- 3 hours ago
The Waldorf Secret SM
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:01Shut up!
00:30I picked up the phone from the charger and glanced at the closed bathroom door.
00:34Hello, is this Mr. Sterling?
00:35He's in the shower. I'm his daughter. Who is this?
00:38This is guest services at the Grand Elisham Resort.
00:40We're just doing a routine follow-up about your stay in our family suite last night.
00:44We just wanted to check in.
00:46Did the three-year-old boy with your party have any more allergic reactions to the peanut-free pastries we
00:50provided?
00:50My stomach dropped. The phone felt like a block of ice in my hand.
00:54My 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 summit.
01:08Who was on the phone?
01:10My pulse hammered against my throat.
01:13I shoved my trembling hands into my pockets.
01:15Telemarketer, I hung up.
01:17I forced the words past the lump in my throat.
01:20He walked over to the mirror and casually smoothed some moisturizer over his face.
01:24Where's your mother?
01:26Ran to the butcher for some rib-aise.
01:28She said you had a brutal week traveling and wanted to grill steaks tonight.
01:31I stared at the back of his head.
01:35She always takes good care of me.
01:38Three days of back-to-back meetings in San Francisco really took it out of me.
01:43The Grand Elisham Resort wasn't in San Francisco.
01:46It was a 20-minute drive away.
01:49Right here in the local coastal hills.
01:51Dad.
01:53Yeah?
01:56Where did you stay in San Francisco?
01:58My company has an off-site there next month.
02:01Thought I'd ask for hotel reps.
02:04His hand froze on his cheek for a fraction of a second.
02:08Just some standard business hotel the organizers booked.
02:11Nothing special.
02:12When you go, I'll book you a five-star place.
02:14Don't stay in those dumps.
02:16He was lying.
02:17I didn't push it.
02:19I turned and walked out of the master bedroom.
02:21Back in my room, I pulled up the statement for the authorized user card on my dad's account.
02:25I majored in finance.
02:26Most of the family's electronic statements were routed to my email.
02:29I opened last month's transaction history and scrolled down line by line.
02:33Last Saturday, $8,800.
02:35Merchant, the Grand Elisha Resort Dining and Entertainment.
02:38It wasn't just last week.
02:39On the 14th of last month, Valentine's Day, a charge of $23,000.
02:43Merchant, Lumimico Fine Jewelry.
02:46The gift my mom received that day was a $20 bouquet of grocery store carnations.
02:51My legs gave out, and I collapsed into my desk chair.
02:57Richard!
02:58Chloe!
02:59Come help me with these bags!
03:01Come help me with these bags!
03:04A second later, I heard the front door unlock.
03:07Mom was home with groceries.
03:09I took a deep breath and forced myself out of the room.
03:13Why'd you buy so much?
03:14You're gonna throw your back out.
03:16Next time, wait till I'm home to carry this stuff for you.
03:20Richard had already beaten me to it, taking the heavy paper bags from her hands.
03:24You had a long trip.
03:26Besides, Chloe loves grilled ribeye.
03:30Watching this picture-perfect marriage play out, bile rose in the back of my throat.
03:35I had to look away.
03:36The air in San Francisco is so dry.
03:38I picked up that limited edition fleur-de-lis skin care set you like.
03:42Try it tonight.
03:44Eleanor patted his arm and told him he shouldn't have spent so much.
03:47During dinner, Richard kept refilling my mom's wine glass.
03:50After dinner, Richard went to his home office to check emails.
03:54Using a cup of coffee as an excuse, I pushed open the door to his home office.
03:57I pushed open the door to his home office.
03:59He was typing away at his computer.
04:06Dad, brought you some coffee.
04:09Dad, I saw a crazy story online today.
04:13What kind of story?
04:16Some guy kept a mistress behind his wife's back.
04:19Even had a secret kid.
04:20The wife found out and completely destroyed his life.
04:23Chloe, what is your point?
04:25Secrets don't stay buried forever.
04:27Right, Dad?
04:28I locked eyes with him.
04:29Richard looked up at me.
04:31I didn't back down.
04:34These click-ate brogs love making up this kind of garbage.
04:37You're fresh out of college, Chloe.
04:39Stop reading that internet trash and focus on your career.
04:43But...
04:44His jaw tightened.
