The afternoon heat was heavy across the manicured green lawn surrounding the deep swimming pool.
Mark called Victoria from his office downtown to inform her about a late board meeting.
Mark: I will be home around seven tonight, my love.
Victoria: Take all the time you need, dear, everything is perfect here.
The moment Victoria hung up the phone, her sweet expression turned completely dark and harsh.
She walked directly into Lily's bedroom on the second floor without bothering to knock first.
Lily was sitting at her small wooden desk, carefully reading a handwritten letter from her mother.
Victoria stepped forward and snatched the precious paper right out of the young girl's hands.
Lily: Give that back to me, Victoria!
Victoria: What are you hiding in these letters from your dead mother?
Lily: Those are private memories meant only for me and my dad!
Victoria scanned the pages quickly and noticed references to a legal trust account held in Switzerland.
Her eyes grew wide with intense greed as she realized the true size of the inheritance.
The late mother had set aside millions of dollars in a secure account solely for Lily.
Victoria realized that if Mark discovered this separate trust, her own legal standing would weaken.
She grabbed the entire wooden keepsake box off the desk and held it tightly against her dress.
Victoria: This nonsense stays with me from now on, you ungrateful child.
Lily: Please, Victoria, that is all I have left of my mom!
Lily chased her stepmother down the curved marble staircase, crying out for her to stop immediately.
Victoria marched through the open glass patio doors that led directly out to the sparkling pool.
The blue water reflected the afternoon sunlight like a clear mirror near the mansion walls.
Victoria stood right near the concrete ledge where the water depth reached twelve full feet deep.
She held the delicate wooden box high over the deep water with a wicked smirk on her face.
Victoria: If you step any closer, I will drop this forever into the drain!
Lily: Stop, please, I will do whatever chores you want!
Victoria: You will never mention this trust to your father ever again!
Lily took a slow step forward on the slippery wet concrete with her arms outstretched in desperation.
She reached out to grab the edge of the keepsake box from Victoria's firm grip.
Victoria pulled the box back quickly and slammed her open hand against Lily's chest with force.
Lily lost her footing on the wet tiles and stumbled backward toward the open water ledge.
She flailed her small arms wildly as she lost her balance near the sharp deep end.
Victoria: Get out of my sight right now!
Lily fell hard into the cold deep pool, creating a massive splash that echoed across the lawn.