Brenda stumbled backward until her shoulder hit the grand fireplace mantle.
She clutched her hands together, her fingers trembling against her pale dress.
Brenda: He is just an investment advisor for our joint bank accounts!
Arthur: You do not pay an investment advisor from my son's trust fund!
Leo held tightly to the edge of Arthur's dark suit jacket.
Leo: Daddy, that man came here when you were at work yesterday.
Leo: He gave her flowers and they were hugging in the kitchen.
Arthur felt a wave of anger rise in his chest at the betrayal.
He had married Brenda two years after his first wife passed away.
He thought she was a loving stepmother who cared deeply for young Leo.
Now the horrifying reality was staring him directly in the face.
Arthur took his cell phone out of his inner jacket pocket immediately.
He dialed his family attorney, Marcus Vance, on speakerphone without hesitation.
The phone rang twice before a deep, calm voice answered the line.
Marcus: Hello Arthur, what can I do for you this afternoon?
Arthur: Marcus, I need an immediate audit on Leo's inheritance trust account.
Brenda: Arthur, please don't do this! Let us talk in private first!
Marcus: Give me two minutes, Arthur. I am opening your files right now.
The living room was completely silent except for Brenda's uneven breathing.
She looked around the room, eyeing her designer handbag on the couch.
She made a quiet step toward the furniture, hoping to grab her keys.
Arthur: Do not move an inch, Brenda. Stay right where you are.
Marcus cleared his throat loudly over the telephone speaker.
Marcus: Arthur, three large transfers were made out of that account this week.
Marcus: Over two hundred thousand dollars went to an LLC managed by Michael Cole.
Arthur closed his eyes for a second, feeling the deep sting of deception.
Arthur: Cancel every line of credit tied to my home and name right now.
Marcus: Doing it immediately. You should also call local law enforcement, Arthur.
Arthur hung up the phone and glared directly at his wife.
Arthur: You were trying to steal my son's future right out from under us.
Brenda: Michael promised me we could start a new business together!
Arthur: By threatening my child? By terrifying an eight-year-old boy?
Brenda's face hardened, her soft innocent expression vanishing completely in a second.