- 16 minutes ago
The Waldorf Secret
Category
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Short filmTranscript
00:12To be continued...
00:30Still plugged in to charge
00:31He shouted for me to get it
00:33I picked up the phone from the charger
00:34And glanced at the closed bathroom door
00:36Hello, is this Mr. Sterling?
00:38He's in the shower
00:39I'm his daughter, who is this?
00:41This is guest services at the Grand Elisham Resort
00:43We're just doing a routine follow-up
00:45About your stay in our family suite last night
00:47We just wanted to check in
00:48Did the three-year-old boy with your party
00:50Have any more allergic reactions
00:51To the peanut-free pastries we provided?
00:53My stomach dropped
00:54The phone felt like a block of ice in my hand
00:57My dad is 55
00:59My mom is 52
01:00I am an only child
01:01I just turned 24
01:03And last weekend, my dad told my mom
01:06He was flying out to San Francisco
01:08For a closed-door real estate summit
01:11Who was on the phone?
01:13My pulse hammered against my throat
01:15I shoved my trembling hands into my pockets
01:18Telemarketer
01:19I hung up
01:20I forced the words past the lump in my throat
01:23He walked over to the mirror
01:24And casually smoothed some moisturizer over his face
01:27Where's your mother?
01:29Ran to the butcher for some rib-aise
01:31She said you had a brutal week traveling
01:33And wanted to grill steaks tonight
01:34I stared at the back of his head
01:38She always takes good care of me
01:41Three days of back-to-back meetings in San Francisco
01:44Really took it out of me
01:46The Grand Elysian Resort wasn't in San Francisco
01:49It was a 20-minute drive away
01:51Right here in the local coastal hills
01:54Dad
01:56Yeah?
01:59Where did you stay in San Francisco?
02:01My company has an off-site there next month
02:04Thought I'd ask for hotel reps
02:06His hand froze on his cheek for a fraction of a second
02:11Just some standard business hotel the organizers booked
02:14Nothing special
02:14When you go, I'll book you a five-star place
02:17Don't stay in those dumps
02:19He was lying
02:20I didn't push it
02:21I turned and walked out of the master bedroom
02:23Back in my room, I pulled up the statement
02:25For the authorized user card on my dad's account
02:27I majored in finance
02:29Most of the family's electronic statements
02:31Were routed to my email
02:32I opened last month's transaction history
02:34And scrolled down line by line
02:35Last Saturday
02:36$8,800
02:37Merchant
02:39The Grand Elysia Resort Dining and Entertainment
02:41It wasn't just last week
02:42On the 14th of last month
02:44Valentine's Day
02:44A charge of $23,000
02:46Merchant
02:47Lumimico Fine Jewelry
02:48The gift my mom received that day
02:51Was a $20 bouquet of grocery store carnations
02:54My legs gave out
02:55And I collapsed into my desk chair
03:00Richard!
03:01Chloe!
03:02Come help me with these bags!
03:04Come help me with these bags!
03:07A second later
03:08I heard the front door unlock
03:10Mom was home with groceries
03:12I took a deep breath
03:14And forced myself out of the room
03:15Why'd you buy so much?
03:17You're gonna throw your back out
03:19Next time
03:20Wait till I'm home to carry this stuff for you
03:23Richard had already beaten me to it
03:25Taking the heavy paper bags from her hands
03:27You had a long trip
03:29Besides
03:31Chloe loves grilled ribeye
03:33Watching this picture
03:34Perfect marriage play out
03:36Bile rose in the back of my throat
03:38I had to look away
03:39The air in San Francisco is so dry
03:41I picked up that limited edition
03:43Fleur de Lis skincare set you like
03:45Try it tonight
03:47Eleanor patted his arm
03:48And told him he shouldn't have spent so much
03:50During dinner
03:51Richard kept refilling my mom's wine glass
03:53After dinner
03:54Richard went to his home office
03:56To check emails
03:56Using a cup of coffee as an excuse
03:58I pushed open the door to his home office
04:00I pushed open the door to his home office
04:02He was typing away at his computer
04:09Dad
04:09Brought you some coffee
04:13Dad
04:13I saw a crazy story online today
04:16What kind of story?
04:19Some guy kept a mistress behind his wife's back
04:22Even had a secret kid
04:23The wife found out
04:24And completely destroyed his life
04:26Chloe
04:27What is your point?
04:28Secrets don't stay buried forever
04:30Right, Dad?
