Richard stayed by Lily's side in the quiet living room for over two full hours.
He called his personal nanny Maria to come over to the house right away to supervise.
Maria arrived within twenty minutes and held Lily in a long, soft hug.
Maria: I will watch her like my own child, Mr. Miller.
Richard: Keep the bedroom door locked until I return from my home office downstairs.
Richard walked quietly down the back hallway into his private study behind the library.
He sat down behind his heavy oak desk and opened the top locked drawer.
Inside lay the official legal papers for Lily's multi-million dollar trust fund estate.
His late wife Eleanor had left three million dollars in stocks directly to Lily.
The trust fund was set up to fully activate on Lily's seventh birthday next month.
If anything happened to Lily before seven, the entire estate passed to Richard's spouse.
Richard pulled out the legal contract and read the small print under the desk lamp.
Victoria had pushed him to sign an updated marriage prenuptial agreement six months ago.
She had insisted on adding a clause regarding stepchild guardianship in case of emergency.
Richard remembered how sweet and caring Victoria had appeared during their quiet beach wedding.
She had seemed like a loving partner after two lonely years following Eleanor's tragic illness.
Now every single detail of her recent actions started making terrifying sense to him.
The phone on his oak desk rang sharply and broke the silence in the room.
He picked up the black receiver and pressed it firmly against his ear.
Richard: Hello, this is Richard speaking.
Lawyer: Richard, it is Arthur from the law firm down on Main Street.
Lawyer: I am reviewing the custody paperwork your wife submitted yesterday morning.
Richard stood up straight from his leather chair as his jaw tightened in surprise.
Richard: What custody paperwork are you talking about, Arthur?
Lawyer: Victoria filed a petition claiming you were mentally unfit to manage the estate.
Lawyer: She requested full control of Lily's trust fund effective immediately.
Richard gripped the edge of his oak desk until his knuckles turned completely white.
Richard: Freeze that filing right now, Arthur!
Richard: Do not let any court clerk process those documents today.
Lawyer: I can stall it for twenty-four hours, but you need evidence, Richard.
Richard: I will get you every piece of evidence you need by tonight.
Richard hung up the phone and stepped over to his wall safe behind the painting.
He punched in the six-digit code and pulled out a small black flash drive.
The security cameras in the foyer had been installed just three weeks prior.
Victoria did not know the new high-definition ceiling cameras were already operational.
Richard plugged the drive into his laptop to review the balcony footage directly.