Elena: I can't believe she really tried to take everything.
Marcus: She and her mother were desperate. They knew the probate court was closing in on their fake documents.
Elena stood in the master bathroom, holding a damp towel against her face to wipe away the remaining red wine stains. Marcus stood near the doorway, holding a glass of fresh water for her.
Elena: How did you know about the bank transfer today?
Marcus: Your father set up a secondary notification system before he passed away. He knew his new wife was acting suspicious toward the end.
Elena: My father knew?
Marcus: He wasn't foolish, Elena. He loved your mother deeply, and when he married Victoria, he thought he was getting a fresh start. But within six months, he realized Victoria and Chloe were only interested in his fortune.
Elena: Why didn't he divorce her?
Marcus: He was too sick to endure a long court battle. So instead, he quietly changed the trust terms and hired me to oversee the estate transition.
Elena: He trusted you so much, Marcus. And I almost thought you were taking Chloe's side when you got engaged to her.
Marcus: I had to stay close to her, Elena. If I broke off the engagement earlier, her mother would have moved the money overseas months ago before we had solid proof of forgery.
Elena: You pretended to love her just to gather evidence?
Marcus: I never loved her. I stayed close to protect the estate and to make sure you were protected when the truth finally came out.
Elena handed the damp towel back to Marcus, taking a sip of the cold water. Her hands were still trembling slightly, but the color was returning to her face.
Elena: We need to go into my father's study. There's something in the floor safe that Victoria was looking for.
Marcus: What kind of something?
Elena: The original handwritten will. The real one, signed by my father and witnessed by his doctor before he went into the hospital.
Marcus: If that handwritten document is still intact, Victoria's fake codicil won't stand a chance in court.
They walked down the long hallway, stepping over the dark red stain on the checkered floor, and entered the library at the end of the corridor. Deep mahogany shelves lined the walls, filled with old books and family photographs.
Elena: It's behind the portrait of my mother near the fireplace.
Marcus stepped over to the heavy oil painting, gently lifting it off the wall mount to reveal a steel digital keypad mounted into the brickwork.
Marcus: Do you know the passcode?
Elena: My birthday. He always used my birthday for his important codes.
Elena stepped forward, her fingers pressing the numbers on the keypad. A small green light flashed, followed by a heavy mechanical click as the steel door swung open.
Marcus: Look at that... it's completely full.
Inside lay leather-bound journals, stacks of legal documents, and a thick blue envelope stamped with the family crest.
Elena: This is it. The real legacy my father left behind.