04:46Enough!
04:47Adults handle their own business.
04:49You don't get a vote.
04:50Are we clear?
04:51You don't get a vote.
04:53Are we clear?
04:54Crystal clear.
04:55I stared at him.
04:57I muttered.
05:03Saturday morning, Richard claimed he had to head to the office.
05:06The second his car pulled out of the driveway,
05:08I called an Uber and headed straight to Grand Elysium Resort.
05:17Hi, I need some information about Richard Sterling's stay here last weekend.
05:21I'm his daughter.
05:22He thinks he may have left something behind in the room.
05:25Then can you at least tell me who else was registered to the room?
05:28I'm sorry, miss.
05:29That would violate guest privacy policy.
05:34Can you at least tell me what the woman with him looked like?
05:38Can you at least tell me what the woman with him looked like?
05:42She was young.
05:43She was young.
05:43Late 20s, maybe.
05:44Dressed very BOGO chic.
05:46Like an artist type.
05:48Late 20s.
05:49An artist type.
05:52I walked out through the revolving doors and pulled out my phone.
05:56Pulling up the address for the Luna Co. boutique I'd found last night.
06:01I took a cab straight there and flagged down an older sale associate.
06:05Hi, was there a necklace purchase under Richard Sterling on the 14th of last month?
06:09Yes, of course.
06:10Mr. Sterling is one of our VIP clients.
06:13He came in that day with a very charming young woman and purchased our limited edition diamond necklace.
06:19Do you happen to know the woman's name?
06:21Do you happen to know the woman's name?
06:24Serena, I believe.
06:25He kept calling her his sweet Serena.
06:28They were very affectionate.
06:30She kept insisting the necklace was too expensive, but he absolutely refused to take no for an answer.
06:35When I got home, Eleanor was out on the balcony watering her potted hydrangeas.
06:42Hey, Chloe.
06:44What do you want for lunch?
06:45I can whip something up.
06:47Her hair was tied back in a loose bone.
06:57Mom!
06:59What's this?
07:00You're a grown woman and you're still acting like a little kid.
07:05Mom, have you ever thought of getting back out there?
07:07Getting a job?
07:08A job?
07:09I'm in my 50s, honey.
07:11Besides, Richard won't hear of it.
07:13He says he makes enough to take care of us and I should just relax at home.
07:16I stared at the green leaves on the balcony.
07:18My chest felt like someone was sitting on it.
07:21I couldn't just drop the bomb on her.
07:22She had high blood pressure.
07:23A shock like this could put her in the hospital.
07:26I needed hard proof.
07:27I needed to find this Serena.
07:29I needed hard proof.
07:31I needed to find this Serena.
07:32I searched through hashtag after hashtag on pictogram.
07:36Finally, I found an account called Serena slash soul art.
07:39Her grid was a curated gallery of over-filtered, aesthetic lifestyle shots.
07:45I started scrolling.
07:46A post from the 14th of last month.
07:48The photo was a tight shot of the Lumina necklace against a woman's colobine.
07:51The caption read,
07:52He says traditional marriage's cage built for the world and I am the only safe harbor his soul has ever
07:56know.
07:56I let out a harsh bark of a laugh.
07:58Sanctuary for his soul?
08:00Swiping my family's credit card for a $23,000 piece of jewelry and you're talking about a fucking soul?
08:06Further down.
08:07A post from last weekend.
08:09Location tag.
08:10The Grand Elysian Resort.
08:13The photo showed a small hand resting on a larger man's hand.
08:17The caption.
08:18A weekend escape from the city with my little guy.
08:21Forever grateful to the man behind the scenes who takes care of everything for us.
08:26I stared at the phone screen.
08:28The carpet pattern in the background was a perfect match for the family suite on the Grand Elysian's website.
08:32And in the corner of the frame, strapped to the man's wrist, was a Kronos watch.
08:35It was the same watch I'd bought Richard for his birthday last year with my first internship paycheck.
08:40I screenshot everything and dumped it into an encrypted folder.
08:43Most of her location tags hovered around Oak Roll Estatants.
08:47Houses there started at $10 million.
08:51Richard was just a partner at a real estate firm.
08:55Where was he getting that kind of cash?
08:58How's the job hunt going, Chloe?