04:31I locked eyes with him
04:32Richard looked up at me
04:33I didn't back down
04:37These click-ate brogs
04:38Love making up this kind of garbage
04:40You're fresh out of college, Chloe
04:42Stop reading that internet trash
04:43And focus on your career
04:45But
04:47His jaw tightened
04:48Enough
04:50Adults handle their own business
04:52You don't get a vote
04:53Are we clear?
04:54You don't get a vote
04:56Are we clear?
04:57Crystal clear
04:59I stared at him
05:00I muttered
05:06Saturday morning Richard claimed he had to head to the office
05:09The second his car pulled out of the driveway
05:11I called an Uber and headed straight to Grand Elysium Resort
05:20Hi, I need some information about Richard Sterling's stay here last weekend
05:24I'm his daughter
05:25He thinks he may have left something behind in the room
05:28Then can you at least tell me who else was registered to the room?
05:31I'm sorry, miss
05:32That would violate guest privacy policy
05:37Can you at least tell me what the woman with him looked like?
05:41Can you at least tell me what the woman with him looked like?
05:45She was young, late 20s maybe
05:47Dressed very bogo chic
05:49Like an artist type
05:51Late 20s
05:52An artist type
05:56I walked out through the revolving doors and pulled out my phone
05:59Pulling up the address for the Luna Co. boutique I'd found last night
06:04I took a cab straight there and flagged down an older sale associate
06:07Hi, was there a necklace purchase under Richard Sterling on the 14th of last month?
06:13Yes, of course
06:14Mr. Sterling is one of our VIP clients
06:16He came in that day with a very charming young woman
06:19And purchased our limited edition diamond necklace
06:22Do you happen to know the woman's name?
06:25Do you happen to know the woman's name?
06:27Serena, I believe
06:28He kept calling her his sweet Serena
06:31They were very affectionate
06:33She kept insisting the necklace was too expensive
06:35But he absolutely refused to take no for an answer
06:38When I got home
06:39Eleanor was out on the balcony watering her potted hydrandras
06:45Hey, Chloe
06:47What do you want for lunch?
06:48I can whip something up
06:49Her hair was tied back in a loose bone
07:00Mom
07:02What's this?
07:03You're a grown woman and you're still acting like a little kid
07:08Mom, have you ever thought of getting back out there?
07:10Getting a job?
07:11A job?
07:13I'm in my 50s, honey
07:14Besides, Richard won't hear of it
07:16He says he makes enough to take care of us
07:18And I should just relax at home
07:19I stared at the green leaves on the balcony
07:21My chest felt like someone was sitting on it
07:24I couldn't just drop the bomb on her
07:25She had high blood pressure
07:27A shock like this could put her in the hospital
07:29I needed hard proof
07:30I needed to find this Serena
07:32I needed hard proof
07:34I needed to find this Serena
07:35I searched through hashtag after hashtag on pictogram
07:38Finally, I found an account called Serena slash soul art
07:42Her grid was a curated gallery of over-filtered, aesthetic lifestyle shots
07:48I started scrolling
07:49A post from the 14th of last month
07:51The photo was a tight shot of the Lumina necklace against a woman's colobine
07:54The caption read
07:55He says traditional marriage's cage built for the world
07:57And I am the only safe harbor his soul has ever known
07:59I let out a harsh bark of a laugh
08:01Sanctuary for his soul?
08:03Swiping my family's credit card for a $23,000 piece of jewelry
08:07And you're talking about a fucking soul?
08:09Further down
08:10A post from last weekend
08:12Location tag
08:13The Grand Elysian Resort
08:16The photo showed a small hand resting on a larger man's hand
08:19The caption
08:21A weekend escape from the city with my little guy
08:24Forever grateful to the man behind the scenes who takes care of everything for us
08:28I stared at the phone screen
08:30The carpet pattern in the background was a perfect match for the family suite on the Grand Elysian's website
08:35And in the corner of the frame, strapped to the man's wrist, was a Kronos watch
08:38It was the same watch I'd bought Richard for his birthday last year with my first internship paycheck
08:43I screenshot everything and dumped it into an encrypted folder
08:46Most of her location tags hovered around Oak Roll Estatants
08:51Houses there started at $10 million
08:54Richard was just a partner at a real estate firm
08:58Where was he getting that kind of cash?
09:01How's the job hunt going, Chloe?
