The next morning, an eerie calm settled over the large mansion.
Richard sat in his home library with his head in his hands.
He had spent the entire night comforting his frightened young daughter.
Clara knocked gently on the wooden door frame and stepped inside.
Clara: Here is some fresh tea for you, Mr. Sterling.
Richard: Thank you, Clara. I cannot sleep at all.
Richard: I thought Victoria loved my daughter like her own child.
Clara: Appearances can be very deceiving, sir.
Richard looked up with tired eyes and leaned back in his chair.
Richard: Did you notice anything strange before yesterday happened?
Clara hesitated for a moment before deciding to tell the truth.
Clara: I heard her speaking about an estate trust fund yesterday.
Clara: She mentioned that you had no idea about the money.
Richard straightened up in his chair, his expression turning cold.
Richard: She was talking about Lily's primary inheritance fund.
Richard: My late wife set up a private trust for Lily.
Richard: Victoria had no legal access to those official financial documents.
Richard opened his desk drawer and pulled out a black leather binder.
He flipped through the pages and suddenly stopped at the back cover.
Richard: The prenuptial agreement copy is missing from this file.
Clara: Could she have taken it during the morning hours?
Richard: She must have hired a lawyer to alter the terms.
Before Richard could say another word, his phone rang loudly.
He answered the call and put it on speaker mode immediately.
Lawyer: Mr. Sterling, this is Arthur Vance, Miss Victoria's legal counsel.
Richard: Why are you calling my private line, Vance?
Lawyer: My client is filing a lawsuit against you for unlawful eviction.
Lawyer: She is also requesting full enforcement of the prenuptial settlement.
Richard: She put my daughter in physical danger in my house!
Lawyer: You have no proof of those false allegations, sir.
Lawyer: Unless you pay twenty million dollars, we go to court.
The phone line went completely dead as the lawyer hung up.
Richard slammed his hand against the mahogany desk in frustration.
Richard: She wants to ruin my family financially and take everything.
Clara: There must be proof somewhere in this house, sir.
Clara: I cleaned her dressing room early yesterday morning.
Clara: I saw a locked metal box inside her side closet.
Richard stood up immediately with renewed determination in his eyes.
Richard: Let us go check that closet right now.