08:59If nothing's biting, I can set you up with a junior analyst position at the firm.
09:04That night, Richard came home and immediately slipped back into his good husband, good father routine.
09:11No thanks, Dad. I want to figure it out on my own.
09:15Stubborn. Just like your mother.
09:17Looking at him, my stomach turned.
09:21Hey Dad, I drove past Oak Brook 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.
09:39Richard slammed his fork down. The metal scraped against the ceramic with a harsh grating sound.
09:45Chloe, why are you so fixated on this shallow crap all of a sudden?
09:49Always obsessing about how much money other people have. What about your own life?
09:54I 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.
10:06And don't start acting like some money hungry gold digger.
10:12Alright, alright, Richard.
10:14She just made an observation. Why are you getting so worked up? Drink this.
10:19Cool off. Eleanor quickly stepped in.
10:22Richard picked up the glass.
10:23His hand was shaking slightly.
10:25The next day, I blew off my afternoon plans and drove straight to Oak Brook Estates.
10:30Security was posted at the front gate and there was no way I was getting past it.
10:34So I parked outside a coffee shop across the street, grabbed a seat by the window and watched for three
10:39straight hours.
10:40At 2pm, a white stallion V8 SUV pulled out of the gates and parked next to a florist on the
10:45corner.
10:45The door opened. A woman stepped out wearing a linen maxi dress.
10:48She was very thin, with long hair down to her waist.
10:51She definitely had that airy, artistic vibe.
10:53It was Serena, no question.
10:55She went into the shop and came out holding a massive bouquet of white roses.
10:59I tossed some cash onto the table, walked out of the coffee shop and followed her from half a block
11:03behind.
11:03She didn't go back to the SUV.
11:06Instead, she carried the flowers half a block further and walked into Elite Montessori Academy.
11:1010 minutes later, she walked out holding the hand of a little blonde boy, maybe 3 years old.
11:17He 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.
11:35Serena ruffled his blonde hair.
11:37I stepped right into the middle of the sidewalk, blocking her path.
11:41Serena stopped, a slight frown forming.
11:45Excuse me, can I help you?
11:47You're Serena, right?
11:48I'm Richard Sterling's daughter.
11:54I don't know any Richard.
11:57Bullshit.
11:58Want 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?
12:05A chat.
12:14If you crack me down, I'll play it straight.
12:16Your dad and I?
12:16It's true love.
12:17True love?
12:18Maxing out my family's credit cards and living in the house.
12:20Living in a multi-million dollar mansion, that's your definition of love?
12:23Little girl, what do you know about love?
12:25To your mother, Richard is just a walking ATM.
12:27A tool.
12:28But with me, he actually feels alive.
12:30I'm his soulmate.
12:31The only one who truly gets it.
12:32You're disgusting.
12:33Fucking pathetic.
12:34Disgusting.
12:35Richard buys me houses.
12:37He buys me cars.
12:37He begs to spend his money on me.
12:39You know why?
12:40Because I make him feel like a king.
12:42While your mother?
12:43She's just a desperate housewife smelling of cheap vanilla extract and cleaner.
12:47Her words twisted like a knife in my butt.
12:49Eleanor gave her entire life to build this family.
12:52And this homewrecker had the nerve to reduce her to a punchline.
12:55The Oak Monroe house?
12:56Richard bought it?
12:57The Oak Monroe house?
12:59Richard bought it?
13:00Yep.
13:00My name is on the deed.
13:01Paid in full.
13:02Cash.
13:03I stood frozen.
13:04Every muscle in my body shook.
13:08That evening, Richard walked through the front door right at 7pm.
13:11A rarity.
13:14You went to see Serena today?
13:18Yes.
13:21Richard!
13:22Are you insane?
13:23Ask her what she did.
13:25Showing up at an elite private school to cause a scene like some street trash.
13:29You completely humiliated me.
13:31Caused a scene?
13:32Caused a scene?
13:33I just wanted to see what kind of soulmate you stash in a 20 million dollar cash house.
13:38Chloe, what are you talking about?
13:39Shut the hell up, Chloe!
13:40One more word out of your mouth and you can pack your bags and get the fuck out of my
13:44house!
13:44I'm not the one who should get out.
13:46You are.
13:46You're the one keeping a mistress behind our backs.
