Emily stood up slowly from the marble floor, her fists clenched tightly at her sides.
"What kind of cruel joke is this, Derek?" Emily asked coldly.
"I have been sending funds every month for five years to pay off this house," she said.
Derek slowly walked down the marble staircase, trailing his hand along the wooden bannister.
"You sent money to a private account, Emily," Derek replied smoothly.
"Mom signed the sole ownership deed over to me three months ago," he said.
He pulled a folded piece of paper from his bathrobe pocket and held it out.
Emily snatched the document from his fingers and scanned the bold black text.
The title read Property and Sole Ownership Certificate under the name of Derek Vance.
At the bottom was her mother's shaky signature stamped with a official seal.
"This signature is forged or forced!" Emily yelled, glaring at him.
"Mom would never sign the estate over to you after what you did to Dad!" she added.
Derek stepped closer and looked down at Emily with cold, indifferent eyes.
"The court accepted the transfer, and the local deed office registered it," Derek said.
"She lives here now as hired help in exchange for room and board," he sneered.
"If you do not like it, you can leave my property right now," he said.
Emily turned her back on Derek and knelt back down next to her mother.
Eleanor reached out and pulled Emily's collar close to her trembling lips.
"Don't fight him here, Emily," Eleanor whispered softly into her ear.
"He took everything while you were across the ocean," Eleanor whispered.
"Do not let Derek see the small brass key in my room," Eleanor added urgently.
"If he finds out you have it, he will destroy us both," Eleanor warned.
Emily reached into her mother's apron pocket and felt a tiny piece of metal.
She carefully slid the heavy brass key out of the pocket and into her palm.
With a quiet rustle of fabric, she slipped the key deep into her beige coat pocket.
"Where is the box this key belongs to?" Emily asked in a low whisper.
"In the old garden shed behind the greenhouse," Eleanor whispered back.
Derek took three heavy steps toward them, his leather slippers tapping on the stone.
"What are you two whispering about down there?" Derek demanded loudly.
Emily stood up and blocked her mother from Derek's sharp glare.
"I am leaving for today, Derek," Emily said firmly, matching his harsh tone.
"But this situation is far from over," she added as she picked up her bag.