Early the next morning, as the first rays of sunlight poked through the blinds of the hospital room, David walked into Room 204 holding a thick black folder and a small metallic flash drive. Mark was sitting upright in his chair, drinking a cup of black coffee. He stood up immediately and walked out into the private hallway with David so they would not wake Clara.
David: I got everything you asked for, Mark. And it is much worse than we thought.
Mark: Did the cameras capture the fall on the staircase?
David: The foyer camera has a crystal-clear high-definition view of the entire upper landing under the American flag display. It recorded everything from start to finish.
David pulled out a heavy tablet device from his bag and pressed play on a video file. Mark watched the screen with a clenched jaw. The video showed Clara walking up the steps slowly, keeping her hand on the railing. A minute later, Victoria walked up behind her. The camera clearly showed Victoria reaching out both hands, grabbing Clara by her right shoulder, and shoving her backward with deliberate force toward the edge of the steps. The camera also recorded Victoria standing completely still at the top of the landing for two full minutes while Clara lay helpless on the floor below.
Mark: That cruel woman... she tried to murder my wife and child for money.
David: There is more, sir. While I was in the office getting the video files, I noticed Victoria's private desk was unlocked. She was packing her bags to leave the country. Look at these legal documents I found inside her briefcase.
David handed Mark a stack of legal papers stamped with red seals. Mark skimmed through the pages, his eyes widening as he realized the depth of Victoria's deceit. For the past six months, Victoria had been secretly working with a corrupt family lawyer to alter Arthur Montgomery's original will. They had drafted fake trust documents that stripped Mark of his executive powers and assigned sixty percent of the family estate directly to Victoria's personal bank account in the Bahamas upon Arthur's death anniversary.
The only thing standing in her way was Arthur's original clause regarding a biological grandchild. If Clara gave birth to a child, the trust fund automatically locked up forever under a strict board of trustees, preventing Victoria from liquidating the assets.
Mark: She knew the baby's birth would ruin her fraudulent scheme. She pushed Clara to get rid of the child so she could execute this fake will.
David: This is clear criminal fraud, attempted murder, and elder financial abuse from when your father was sick. We have enough evidence right here to send her to prison for thirty years.
Mark: Call Detective Harris at the Dallas Police Department right now. Tell him I am filing formal criminal charges for attempted murder and fraud against Victoria Montgomery. I want her arrested before she can step foot inside an airport.
David: I will make the call right now, sir. The police will be at the mansion in fifteen minutes.
Mark walked back into Clara's room, holding the tablet and the legal documents in his hand. Clara was awake now, sitting up slightly with a cup of warm tea in her hands. She looked at Mark's determined expression and knew that things were about to change forever.
Clara: Mark... what did you find on the security tapes?
Mark: Everything, my sweet. We have clear visual proof that she pushed you on purpose. And we found out why she did it.
Clara: Why? How could anyone want to harm a child?
Mark: Because she forged my father's will to steal the whole estate. She knew our baby would stop her from taking the trust fund. But her greed has finally come to an end.
Clara: What are you going to do now, Mark?
Mark: I am going back to the mansion right now with the police. She is going to pay for every single thing she did to you.