Sarah pulled Clara closely against her side as they walked toward the heavy front door.
Victoria stood tall in the archway, refusing to move an inch.
Victoria: Leave the keys to the station wagon on the console table.
Sarah: That car was purchased under my personal name three years ago.
Victoria: Paid for with family funds, which makes it company property.
Sarah reached into her purse and took out the vehicle registration paper.
She held the official document right in front of Victoria's harsh face.
Sarah: Read the owner line carefully, Victoria.
Victoria snatched the paper angrily and crumpled it in her fist.
Victoria: Paperwork can be disputed in court for months while you go broke.
Suddenly, the heavy front doors opened from the outside unexpectedly.
An elderly man in a sharp grey suit stepped inside the foyer.
It was Mr. Harrison, the family lawyer who had served Arthur for thirty years.
He carried a worn leather briefcase and looked surprised to see the confrontation.
Mr. Harrison: What on earth is going on in here?
Mr. Harrison: Why are there pearls scattered all across the marble entry floor?
Victoria's aggressive composure vanished instantly, replaced by a warm and fake smile.
Victoria: Oh, Mr. Harrison, we had a small accidental spill with a broken necklace.
Sarah: It was not an accident, Mr. Harrison.
Sarah: Victoria cut Arthur's mother's pearl necklace directly off Clara's neck.
Mr. Harrison looked deeply troubled as he looked down at the loose beads.
Mr. Harrison: Victoria, is this true?
Victoria: Of course not, Sarah is stressed and making up wild lies.
Victoria: The child pulled on the string too hard while playing near the stairs.
Clara stepped forward, holding her small hand out toward the lawyer.
Clara: Aunt Victoria used big scissors and yelled at me, Mr. Harrison.
Mr. Harrison adjusted his glasses and looked closely at the young girl's neck.
He spotted the tiny red scratch left by the sharp metal blades.
Mr. Harrison: I see...
Mr. Harrison: Victoria, I came here today to deliver the final updated trust files.
Victoria: Excellent, hand them over to me so I can review them.
Mr. Harrison: I cannot do that, Victoria.
Mr. Harrison: Arthur made a mandatory video recording two days before he passed away.
Victoria's fake smile stiffened completely as her eyes widened in shock.
Victoria: A video recording? He never mentioned any recording to me.
Mr. Harrison: Because he explicitly requested that I keep it hidden until today.
Sarah felt a sudden wave of hope wash over her tired body.
Sarah: What did Arthur say in the video, Mr. Harrison?
Mr. Harrison: He anticipated that someone in the family would attempt to alter the DNA results.
Victoria took a quick step back toward the staircase railing nervously.