Charles walked into the grand private study on the main floor.
Elena followed closely behind while carrying the heavy silver box.
Victoria hurried behind them with her cheeks flushed red with anger.
Victoria: You cannot open that private desk without my attorney present!
Charles: This is my father's house and my grandfather's desk!
Charles pulled out a brass master key from his coat pocket.
He inserted the key into the center lock of the mahogany desk.
The heavy wooden drawer slid open with a soft metallic click.
Inside lay three blue legal folders tied with velvet ribbon.
Elena: Those are the files she was looking at last night.
Victoria: Stop snooping into things that do not concern you!
Charles raised his hand to restore order in the quiet room.
Charles: Be quiet, Victoria!
He opened the top blue folder and read the bold title.
The text clearly outlined the legal division of the family business.
It showed that Victoria had altered the monthly financial ledgers.
Charles: You transferred estate funds into a private shell company!
Victoria: I did it to invest in our future portfolio!
Charles: You did it without my knowledge or consent!
Elena pointed quietly to a smaller yellow envelope beneath the folders.
Elena: That envelope has the bank transfer receipts attached, sir.
Charles picked up the yellow envelope and inspected the signatures.
The date on the wire receipts matched the previous Tuesday afternoon.
Charles: Over two million dollars were moved from the corporate account!
Victoria: It was a safe investment venture in real estate!
Charles: It was grand larceny against this entire estate!
Victoria took a quick step toward the open wooden desk.
Charles immediately blocked her path with a firm outstretched arm.
Charles: Do not touch a single file in this room!
Victoria: You are making a massive legal mistake right now!
Charles: The only mistake was trusting you with my family trust!