The quiet room felt completely silent after the loud argument on the balcony ended.
David walked down the hallway while carrying Lily gently in his strong arms.
He took her straight into her bedroom and closed the heavy oak door softly behind them.
He set her down on her soft bed covered in bright pink pillows.
Lily wiped away her tears with the sleeve of her pink party dress.
David sat on the edge of the mattress and wrapped a cozy blanket around her shoulders.
David: You are completely safe now, Lily.
Lily: I was just looking at the pretty flowers on the balcony, Daddy.
David: Tell me exactly what happened before I ran over.
Lily: Victoria came up behind me real quiet.
David: Did she say anything to you first?
Lily: She said I did not belong in this big house anymore.
David felt a deep cold chill run down his spine as he heard those strange words.
He had married Victoria only six months ago after a brief romance in the city.
She had seemed like the perfect caring mother figure for his motherless daughter.
She was elegant, well spoken, and always brought bright gifts for Lily.
Now he realized how foolish he had been to trust her so quickly.
David took a deep breath to steady his shaky voice.
David: Did she touch your back, sweetie?
Lily: She shoved me hard right over the wooden rail.
David: I believe you, Lily.
He kissed her forehead gently and held her small hand in his.
He needed to figure out why Victoria would do something so terrible to a young child.
There had to be a hidden motive behind her cruel action today.
David remembered the thick stack of financial documents on his desk in the home office.
He had recently updated his will and trust fund details with his family lawyer.
The estate worth millions of dollars was set to go entirely to Lily on her eighteenth birthday.
If anything ever happened to Lily, the entire inheritance would pass straight to his wife.
A dark realization began to form inside David's minds as all the pieces connected together.
Victoria had not married him out of love or affection.
She wanted the massive family fortune all to herself.
David stood up from the bed with a dark expression on his face.
David: Stay in your room with your toys, okay?
Lily: Are you going away, Daddy?
David: I am just going to handle a small problem downstairs.
He locked the bedroom door from the outside with a golden key for her safety.
He walked down the long corridor toward his private office at the end of the hall.
The floorboards creaked softly under his heavy dress shoes as he walked.
When he reached his office, he noticed the door was slightly open.
He pushed the door open quietly without making any sound.
Victoria was standing right next to his dark mahogany desk with a small silver key in her hand.
She was frantically going through his private steel safe under the desk shelf.
Papers were scattered all across the dark carpet floor around her feet.
David leaned against the wooden door frame and crossed his arms over his chest.
David: Looking for something important, Victoria?
Victoria gasped sharply and dropped the paper file she was holding.
She turned around quickly, her eyes wide with shock and fear.
Victoria: David! You scared me so much!
David: Why are you digging through my private financial records right now?
Victoria: I was just looking for my passport for our trip next week!
David: Your passport is not kept inside my personal legal safe.
Victoria: I thought you put it in here for safekeeping!
David: Stop lying to me, Victoria.
He stepped inside the office and shut the door behind him with a soft click.
The warm sunlight outside seemed to disappear behind a large dark cloud.
David knew he was now dealing with a dangerous enemy inside his own home.