Mason bent down slowly to pick up the paper from the wet floor.
His old knees made a quiet popping sound as he leaned over.
He unfolded the document and read the small black text carefully.
The paper stated that Chad owned all the house deeds and bank accounts.
Chad's mother Sarah walked down the grand wooden staircase with a proud smile.
She wore expensive jewelry that sparkled bright under the chandelier lights.
Sarah: Is the old man finally leaving our home today, Chad?
Chad: He has two hours to pack his small room upstairs.
Lily: My father gave forty years of his life to this estate!
Sarah laughed softly as she adjusted her heavy gold necklace.
Sarah: He was paid a monthly wage for his daily janitor work.
Sarah: He does not own a single brick of this grand house.
Mason kept his strong gaze fixed right on Sarah's smiling face.
He remembered when Sarah first joined the family thirty years ago.
She had always wanted the vast Hartley fortune for her own son.
Mason adjusted his faded grey collar with a steady hand.
Mason: Your numbers do not add up, Sarah.
Sarah: Do not speak to me like we are equals, old man.
Lily stepped closer to protect her father from their harsh words.
Lily: We will take this matter straight to court tomorrow morning.
Chad: You cannot afford a good lawyer to fight us in court.
Chad pulled out his leather wallet and slapped five hundred dollars onto the table.
Chad: Take this cash and leave quietly before I call the police.
Mason looked down at the paper money sitting on the polished wood.
He did not reach out to touch a single bill.
Mason: You think money gives you the power to break family trust.
Chad: Money buys everything in this city, janitor.
Sarah took Chad by the arm and pulled him toward the dining hall.
Sarah: Stop wasting your precious time on these poor commoners.
Sarah: We have an important meeting with the estate lawyer at three.
Chad smirked as he turned his back on Mason and Lily.
Chad: Lock the front gates when you leave, old man.
Lily held back her bitter tears as they walked out of sight.
Lily: What are we going to do now, Dad?
Mason: We are going to call our own lawyer, Lily.