Liam: Chloe is waiting downstairs with life insurance forms[cite: 1]?
Margaret: Did you honestly think a twenty-four-year-old model married a grieving widower for love, Liam[cite: 1]?
Liam: She told me she wanted to help me raise Owen after Sarah died[cite: 1]!
Margaret: She wanted your twenty-five-million-dollar maritime logistics trust fund[cite: 1]!
Liam: Owen is the sole beneficiary of that trust until he turns twenty-one[cite: 1]!
Margaret: Exactly. And if Owen dies before his first birthday, the entire estate reverts to his legal guardian[cite: 1]!
Liam carried the bundled baby past the master bedroom doors, his heavy footsteps echoing on the marble[cite: 1].
At the base of the grand staircase, standing beside the double entrance doors beneath the indoor American flag, was Chloe[cite: 1].
She wore an ivory designer trench coat, holding a leather legal portfolio under her arm[cite: 1].
Her smile vanished the moment she saw Liam descending the steps with the wrapped child in his arms[cite: 1].
Chloe: Liam?! What... Why aren't you on your flight to Illinois[cite: 1]?!
Liam: The flight had a mechanical delay, Chloe. What a tragic stroke of bad luck for you[cite: 1].
Chloe: Darling, what happened to Owen? Why is he wrapped in a bathroom towel[cite: 1]?
Margaret: He knows, Chloe! He answered my phone! The call went through[cite: 1]!
Chloe's face turned completely white, the leather portfolio slipping an inch beneath her fingers[cite: 1].
Chloe: Liam, wait... That wasn't what it sounded like! We were playing an online game[cite: 1]!
Liam: An online game about drowning my six-month-old son in a toilet bowl[cite: 1]?!
Chloe: No! It was a murder mystery app! We were roleplaying for our weekend book club[cite: 1]!
Liam: Show me the papers inside that leather binder right now, Chloe[cite: 1].
Chloe: These are private financial documents prepared by my personal corporate accountant[cite: 1]!
Liam: Hand them over, or I will have my estate security strip them from your hands[cite: 1].
Liam reached the bottom landing, his towering frame casting a dark shadow over both women[cite: 1].
He reached out his free hand, snatching the leather binder from Chloe's unresisting grip[cite: 1].
He unzipped the brass clasp, flipping open the top sheet under the foyer chandelier[cite: 1].
Stamped across the top in bold black letters was a policy document from Mutual Trust Life[cite: 1].
Liam: 'Accidental Death Rider: Owen Thomas Sterling... Primary Beneficiary: Chloe Vance Sterling'[cite: 1]...
Chloe: That was an estate planning recommendation! Our financial advisor told us to insure every family member[cite: 1]!
Liam: A ten-million-dollar accidental drowning policy taken out three days ago[cite: 1]?!
Margaret: It is standard wealth management practice for high-net-worth families, Liam[cite: 1]!
Liam: Look at the signature at the bottom of the authorization page, Chloe[cite: 1].
Liam held the paper up to Chloe's face, his eyes burning with disgust[cite: 1].
Liam: You forged my signature using my digital notary stamp from the home office[cite: 1]!
Chloe: You gave me power of attorney for domestic operations when we married[cite: 1]!
Liam: Domestic operations means paying the gardeners, not taking out a death policy on my baby[cite: 1]!
Owen whimpered softly, snuggling his wet face deeper into the warmth of the towel[cite: 1].
Liam: Mrs. Gable! Report to the grand foyer immediately[cite: 1]!
The double kitchen doors swung open, and the elderly housekeeper hurried out in her navy uniform[cite: 1].
Mrs. Gable: Mr. Sterling! Oh merciful God, what happened to little Owen[cite: 1]?!
Liam: Take Owen up to the nursery, Mrs. Gable. Dry him off, get him into warm clothes, and lock the nursery door from the inside[cite: 1].
Mrs. Gable: Right away, sir! Come here, my sweet angel boy[cite: 1]...
Mrs. Gable took the child with gentle, experienced hands, shooting a glare of pure venom at Margaret as she hurried up the stairs[cite: 1].
Liam turned back toward the two women, stepping between them and the front entrance[cite: 1].
Liam: Neither of you is leaving this room until the police arrive[cite: 1].
Chloe: You can't detain us, Liam! That is false imprisonment under Texas law[cite: 1]!
Liam: You committed attempted capital murder inside my home, Chloe. Watch how fast state law puts you in chains[cite: 1].