Victoria stepped into the doorway, her high heels clicking loudly against the hardwood floor. She wore a sharp red designer dress, her eyes cold and furious as she saw the broken lock resting on the floor near Lily's feet.
Victoria: You little brat! How dare you touch my property!
Lily: Get away from my mommy! You're a mean monster!
Sarah: Don't you touch her, Victoria! Touch me all you want, but leave my daughter out of this!
Victoria: Leave her out of it? She just destroyed a five-hundred-dollar antique lock on my estate!
Victoria stepped into the room, her hand raised as if to grab Lily by the collar. Sarah used every bit of her remaining strength to push herself up off the floor, stepping directly between Victoria and her daughter.
Sarah: You locked me in here for forty-eight hours without food or water! My husband's security team will be here any minute, Victoria!
Victoria: Your husband's security team works for me, Sarah. Or have you forgotten who manages the family trust fund while Richard is away on his business trip in New York?
Sarah: Richard isn't stupid. When he comes home tomorrow and sees the bank statements, he'll know you altered his signature!
Victoria let out a harsh, bitter laugh that echoed off the high ceilings of the room.
Victoria: Richard won't be coming home tomorrow. I had his flight delayed, and by the time he lands, you will be signed into a private psychiatric facility three counties away.
Lily: No! Mommy isn't sick!
Victoria: Quiet, child! Adults are speaking!
Sarah: You won't get away with this, Victoria. Richard loves his family. He built this business from nothing, and he won't let you tear it apart for an inheritance!
Victoria: Richard built this business with my father's money, Sarah! You were just the poor nurse he married after his first wife died. You don't belong in this mansion, and neither does your daughter!
Victoria reached into her coat pocket, pulling out a sleek black smartphone and tapping the screen with her long, manicured nails.
Victoria: Hello, Marcus? Bring the car around to the side entrance right now. The package is ready for transport.
Sarah: Lily, run! Run out to the main gate and find the security officer at the front post!
Lily: I'm not leaving you, Mommy!
Sarah: Go, Lily! Run as fast as you can!
Sarah grabbed Victoria's arm, pulling her back as Lily darted past them into the hallway. Victoria shrieked in anger, trying to break free from Sarah's weak grip, but Sarah held on with everything she had left.
Victoria: Let go of me, you crazy woman!
Sarah: Run, Lily! Run!
Lily sprinted down the long, carpeted hallway, her tiny feet flying as fast as they could go. She didn't look back until she reached the heavy front doors of the grand mansion, pushing them open and bursting into the bright afternoon sun.