Clara: Mr. Wilmoth, her cruelty today wasn't an isolated accident[cite: 1].
David turned around, running his hands through his hair as he scooped Emma into his arms[cite: 1].
David: What do you mean, Clara? How long has she been tormenting my daughter[cite: 1]?
Clara: For three months, sir. Every time you left for the corporate office in Chicago[cite: 1].
Emma: Daddy, she locked me in the dark laundry room whenever I cried for Mommy[cite: 1].
David closed his eyes, a ragged breath escaping his throat as tears threatened to spill[cite: 1].
David: My God... I left my baby with a sociopath[cite: 1].
Clara: She didn't just want Emma out of the house, Mr. Wilmoth. She wanted Emma removed from the inheritance trust[cite: 1].
David: What are you talking about? The family trust is locked under my biological signature[cite: 1].
Clara: Not anymore, sir. Look inside this brown envelope[cite: 1].
Clara pulled a thick manila folder from the pocket of her black-and-white uniform and handed it to him[cite: 1].
David took the folder, shifting Emma securely onto his left hip while flipping open the brass clasp[cite: 1].
Inside lay a notarized codicil stamped with the seal of the county probate court[cite: 1].
David: This is a modified power of attorney... naming Victoria as sole conservator of Emma's estate[cite: 1]!
Clara: She paid off your family attorney, Richard Vance, two weeks ago[cite: 1].
David: Vance has been my corporate counsel for fifteen years! He wouldn't risk his license[cite: 1]!
Clara: Victoria promised him a five-million-dollar kickback from Emma's maternal trust fund once you signed the prenup[cite: 1].
David: Where did you find these documents, Clara[cite: 1]?
Clara: In Victoria's vanity safe upstairs. She left the digital panel unlocked this morning while preparing for her fitting[cite: 1].
David stared at the papers, his knuckles turning white as he read the forged signatures[cite: 1].
David: If Emma had broken her neck on those stairs today... Victoria would have inherited forty million dollars outright[cite: 1].
Clara: Exactly, sir. She was eliminating the primary beneficiary before your wedding ceremony[cite: 1].
Emma: Daddy, will the bad lady come back through the window[cite: 1]?
David: No, my brave girl. Never again. Daddy is changing every lock on this property right now[cite: 1].
David pulled out his phone again, dialing his personal head of corporate security[cite: 1].
David: Marcus, bring the private security detail to the main estate immediately. Terminate Richard Vance's legal access, freeze all company accounts, and impound Victoria's vehicles[cite: 1].
Marcus: Right away, Mr. Wilmoth. What about the press outside the gates[cite: 1]?
David: Tell them the wedding is canceled and the bride is currently in police custody for attempted murder[cite: 1].
David ended the call, looking down at Clara with profound respect in his dark eyes[cite: 1].
David: You caught my daughter when she fell, Clara. You saved her life[cite: 1].
Clara: I promised Emma's late mother that I would protect this little girl, Mr. Wilmoth[cite: 1].
David froze in his tracks, his eyes widening in total disbelief as he stared at the humble housemaid[cite: 1].
David: What did you say? You knew Sarah[cite: 1]?