Mark sat at the head of the massive dining room table in his grand estate.
The sunlight poured through the floor to ceiling windows and lit up the marble floors.
He was a self made billionaire who built a logistics empire from the ground up.
His young daughter Lily sat across from him happily eating her breakfast pancakes.
Lily was only six years old and had her late mother's soft green eyes.
Mark loved his daughter more than anything else in the entire world.
Two years ago Mark had married Sarah after a brief six month romance.
Sarah was younger and spent most of her time shopping at luxury boutiques downtown.
She always wore expensive designer clothes and loved showing off her big diamond ring.
Mark thought Sarah would be a loving stepmother to his sweet young girl.
Mark: Did you finish all your school work for today, Lily?
Lily: Yes daddy, I finished reading my book about space!
Mark: That is my smart little girl.
Sarah walked into the dining room wearing a casual t-shirt and dark sunglasses.
She did not bother saying good morning to Mark or his young daughter.
She picked up her phone and immediately started typing a long text message.
Mark noticed that Sarah had been acting very distant over the past few weeks.
She spent long hours away from the mansion without giving any real explanation.
Whenever Mark asked her about her day, she would quickly change the subject.
He worried that she was unhappy with their quiet family life in the suburbs.
Sarah: I am going out to meet my friends for lunch today.
Mark: You have been out every single afternoon this week.
Sarah: I am bored sitting in this huge house all day long.
Mark: Lily wanted you to help her paint a picture later.
Sarah: I do not have time to play with children right now.
Lily lowered her head and stared down at her plate of food quietly.
Mark felt a sharp knot of anger tightening deep inside his chest.
He hated seeing his small daughter feel rejected by her new stepmother.
Mark wiped his mouth with a napkin and stood up from the table.
He needed to leave for an important board meeting at his corporate headquarters.
He kissed Lily on the forehead and told her to have a wonderful day.
As he walked out to his car, he felt an uneasy feeling in his gut.
He decided to check the security camera feeds on his mobile phone app.
What he saw on his screen made his heart stop completely in fear.