Richard carried the heavy glass chest into his private study and locked the solid wooden door.
He placed the chest carefully on his dark mahogany desk under the bright reading lamp.
His hands were shaking slightly as he pulled out the brass key from his pocket.
He unlocked the chest and carefully pulled out the thick stack of yellowed papers.
Among the property titles was a sealed envelope bearing his late father's personal wax stamp.
Richard opened the envelope and began reading the dark ink written across the pages.
The document was a secondary trust fund established for his young daughter, Emma.
It clearly stated that the family mansion belonged solely to Emma upon her eighteenth birthday.
Clara was named as a trustee, but only if Richard was no longer living.
A sudden knock echoed across the heavy wooden door of the private room.
Clara: Richard, please open the door so we can talk like adults!
Richard unlocked the door and pulled it open, holding the document in his hand.
Richard: Were you trying to destroy my father's original trust document today?
Clara stepped into the room, her expression turning defensive and visibly tense.
Clara: I was carrying that box to bring it directly to your desk!
Richard: Then why were you standing over the open balcony with it unlocked?
Clara crossed her arms, looking away toward the large window overlooking the gardens.
Clara: Because I heard a loud noise downstairs and turned around too fast!
Richard: That explanation makes no sense, Clara!
Clara: You are letting your paranoia destroy our entire marriage!