13:49You even have a fucking three year old bastard child.
13:52Fine.
13:54Since it's out in the open, I won't bother hiding it.
13:57Yes.
13:58Leo is my son.
14:00Serena is my woman.
14:01Eleanor.
14:02I planned to handle this after Chloe got married and moved out.
14:05Since she blew the lid off, let's set the rules.
14:08I'm not filing for divorce.
14:09I'm not filing for divorce.
14:10You'll still be Mrs. Sturt.
14:11The status quo remains.
14:13Keep paying your credit card limits and household expenses.
14:16But moving forward, I'll be spending three nights a week at Oak Grove.
14:19Don't interfere.
14:20Don't cause a scene.
14:21Let's handle this like adults.
14:22And if I refuse...
14:25Refuse?
14:26Then go get a lawyer and file for divorce.
14:28But I promise you, you won't get a dime.
14:30You'll walk away with absolutely nothing.
14:33You're in your fifties with health issues.
14:35Without me, how exactly are you gonna survive?
14:38You sick fuck!
14:39You sick fuck!
14:41Chloe, you're off the knife!
14:43Mom!
14:44He doesn't get to treat us like this!
14:47Are you done with the hysterics?
14:48I'm sleeping at Oak Grove tonight.
14:50Call me when you're ready to be reasonable.
14:54Mom, I'm sorry.
14:56I'm useless.
14:57I don't know how to help you.
14:59Silly girl, why are you calling me?
15:07Mom, why do you have...
15:08Did you think that follow-up call from the concierge was actually random?
15:13I paid the concierge to make that call.
15:15It was time you saw exactly what kind of piece of shit you've been calling Dad.
15:19Chloe, Richard really thought I spent the last 30 years as some brainless housewife who only knows how to bake
15:24cookies.
15:25He forgot one detail.
15:2730 years ago, I was the youngest senior CPA in the state.
15:30Did you really think his shell companies and offshore trusts could slip past me?
15:35Mom, you've known this whole time?
15:37Six months before you did.
15:38I knew the exact day he made his first attempt to wire funds to a Cayman Islands account.
15:42Why didn't you just confront him?
15:44Because that wasn't enough...
15:45Why didn't you just confront him?
15:47Because that wasn't enough to nail him to the wall.
15:50I was waiting.
15:51Waiting for him to cash out the largest smump and put the asset directly in that woman's name.
15:55Eleanor walked straight to the bookshelf.
15:57She smoothly pulled out a heavy copy of Principles of Corporate Vance tucked away in the back of the third
16:02row.
16:03The center of the book was hollowed out.
16:06Inside lay a black encrypted flash drive.
16:09She plugged the drive into a USB port.
16:11The screen lit up, and her fingers flew over the keyboard as she entered a long, complex passcode.
16:16A hidden encrypted directory popped up.
16:19A hidden encrypted directory popped up.
16:21It was packed with Excel strep sheets, bank statements, and scanned PDFs of signed documents.
16:27He's a control freak who trusts no one.
16:29Every illegal wire transfer he made, he kept the master ledger himself.
16:33Mom, with this, we can absolutely destroy him in divorce court, right?
16:36Not enough. That's not what I want.
16:38Then what do you want?
16:39I want him in a jumpsuit.
16:41Rotting in a cell.
16:44Half the money he wired to those offshore accounts was company funds.
16:48He used Serena's gallery as a front.
16:51Fake invorses, cooked books, and nearly $18 million laundered out of the company.
16:55That's corporate embezzlement and wire fraud.
16:57Clear cut federal felonies.
17:00There are two other senior partners at his firm.
17:03Those two old men barely check the ledgers.
17:05They just collect their dividend checks at the end of the year.
17:08But if they find out Richard hollowed out their retirement funds to act as a sugar dad to his mistress,
17:13what do you think they'll do?
17:16The next day, Eleanor acted like nothing had happened.
17:20She went to the butcher for steaks as usual and smiled at the neighbors across the street.
17:25Richard didn't set foot in the house for three straight days.
17:28On the afternoon of the fourth day, Eleanor suddenly called me.
17:32Eleanor suddenly called me.
17:34Chloe, drop what you're doing. Get to Memorial Downtown Hospital right now.
17:40I found her in a crowded hallway outside the ER.