09:02If nothing's biting, I can set you up with a junior analyst position at the firm
09:07That night, Richard came home and immediately slipped back into his good husband, good father routine
09:14No thanks, dad, I want to figure it out on my own
09:18Stubborn, just like your mother
09:20Looking at him, my stomach turned
09:24Hey, dad, I drove past Oak Brook States today
09:27Those mansions look incredible
09:32What were you doing over there?
09:37Just driving through
09:38Heard a lot of indie artists live there
09:41Must be nice
09:42Richard slammed his fork down
09:44The metal scraped against the ceramic with a harsh grating sound
09:48Chloe, why are you so fixated on this shallow crap all of a sudden?
09:53Always obsessing about how much money other people have
09:55What about your own life?
09:57I just made a comment
09:58Why are you snapping at me?
10:04I'm trying to teach you some values
10:06Keep your feet on the ground
10:08And don't start acting like some money hungry gold digger
10:15All right, all right, Richard
10:18She just made an observation
10:19Why are you getting so worked up?
10:21Drink this
10:22Cool off
10:23Eleanor quickly stepped in
10:24Richard picked up the glass
10:26His hand was shaking slightly
10:28The next day
10:29The next day, I blew off my afternoon plans and drove straight to Oak Brook Estates
10:33Security was posted at the front gate and there was no way I was getting past it
10:37So I parked outside a coffee shop across the street
10:40Grabbed a seat by the window and watched for three straight hours
10:43At 2 p.m., a white stallion V8 SUV pulled out of the gates and parked next to a florist
10:48on the corner
10:48The door opened
10:49A woman stepped out wearing a linen maxi dress
10:51She was very thin, with long hair down to her waist
10:54She definitely had that airy, artistic vibe
10:56It was Serena, no question
10:58She went into the shop and came out holding a massive bouquet of white roses
11:01I tossed some cash onto the table, walked out of the coffee shop and followed her from half a block
11:06behind
11:06She didn't go back to the SUV
11:08Instead, she carried the flowers half a block further and walked into Elite Montessori Academy
11:13Ten minutes later
11:14Ten minutes later
11:15She walked out holding the hand of a little blonde boy, maybe three years old
11:19He was dressed in a tailored prep school uniform, clutching a toy fire truck
11:26Mommy, is Daddy coming to see me today?
11:31Daddy's busy making lots of money to buy Leo more toys
11:35The boy asked, looking up at her
11:38Serena ruffled his blonde hair
11:40I stepped right into the middle of the sidewalk, blocking her path
11:44Serena stopped, a slight frown forming
11:48Excuse me, can I help you?
11:50You're Serena, right?
11:51I'm Richard Sterling's daughter
11:53Excuse me, can I help you?
11:55You're Serena, right?
11:56I'm Richard Sterling's daughter
11:58I don't know any Richard
12:00Bullshit
12:01Want me to post the receipts from the Grand Elysium all over Pingram?
12:04Or the purchase receipt for the Lumina Diamond necklace you're wearing around your neck right now?
12:07What do you want?
12:09A chat
12:17If you crack me down, I'll play it straight
12:19Your dad and I?
12:20It's true love
12:21True love?
12:21Maxing out my family's credit cards and living in a multi-million dollar mansion?
12:24That's your definition of love?
12:26Little girl, what do you know about love?
12:28To your mother, Richard is just a walking ATM
12:30A tool
12:31But with me, he actually feels alive
12:33I'm his soulmate
12:34The only one who truly gets him
12:35You're disgusting, fucking pathetic
12:38Disgusting
12:38Richard buys me houses
12:40He buys me cars
12:41He begs to spend his money on me
12:42You know why?
12:44Because I make him feel like a king
12:45While your mother?
12:46She's just a desperate housewife
12:48Smelling of cheap vanilla extract and cleaner
12:50Her words twisted at the knife
12:52I've got
12:52Eleanor gave her entire life to go to this family
12:55And this homewrecker had the nerve to reduce her to a punchline
12:58The Oakmore house?
13:00Richard bought it?
13:01The Oakmore house?
13:02Richard bought it?
13:03Yep
13:03My name is on the deed
13:05Paid in full
13:05Cash
13:06I stood frozen
13:07Every muscle in my body shook
13:11That evening, Richard walked through the front door
13:14Right at 7 p.m.
13:15A rarity
13:18You went to see Serena today?
13:21Yes
13:24Richard!
