The morning passed into a warm afternoon across the Dallas estate. Renata had left the house to visit an upscale day spa, giving Hannah a rare opportunity to inspect the upper level without being watched. Ethan was stuck in high-level board meetings until evening, meaning the giant house was quiet except for the ticking clock in the main hall. Lily was quietly coloring pictures in her playroom downstairs. Hannah walked softly down the long carpeted corridor toward the master suite, her heart pounding inside her ribs like a trapped bird. She knew that snooping through her employer's private belongings could get her fired or arrested, but her instincts told her that Lily was in serious danger.
Hannah pushed open the double wooden doors of the master bedroom and stepped onto the plush carpet. The room smelled strongly of expensive rose perfume and fresh paint. She moved directly to the dark mahogany desk situated near the large window overlooking the manicured back garden. She opened the top drawer carefully, making sure not to disarrange any of the items inside. Beneath a stack of fashion magazines, she found a thick brown envelope marked with the name of a local private investigator and a prominent divorce lawyer. She slid the papers out and began scanning the typed lines with quick, eager eyes.
Hannah: What is all this? She is looking into Ethan's entire family estate balance?
The documents revealed that Renata had been researching Ethan's legal assets long before she even met him. There were printouts of property deeds, business holdings, and Clara's original life insurance policy which was valued at five million dollars. More surprisingly, there was a detailed breakdown of Lily's trust fund, which was set to transfer fully to Lily on her eighteenth birthday unless her legal guardian deemed her mentally unfit or deceased. Hannah gasped out loud, covering her mouth with her trembling hand. The full picture was starting to take shape inside her mind, and it was far darker than she had ever imagined.
Hannah: She did not marry him for love at all. It was all about the money.
Lily: Hannah? What are you doing in daddy's office room?
Hannah: Oh! Lily, sweetie! You scared me for a second. I was just cleaning up.
Lily: Stepmother Renata told me I am never allowed to go in there.
Hannah: It is okay, sweetie. Come here to me. Let us put these back right away.
Hannah quickly restored the papers to their exact original positions inside the desk drawer and slid it shut. She knelt down beside Lily and took the little girl's hands in hers. Lily's fingers were ice cold, and she looked up with wide, fearful brown eyes. Hannah could feel the child's tiny body trembling. Lily leaned in close to Hannah's ear, as if she were terrified that the walls themselves might be listening to their private words.
Lily: I saw something bad the night mommy went away in her red car.
Hannah: What did you see, Lily? You can tell me anything, I promise.
Lily: I saw Renata holding a shiny black tool under mommy's car in the garage.
Hannah: Are you sure, sweetie? Did you see her face clearly in the dark?
Lily: Yes. She told me if I ever told daddy, she would send me far away.
Hannah felt a cold chill run straight down her spine. The terrible truth was out in the open. Clara's death had not been a tragic accident at all, but a deliberate crime planned by a greedy woman desperate to step into her shoes. Renata had scared the poor child into staying silent for months. Hannah pulled Lily into a tight, warm hug, whispering words of comfort into her soft hair while plotting her next move to expose the dangerous woman living under their roof.