17:42She stood like a statue, her eyes locked on the billing counter down the hall.
17:46Richard was standing in line, anxiously checking his watch over and over.
17:50Serena was clutching her stomach, her face as white as a bedsheet.
17:53The little boy, Leo, was yanking on her dress and wailing loudly.
17:57What happened?
17:58Serena's showing signs of a miscarriage.
18:01Richard bailed on a major board meeting and sped here to get her to the ER.
18:04She's pregnant again? She's pregnant again?
18:07Yep.
18:07What do you think Richard's most desperate for right now?
18:11He's out of cash flow.
18:13He drained all the liquid assets and dumped them into the Oakmore house and her gallery.
18:17The firm's accounts are empty.
18:19If he doesn't plug the hole by next week, he can't even make payroll.
18:22So how is he going to cover it?
18:24He wants to take out a second mortgage on our house.
18:27He texted me yesterday telling me to get the original deed ready.
18:31Said the firm had a minor cash flow hiccup and needed my signature.
18:36You didn't sign it, did you?
18:37You didn't sign it, did you?
18:39Of course not.
18:40Not only will I not give him the deed, I'm going to hand him a generous gift.
18:45Arthur, it's Eleanor. Is Richard at the office?
18:48I can't reach him anywhere.
18:49No, Eleanor. Richard said he had to meet a key developer.
18:52He won't be back in the office this afternoon.
18:54A developer? That's strange.
18:56I just bumped into him in the maternity ward at Memorial downtown.
19:00He was holding up a pregnant young woman.
19:01I assumed it was one of the firm's employees having an emergency.
19:04Eleanor, are you absolutely sure he was in the maternity ward?
19:07Yes, I even snapped a quick photo to ask him about it later.
19:10Oh, well, maybe my eyes were doing tricks on me.
19:12Arthur, please don't mention I called.
19:14You know how much he hates me prying into his business.
19:21Richard, is our baby going to be okay?
19:24Don't worry, sweetheart. The doctor said it's just minor cramping.
19:27A few days of bed rest and you'll be fine.
19:29I watched them walk toward the elevators, wrapped in each other's arms, and my stomach heaved.
19:34For the next few days, the house was quiet as a tem.
19:37Richard bombarded Eleanor with texts every day, demanding she get the deed ready.
19:42Eleanor brushed him off with vague excuses every time.
19:44Finally, Richard snapped. Friday night, he stormed through the front door.
19:51Eleanor, what the fuck is taking you so long?
19:53Eleanor, what the fuck is taking you so long?
19:55The firm is bleeding out and you can't even produce one damn piece of paper.
19:59What's the rush? The house is in both our names.
20:01A second mortgage requires my signature in person with a notary.
20:04My blood pressure has been spiking. I'm not going anywhere.
20:07Eleanor, I know you're still throwing a tantrum over Serena, but business is business.
20:12If the firm goes under, we'll all end up on the street.
20:14Richard, doesn't the firm have over 10 million in cash sitting in the operating account?
20:18How could you possibly not make next week's payroll?
20:20How do you know that?
20:21That money's been tied up in a new development project for months. I can't just pull it out.
20:24Oh? Is that so?
20:26I thought you pulled that cash out to buy that mansion in Oakwood.
20:29You've been investigating me? You've been investigating me?
20:31You left a trail a mile wide.
20:33Don't push your fucking luck, Eleanor! You won't sign!
20:35Let the firm burn to the ground! We'll all go down together!
20:38Bullshit! Those debts are in your name! They have nothing to do with my mom!
20:41Nothing to do with her? Go look up marital debt, Chloe!
20:44You think you're so smart? The two of you combined couldn't outplay me if you tried.
20:48Mom, is he telling the truth?
20:50Calm down, Chloe. I don't start a war unless I know I've already won.
20:53Saturday morning, Eleanor drove us out to Oakwood Estates.
20:56We didn't try to get past the gates. She parked across the street in the lot of an exclusive private
21:01golf club.
21:02Mom, what are we doing here?
21:03We're waiting for someone.
21:04A few minutes later, a black Mercedes S-Class pulled into the lot and parked next to us.
21:09Eleanor, you said on the phone yesterday you have hard proof that Richard has been sifling corporate assets?