13:25Are you insane?
13:27Ask her what she did
13:28Showing up at an elite private school
13:30To cause a scene like some street trash
13:32You completely humiliated me
13:34Caused a scene?
13:35Caused a scene?
13:37I just wanted to see what kind of soulmate
13:39You stashed in a 20 million dollar cash house
13:41Chloe, what are you talking about?
13:43Shut the hell up, Chloe!
13:44One more word out of your mouth
13:45And you can pack your bags
13:46And get the fuck out of my house!
13:48I'm not the one who should get out
13:49You are?
13:50You're the one keeping a mistress behind our backs
13:52You even have a fucking three-year-old bastard child
13:56Fine
13:57Since it's out in the open
13:58I won't bother hiding it
14:00Yes
14:01Leo is my son
14:03Serena is my woman
14:04Eleanor
14:05I plan to handle this after Chloe got married
14:08And moved out
14:08Since you blew the lid off
14:10Let's set the rules
14:11I'm not filing for divorce
14:13You'll still be Mrs. Sturdy
14:14The status quo remains
14:16I'll keep paying your credit card limits
14:18And household expenses
14:20But moving forward
14:20I'll be spending three nights a week at Oak Grove
14:22Don't interfere
14:23Don't cause a scene
14:24Let's handle this like adults
14:25I'm gonna file it, please
14:29Refuse
14:29Then go get a lawyer and file for divorce
14:31But I promise you
14:32You won't get a dime
14:33You'll walk away with absolutely nothing
14:36You're in your fifties with health issues
14:38Without me, how exactly are you gonna survive?
14:41You sick fuck!
14:43You sick fuck!
14:45Chloe, you're off the knife!
14:47Mom!
14:48He doesn't get to treat us like this!
14:50Are you done with the hysterics?
14:52I'm sleeping at Oakwood tonight
14:53Call me when you're ready to be reasonable
14:58Mom, I'm sorry
14:59I'm useless
15:00I don't know how to help you
15:02Silly girl, why are you calling me?
15:10Mom, why do you have...
15:12Did you think that follow-up call from the concierge was actually random?
15:16I paid the concierge to make that call
15:18It was time you saw exactly what kind of piece of shit you've been calling dad
15:22Chloe Richard really thought I spent the last 30 years as some brainless housewife
15:26Who only knows how to bake cookies
15:28He forgot one detail
15:3030 years ago, I was the youngest senior CPA in the state
15:33Did you really think his shell companies and offshore trusts could slip past me?
15:38Mom, you've known this whole time?
15:40Six months before you did
15:41I knew the exact day he made his first attempt to wire funds to a Cayman Islands account
15:45Why didn't you just confront him?
15:47Because that wasn't enough
15:48Why didn't you just confront him?
15:51Because that wasn't enough to nail him to the wall
15:53I was waiting
15:54Waiting for him to cash out the largest smump
15:56And put the asset directly in that woman's name
15:58Eleanor walked straight to the bookshelf
16:01She smoothly pulled out a heavy copy of Principles of Corporate Vance tucked away in the back of the third
16:06row
16:06The center of the book was hollowed out
16:09Inside lay a black encrypted flash drive
16:12She plugged the drive into a USB port
16:15The screen lit up, and her fingers flew over the keyboard as she entered a long, complex passcode
16:20A hidden encrypted directory popped up
16:22A hidden encrypted directory popped up
16:25It was packed with Excel strep sheets, bank statements, and scanned PDFs of signed documents
16:30He's a control freak who trusts no one
16:32Every illegal wire transfer he made, he kept the master ledger himself
16:36Mom, with this, we can absolutely destroy him in divorce court, right?
16:40Not enough, that's not what I want
16:41Then what do you want?
16:43I want him in a jumpsuit
16:44Rotting in a cell
16:48Half the money he wired to those offshore accounts was company funds
16:51He used Serena's gallery as a front
16:54Fake invorses, cooked books, and nearly 18 million dollars laundered out of the company
16:58That's corporate embezzlement and wire fraud
17:00Clear-cut federal felonies
17:04There are two other senior partners at his firm
17:06Those two old men barely check the ledgers
17:09They just collect their dividend checks at the end of the year
17:12But if they find out Richard hollowed out their retirement funds to act as a sugar dad to his mistress
17:16What do you think they'll do?
