Mark sat on his sofa holding a hot cup of tea while Lily slept soundly nearby.
His close friend and family lawyer David sat across from him with a thick leather folder.
The afternoon sun streamed through the living room windows of Mark's apartment.
"She did it on purpose, David, she wanted to scare me away," Mark said quietly.
David flipped through the legal documents laid out neatly on the glass coffee table.
"Your father's will was very clear about the trust fund provisions," David explained carefully.
"He left sixty percent of the estate to Lily under your legal guardianship," David added.
"Evelyn only gets the house if Lily surrenders her portion before turning four," David said.
Mark stared at his lawyer as the full picture finally began to make sense.
Evelyn was trying to make Mark look unfit so she could claim complete custody.
If she gained custody of Lily, she would control the entire fifty million dollar fortune.
"She will not get away with this, David," Mark said, setting his cup down firmly.
"We need real proof before we take this to the family court judge," David urged.
"The police said without security footage inside the house, it is just your word against hers."
Mark rubbed his face in frustration as he remembered the blank walls of Evelyn's hallway.
She had turned off the security cameras in the back wing right before he arrived.
"She thinks she is untouchable because she has all the money and power," Mark said.
"We need to find out what else she is hiding before the court hearing next week."
David reached into his briefcase and pulled out a small black flash drive.
"I hired a private investigator to look into Evelyn's past bank records," David said.
"It turns out she was transferring huge sums of money out of the business account last month."
Mark leaned forward, his eyes locked onto the small drive in David's hand.
"She has been draining the estate before the official audit even begins," David whispered.
"This is grounds for fraud, Mark, but we still need her to confess on record."
Mark stood up and walked over to the window, looking out over the busy street below.
He knew Evelyn was greedy, but he had never imagined she would go this far.
He had to protect his daughter and stop his stepmother from destroying his family's legacy.
"I am going back to that house tomorrow," Mark declared with a steady voice.
"Be careful, Mark, she is desperate and desperate people make dangerous choices," David warned.
Mark nodded slowly, ready to do whatever it took to secure his daughter's future.