Clara stepped through the grand double doors of the mansion three minutes later.
She dropped her leather briefcase onto the hallway table with a sigh.
She had spent the morning discussing her father's massive estate settlement with lawyers.
Her mother Evelyn had contested the entire inheritance for the past three months.
Clara walked toward the grand staircase to check on her young daughter.
She heard faint crying echoing from the upper floor of the house.
Her footsteps quickened as she rushed up the marble stairs toward the sound.
She saw Evelyn standing over Lily near the top of the stairwell.
Lily was trembling on the floor while pointing toward the primary bedroom.
Clara felt a wave of protective rage wash over her entire body.
Mother: Get away from my daughter!
Evelyn spun around with a surprised expression across her aged face.
Clara pushed past her mother to gather Lily into her arms.
The little girl buried her wet face straight into Clara's silk blouse.
Little Girl: Mommy, the snake! Grandma put a snake in your bed!
Clara froze in place as she listened to her daughter's frantic words.
She lifted her head to look directly at Evelyn's stern expression.
Mother: What is she talking about, Evelyn?
Grandma: The child is just making up ridiculous stories again.
Mother: She is terrified and shaking in my arms right now!
Grandma: She has an active imagination that needs to be controlled.
Lily held onto Clara's jacket as tightly as her small hands allowed.
Little Girl: I saw it, Mommy! It slid right under the big pillows!
Clara stood up slowly while keeping Lily safely behind her back.
She stared at the yellow gloves still resting on Evelyn's hands.
She noticed the empty drawstring bag lying on the hallway runner carpet.
Mother: Why are you wearing heavy gloves inside the home?
Grandma: I was cleaning up the upper guest rooms downstairs.
Mother: You never clean anything in this household yourself.
Evelyn crossed her arms and stepped closer to the primary doorway.
Grandma: You are questioning your own mother over a toddler's lie.
Mother: Lily has never lied to me about anything like this.
Clara took a cautious step toward the cracked master bedroom door.
She knew the dispute over the family fortune had grown very bitter.
She never imagined her own mother would resort to such extreme measures.
Evelyn moved quickly to block the bedroom doorway with her body.
Grandma: You do not need to go inside that room right now.