17:20The next day, Eleanor acted like nothing had happened
17:23She went to the butcher for steaks as usual
17:25And smiled at the neighbors across the street
17:28Richard didn't set foot in the house for three straight days
17:32On the afternoon of the fourth day, Eleanor suddenly called me
17:35Chloe, drop what you're doing
17:38Get to Memorial Downtown Hospital right now
17:43I found her in the crowded hallway outside the ER
17:46She stood like a statue
17:47Her eyes locked on the billing counter down the hall
17:49Richard was standing in line, anxiously checking his watch over and over
17:53Serena was clutching her stomach
17:55Her face as white as a bedsheet
17:57The little boy, Leo, was yanking on her dress and wailing loudly
18:00What happened?
18:02Serena's showing signs of a miscarriage
18:03Richard bailed on a major board meeting and sped here to get her to the ER
18:07She's pregnant again?
18:09She's pregnant again?
18:10Yep
18:10What do you think Richard's most desperate for right now?
18:15He's out of cash flow
18:16He drained all the liquid assets and dumped them into the Oakmore house and her gallery
18:20The firm's accounts are empty
18:22If he doesn't plug the hole by next week, he can't even make payroll
18:26So how is he going to cover it?
18:28He wants to take out a second mortgage on our house
18:30He texted me yesterday, telling me to get the original deed ready
18:34Said the firm had a minor cash flow hiccup and needed my signature
18:39You didn't sign it, did you?
18:41You didn't sign it, did you?
18:42Of course not
18:44Not only will I not give him the deed, I'm going to hand him a generous gift
18:49Arthur, it's Eleanor. Is Richard at the office?
18:51I can't reach him anywhere
18:52No, Eleanor, Richard said he had to meet a key developer
18:55He won't be back in the office this afternoon
18:58A developer? That's strange
19:00I just bumped into him in the maternity world at Memorial Downtown
19:03He was holding up a pregnant young woman
19:05I assumed it was one of the firm's employees having an emergency
19:07Eleanor, are you absolutely sure he was in the maternity world?
19:11Yes, I even snapped a quick photo to ask him about it later
19:13Oh, well, maybe my eyes are going tricks on me
19:16Arthur, please don't mention I called
19:17You know how much he hates me prying into his business
19:25Richard, is our baby going to be okay?
19:27Don't worry, sweetheart
19:28The doctor said it's just minor cramping
19:30A few days of bed rest and you'll be fine
19:32I watched them walk toward the elevators
19:34Wrapped in each other's arms
19:36And my stomach heaved
19:38For the next few days, the house was quiet as a tem
19:40Richard bombarded Eleanor with texts every day
19:43Demanding she get the deed ready
19:45Eleanor brushed him off with vague excuses every time
19:48Finally, Richard snapped
19:50Friday night, he stormed through the front door
19:54Eleanor, what the fuck is taking you so long?
19:57Eleanor, what the fuck is taking you so long?
19:59The firm is bleeding out
20:00And you can't even produce one damn piece of paper
20:02What's the rush?
20:03The house is in both our names
20:05A second mortgage requires my signature in person with a notary
20:08My blood pressure has been spiking
20:09I'm not going anywhere
20:10Eleanor, I know you're still throwing a tantrum over Serena
20:14But business is business
20:15If the firm goes under, we'll all end up on the street
20:17Richard, doesn't the firm have over 10 million in cash sitting in the operating account?
20:22How could you possibly not make next week's payroll?
20:24How do you know that?
20:25That money's been tied up in a new development project for months
20:27I can't just pull it out
20:28Oh?
20:29Is that so?
20:30I thought you pulled that cash out to buy that mansion in Oakwood
20:33You've been investigating me?
20:34You've been investigating me?
20:35You left a trail a mile wide
20:36Don't push your fucking luck, Eleanor
20:38You won't sign!
20:39Let the firm burn to the ground!
20:40We'll all go down together!
20:41Bullshit!
20:42Those debts are in your name!
20:43They have nothing to do with my mom!
20:45Nothing to do with her?
20:46Go look up marital debt, Chloe
20:47You think you're so smart?
20:49The two of you combined couldn't outplay me if you tried
20:51Mom, is he telling the truth?
20:53Calm down, Chloe
20:54I don't start a war unless I know I've already won
20:57Saturday morning, Eleanor drove us out to Oakwood Estates
21:00We didn't try to get past the gates
21:01She parked across the street in the lot of an exclusive private golf club
21:05Mom, what are we doing here?
