Her Greedy Stepmother Burned The Girl But Her Father Discovered The Truth

Vanessa: Daniel, darling, listen to me before you jump to conclusions!

Daniel: I am staring at a severe burn on my daughter's arm, Vanessa.

Vanessa: She threw a complete tantrum while I was trying to get her ready for school!

Daniel: Aurora does not throw tantrums, and she certainly does not play with hot styling tools.

Vanessa: Well, she did today! Ask Beatrice if you don't believe me!

Vanessa shot a sharp, warning glare toward the old nanny standing near the sink.

Vanessa: Tell him, Beatrice! Tell him how out of control Aurora was being!

Beatrice stepped forward, holding the damp cloth gently against Aurora's red skin.

Beatrice: I will not bear false witness, Miss Vanessa.

Vanessa: Excuse me?! You are an employee in this house!

Beatrice: Mr. Daniel, I was standing right by the towel rack when it happened.

Daniel: Speak, Beatrice. Tell me everything.

Beatrice: Little Aurora accidentally bumped Miss Vanessa's silk robe with a glass of apple juice.

Aurora: I said I was sorry, Daddy! I offered to wipe it up with a paper towel!

Beatrice: Miss Vanessa flew into a rage, picked up the hot flat iron off the counter, and pressed it against the child's arm to teach her a lesson.

Vanessa: That is a complete lie! She is taking the child's side because she hates me!

Daniel: Beatrice has served my family for twenty years, Vanessa. She raised me in this very house.

Vanessa: So you are going to take the word of a nanny over your future wife?!

Daniel: You are not my wife yet, Vanessa. And after what I am looking at right now, you never will be.

Vanessa: Daniel, please! You can't believe this nonsense! Look at my green robe, it has juice stains on it!

Daniel: A juice stain costs fifty dollars to dry clean. My daughter's skin is blistering because of your cruelty.

Vanessa: I lost my temper for one second! She was disobeying me, and I wanted her to respect my authority!

Daniel: You do not have authority over my child, and you never will.

Aurora: Daddy, it burns so much... can we go to the doctor?

Daniel: Yes, baby. I am taking you to the clinic right now.

Daniel scooped Aurora up into his arms, holding her close against his chest as her tears soaked into his brown suit jacket.

Daniel: Beatrice, go grab her coat and put the ice pack in a clean towel.

Beatrice: Right away, Mr. Daniel. I'll meet you by the car.

Vanessa: Daniel, wait! You can't just walk out like this! We have the engagement dinner with your board members tonight!

Daniel: The engagement is canceled, Vanessa.

Vanessa: Canceled?! You can't cancel a wedding over a silly domestic misunderstanding!

Daniel: This was not a misunderstanding. This was abuse.

Vanessa: If you leave this house right now, I will call my father's legal team! My family holds twenty percent of the stock in your investment firm!

Daniel: Call whoever you want, Vanessa. Because when I get back from the hospital, you better have your bags packed and off my property.

Daniel turned his back on her, walking out of the bathroom with heavy, deliberate steps while Vanessa screamed in rage behind him.