Elena stood in the middle of the bright morning room with a cold feeling in her heart.
She had known for months that something was wrong inside the family mansion.
Her stepmother Victoria had been acting strange ever since the winter holidays ended.
Victoria spent long hours behind locked doors in the top floor penthouse suite.
Elena walked softly down the long hallway toward the glass office doors.
She heard a sharp metallic click coming from inside the sunlit room.
Victoria was standing near a clear glass cabinet built directly into the wall.
In her hand she held a heavy silver lock that shined in the bright daylight.
She snapped the lock into place over a small metal latch on the display cabinet.
Elena kept quiet as she watched from behind the wooden door frame.
She saw a thick leather folder sitting inside the locked display case.
That folder held the original deeds to her late grandmother's historic country house.
It also held the legal trust papers for the entire family estate.
Victoria turned around with a calm smile resting on her face.
She did not realize that Elena had seen her locking the cabinet.
Victoria walked over to a plush white sofa near the tall glass window.
She sat down slowly and picked up a crystal glass of cold sparkling water.
She took a slow sip while looking out over the city skyline.
Elena stepped back into the shadows of the hallway to gather her thoughts.
She knew she needed help before Victoria could move those papers away.
Her father was returning home from a business trip in two hours.
Elena pulled out her phone and dialed the local police station immediately.
She explained that private legal documents had just been locked away illegally.
The officer on the line told her to stay calm and wait outside.
Elena walked down the grand marble staircase to meet the officers at the entrance.
Her heart pounded against her ribs with every step she took down the stairs.
She knew this moment would change her family forever.