21:06We're waiting for someone
21:08A few minutes later, a black Mercedes S-Class pulled into the lot and parked next to us
21:12Eleanor, you said on the phone yesterday you have hard proof that Richard has been sifling corporate assets?
21:17Arthur, let's talk in the car
21:19It's all in there
21:20Every wire transfer and forged invoice Richard routed through Serena's gallery over the last six months
21:24It totals 18 million dollars
21:25That son of a bitch
21:27I treated him like a partner for years and he treated me like his fucking ATM
21:30No wonder he swore up and down the accounts were dry when the contractors demanded payment last month
21:34Arthur, he's currently trying to take out a second mortgage on my house to plug this exact hole
21:38If he gets that mortgage, the books will balance
21:40Come the year-end audit, you won't find a single trace of this
21:43Over my dead body, Eleanor, what's your play?
21:45Over my dead body, Eleanor, what's your play?
21:47I want him ruined
21:48I want him to spit out every cent he swallowed with interest
21:51But I need your board authority to launch an internal audit and call the feds
21:55Consider it done, Eleanor
21:57There is nothing I despise more than a fool who burns down a company for a mistress
22:01Monday morning at 9 a.m. right after Richard Lough
22:04Two black SUVs pulled into our driveway
22:11Mrs. Eleanor Sturling
22:13We're court officers acting on behalf of the state Supreme Court
22:15This is an asset freezing order
22:16We need your signature
22:20Arthur moved faster than I anticipated
22:22Mrs. Sturling
22:23We now need to confiscate all deeds and title documents related to this property
22:27Please cooperate
22:33Mom, didn't you say we were going to wait?
22:35How is this happening so fast?
22:40If I waited any longer, he would have mortgaged this house to cover the hole he created
22:44My legal team secured an emergency asset freezing order
22:48Right now, every bank account, trust fund, and property in his name
22:52Including that house in Oak Brook
22:54Is frozen
22:59Just how massive was the net my mother had woven over the last six months?
23:09Chloe
23:10Has your mother lost her fucking mind?
23:13She had the court freeze my corporate accounts?
23:16Where is she?
23:17Put her on the phone
23:18Eleanor
23:19What the fuck are you doing?
23:21Do you realize the firm's entire operating capital is frozen?
23:24Every project has ground to a halt
23:26If the developers sue me for breach of contract, I'll be ruined
23:29That's the point
23:31Richard
23:32I filed against you for infidelity, marital dissipation of assets, corporate embezzlement, and wire fraud
23:39The court has officially accepted the filings
23:42What did you say?
23:44I said I want a divorce
23:46But not your let's handle this like adults version
23:51You are going to walk away with zero
23:53You're crazy!
23:55On what grounds do you think you can take everything?
23:57On the grounds that you illegally transferred 23 million dollars in marital assets
24:03On the grounds that you embezzled 18 million dollars from the company
24:10And on the strength of every piece of evidence in my possession
24:13Eleanor!
24:14You think you can beat me?
24:15Let me tell you
24:18Chloe, listen to me
24:19From this second forward, do not believe a single word out of Richard's mouth
24:27The day after the assets were frozen, Serena showed up at our house
24:32Chloe, tell your mother to drop the lawsuit
24:35Why the hell should I?
24:36If Richard goes to federal prison, what good does that do you two?
24:38He is your flesh and blood
24:40Are you just going to stand by and watch his life get destroyed?
24:42My dad?
24:43He's a serial liar, not my father
24:45Don't you understand?
24:47The baby inside me can't grow up without a father
24:50Please just beg your mother to drop it
24:53Serena
24:55Let me ask you a question
24:57Is Leo actually Richard's biological son?
24:59Of course he is!
25:00What kind of bullshit are you talking about?
25:02Oh really?
25:03Then let's just wait for the
25:04Oh really?
25:05Then let's just wait for the court order DNA paternity test
25:08It'll all be there in black and white
25:10Serena looked like she had seen a ghost
25:12She spun around and practically stumbled away
25:14Arthur went to the authorities
25:15The district attorney and the FBI have officially opened a case
25:19Grand corporate embezzlement
25:21By tomorrow, Richard will be in handcuffs
25:23Sitting in the county jail
25:25Mom, just how many more cards are you hiding up your sleeve?
