Mark stood up slowly, his tall frame towering over the blue-suited guest and Vanessa.
He did not say another word before turning toward the long, elegant buffet table.
With a powerful surge of strength, Mark shoved his hands beneath the edge of the heavy table.
He flipped the entire catering setup over, sending wicker baskets and glass platters crashing to the patio floor.
Roast beef, fresh seafood, and expensive desserts shattered across the clean white stones in seconds.
Several female guests shrieked loudly and scrambled backward to avoid the flying food and broken glass.
The blue-suited man backed away in shock as Mark turned his attention back to his step-sister.
Mark grabbed Vanessa firmly by her upper arm, spinning her around to face the ruined buffet.
Mark: Look at this food! You served lavish meals while leaving my mother to starve in secret!
Vanessa: You are destroying my charity event, Mark! Let go of me right now!
Mark released her arm with a sharp shove that sent Vanessa stumbling back into an empty chair.
She collapsed onto the patio floor beside overturned picnic baskets, clutching her arm in sudden panic.
Mark: You made my mother suffer for five days in her own home!
Vanessa: She does not own this house anymore, Mark! The legal paperwork was finalized last week!
Mark froze as those cold words hung in the warm afternoon air.
Mark: What paperwork are you talking about, Vanessa?
Vanessa: I had her sign over the house deeds while you were away in Chicago!
Eleanor shook her head weakly from where she sat on a patio chair beside Lily.
Eleanor: I thought I was signing insurance forms, Mark... I did not know what it was...
Mark's pulse hammered in his ears as the true depth of Vanessa's evil scheme became crystal clear.
She had intentionally isolated his mother to steal the family property and trust fund.
Vanessa pulled herself up off the stone patio, her face twisted into a smug, triumphant grin.