21:13Arthur, let's talk in the car. It's all in there. Every wire transfer and forged invoice Richard routed through Serena's
21:19gallery over the last six months.
21:20It totals 18 million dollars.
21:22That son of a bitch. I treated him like a partner for years and he treated me like his fucking
21:26ATM.
21:26No wonder he swore up and down the accounts were dry when the contractors demanded payment last month.
21:31Arthur, he's currently trying to take out a second mortgage on my house to plug this exact hole.
21:34If he gets that mortgage, the books will balance.
21:37Come the year-end audit, you won't find a single trace of this.
21:39Over my dead body, Eleanor, what's your play?
21:42Over my dead body, Eleanor, what's your play?
21:44I 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.
21:52Consider it done, Eleanor. There is nothing I despise more than a fool who burns down a company for a
21:57mistress.
21:57Monday morning at 9 a.m., right after Richard Luck, two black SUVs pulled into our driveway.
22:08Mrs. Eleanor Sterling, we're court officers acting on behalf of the State Supreme Court.
22:11This is an asset freezing order. We need your signature.
22:16Arthur moved faster than I anticipated.
22:19Mrs. Sterling, we now need to confiscate all deeds and title documents related to this property.
22:23Please cooperate.
22:30Mom, didn't you say we were going to wait? How is this happening so fast?
22:36If I waited any longer, he'd have mortgaged this house to cover the hole he created.
22:41My legal team secured an emergency asset freezing order.
22:45Right now, every bank account, trust fund, and property 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?
23:06Chloe, has your mother lost her fucking mind?
23:09She had the court freeze my corporate accounts?
23:12Where is she?
23:13Put her on the phone.
23:15Eleanor!
23:16What the fuck are you doing?
23:17Do you realize the firm's entire operating capital is frozen?
23:20Every project has ground to a halt.
23:23If the developers sue me for breach of contract, I'll be ruined!
23:26That's the point.
23:28Richard, I filed against you for infidelity, marital dissipation of assets, corporate embezzlement, and wire fraud.
23:36The court has officially accepted the filings.
23:39What did you say?
23:40I said, I want a divorce, but not your let's handle this like adults version.
23:47You are going to walk away with zero.
23:50You're crazy!
23:51On what grounds do you think you can take everything?
23:54On the grounds that you illegally transferred $23 million in marital assets.
23:59On the grounds that you embezzled $18 million from the company.
24:06And on the strength of every piece of evidence in my possession.
24:09Eleanor!
24:10You think you can beat me?
24:12Let me tell you!
24:15Chloe, listen to me.
24:16From this second forward, do not believe a single word out of Richard's mouth.
24:24The day after the assets were frozen, Serena showed up at our house.
24:29Chloe, tell your mother to drop the lawsuit!
24:31Why the hell should I?
24:32If Richard goes to federal prison, what good does that do you two?
24:35He is your flesh and blood!
24:36Are you just gonna stand by and watch his life get destroyed?
24:39My dad?
24:40He's a serial liar, not my father.
24:42Don't you understand?
24:43The baby inside me can't grow up without a father!
24:46Please just beg your mother to drop it!
24:50Serena, let me ask you a question.
24:53Is Leo actually Richard's biological son?
24:55Of course he is!
24:56What kind of bullshit are you talking about?
24:58Oh really?
24:59Then let's just wait for the-
25:00Oh really?
25:01Then let's just wait for the court order DNA paternity test.
25:05It'll all be there in black and white.
25:07Serena looked like she had seen a ghost.
25:08She spun around and practically stumbled away.
25:10Arthur went to the authorities.
25:12The district attorney and the FBI have officially opened a case.
25:15Grand corporate emezzlement.
25:17By tomorrow, Richard will be in handcuffs, sitting in the county jail.
25:21Mom, just how many more cards are you hiding up your sleeve?
25:25Chloe, 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.
25:34But I do regret trapping myself in the shell of a housewife whose only value was tied to the kitchen.
25:40Mom, you are the most badass, ruthless woman I have ever known.
25:46Silly girl, I'm not a badass.
25:48I just couldn't let you grow up thinking that when a woman gets betrayed, her only option is to suffer
25:54in silence.
25:55Word spread fast.
25:57Arthur called Eleanor within the hour.
25:59Eleanor, they got him.
26:00He broke down in the interrogation room and confessed to everything fogging like a baby.