25:29Chloe, the biggest regret of my life
25:31Was letting my CPA license expire to take care of this family
25:35I don't regret marrying Richard
25:37But I do regret trapping myself in the shell of a housewife
25:41Whose only value was tied to the kitchen
25:43Mom, you are the most badass, ruthless woman I have ever known
25:50Silly girl, I'm not a badass
25:52I just couldn't let you grow up thinking that when a woman gets betrayed
25:55Her only option is to suffer in silence
25:59Word spread fast
26:00Arthur called Eleanor within the hour
26:02Eleanor, they got him
26:04He broke down in the interrogation room
26:05Confessed to everything fogging like a baby
26:07The Oakmeade house is in Serena's name
26:09But the down payment and the mortgage were paid using corporate funds
26:12Arthur, I've already compels the paper trap
26:14Don't worry, Eleanor
26:15Serena isn't getting away either
26:17The DA is nailing her as an accomplice for money laundering and receiving stolen property
26:23Grab your coat, Chloe
26:25You're taking the drive
26:26Grab your coat, Chloe
26:27You're taking the drive
26:29To Oprah?
26:31To see Serena?
26:33No
26:33To county jail
26:35I'm handing your father the divorce settlement myself
26:41Eleanor, I messed up
26:42Please drop the charges
26:43I can't do prison time
26:45Richard, the property settlement is finalized
26:47You sign and you walk away with nothing
26:49The house, the bank accounts, the cars, they all go to me
26:52You don't have to sign
26:5418 million in wire fraud will get you at least 10 years in federal lock-up
26:58I can just finalize the divorce while you're rotting in the cell
27:03Eleanor, you can't be this cold
27:0530 years of marriage
27:07Cold?
27:08When you were screwing another woman in the family suite at the Grand Alistair
27:12And dropping 23 grand on her diamond necklace
27:14Did you think about our 30 years then?
27:23Son, you have zero leverage here
27:33Eleanor, can you arrange for me to see Leo?
27:36He's my son
27:39Richard
27:41There is one last thing you should know
27:43The police raided Serena's place
27:46They confested her phone
27:48It had all your texts and bank transfers
27:56But they also found some records you didn't know about
27:58What records?
28:00While she was playing house with you
28:02Serena was sleeping with three other men
28:05Two of them she's known since before she even met you
28:09What the fuck are you talking about?
28:14The DNA test on Leo came back yesterday
28:17The DNA test on Leo came back yesterday
28:20He is not your son
28:23Bullshit!
28:24You're lying to me!
28:28This is the official lab report
28:30Want to read it?
28:31She swore
28:32She swore Leo was mine
28:35She also swore you were the sanctuary for her soul
28:38You got played Richard
28:40From day one
28:41You were nothing but a walking ATM
28:48Serena!
28:50Enjoy yourself Richard
28:5230 years of marriage
28:54And this is the absolute last thing I will ever do for you
29:03Three months later the court handed down the verdict
29:06Richard was convicted of corporate embezzlement and wire fraud
29:10The judge handed him 15 years in federal prison
29:13But that wasn't all
29:15He caught an additional charge for aggravated assault
29:18After the DNA results came back
29:20He had his lawyer arrange a face-to-face visit with Serena at the jail
29:24The two of them got into a vicious argument
29:26Richard snapped, launched across the table and wrapped his hands around her throat
29:31She suffered severe trauma and lost the baby
29:33The aggravated assault charge stuck
29:36The judge tacked it on, bringing his total sentence to 50 years
29:41Serena was convicted of receiving stolen property and money laundering
29:44She got three years in prison, suspended for four years of probation
29:48But her karma went way beyond that
29:50She lost the baby
29:52She lost the Oak Brook mansion
29:53She lost every single dime Richard spent on her
29:56As for Leo's real father
29:58She couldn't even name the guy herself
30:01The three-year-old ended up in the foster care system
30:13Eleanor eventually opened her own boutique CPA firm
30:16The client list was small, strictly word of mouth
30:18She swore she would never kill her career for anyone ever again
30:21I quit my corporate job and passed the CPA exam
30:25Now, I'm working as her junior partner
30:27The two of us are living better than we ever did before
30:32As for Richard, a 50-year sentence means he's going to die in a cage
30:36Sometimes I wonder if the regrets keep him awake at night
30:40But mostly, I just don't think about him at all
30:43He isn't my father anymore
30:46Eleanor was right
30:47The one thing a woman can never afford to give up on is herself
30:51Lesson learned
30:52I will never forget it
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