The bright sun shone over the large estate in upstate New York every single afternoon.
Mark had built his construction company from the ground up after years of hard effort.
He raised his young daughter Lily alone after his first wife passed away from an illness.
Lily was only ten years old and loved spending her time reading near the swimming pool.
Her world changed completely when Mark met a ambitious woman named Victoria at a charity gala.
Victoria wore expensive designer clothes and always spoke with a warm and polite voice around Mark.
She told everyone in town that she wanted to be a loving mother to little Lily.
Mark believed her kind words and married her six months after their very first date.
They moved into the giant brick mansion that overlooked the clear waters of the family pool.
Mark: This home will finally be complete with you here, Victoria.
Victoria: I promise to take care of you and Lily with all my heart.
Lily: Thank you for making my daddy happy again.
However, the sweet smile on Victoria's face vanished whenever Mark left the house for work.
She looked at Lily like the young girl was an unwelcome guest inside the massive mansion.
Victoria wanted full control over the massive family trust fund that Mark had established for Lily.
She knew that half of the fortune was set aside specifically for Lily's future inheritance.
Every morning, Mark drove into the city to oversee his primary commercial construction sites.
The moment his luxury car pulled out of the driveway, Victoria transformed into a severe cold warden.
She made Lily clean the entire kitchen and wash the heavy glass windows by hand.
Victoria: Stop idling around and clean those marble floors right now!
Lily: I finished my homework, Victoria, and my hands are tired.
Victoria: Do not speak back to me in my own home!
Lily kept her sadness hidden deep inside because she did not want to upset her hard-working father.
She knew how much Mark suffered after losing her biological mother several long years ago.
Mark brought home fresh flowers every evening and gave his daughter a giant affectionate hug.
Mark: How was your afternoon with Victoria today, sweetie?
Lily: It was fine, Daddy, we just stayed near the pool.
Victoria stood in the kitchen doorway with a polite smile fixed on her bright face.
She held a tray of homemade cookies and acted like the most devoted stepmother alive.
Victoria: She was an absolute angel all afternoon, my darling husband.
Mark felt lucky to have such a peaceful family life after so many years of sorrow.
He never noticed the terrified look in Lily's small eyes whenever Victoria walked past her chair.
Lily spent her afternoons sitting beside the poolside, holding a small locked wooden keepsake box.
Inside the box were the last handwritten letters from her late mother before she died.
Victoria watched the young girl from the master balcony with deep envy and growing anger.
She believed that the keepsake box contained legal documents regarding the family inheritance and estate.
Victoria decided that she needed to get her hands on that box at any personal cost.
She waited for the perfect moment when Mark was stuck in afternoon city traffic downtown.