Inside the locked study down the main corridor, a stack of white legal folders sat unattended.
Victoria had left her private leather briefcase open on the large polished mahogany desk earlier.
Just hours before, she had hired a crooked notary public to forge several important signature lines.
Her ultimate goal was to strip Mark of his full estate rights before the weekend arrived.
She wanted full control over the vast family trust fund left behind by Mark's late grandfather.
Lily had accidentally stumbled upon those strange stamped papers while searching for her drawing book earlier.
She remembered seeing her father's name crossed out in dark black ink on several main pages.
That was the real reason Victoria was acting so harsh and angry toward the small child.
Victoria needed to get Lily out of the way before Mark returned home from the city.
Victoria: If you tell your father about those documents, you will regret it forever, Lily!
Lily: My daddy knows when you are telling lies, and he will fix everything soon!
Victoria: Your father trusts me completely, so he will never believe a silly young child!
She tightened her hold on Lily's silver bracelet, causing the delicate clasp to pop open.
The shiny chain dropped onto the pristine floor with a quiet metallic ringing chime sound.
Lily looked down at the fallen bracelet that her late biological mother had given to her.
Lily: Give that back to me, it is the only thing I have left from my mommy!
Victoria: You do not deserve expensive jewelry or luxury items in this grand household anymore!
She kicked the little bracelet under a tall wooden cabinet with the point of her shoe.
Lily wept openly now, her heart breaking over the cruel action of her mean stepmother.
Lily: You are a very bad person, and my daddy is going to kick you out!
Victoria: Keep quiet right now or I will make sure you never see your toys again!
The tension inside the large empty hallway grew thicker with every passing quiet second now.
Victoria grabbed Lily's shoulder again, trying to drag her toward the dark rear staircase.
She was so focused on her cruelty that she did not hear the car engine outside.
A sleek dark blue sedan had pulled up fast along the wide gravel front driveway.
The car door slammed shut with a sharp heavy thud that rattled the front glass windows.
Heavy boots began rushing up the outer concrete steps toward the thick wooden front entrance doors.
Victoria stopped in her tracks, her face freezing in sudden worry and visible nervous dread.