The estate fell completely quiet after Victoria fled into the dark rainy night.
Arthur sat on the leather sofa in his private office downstairs, rubbing his temples.
Elena brought him a cup of hot chamomile tea on a silver tray.
Elena: Here is your tea, Mr. Vance. Leo is sound asleep upstairs now.
Arthur: Thank you, Elena. You saved my son's life tonight.
Elena: I only did what any decent person would do, sir.
Arthur took a slow sip of tea and stared into the crackling fireplace hearth.
Arthur: Something is deeply wrong with Victoria's behavior over these past few months.
Elena: Sir, if I may speak freely, she received several private phone calls yesterday.
Arthur looked up at Elena with sudden intense focus in his tired eyes.
Arthur: What kind of private phone calls are you referring to, Elena?
Elena: She was talking about a will and an irrevocable family trust fund, sir.
Arthur stood up quickly from his leather chair and walked over to his steel safe.
He spun the combination dial rapidly until the heavy iron door clicked wide open.
He pulled out a thick blue folder marked with official court seals and stamps.
Arthur: The original copy of my life insurance policy is completely missing from here!
Elena: She spent hours in this office while you were out of the country.
Arthur flipped through the remaining documents with trembling hands and growing panic.
He pulled out a folded piece of paper that had fallen behind the shelf.
Arthur: This is a DNA test request from a private laboratory downtown.
Elena: A DNA test for little Leo, Mr. Vance?
Arthur: No, this paper lists another man's name as the legal father request.
Elena gasped softly and pulled her apron tight against her waist in shock.
Elena: Who is the man listed on that official paper, sir?
Arthur: Julian Croft, my rival business partner from the investment firm downtown.
Arthur crushed the paper in his fist as his knuckles turned completely white.
He realized his marriage had been a carefully planned financial trap from the start.
Victoria had married him only to secure control over his vast multimillion-dollar fortune.
Arthur: She wanted to remove me and my biological heir from the legal estate.
Elena: That is why she treated little Leo with such extreme hatred tonight.
Arthur: She knew that if Leo was proven to be my legal son, she got nothing.
Arthur paced across the room, his mind racing with terrible realizations and deep betrayal.
Arthur: I need my legal defense attorney on the line immediately!
He pulled his cell phone from his coat pocket and dialed his corporate lawyer.
Arthur: Thomas, I need you at my house right now with full emergency paperwork.
Thomas: What happened, Arthur? Is everything alright with the estate funds?
Arthur: My wife just tried to destroy my child and my life insurance policy.
Thomas: Do not touch anything in the office, I am driving over immediately.
Arthur hung up the phone and looked at Elena with deep gratitude and respect.
Arthur: You are no longer just a housekeeper in this house, Elena.
Elena: Sir, my only goal is to make sure baby Leo remains completely safe.
Arthur: Tomorrow morning, we go to the city courthouse to file full criminal charges.
Little Leo cried softly from the upper floor nursery through the intercom speaker.
Elena nodded firmly and hurried back upstairs to protect the innocent young heir.