Ten minutes later, the front grand doors opened slowly.
Clara walked in beside her mother, Mrs. Gable, holding her head low.
Her eyes were red from crying after being accused of theft.
Richard: Clara, please step forward into the light.
Clara took a hesitant step onto the clean marble floor.
Clara: Mr. Sterling, I swear on my life I never touched your desk.
Richard: I know the truth now, my child.
Richard walked over and handed Clara her blue butterfly badge.
Clara gasped in surprise as she held the tiny pin in her hands.
Clara: Where did you find this, sir?
Richard: Mia found it under the couch where Mark tried to hide his shame.
Mrs. Gable wiped a tear from her cheek and hugged her young daughter.
Mrs. Gable: Thank God, I knew my girl was honest.
Richard turned toward Mark, who was still slumped near the fallen display frame.
Richard: Stand up like a man and apologize to these women.
Mark slowly rose to his feet, unable to meet Clara's eyes.
Mark: I am sorry for putting the envelope in your school bag.
Clara: You almost destroyed my dream of becoming a lawyer.
Richard: He will never hurt anyone in this family again.
Richard pulled out a thick document from his inner suit jacket pocket.
It was the revised family estate will he had drafted months ago.
Richard: Effective right now, Mark is removed from every company account.
Mark took a fast step forward with a shocked look on his face.
Mark: You cannot strip away my inheritance over one single mistake!
Richard: This was not a mistake, Mark, it was a deliberate crime.
Chloe pulled herself up from the floor and backed toward the exit.
Chloe: I had nothing to do with the money transfers, I swear!
Richard: The police will determine how much responsibility you carry.