Evelyn sat paralyzed on the cold marble floor, the paper fluttering slightly in her weak grip.
The wet baby began to calm down, resting his cheek against Clara's chest as Clara stroked his dark hair.
Clara: Get up off the floor, Evelyn. You look pathetic.
Evelyn: This document is invalid! Julian was under duress when he signed this!
Clara: He signed it six months ago in his lawyer's boardroom downtown, surrounded by witnesses.
Evelyn: I funded his company! I built this family's legacy with my late husband!
Clara: And Julian saw how you treated everyone around you like disposable trash. He knew what you'd do to me if anything ever happened to him.
Evelyn: You think a piece of paper gives you authority over me?
Clara: It gives my son authority over every asset in the Vance empire, and as his legal guardian, I control every penny until he turns twenty-one.
Evelyn scrambled to her feet, her hands shaking as she tried to smooth down her wrinkled silk pajamas.
Evelyn: I will contest this in court! I will hire the best divorce lawyer and probate attorney in the state!
Clara: With what money, Evelyn?
Evelyn: What do you mean, with what money?
Clara: Read page three of the trust agreement.
Evelyn hurriedly flipped the paper over, her eyes darting across the dark text with growing panic.
Clara: The moment Julian passed, all personal credit accounts tied to the primary estate were automatically frozen pending trustee authorization.
Evelyn: You froze my cards?
Clara: I didn't freeze them. The bank did, the exact second the death certificate was filed yesterday morning.
Evelyn: You snake! You sneaky, scheming little viper!
Clara: Watch your tone, Evelyn. You are currently standing in my son's house.
Evelyn: This is MY house!
Clara: The deed is held by the Berkshire Trust. Check the property records on your phone right now if you don't believe me.
Evelyn pulled her phone out from her pajama pocket, her thumbs flying across the screen as she checked the family portal.
Her face drained of all color, turning as white as the silk robe Clara was wearing.
Evelyn: Access denied... revoked by master administrator...
Clara: The master administrator is the estate executor, Mr. Harrison. And he answers directly to me now.
Evelyn: Harrison would never side with you over me! I've paid his retainer for twenty years!
Clara: Mr. Harrison follows the law, and more importantly, he follows the money. And right now, all the money belongs to this baby boy.
The baby let out a tiny, soft coo, settling into a deep breath against Clara's neck.
Clara looked down at her son, her expression softening into pure warmth before she snapped her glare back to Evelyn.
Clara: You tried to flush my child down a toilet because you thought he was a threat to your greed.
Evelyn: I... I was acting out of stress! I didn't know what I was doing!
Clara: You knew exactly what you were doing. You wanted him gone so you could claim the inheritance as Julian's next of kin.
Evelyn: That is an absolute lie!
Clara: I have the security cameras in the foyer recording everything, Evelyn. Every single second of what you just did is saved on a cloud server.
Evelyn glanced up toward the ceiling, noticing the small blue light blinking on the high-definition security camera mounted above the archway.
Her chest heaved as panic finally broke through her cold, calculated facade.
Evelyn: Clara... please. Let's talk about this like adults.
Clara: Now you want to talk? Now that you realize you have nothing left?
Evelyn: We are family! We can share the estate! We can raise him together in luxury!
Clara: You are not family to this boy. You are a threat to his life.
Evelyn: You can't just throw me out! I have rights as a resident!
Clara: You have ten minutes to pack a single suitcase, or I release that video footage directly to the district attorney and the local news stations.