Mark lifted Lily up into his arms and held her closely as he stood on the marble floor.
His arms were shaking with intense anger, but he kept his voice very soft for his young child.
Mark: Go upstairs to your room and lock the door until I come get you, okay?
Lily: Okay, Daddy, please do not let her take Mommy's box.
Lily walked carefully up the right side of the wide stairs and headed straight into her bedroom.
Mark picked up the dropped brown paper envelope from the polished white floor near his feet.
He looked inside and saw the certified legal papers regarding his late wife's original estate inheritance.
This paper proved that the house and a deep trust fund belonged solely to Lily upon her eighteenth birthday.
Mark walked up the wide marble steps one by one while keeping his firm gaze fixed on Vanessa.
Vanessa stood near the high wooden balcony with her arms crossed tightly over her grey shirt.
Her face looked pale, but her sharp eyes showed no sign of regret or deep apology.
Mark: Why were you holding my late wife's estate trust papers over the balcony edge?
Vanessa: I was just cleaning out the dust in that crowded upstairs room, Mark.
Mark: You almost made my little girl fall down twenty feet onto hard stone!
Vanessa: She ran at me like a wild child and tripped over her own feet!
Mark stepped closer until he was standing just two feet away from her on the top landing.
Mark: Do not lie to me in my own house under this flag!
Vanessa: You care more about an old piece of paper than your own current wife!
Mark pulled out his smartphone from his inner jacket pocket and unlocked the main screen quickly.
Mark: I installed high-definition security cameras in the foyer three weeks ago for our safety.
Vanessa's eyes grew very wide as her defensive posture suddenly melted into deep, visible fear.
She took a quick step back toward the wall and reached for her expensive leather handbag nearby.
Vanessa: Mark, let us sit down in the living room and talk about this like adults.
Mark: There is nothing left for us to discuss after what you just did today.
He pressed the local playback button on his phone app and watched the live footage recording.
The high-angle video showed Vanessa grabbing the wooden box from Lily's room without asking permission first.
It showed Lily crying and begging for her mother's memory box while Vanessa laughed near the balcony rail.
It clearly showed Vanessa pulling the envelope away abruptly, which caused Lily to lose her footing completely.
Mark's teeth clenched together tightly as he closed the phone app and looked at his wife.
Mark: You tried to destroy my child's legal inheritance papers to clear a path for yourself.
Vanessa: That money should belong to our family future together, not just her!
Mark pointed his long finger directly at the front double doors down in the bright foyer.
Mark: Pack your bags, hand over your house keys, and get out of my home right now!