Arthur carried Lily gently into the living room and set her on the sofa.
He handed her a fresh glass of cold water to help her calm down.
Elena stood by the tall fireplace with her arms crossed over her chest tightly.
She tried to act like she was the one who had been wronged today.
Elena: You are overreacting to a tiny little mistake!
Arthur: You put my daughter in danger on purpose!
Elena: She dropped her own toy over the edge!
Lily: She snatched it from my hands, Daddy!
Arthur: I believe my daughter every single time!
Elena: You care more about her than me!
Arthur walked over to his grand oak desk and picked up his leather briefcase.
He opened the top zipper and pulled out a thick envelope of white papers.
These were private investigation reports he had received from his trust lawyer earlier.
Arthur had requested a background check on Elena after noticing missing bank money.
He threw the heavy documents onto the glass table directly in front of Elena.
Elena looked down at the papers and her face turned completely pale as chalk.
Arthur: Explain these bank transfers right now, Elena!
Elena: That is just money for household bills!
Arthur: You transferred fifty thousand dollars yesterday!
Elena: I was planning a surprise for us!
Arthur: Stop lying to my face right now!
The report proved that Elena had huge personal debts from old secret gambles.
She had only married Arthur to gain control of his vast family inheritance trust.
She wanted to push Lily out of the house so she could take everything.
Lily sat quietly on the sofa and looked at her father with wide eyes.
She realized her father was finally fighting back against the cruel stepmother today.
Elena stepped back toward the staircase as her fake sweet smile faded away.
Her real cold character was completely revealed in front of the entire household.
Elena: You cannot prove anything against me in court!
Arthur: My lawyer team will prove every single detail!
Elena: I have rights as your legal wife!
Arthur: You lost all rights when you hurt Lily!
Arthur stepped forward with strong authority filling his steady voice and posture now.
He knew he had to protect his family legacy and his sweet child.