Mark sat inside his quiet office in downtown Dallas, looking over several big business documents.
He was a hardworking businessman who spent long hours building a strong company for his family.
His phone began to ring loudly on the dark oak desk near his right hand.
He looked at the screen and saw the call was from his house maid, Sarah.
Mark picked up the phone quickly because Sarah rarely called him during his busy work hours.
Her voice sounded frantic and broken as soon as he brought the phone to his ear.
She was sobbing so hard that her words were very difficult for him to understand at first.
Mark felt a cold knot form inside his stomach as he listened to her urgent words.
Sarah begged him to drop everything and return to his estate without any further delay.
She whispered that his seven-year-old daughter Lily was in terrible distress inside the family home.
Mark stood up from his leather executive chair so fast that it rolled back against the wall.
He asked Sarah what was happening, but she said she could not speak openly near Victoria.
Victoria was Mark's new wife, whom he had married only six short months ago.
Mark grabbed his jacket and rushed out of the top floor office suite toward the private elevator.
He signaled his personal security team to follow him out to the waiting black SUV below.
The drive across the city felt endless as Mark stared nervously out of the tinted car window.
His hands gripped the leather armrest so tightly that his knuckles turned completely white.
He kept thinking about his little girl, whom he had promised to protect after her mother passed.
Lily was a sweet child who rarely complained about anything, even when she felt sad or lonely.
Mark prayed that whatever was happening inside his house was just a huge misunderstanding.
The large black SUV pulled up rapidly in front of the tall wrought-iron entrance gates.
The gates opened slowly, allowing the car to speed up the long circular brick driveway.
Mark jumped out of the vehicle before it had even come to a complete final stop.
He charged up the front steps toward the heavy double doors of his white marble mansion.