white serena looked like she had seen a ghost she spun
25:09around and practically stumbled away arthur went to the authorities the district attorney and the fbi
25:14have officially opened a case grand corporate emezzlement by tomorrow richard will be in
25:20handcuffs sitting in the county jail mom just how many more cards are you hiding up your sleeve
25:26chloe the biggest regret of my life was letting my cpa license expire to take care of this family
25:32i don't regret marrying richard but i do regret trapping myself in the shell of a housewife whose
25:38only value was tied to the kitchen mom you are the most badass ruthless woman i have ever known
25:47silly girl i'm not a badass i just couldn't let you grow up thinking that when a woman gets betrayed
25:52her only option is to suffer in silence word spread fast arthur called eleanor within an hour eleanor they
26:00got him he broke down in the interrogation room confessed to everything fogging like a baby
26:04the opium house is in serena's name but the down payment and the mortgage were paid using
26:08corporate funds arthur have already compiles the paper trap don't worry eleanor serena isn't getting
26:13away either the da is nailing her as an accomplice for money laundering and receiving stolen property
26:20grab your coat chloe we're taking the drive grab your coat chloe we're taking the drive
26:26to oprah to see serena no to county jail i'm handing your father the divorce settlement myself
26:38eleanor i messed up please drop the charges i can't do prison time richard the property settlement
26:43is finalized you sign and you walk away with nothing the house the bank accounts the cars they
26:48all go to me you don't have to sign 18 million in wire fraud will get you at least 10
26:54years in federal
26:55lockup i can just finalize the divorce while you're rotting in the cell eleanor you can't be this cold
27:0230 years of marriage cold when you were screwing another woman in the family suite at the grandalist
27:09and dropping 23 grand on her diamond necklace did you think about our 30 years then
27:20son you have zero leverage here
27:30eleanor can you arrange for me to see leo he's my son
27:37richard there is one last thing you should know the police raided serena's place
27:43they confesseded her phone it had all your texts and bank transfers
27:53but they also found some records you didn't know about what records while she was playing house with
27:59you serena was sleeping with three other men two of them she's known since before she even met you
28:11the dna test on leo came back yesterday the dna test on leo came back yesterday
28:17he is not your son
28:24this is the official lab report want to read it she swore she swore leo was mine
28:32she also swore you were the sanctuary for her soul
28:35you got played richard from day one you were nothing but a walking atm
28:45serena
28:48enjoy yourself richard
28:4930 years of marriage and this is the absolute last thing i will ever do for you
29:00three months later the court handed down the verdict richard was convicted of corporate embezzlement
29:06and wire fraud the judge handed him 15 years in federal prison but that wasn't all he caught an
29:13additional charge for aggravated assault after the dna results came back he had his lawyer arrange a
29:19face-to-face visit with serena at the jail the two of them got into a vicious argument richard snapped
29:24launched across the table and wrapped his hands around her throat she suffered severe trauma and lost the baby
29:30the aggravated assault charge stuck the judge tacked it on bringing his total sentence to 50 years
29:37serena was convicted of receiving stolen property and money laundering she got three years in prison
29:43suspended for four years of probation but her karma went way beyond that she lost the baby
29:49she lost the oak brook mansion she lost every single dime richard spent on her
29:53as for leo's real father she couldn't even name the guy herself the three-year-old ended up in the
29:59foster care system
30:04mom what's gonna happen to leo mom what's gonna happen to leo he's serena's problem not ours
30:10eleanor eventually opened her own boutique cpa firm the client list was small strictly word of mouth
30:15she swore she would never kill her career for anyone ever again i quit my corporate job and passed
30:21the cpa exam now i'm working as her junior partner the two of us are living better than we ever
30:27did
30:27before as for richard a 50-year sentence means he's going to die in a cage sometimes i wonder if
30:35the
30:35regrets keep him awake at night but mostly i just don't think about him at all he isn't my father
30:42anymore
30:43eleanor was right the one thing a woman can never afford to give up on is herself lesson learned i
30:49will
30:50never forget it
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