26:03The Oakmeade house is in Serena's name, but the down payment and the mortgage were paid using corporate funds.
26:08Arthur, I've already compiled the paper trap.
26:10Don't worry, Eleanor.
26:11Serena isn't getting away either.
26:13The DA is nailing her as an accomplice for money laundering and receiving stolen property.
26:20Grab your coat, Chloe.
26:21You're taking a drive.
26:23Grab your coat, Chloe.
26:24You're taking a drive.
26:25To Oprah?
26:27To see Serena?
26:29No.
26:30To county jail.
26:32I'm handing your father the divorce settlement myself.
26:37Eleanor, I messed up.
26:38Please drop the charges.
26:39I can't do prison time.
26:41Richard, the property settlement is finalized.
26:43You sign and you walk away with nothing.
26:45The house, the bank accounts, the cars, they all go to me.
26:48You don't have to sign.
26:5018 million in wire fraud will get you at least 10 years in a federal lockup.
26:55I can just finalize the divorce while you're rotting in a cell.
26:59Eleanor, you can't be this cold.
27:0230 years of marriage.
27:04Cold?
27:04When you were screwing another woman in the family suite at the Grandalist
27:08and dropping 23 grand on her diamond necklace.
27:11Did you think about our 30 years then?
27:19Son.
27:20You have zero leverage here.
27:29Eleanor, can you arrange for me to see Leo?
27:32He's my son.
27:36Richard, there is one last thing you should know.
27:40The police raided Serena's place.
27:43They confessed at her phone.
27:45It had all your texts and bank transfers.
27:52But they also found some records you didn't know about.
27:55What records?
27:57While she was playing house with you, Serena was sleeping with three other men.
28:01Two of them she's known since before she even met you.
28:05What the fuck are you talking about?
28:10The DNA test on Leo came back yesterday.
28:13The DNA test on Leo came back yesterday.
28:17He is not your son.
28:19Bullshit!
28:20You're lying to me!
28:24This is the official lab report.
28:26Want to read it?
28:27She swore...
28:29She swore Leo was mine.
28:31She also swore you were the sanctuary for her soul.
28:35You got played, Richard.
28:36From day one you were nothing but a walking ATM.
28:45Serena!
28:47Enjoy yourself, Richard.
28:4930 years of marriage and this is the absolute last thing I will ever do for you.
28:59Three months later, the court handed down the verdict.
29:03Richard was convicted of corporate embezzlement and wire fraud.
29:06The judge handed him 15 years in federal prison.
29:10But that wasn't all.
29:11He caught an additional charge for aggravated assault.
29:15After the DNA results came back, he had his lawyer arrange a face-to-face visit with Serena at the
29:19jail.
29:20The two of them got into a vicious argument.
29:23Richard snapped, launched across the table and wrapped his hands around her throat.
29:27She suffered severe trauma and lost the baby.
29:30The aggravated assault charge stuck.
29:32The judge tacked it on, bringing his total sentence to 50 years.
29:37Serena was convicted of receiving stolen property and money laundering.
29:40She got three years in prison, suspended for four years of probation.
29:44But her karma went way beyond that.
29:47She lost the baby.
29:48She lost the Oak Brook mansion.
29:49She lost every single dime Richard spent on her.
29:53As for Leo's real father, she couldn't even name the guy herself.
29:57The three-year-old ended up in the foster care system.
30:04Mom, what's gonna happen to Leo?
30:07He's Serena's problem, not ours.
30:09Eleanor eventually opened her own boutique CPA firm.
30:12The client list was small, strictly word of mouth.
30:14She swore she would never kill her career for anyone ever again.
30:18I quit my corporate job and passed the CPA exam.
30:21Now, I'm working as her junior partner.
30:24The two of us are living better than we ever did before.
30:28As for Richard, a 50-year sentence means he's going to die in a cage.
30:33Sometimes I wonder if the regrets keep him awake at night.
30:36But mostly, I just don't think about him at all.
30:40He isn't my father anymore.
30:42Eleanor was right.
30:43The one thing a woman can never afford to give up on is herself.
30:47Lesson learned.
30:48I will never forget it.
30:51Suspense.
30:51But nobody got worried, they never had to.
30:51See you later.
30:52You
Comments