Mark didn't waste a single second. He sprinted out of the nursery, taking the back staircase straight down to his late father-in-law's oak-paneled study on the ground floor.
The room was dark, smelling of old leather and tobacco. Mark locked the heavy double doors behind him, pulling the brass key from his pocket and rushing over to the massive mahogany desk near the window.
Mark: Come on... where is the Bible?
He pulled open the lower drawer, shoving aside stacks of corporate files until his fingers brushed against a worn, black leather book with gold lettering. He opened the front cover. Written in his father-in-law's firm, elegant handwriting was a single line:
"For my daughter Clara's safety. Router IP: 192.168.1.105 / Password: Sterling2024"
Mark: Thank you, Arthur... thank you.
Mark pulled out his smartphone, connecting directly to the estate's private local network. He typed in the IP address and entered the password. A secure cloud portal opened up on his screen, listing dozens of archived video folders organized by date and time.
Mark: Let's see what you've been up to, Elena.
He clicked on the folder for the previous Friday night. The camera feed from the front driveway lit up in full high-definition clarity. The video showed Elena stumbling out of a luxury sports car at 2:30 AM, visibly intoxicated, arguing fiercely with a tall man in a leather jacket.
Mark: There it is...
On the screen, the man shoved Elena backward into the marble pillar near the front porch. Elena's face slammed hard against the stone edge, instantly causing dark bruising around her eyes. She staggered inside, cursing loudly while clutching her face.
Mark: She got those black eyes three days ago! She was planning this frame-up all along!
Mark swiped to today's timestamp folder, opening the kitchen camera feed from earlier that morning. The audio was crystal clear.
The camera captured Elena standing near the high chair, deliberately pinching six-month-old Toby's arms and slapping his chest when he cried. It captured Clara rushing in, Mark shoving Elena away, and Elena clearly stating on camera:
"Who do you think the police will believe? A poor, bruised mother... or a hot-headed CEO?"
Mark: Got you, you evil snake. You just confessed to your own crime on tape.
The study door clicked violently as someone tried to turn the brass handle from the hallway.
Elena: Mark?! Are you in there?! What are you doing in Arthur's study?!
Mark quickly hit the download button, transferring the entire 4K video file directly to his secure personal cloud storage and sending a duplicate copy to his corporate lawyer's email.
Mark: I'm just looking at some old family memories, Elena!
Elena: Unlock this door right now! That room is off-limits to you!
Mark unlocked the door and swung it open. Elena stood in the hallway holding a glass of wine, her eyes suspicious and narrow as she tried to peer past his shoulder.
Elena: What were you doing in there?
Mark: I was just securing my daughter's future, Elena. And yours too.